Understanding Our Art Community: The Enterprising Artist Survey

starving_artist

The art community today is very different from how it was just 10 or 15 years ago. In hopes to better understand the creative community as a whole, the art blogging community has come together to conduct this insightful survey. Whether you are an aspiring or professional fine artist, craftsperson, photographer, or any other kind of artisan, please partake in this quick, yet informative survey - The Enterprising Artist Survey. Do you ever … [Read more...]

Show Me Your Palette

painting_palette

We can learn a lot about an artist by looking at his or her working palette. The daubs of paint, stubs of pastel, or puddles of color left behind on the palette are an intriguing trace of the working methods and psyche of the artist. Some painters prefer to organize their palette from light to dark pigments, while others place their paints from cool to warm. Many methodically arrange their paints in the same working order each time they … [Read more...]

To Sale or Not to Sale? That is the Question

art_sale_painting

As a professional artist, having a sale on original art can be a tough decision to make. On one hand, artists want to respect the patrons who have spent good money purchasing their art and don’t want to under-cut them. However, having a sale stimulates buyers to spend and can help build a new client base. I’m a sucker for a sale. I was pondering the question and sent it to Lori McNee on Facebook. Lori has a wealth of useful information on … [Read more...]

Top 5 Tips for Daily Painters

flower_painting

This guest post by Diane Hoeptner shares the Top 5 Tips for Daily Painters. As an introduction to this post, I thought you might enjoy learning a bit about Daily Painters. There is actually a new artistic movement called, The Daily Painters Movement.  It really got its momentum going in 2006, and now The Daily Painters Movement has a directory of over 400 serious artists. According to the Daily Painter Review, "Daily painting is the practice … [Read more...]

How to Connect on Social Media: @RickiLake Shares Her #1 Tip

images (1)

Social media has changed the world forever. In just 140 characters or an update to your Facebook status, you have the potential to connect with a complete stranger in the same town or across the globe. In an instant, Friendships are being formed. Business is taking place. People are connecting. And the world will never be the same. But it isn’t that easy… Many people are standing on the sidelines of social media, unsure of how to jump … [Read more...]

A World Without Wikipedia: Infographic

wiki

On January 18th, Wikipedia blacked out its online encyclopedia in protest to SOPA. Protecting from copyright infringement by web-piracy is a worthy goal - this is especially important to artists. However, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted, "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the Internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the Internet." According to … [Read more...]

Competing for Wall Space – Against All Odds

norman rockwell

What would make a person spend thousands of dollars on a painting? Does the painting just make them feel good so they have to have it? Do the colors go perfectly with their new decorating? Is the artist trendy and it’s a status symbol to own one of his or her paintings? Better yet, is the artist dead and there is a limited supply? These are good questions for an artist to ask himself or herself. Do you feel you are competing for wall … [Read more...]

Waiting for the Muse: 4 Tips for Procrastinating Artists

procrastination

Descartes, the father of Modern Philosophy once so famously said, "I think, therefore I am." However, if you are an artist, then you probably can more easily empathize with the phrase, "I create, therefore I procrastinate." Although other occupations and hobbies are susceptible also to the procrastination blues, there's something about creative work that lends itself easily to, for a lack of a better way of putting it, goofing around. As a … [Read more...]

Be Brave: Make Art!

JNorton_studio2011_web

Once I took a workshop by Michigan artist Donna Zagotta who claimed, “All life's problems can be solved by more paint or painting more.” I think she was on to something! This world can be a scary place. There are plenty of people making very good money stirring up fear and hatred and calling it entertainment. Or even news. But there’s at least one way out of fear. Be brave, make art! Why? Because art teaches us not to be afraid. Because … [Read more...]

5 Steps to the Perfect Portable Watercolor Painting Setup

watercolor-painting-easel-.jpg

An artist's equipment is as individual as the person who is using it. After several years of striving to find the perfect, portable watercolor painting setup, I became increasingly disappointed with the commercial offerings for watercolor painters. So, I chose to create my own design that is defined by portability, compactness, and versatility. As a watercolor painter, I have found that most easels and plein air pochade boxes that are … [Read more...]


advertisement