FO: April ATCs

ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards, are small works of art that are made to be traded with other artists.  ATCs are the same size as baseball cards, 2.5" x 3.5", and every single one is completely different.  

Last month I participated in my first swap on Craftster, the Ongoing ATC Swap (here is a link to this month's swap).  I have wanted to sign up for a swap for a very long time, but I know that I am not always good with deadlines.  ATCs seemed like the perfect choice: small enough to create within a deadline.  Now I am addicted :)  I love making tiny little works of art and experimenting with new ideas and techniques.

During the April ATC swap, I created two cards.  The first was titled "Lord Shiva."  The person I made this card for listed two themes that I combined to make this card: gods and goddesses and collage.  I started by covering some cardstock with a page from an old book.  I then painted the page with acrylic paint.  Then I collaged an image of Lord Shiva (from a National Geographic story about a water park in India) and a yellow flower (also from a National Geographic).  Finally I added some gold  around the edges and glued a jewel over Shiva's third eye.

I made a little tangled notecard to send the ATC in.

The second ATC that I made in April was for a science fiction theme.  I checked out the swapper's Pinterest page and saw a board devoted to Doctor Who.  One of her pins was a Tardis necklace.  It was shaped like the Tardis and had neat circular designs cut out.  I tried to recreate it with paper, markers, paint and pens. 

I started this card with some water-soluble markers.  Then I painted over them with some pearlescent paint with smudged the markers a little and gave the whole card a blue hue.  I added details on top of the paint with gel pens, then varnished the whole thing to protect it.  I also make a cute Doctor Who themed notecard for this ATC.

Because I sent two ATCs, I also received two ATCs.  First I received an awesome drawing of a dolmen from Craftster member blupaisan.

I also received a sugar skull themed fabric ATC from audio.  It has little beads sewn on it.

I've signed up for the May ATC Swap and have already sent out 3 different ATCs.  Have you ever made ATCs?  Have you ever participated in a craft swap?