In 2004 the unique little art form known as ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) was born on eBay. ATC (Art Trading Cards) have been around for centuries and are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold. In contrast, artists primarily create ACEOs with the intention of selling them. ACEOs came to be as a result of the public's interest in acquiring and collecting these tiny works of art that were (up until the ACEO) strictly traded between artists.

Where to buy ACEOs?
Today ACEOs are flourishing, (on any given day at least 100,000 ACEO originals are sold somewhere on the internet) Etsy, eBay, and ArtFire are a few great sources for original miniature art/ACEOs.

 

ACEO supplies
More and more people are collecting ACEOs and art supply stores are beginning to stock specialized materials that help artists create them. Dick Blick is my favorite art supply source.

Some of the greatest appeals for the ACEO are their size, (small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets), and they are an affordable way for people to acquire original art.



Above is one of my favorite recent ACEOs.
"Spring Chipmunk"
India ink and colored pencil. 2.5" x 3.5"

I personally discovered ACEOs on eBay in 2005 and began creating the little works of art that year. My versions of this small format began to sell immediately on eBay and I found myself inspired to create more. Over the years I have painted and sold about 500 ACEO originals and 1,000's of prints.

Here are a few of my newest ACEOs:

"Nikky" Commission for my dear friend Karen Lideen
India ink and colored pencil. 2.5" x 3.5"

More about Nikky and his step by step work in progress, here.

"Spring Cardinal" Commission.

India ink and colored pencil. 2.5" x 3.5"
Read more about this miniature art here.

See one of my a little ACEOs, created step by step.

How to display ACEOS?
A challenge I see for ACEO collectors is finding creative ways to  display and store these miniature works of art. One idea I came  up withis an

 Up-cycled ACEO Frame made from a CD case.

I hope you investigate this remarkable and collectable art form, perhaps start your own collection or create a few ACEOs of your own!