ATCs or Artist Trading Cards, for those who don't know are like the swap cards people collect eg footballers, cartoon/comic book characters.

The card usually measures 2.5 x 3.5 inches, has the art work on the front and the artist's details on the back, plus a series and edition number. For instance here I have seven cards in the series, and so the first one is 1/7 and the last 7/7.

These are some ATCs I made for a recent swap. The set theme was 'Circus/Music Hall. I didn't have many stamps or collage images that I could use for this particular theme, so I sketched the showgirl and clowns.

A couple of the backgrounds have glittered lace - made by laying a layer of double-sided film over the card and applying a piece of lace. Take a dark coloured glitter and press it firmly into the lace making sure the whole of the film is covered. Tip any excess glitter back into the pot. Take off the lace and you will be left with blank bits of sticky film to fill in. Apply a contrasting coloured glitter. The effect is amazing. I used the same method for the headdress and spotlight behind the showgirl - top row, second from left.

The clowns were sketched and water coloured - some of the paints used were Luminarte Twinkling H20s which give a pearlescent sheen.

The background for the Annie Oakley ATC was watercoloured and then a black and white image applied on top. The edges of the curtains are glittered.

I have taken part in about three ATC swaps now and thoroughly enjoy receiving other people's work and learning their techniques. I shall be photographing the swaps I have received and posting them up here too.