ETSY - Buying and Selling in an Artists' Marketplace Online

Have you discovered Etsy yet? I enjoy buying handmade creations of art directly from the artist so I often browse the hundred thousand shops on etsy.com for friend and family gifts or to add to my collection of ACEO miniatures (Art Cards, Editions, or Originals). Also referred to as art cards or artist trading cards, ACEOs are 2.5 x 3.5 creations of art that are traded among artists or purchased by collectors. I do both.

My etsy shop is heartfulart.etsy.com and has only a fraction of art found at my website heartfulart.com. I'm building my etsy store day by day and while I do, I'm enjoying the game that being a part of an online marketplace offers. The more I explore Etsy, the more I discover what it has to offer the handmade entrepreneur (like me). Their online labs provide educational videos, the etsy blog highlights sellers, techniques, products and more, and a new feature "shop stats" provide the sellers with marketing data to assist in getting found among the thousands of shops on Etsy. 

And then there's my personal shopping. It's entertaining to browse international shops or discover what artists are creating in towns and cities around the USA. My most recent Etsy purchase is an original ACEO from artist, Micki Wilde of The Secret Hermit based in the UK. The little treasure arrived yesterday, packaged with care. Etsy artists often package their art as creatively as the art itself. It makes it even more fun to know when I send a friend a gift I purchased on Etsy, it will likely be opened with delight. It's not a requirement to make the packaging extraordinary but it is more common than not.

This little ACEO from Micki completes the first page in my ACEO Collection Album (I use acrylic sleeves sold to protect baseball cards in a standard 3-ring binder).

Although some ACEOs are prints, I prefer to collect original art as these nine ACEOs are. The eight artists are from all over the USA and the world.

Start your own collection by entering "ACEO" or "ACEO original art" or "ATC" "ACETSY" or "art cards" in the handmade search field at etsy.com. Or start by taking a look at the ACEOs I have for sale in my Etsy store.

I encourage you to explore Etsy and see where your imagination takes you. It's almost September and the holidays will be here before you know it. Etsy artists await to provide you with the most creative gifts ever! - Raphaella Vaisseau

Artist Trading Cards hit the Mainstream in Dick Blick's 2010-2011 Studio Catalog

Artist Trading Cards, or ATC for short, is the brainchild of Zurich artist M.Vänçi Stirnemann who originated the concept in 1996 and created the first trading party in 1997 in Switzerland. Originally intended to be traded by artist to artist in person, this mini art form has morphed into a world-wide phenomenon with beaucoup variations and ameliorations. On Etsy.com, the handmade marketplace online, they are often referred to as ACEOs ("Art Cards, Editions and Originals") because they are primarily for sale rather than traded artist to artist. Plus, they include prints rather than being all original, handmade works of art.

I have my own collection going on and prefer to buy only originals. However, I have mistakenly purchased prints from time to time. Click here for an interesting discussion of originals vs. copies by two creators of ATCs. I create and sell my own as well, but, sadly, I haven't yet found any artists willing to trade them with me. I love the idea of artists trading little miniature paintings with each other. Many of the artists on Etsy, including myself, who create ACEOs belong to a group called the "ACEO Etsy Street Team." Browse this wonderful blog for links to many miniature works of art.

I was pleased to find a two-page spread in the 2010-2011 Dick Blick Studio catalog featuring ATC supplies for artists. Log onto www.dickblick.com or call them at 800-828-4548 for your very own copy of this BIG catalog of art supplies. Happy Creating!!!

Kelly Light's Ripple Project - Artists and Donors Help the Animal Victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill

So far Kelly Light has facilitated over $9,000 in donations to help animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. "We don't have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward," Kelly says.

Artists (me included) donate sketches which Kelly posts on the Ripples blog. People buy the art by making a donation to one of the four nonprofits listed below the instructions for making the donation. Read the whole blog to see how it works. Some of the art requires a $50 donation and some a $10 donation.

Two of my ACEO paintings sold yesterday and two more are still available .Click HERE to see the post and buy one for the cause. I plan to donate more ACEO originals in September if the project still continues. Every penny goes to the animals.

To read more about how it all began, read the School Library Journal's July 20, 2010 article by Debra Lau Whelan, "Children's Illustrators Help Save Gulf Oil Spill Wildlife Victims."

I'm honored to play a small part in this important rescue project. I appreciate Kelly Light's vision (and her time) to make a difference in our world. Bless the art, the artists and the donors who are in turn blessing the animals of the Gulf. Thanks, Kelly!