Artist Trading Cards
During this unique time of quarantine and distancing ourselves physically from friends and family, it’s easy to feel isolated, including feeling artistically isolated. I find that much of my inspiration comes from interacting with other designers and illustrators, reading books at my local library, visiting museums, and getting outdoors for hikes, bike rides, and walks my neighborhood park. But with all the recent restrictions, many of those things have been on hold. Connecting via Instagram or email is definitely still a useful tool for me, but I find that it just isn’t the same. I miss that tactile experience that can only come when you hold an object in your hand and get to experience it in it’s natural setting.
To try to help with that problem, I decided to join an artist trading card program that I read about in one of my favorite magazines of all times, Uppercase. The idea is that each participating artist creates a series of small cards (2.5” x 3.5” in size) and then sends them via snail mail to both local designers or artist that you already know as well as strangers who are also participating in the program. It felt a bit like having an artist pen pal, which was super nostalgic because I was all about having a pen pal when I was a kid. I enthusiastically signed up and found myself reaching out to other members in a way I never would have done pre-quarantine.
Given the difficulty in getting to the art store these days, I created my trading cards using things I already had a home, including some leftover cardstock and craft paper, some old linoleum stamps I had created long ago, and my trusty watercolor paints and colored pencils. I think part of the fun of this project was coming up with something that used only these repurposed materials that I already had at home.
When it came to what to actually put on my cards, I was inspired by something I’ve been missing lately. It is so incredibly beautiful outside right now; the dogwoods are blooming, the tulips are shooting up, the redbuds are as vibrant as ever. But with everyone stuck inside for the most part, I felt like we were missing out on the most beautiful part of the year. I decided that what everyone needed was a little bit of the outdoors delivered right to their mailbox. Even if we can’t get outside, at least we can enjoy some snail mail flowers.
The trip to the mailbox in and of itself was exciting for me, given that some days during quarantine, I haven’t even stepped foot outside. Placing the cards in the mailbox knowing they would (hopefully) bring some joy to someone’s day was a really special feeling. I look forward to getting my cards from the other artists in the mail and I’ll be sure to post them below. Instagram and Pinterest can be an overwhelming place when it comes to artistic inspiration, so I look forward to unplugging for a moment and enjoying some inspiration that doesn’t come from a screen.
A beautiful watercolor trading card from @audie_rose_design
A lovely collage trading card from Lisa Alden.