I've been taking some fun online art classes and I recently learned from one of my teachers that you can use a deck of playing cards as your canvas. Now being an artist I know that a canvas can be anything...believe me I've painted on so many different surfaces over the years it's crazy! But the idea of using playing cards has never crossed my mind.
One big thing I realized--and perhaps the teacher already knew this fact--is that a playing card has the exact same dimensions as an ACEO.
What is an ACEO you may ask? ACEO is an acronym for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals". An ACEO is a miniature piece of art that measures 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". If you make a small piece of art and it measures any other size then it can not be considered an ACEO. That is pretty much the only rule for making an art card. You can make your art card with any material you choose--wood, paper, canvas, glass, styrofoam or whatever you can think of! It just has to measure 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". ACEOs can be very fun and it's a great way to collect art from a variety of artists. If you'd like to read more about the history of ACEOs check out this website - http://www.aceo.org/.
Meanwhile, since my recent realization I began playing around with a deck of cards we had sitting in a drawer for many years. I shared one of my ACEOs on my blog a few weeks ago.
Then the other day I had a little bit of time on my hands so I began to dabble again with a few art cards I started a couple weeks ago. Here's how the set turned out...
I chose to write the words 'Quite Contrary' on the one because of the color scheme I chose. I had been in a mood to paint roses the last several days. But on this particular day for some reason orange and brown were my colors of choice. Not the colors that come to mind when you think of roses. But whatever...I must have been in a 'contrary' mood that day!
I have a nice variety of ACEOs in my stash and I plan to add them to my website in the near future so stay tuned.
Okay, I have lots of work to do so I best get moving along here. More fun on the way...until then,
2 comments:
Those are so sweet. Do you have to sand the playing card first? I might break into my son's card stash!
Blessings
Campbelljane
Hi Campbell Jane...no I didn't sand the cards, but I did apply a coat of gesso to each side. That helps get a good base on it so the layers of paint will stick. They are fun to make and I hope I can find more time to make more! Thanks for your kind words! I love your work! Best wishes!
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