Because sometimes the best art comes in 2.5″ x 3.5″ packages and you get to trade it like Pokémon cards, except infinitely cooler.
Art Trading Cards (ATCs) are exactly what they sound like: tiny, collectible works of art made by artists, traded with other artists, and absolutely impossible to stop making once you start. They’re miniature masterpieces. They’re an excuse to experiment without the pressure of a “real” piece. And they’re extremely addictive.
At Art Supply Center, we’ve been running an annual ATC swap for the past two years, and it has become one of our favorite things we do all year. Artists make cards, drop them off, we hang them in a tiny twinkle-light gallery for the month of June, and then everyone gets to swap and take home cards made by other people in the community. It’s like creative show-and-tell, but everyone wins.
This is your official invitation to join the fun, whether you’re a seasoned ATC veteran or have never made a tiny art piece in your life. Let’s talk about how this works.
What Even Is an ATC?
ATCs have been around for a while: dating back to the Victorian era, where artists exchanged miniature works of art as tokens of creativity and camaraderie. The format caught on fast because it solved a fundamental creative problem: how do you make art that’s low-stakes, highly shareable, and doesn’t require a gallery wall to enjoy?
The answer: make it trading-card sized.
The only hard rule: ATCs must be 2.5″ x 3.5″ (the size of a standard trading card or playing card). Beyond that? Anything goes. Any medium, any subject, any level of chaos or precision. The format is the boundary; the content is wide open.
And here’s the kicker: ATCs are never sold, only traded or given away. This keeps the whole practice in the spirit of creative exchange rather than commerce, which is weirdly freeing. You’re not making it to sell. You’re making it to share.
Why Make ATCs? (Besides the Fact That They’re Fun)
They’re low-pressure. A 2.5″ x 3.5″ piece of art takes way less emotional investment than a full canvas. You can finish one in an afternoon (or 20 minutes if you’re feeling spontaneous). Perfectionism doesn’t have time to set in before you’re done. (Want more of this? Check out our miniature masterpieces post.)
They’re perfect for experimenting. Want to try a new technique? Test a weird color combo? Attempt something you’ve never done before? ATCs are the ideal sandbox. If it works, awesome. If it doesn’t, you’re out 8.75 square inches of material. Not exactly high stakes.
They force you to think small (in a good way). Composition on a tiny scale is its own skill. You learn to edit, learn what details actually matter, or learn how much impact a small piece can have when every inch is intentional.
You get to keep art made by other people. This is the secret magic of ATCs. When you trade, you’re not just giving away your work, you’re collecting original art from other creators. Over time, you build this little archive of traded cards that’s like a creative community time capsule. It’s extremely satisfying.
How to Make an ATC (The Basics)
Step 1: Pick Your Surface
Technically, you can make an ATC on anything that’s 2.5″ x 3.5″. Cardstock, watercolor paper, illustration board, wood veneer, fabric, old playing cards, laminated collage, all fair game.
For beginners, we recommend:
- Heavyweight cardstock or watercolor paper (sturdy, takes most mediums well)
- Pre-cut ATC blanks (we sell these, and they’re extremely convenient)
- Old playing cards or business cards as a base for collage or mixed media
The surface you choose affects what you can do on it, so think about your medium first. Watercolor? You need paper that can handle water. Collage? Anything sturdy enough to glue onto works. Markers or colored pencils? Smooth cardstock is your friend.
Step 2: Make the Thing
This is the fun part. And also the part where people overthink it, so let’s address that: your ATC does not have to be a masterpiece. It can be a color study. A doodle. A collage made from magazine scraps. A single flower. A weird abstract blob. A tiny landscape. A portrait of your cat. Whatever.
Popular ATC techniques:
- Watercolor studies or mini paintings
- Pen and ink illustrations
- Collage (magazine clippings, ephemera, tissue paper, all the scraps)
- Mixed media layering (gesso, paint, collage, stamps, ink — throw it all at the card and see what sticks)
- Colored pencil or marker drawings
- Printmaking (carve a tiny stamp, print multiples, trade them all)
- Embroidery or fabric art on cardstock backing
- Digital prints (design digitally, print on cardstock, embellish by hand)
The beauty of ATCs is that because they’re small, you can try techniques that would feel too ambitious on a larger piece. Go weird. Go experimental. This is your permission slip.
Step 3: Add Info to the Back (Optional but Recommended)
The back of your ATC is where you can include:
- Your name or artist handle
- Date created
- Title (if it has one)
- Social media or contact info (if you want people to find you)
- Edition number (if you’re making multiples)
Or you can leave it totally anonymous. Both approaches are valid. Some people love the mystery of not knowing who made what. Others want to connect and follow each other’s work. It’s entirely up to you.
Join Our ATC Swap! (Yes, You.)
Every year, Art Supply Center hosts an ATC swap and gallery show, and this year is our third annual event. Here’s how it works:
Create one (or more!) ATC cards. Use any medium, any subject, any approach. Just stick to the 2.5″ x 3.5″ format.
Drop it off at the shop or mail it to us by May 15, 2025. We’re accepting submissions through early May. (Procrastinators, we see you. We are you. Get it done.)
We’ll hang your card in our tiny gallery show in June. Think twinkle lights, dozens of miniature artworks strung up above the counter creating extremely Instagrammable creative joy.
In July, you get to swap! If you submitted a card, you get a card (or cards, if you submitted multiple) made by another artist. If you mailed yours in, we’ll mail your swap back to you. It’s like a creative mystery box, except you know it’s going to be good because it was made by a human who cares about tiny art.
We’ve been giving out free mini sample surfaces all April with each purchase to make it even easier to jump in. Grab a few, make some cards, see what happens.
ATC Prompts (If You’re Stuck)
Sometimes the hardest part is just starting. Here are some prompts to get you moving:
- Your favorite color palette, abstracted
- A flower, but make it weird
- Something inspired by your morning coffee
- A tiny landscape from memory
- Collage a face using only magazine scraps
- The last thing that made you laugh
- A pattern you’d want on wallpaper
- Your current mood, visualized
Or ignore all of these and do your own thing. Prompts are training wheels. Use them if you need them, ditch them if you don’t.
The Real Magic: Community & Tiny Art
The ATC swap isn’t just about making small art. It’s about being part of a creative community, seeing what other people are making, and getting to take home a piece of someone else’s process. It’s about the gallery show strung up with lights, the surprise of opening your swap card in July, and the weird little thrill of knowing your art is out there in someone else’s collection.
Deadline: May 15, 2025
Drop off in-store or mail to us. One card, five cards, however many you want to make. Put your name on the back or stay anonymous. It’s all good.
Let’s make some tiny art!!
Ready to make your first ATC? Stop by the shop, grab some sample surfaces, and get started. Bring your finished card by May 11 to join our swap and gallery show. We can’t wait to see what you make and we really can’t wait to string it up and show it off in June.
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