A couple of new ATCs

@M

Vanessa's Drinking Buddy,
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Posts
7,174
Another month, another ATC swap! Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are small crafts that are freely exchanged between individuals, around the world, usually via snail mail, as an exercise to interact with other artists and experience/collect samples of their work. Basically, you "claim" the most recent participant before you, select one of their listed themes as the subject matter for the card that you'll subsequently make for them, and then post your own preferences for an ATC, so that the next person who comes along can do the same for you.

This "Your favorite Calvin & Hobbes scene" themed one was for a woman in Vermont. I used Bill Watterson's original art as my still-life reference models when I drew them. Considering how incredibly self-centered Calvin is, if he was the one making an ATC, Calvin would probably completely ignore his swap partner's list of themes and just draw whatever he wanted to, thus, the joke on the back was born.

hobbes_ATC.jpg

The woman I made said card for for also collects/crafts with cat whiskers, and, several months ago, she asked me if I'd try to collect some of my cat's shed whiskers for her, which I did, and I made this little cat-themed envelope for them, using a magazine ad for cat litter, and sent them along with the ATC.

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This "frogs" themed ATC was for a fellow Michigander. I used some photos from a couple of animal books as my models here when I drew/painted as well.

frogs_ATC.jpg

On its' way into the envelope, the Azure Poison Dart Frog almost got cannibalized by one of its rubbery cousins, but I broke up the would-be dinner party and sent the ATC amphibian safely on its way. Considering that it was a poisonous frog, I probably saved the green one from a terminal case of indigestion anyway!

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The woman that I made the frogs card for crafted me this super-awesome miniature Ouija Board in exchange, for my "a functional ATC board game" theme! She reproduced the box top/bottom, instructions, everything (the board is playing card-sized)!

ATC_ouija02_zpspx6iuwys.jpg

ouija_ATC.jpg
 

@M

Vanessa's Drinking Buddy,
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Posts
7,174
Got another card, from a woman in Arkansas, yesterday, for my "an ATC that's also some kind of art project for me to do" theme. She illustrated 1/2 a card, with a space theme and tasked me with completing it. Appropriately enough, she dubbed this piece "Complete the Final Frontier".

ATC_final_frontier3.jpg

Here's what I came up with. I didn't want to mess up her art (I'm obviously incapable of painting inside my own lines), so I did my artwork separately and then glued it onto her card to complete the image.

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I also wanted to add a 3D element, so I quickly fabricated this miniature satellite out of paper, wire, and white glue:

ATC_final_frontier6.jpg

Here's the finished result. This was an interesting way to do a collaborative piece with another artist.

ATC_final_frontier7.jpg
 

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Craig

Stupid Bitch.,
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Looks great... and the mini Ouija is super dope.
 

oliverclaude

General Morden's Aide
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Feb 3, 2013
Posts
7,688
Got another card, from a woman in Arkansas, yesterday, for my "an ATC that's also some kind of art project for me to do" theme. She illustrated 1/2 a card, with a space theme and tasked me with completing it. Appropriately enough, she dubbed this piece "Complete the Final Frontier".

Cool idea, makes me think of mind games that surrealists did. Would've been indeed interesting, if you didn't see what the first finished half was all about, save for what was used to create it. Next time perhaps & thx 4 sharing.

Always a pleasure to face your work.
 

@M

Vanessa's Drinking Buddy,
20 Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Posts
7,174
I agree that it would be interesting to illustrate your half of the card before ever even seeing what the other person did, I'll have to keep that idea in mind. It'd result in a super weird mash-up for sure!
 
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