Lisa Call

ACEO #3    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
Yesterday I completed all of the quillows for my daughter to sell. It was a full day in front of the sewing machine and it feels great to have that chore finished. I still need to construct 3 pillows for her store, which I’ll do first thing this morning and then finally I can get back to my work in the studio.

About a month ago I started a new large Markings piece and it’s been languishing on my design wall underneath quillows and small pieces for the Arvada Holiday Art Market. Today after a quick studio cleaning I plan to complete the construction of the design.

Finally back to making work because I want to make it, not because I have to for some deadline. This is the time in the studio I enjoy the most. No pressure. I make the art I want to and I don’t worry about what it’s for and if anyone (other than me) will like it. Too bad there is no money in such activities. Marketing….. I thought I’d get to some of that this week, didn’t happen. With my kids in town only 1 more week before their 3 month trip to Spain, hanging out with them is the highest priority for now.

 
The above photo is the last of the 3 Original Art Cards (ie ACEO) I made this summer. I first posted about Art Cards a few months ago. ACEO #3 was inspired by the Structures work that is composed of many blocks with this structure. I posted images of these pieces in this post.

I’m not sure if I’ll make any more small art cards at this point, I’m pondering my goals for 2008 in my head these days and so far I haven’t hit upon a desire to focus on this type of work. It was fun but I enjoy making larger work more. Maybe I’ll do 2 or 3 a year based on a few pieces made during the year. We’ll see how it goes.

This art card is available or $20 (includes shipping). If you are interested in purchasing the piece you can leave a comment here or send me email. Sold

 

Back Side of ACEO #3

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ - the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

ACEO #2, Inspired by Structures #78    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
Today I took my mom to the airport, my kids are at their dads for a week so it’s time to get things in order and get back to my studio. I stayed focused yesterday and got most of my day-job work done so I only have a few hours to put in, which I plan to put off until sunday evening. I paid bills and got my art finances up to date this morning so it’s time to head to my studio and get back to work.

I had hoped I would be getting on a plane today and heading out to NYC for the opening of The Blogger Show but my plan of waiting until the last minute weekend fares to snag a cheap flight didn’t work. There were no cheap flights to be had from Denver to anywhere near NY. So I will miss the event and will have to be content reading the reviews by the numerous bloggers participating.

 
The above photo is the second of the 3 Original Art Cards (ie ACEO) I made this summer. I first posted about Art Cards a month ago although it seems like just a few days. ACEO #2 was inspired by the small work I showed a few weeks back, Structures #78.

This art card is available or $20 (includes shipping). If you are interested in purchasing the piece you can leave a comment here or send me email. Update - the work has been sold and is no longer available.

 

Back Side of ACEO #2

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ - the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

ACEO from Structures #48    ©2007 Lisa Call    3.5" x 2.5"

 
I made the above ACEO with a left over section from Structures #48, shown in the previous post.

 
ACEO stands for “art cards, editions and originals”. Originally known as ATC, Artist Trading Card, and are traded between artists. When sold to the public they are referred to as ACEOs. The primary rule for an ACEO or ATC is they be 3 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ - the size of a trading card. They are created in many different mediums and are collectible, trade able and affordable art for everyone.

 
My original thought was to sell ACEOs on etsy but my enthusiasm for that project didn’t last long. I put quite a bit of time and energy into my etsy shop doing internal promotion and even joined a couple of etsy street teams. I made 2 sales from my shop, both from people that knew me from outside of etsy. Lots of nice comments about my work from within etsy but no sales. I think my prices don’t fit into the cheaper pricing structure of much of etsy. It was an interesting experiment but not one I will pursue once my listings expire.

Etsy just didn’t feel like the right fit for me. First problem is I really can’t get over the name of the place, it really bothers me for some reason. Second was I felt like I was selling my work at a craft fair and while there is nothing wrong with craft fairs, that is not the venue I envision for my work.

When I restructure my website I plan to include prices for my small works to sell directly from my website. I believe that etsy isn’t going to bring me buyers. They are just providing a store front so paying a fee to a 3rd party for a place to host my images doesn’t make sense for my needs, especially if I’m competing against a bunch of folks that seriously undercut my prices.
 

The above ACEO is available for $20 (includes shipping). Sold - thanks Kit!

I made 2 or 3 other ACEOs and I will get them photographed and on my blog over the next few weeks. They were fun to make but pretty time consuming so I’m not sure I’ll make many more. It’s a very small format and quite a challenge for me. I was thinking about trying something in the 5" x 7" size range but it’ll be a few months before I have time to experiment as I have some show deadlines coming up.

 
It was my post about pokemon cards the other day that prompted me to remember I made these little art trading cards. I spent hours and hours mailing out trading cards. Sadly many of those little pieces of cardboard were sold for much higher prices than my original art work. The most impressive profit we turned was to head to toysRus one day and stand in line for 20 minutes to get a much anticipated promotional Mew card. I turned around and sold mine that week on ebay for $50. Not bad pay for standing around.
 

ACEOs - the pokemon cards for artists!

Back Side of ACEO: