It’s time for an artistamp swap.

Swaps are such fun!  I’m launching digital artistamp swaps at AJ (ArtistsJournals community at Yahoo Groups).

Artistamps are faux postage… totally made-up, fake postage, often from your own imaginary country. (One of mine is “Ballynafae,” a Celtic land of the whimsical faerie folk. I’ve been sending artistamps off & on since the 1970s.)

Artistamps aren’t designed to fool postal authorities. They’re a form of art, usually placed on the front of an envelope or on a post card.

(Different countries have different rules about where artistamps can be placed. Last time I checked, you can put artistamps next to your regular postage on mail sent in the U.S., but it has to be clearly separated from regular postage on British cards & letters.)

Within postage, artistamps are considered “Cinderellas” — faux postage. Artistamps are also a sub-group of mailart, which is art sent by mail, usually where it can be clearly seen by the postal carrier.

You can learn more about artistamps at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistamp
http://aisling.net/category/mailart/artistamps/

Anyway… this is a DIGITAL artistamp swap, with a new theme each month, July through October. (If you’ll be busy with back-to-school activities, don’t worry. You can start early. All the folders are already at our Yahoo Groups site.)

You’ll create your postage in the same size as normal-size stamps (more or less), in digital format, preferably at 300 dpi. Then, for this artistamp swap, you’ll post them in a File at the Yahoo Groups website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArtistsJournals/files/

(If you’re not a member of AJ, you’ll need to join first.)
On the date of each artistamp swap (noted on each file folder), I’ll put the artistamps together as a digital sheet of postage. Anyone (and everyone, whether you were in the swap or not) can download and print the file. (I’ll announce the digital sheet download, with a link, as soon as each one is ready.)

Here are the upcoming digital artistamp swaps, and their dates:

17 July – Stamps to celebrate the 1955 opening of Disneyland. Any artistamp with a Disney theme is fine. (Please, no raunchy parodies.) Though we generally don’t use copyrighted images in our art, this will be an exception, and only for private/fan use.  (Here’s mine – A Disneyland Tribute to My Mom)

15 August – Best Friends Day! Celebrate this day with an artistamp swap  about friendship, your best friend, or a group of friends.

19 September – Pirate-themed artistamps! Celebrate “Talk Like a Pirate Day” with an artistamp related to pirates, pirate treasure, maps of exotic lands, etc.  Join the fun and parrrticipate in this arrrtistamp swap!

20 October – Halloween theme! I’m setting this artistamp swap deadline ahead of the celebration, so people will have time to download the stamps and use them for their Halloween cards… if you’re sending any. (I plan to.)

Also, if you’re interested in swapping actual artistamped mail, that month, include your name and postal mailing address in a text file in that month’s folder.

So, start thinking about artistamp designs. If you don’t have a graphics program to create artistamps, there are several free programs online. You can find some links and reviews at About.com:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/freesoftware/Free_Graphics_Software.htm

What’s your favorite free graphics software?

* Linux users are often very enthusiastic about GIMP http://www.gimp.org (Also available for Windows & Mac) and Inkscape http://www.inkscape.org/ (ditto)
* Windows users often like Paint.net http://www.getpaint.net/
* Mac user…? Please share your favorites, too!

Questions? Better links? Suggestions? Share your thoughts!  (And I hope you’ll join this artistamp swap, too.)

Art Day 2010 will be on August 13th.  You can contribute to the celebration by sending mail art.

Several years ago, I hosted an Art Day mail call.  It was tremendous fun to see the art from all over the world… envelopes, postcards, ATCs/ACEOs, and more.

The event is now hosted elsewhere, but the enthusiasm for art — and Art Day 2010 –  continue!

Here are the Art Day 2010 Mail Art guidelines:

2010 AFABW Mail Art Participation Details

0. The Mail Art theme for Art Day 2010  is “Celebrate Artists!”

1. Mail your mail art so it arrives by July 13, 2010 (allow time for postal service in your country or state), along with your email and regular address, to:

Randy Mate, Administrator
ARTISTS FOR A BETTER WORLD (AFABW) INTERNATIONAL
1134 E Lexington Dr, Apt 8
Glendale, CA 91206
USA

2. The Mail Art will be displayed at the annual Founder’s “Art and Chocolate” Art Day 2010 Celebration in Glendale, California, Home of Art Day, by international Art Day Founder and Artist for a Better World executive, Becky Mate.

3. A panel of art lovers will select the top Art Day 2010 Mail Art. The criteria will include aesthetics, colors, imagination and the theme of “Celebrate Artists.”

4. The top Art Day 2010 Mail Art will be featured at the 10th Annual Artists For A Better World Arts Festival in Hollywood, California in the fall of 2010. If you can attend the festival you’re in for a treat. If you cannot make it, your mail art will be your ambassador.

5. Additionally, the top Art Day 2010 Mail Art will be featured on the AFABW website. (Click here for the 2009 Mail Art Selections).

6. On August 13, 2010, knowing you’ve participated in a worldwide effort to celebrate artists, Have a Happy Art Day!

– from the Artists For A Better World website (hosts for the Art Day  2010 mail call)