Welcome to our Artist Trading Card (ATC) community forums! Our focus is on friendly ATC and mail art trading and swapping in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone is welcome here. All mediums are welcome too--stamping, painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, fabric, clay--you name it, we do it! And we don't just trade ATCs; there is a lot going on here. This includes chunky books, inchies, rinchines, twinchies, charms, art journals, altered art, rolodexes and rolo trading, and much more. We also have a gallery and trader rating system to faciliate trading between members and keep our community growing. We hope that you will join our family of art lovers and join us in trading art!

Dick Blick Art Materials: Our Sponsor

As the child of two artists, Kat (Kathryn B. Launey) was encouraged to draw at every opportunity. Art supplies would be brought along to picnics, drawings cheered up rainy day boredom, and even parties were a chance to play drawing charades or the scribble game. After a couple of art classes from an uninspired teacher at college, Kat majored in psychology instead. While raising her three children, she became an award winning needle artist, primarily in needlepoint and quilting. After completing her first quilt, she joined a quilting bee that had been meeting weekly since World War I--and some of the original members were still attending! After retiring, Kat started scrapbooking, learned of ATCs, found AFA, and was instantly hooked. She finds the community of artists to be a wonderful source of inspiration, challenge, and encouragement. The Zentangle with a Twist social group has had the greatest impact on her art. The weekly challenge inspired her shift from collage to drawing, and she finds that the more she draws, the more she is able to draw. Preferred materials include markers, acid-free pens, and occasionally colored pencil. At this point, Kat collects only ATCs, and especially enjoys receiving watercolor art, as well as cards that are beautiful, humorous, or whimsical. Pushed by artists in her family, she has created larger works and sold a number of them, as well as won an award at her art association's annual show last year. Kathryn finds her art has always been stimulated by association with others--especially other artists. "Art is a form of communication which is not complete unless shared."

We strongly encourage our members to check out Art Trader Magazine. ArtTrader Magazine is a web based publication (in PDF format) focused on mail art for trade such as ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), ACEOs, art journals, chunky books, altered art and altered art books. It has galleries and eye candy, discussions of art trading, and technique articles!

Our Latest Issue:

• Illustrated Portraits: A Guide
• Abstract Art with Gel Medium
• Design 911 with Andrea Melione
• Chubby Mermaid ATCs
• ArtTrekker: Red Deer, Alberta
• Galleries of wonderful art!