with his "artcards" from 2001 to 2003 leavitt painted small portraits of famous and lesser-known artists, re-printed like traditional baseball cards. "i had so many ideas- too many ideas- the opposite of writer's block" says leavitt, "i started doing trading cards of work i had already done, ideas for things i hadn't built, and famous people... my influences, who inspired me." "artcard" subjects were drawn from varied genre, similar to his successive "art army" action figures. as described by leavitt, the trading cards were the direct precursor to the 'action figures': "the trading cards... were like singular figures in action. why not 3-d? why not an action figure, a toy?" printed and sold in limited editions, packaged in wrappers with bubble gum, "art cards" were also exhibited as art objects. leavitt said, "it's a way i created to compare people and what they do across all kinds of different areas." "many mass-produced trading cards are based on original pieces that are shrunken down to fit the space. 'i take great pride that that is the size i drew them,' leavitt says. 'it's one of the challenges i like- it's like a game, to create art that small and make it work.'" (the artist's magazine)