01
Watercolour
A small pan or tube set in artist-grade pigment. A limited palette of warm/cool primaries plus an earth tone goes a long way at this scale.
A buyer's guide
The ACEO supply shelf.
You need surprisingly little to make and sell ACEOs — and most of it you may already own. Here's what each category does, what to look for, and the storage and packaging that protects your cards.
Note: all product mentions below are generic and illustrative — we name material types and qualities to look for, not specific brands to buy.
The foundation
Cardstock & paper.
Your surface sets the ceiling on everything else. Choose a stock that suits your medium and survives the post.
- Watercolour paper — 140 lb / 300 gsm, cold-press for texture or hot-press for detail
- Bristol board — smooth (plate) for ink & pencil; vellum for a little tooth
- Mixed-media cardstock — a tough, forgiving all-rounder for beginners
- Illustration board — heavy and rigid for acrylic & collage
- Pre-cut 2.5×3.5 blanks exist if you'd rather skip cutting entirely
Colour & line
Paints, inks & pens.
You can start with what's in the drawer. As you grow, quality pigment makes small work sing.
02
Gouache & acrylic
For opaque, vivid colour. A handful of tubes and a white is plenty. Acrylic doubles as collage glue and sealer.
03
Inks & fineliners
Waterproof, lightfast (pigment) ink in fine liners or a dip pen. Waterproof matters if you'll add a wash on top.
04
Colored pencils & pastels
Wax- or oil-based pencils for layered detail; soft or oil pastels for painterly colour. Buy lightfast where you can.
The toolkit
Brushes & tools.
Small art rewards small, well-kept tools. None of this needs to be expensive.
Brushes
A fine round (size 0–2) and a small wash brush cover most cards. Keep tips clean and pointed.
Cutting
A metal ruler, sharp craft knife, and self-healing mat — or a paper trimmer / guillotine for clean edges.
Templates
A pre-cut 2.5×3.5 acrylic or card template so every card is identical.
Extras
Low-tack tape, a small board, a pencil and eraser, and a fine archival pen for signing the back.
Protect the finish
Fixative & sealant.
The right finish keeps delicate media from smudging on the journey to its new home.
- Workable fixative — for graphite, charcoal, and colored pencil mid-process
- Final fixative — locks down pastel and pencil once the card is done
- Acrylic varnish — matte or satin, to protect and unify an acrylic card
- Spray in thin, even coats in a ventilated space; let it cure fully before sleeving
Keep them safe
Sleeves, toploaders & storage.
This is the bit borrowed wholesale from the trading-card world — and it's why the 2.5×3.5 size is so practical.
01
Soft sleeves
Thin "penny sleeves" that slip over a card to guard the surface from fingerprints and scuffs. The first layer, always.
02
Rigid toploaders
Hard plastic holders sized for standard cards. A sleeved card slides inside, fully protected from bending. Essential for shipping.
03
Binder pages
9-pocket archival pages turn a ring binder into an instant display and storage system for a growing collection.
04
Storage boxes
Card boxes and dividers keep inventory organised by medium, theme, or status (for sale / sold / personal).
05
Frames & stands
Trading-card frames and tiny easels let buyers display ACEOs as the small artworks they are.
06
Acid-free everything
Choose archival, acid-free sleeves, pages, and boxes so cards don't yellow or degrade over the years.
Ship without damage
Packaging & mailers.
An ACEO that arrives bent is a refund and a bad review. The fix is cheap and simple.
- Sleeve → toploader → rigid mailer — the golden sequence
- Rigid cardboard mailers or stiffened envelopes that resist bending
- A "Do Not Bend" note and a small "Photo / Do Not X-Ray" courtesy if relevant
- Tape the toploader closed (or use a team-bag) so the card can't slide out
- Add a thank-you card or certificate for editions — a nice collector touch
The short list
A beginner's starter kit.
Everything you truly need to make and ship your first sellable card.
1
Pad of card-weight paper
1
Small paint or pencil set
2
Brushes & a craft knife
∞
Sleeves, toploaders & mailers
Desk stocked?
Time to make & sell.
You've got the gear. Learn the step-by-step in our how-to, or jump straight to pricing, photographing, and shipping your work.