We need a new Art Subject to discuss.....Anyone have one

[#1]

Would love to have a discussion started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Former_Member]

Thanks Sk

[inHIShandsart]

Hi, just recently joined the team. I have been reading posts about artwork being stolen, and that is a concern for me. I appreciate that link and will check it out, though I haven't been listing very long.

Anna, do you list separate items on each site? If not, is there a problem of simultaneous sales?

Do watermarks protect you from copying?

[pogotown]

Hi, everyone, I am a new painter, and in my painting class we were using hooker's green. I have Galeria paints at home, but Galeria doesn't have Hooker's green where I shop. Can you mix brands of paint (acrylics)? Thank you!

Kathleen

[pogotown]

I am taking a landscape painting class, and I have sat down, once with my son and once with my daughter, and showed them how to paint with acrylics, and each time my kid's painting was better than mine! Am I a good teacher, or what? LOL

[Former_Member]

Yes you can mix acrylic paint. Landscapes have always been hard for me. I'm going to try a small one for the 30 paintings in 30days challenge.

[Former_Member]

Abbey - For the print on demand sites, I don't have to worry about selling the same painting in two places at once, because all those sites have are digital images of the paintings for the purpose of printing.

I do sell originals in a couple of different places, too, and I try not to have the same paintings listed on multiple sites. I've taken a chance on that and double listed some pieces at times. It hasn't come back to bite me yet, but it does make me nervous, so I'm working to have separate inventory for each site I use.

[inHIShandsart]

Thanks, Anna, that makes sense.

We got a new printer, I think about $150, HP Officejet Pro 8600. We've printed a number of images for notecards and it's been pretty good. Haven't tried printing paintings with it yet, though.

Donnarose, it's funny- I love painting landscapes and organic forms because they don't have to be exact!

[inHIShandsart]

Donnarose, what is the 30 day challenge?

[sherischart]

Thought I'd share an artist's site. Do you have any?

Make Your Mark Creative.com | Marketing and Communications for Creative People and Small Businesses Owners.

http://makeyourmarkcreative.com/?p=426

Bridging the Gap between online and physical representation

excerpts given below taken from above article:

Here are some tips to bridging the gap between online and offline representation:

1) Create enough art to show in multiple venues: A large inventory means you can exhibit in more than one place.

2) Maintain consistent pricing: Try your best to keep artwork evenly priced from one location to the next. The saying “it’s a small world” applies to the Internet as well.

With a Google search, a collector can find all the art you offer and its price. If there is any discrepancy in your pricing, it could confuse collectors and make them hesitate to make a purchase.

3) Avoid selling the same piece in multiple places: Make sure you are not showing one piece in two spots. If a collector wants an original and they see the same piece for sale somewhere else, they will question whether the piece is truly an original.

4) Abide by your contracts: If one gallery has exclusivity over your work, honor the contract.

5) Show your love: Link back to your galleries and use your personal artist website as a hub to keep track of all your pieces.

Ck it out Make Your Mark Creative.com | Marketing and Communications for Creative People and Small Businesses Owners.

[inHIShandsart]

Good article, thanks. The creative.com site takes you to a catalog, not art.

[sherischart]

Anna B Fowley, thanks for the up and up on multiple sites. I can only imagine the inventory and keeping it together. Salute!

Abbey inHIShandsart thank you for the notation on the creative.com being a catalog, and not art. I included it because of courtesy of the article and it also dwelves into the marketing and communications with small business such as us artist's. Just threw that in. Glad you made the notation for other's.

[sherischart]

Anna Fowley, there is an interesting article through handmadeology.com on how to hook more buyers with your etsy shop. And it states selling 7 different ideas . And is 6 too many?! A shop with too many stories is not fun to read they say and a customer will walk away conflicted?

Question? Do you believe this pertains to artist's works? Developed into categories? Which brings another question as to how many and is there such a thing as too many? I have noticed the norm is 1-4 at the most pages viewed. Then the other's get neglected and buyer moves along. Reasoning in moving your shop around as renewals too.
Should we list abstracts, still lifes as well as landscapes all in one shop??
Thanks for the participation in all my questions. Inquiring artist's want to know and learn more. <3 Thanks again for posting this thread :) and feeling comfortable enough to introduce new art subjects with questions?

[Former_Member]

You bring up some interesting questions, Sheri. I do think there's something to the idea of telling a consistent story when selling art online. I suspect that it's possible to have such a varied body of work that it looks like you're just throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks, so if you do different kinds of work, it's that much more important to tell your story through your item descriptions, profile, etc.

On the other hand, I can think of plenty of artists with widely varied talents, and it would seem a shame for any artist to feel pigeon-holed into creating art around a particular theme - we're creative, after all. That's why we make art! And I definitely think that artists should feel free to explore and experiment in different styles and media.

My personal feeling is that Etsy shops that are too varied are hard to navigate. But I don't mean the artists selling different types of art - those don't bother me at all, as long as the artist seems to have some reason behind the work that he or she does. I think it's fine to list all kinds of art in one shop, and just be clear about what you do and what it means to you... The shops that I find frustrating are the ones that sell art, AND candles, AND jewelry, AND vintage toys (especially if they don't organize them well). I'm one of those people that won't bother to click through more than four pages of inventory, so that's part of it, but I also tend to shop for particular items, so if I'm looking for soapdishes and I have to sort through ten pages of upcycled jewelry made from soda cans, I'll probably move on.

Just my two cents, and though this post horribly wordy, I know I've barely scratched the surface. Would love to hear others' thoughts on Sheri's questions. Definitely some great discussion fodder!

[sherischart]

Thanks ever for your response Anna. And I am in total agreement.
I find it so difficult to describe the feelings of my artworks (stories behind them). Some being difficult to express at the time of the creation. And I'm getting better about the descriptions. My artworks are noted for seascapes yet I have to be the "student" forever learning new things so I dwelve into still life's , landscapes as well as other mixed media. We can carry on forever on the subject of artist's exhibits using the thematic approach. aka Dream or Coffee Paintings and so on.
I'd like to hear other's comments as well. I really appreciate your time and respect your opinion.

[inHIShandsart]

Yes, I have the problem of not settling down to one medium or theme, so my shop is a jumble. At this point, I'm hoping it looks eclectic and not cluttered. I thought, though, that if someone just wanted my paintings, say, they would click on that section.

[Former_Member]

Abbey. I also have this problem!!
I like the thought of eclectic.... maybe even creative or inspired. LoL. It's so hard to stay focused with just one choice.... So many things I want to do. Plus, I could just be a little scatter-brained.
I kind of like my shop a little mixed up, maybe someone clicked on a painting, then sees a wine glass.........and says "Oooohhh".

[smallimpressions]

Does anyone here have two shops? I'm feeling stuck because my shop is small representational oil paintings, but lately I've been doing larger abstract work in acrylic. I don't think the abstracts fit in my shop as it is. Since my shop has had some success, I don't want to clutter it with work that seems out of place. I'm thinking about increasing my inventory of abstracts and possibly opening a second shop with a totally different aesthetic next year. My biggest concern is the time it takes to operate a second shop. I'm imagining double the maintenance and marketing efforts will accompany that addition and that's the part I like least. It would be nice if all we had to do was create.

[inHIShandsart]

Boy, can I relate to the time it takes to maintain and promote. I've done a lot less art work since I opened, but have only sold 3 things.( It's worth hanging in there as I assume eventually someone with friends will find my shop.)

I am certainly enjoying the community, though.

[Former_Member]

Abby
sorry I've been missing from the threads.....basically missing from my shops
the 30 day challenge is from a fellow artist of my friends on facebook
starting January 2 we are painting 30 paintings in 30 days
I only have 4 more to go.....happy dance
will get back to my shops and here after the first
I will start listing one of my paintings every day and revamp my shops
it has really been a learning experience

[Former_Member]

Nancy
I have 3 shops at the present and not doing anything in any of them
but
when having my art shop and my textile type shop it doesn't seem to take much more time to keep them up once you get in the swing of it......I'll get back to taking care of my shops soon and build inventory once again.......the challenge I've been involved in pulled my interest away from etsy....which I think I really needed a break from.

[smallimpressions]

Sounds like a great challenge! You will have plenty of inventory when you finish.

I've started listing some of my larger paintings as prints at Fine Art America and may go that route. Then it is only listing and promotion--no packaging or shipping.

I'm glad to hear that three shops is manageable. I'm feeling a need to branch out from just small paintings.