Above: I painted this ACEO in watercolours on thick paper.

I’ve always had a fascination with miniature paintings and have recently discovered ACEOs and art cards. Art cards were originally used by artists as samples of their work, which they swapped with other artists. They all have a standard size (3.5 x 2.5 inches), which is equivalent to the size of a playing card. Soon these cards became collectors items and more recently have been sold on internet auction sites such as Ebay as ACEOs (Art Cards Editions and Originals).

Selling ACEOs has been slightly controversial as the idea of swapping art cards was originally on a non-commercial basis and was a way of networking between artists. And there are websites where artists can still swap rather than sell these cards. ACEOs on the other hand are sold as either editions (a series that is reproduced either limited or unlimited) or originals (a unique card that won’t be replicated).

As an experiment I decided to create some of these cards and have both sold and swapped them. You can see a selection of some of the cards I made on unlimitedpalette.com

I did manage to sell some of the cards, but at a low price I thought for the effort I’d put into them. However, I think they have potential as a good marketing device and may attract people to your work or your website as a taster. I may try to sell a few more before Christmas on Ebay and see how it goes. Watch this space for more news.

Above: This ACEO has a small door that opens to reveal a small fairy inside.