Portrait painting (or portrait photography) can be a lucrative occupation for working artists, but it's vital that you know your market if you want to earn enough to make ends meet. . . read more
Have you ever found yourself so excited about a topic that you couldn’t fit everything you wanted to say about it into a mere 400 words, let alone a single blog post?
If so, then that’s the perfect time to consider taking that one idea and turning it into a series of blog. . . read more
It isn’t my nature to paint in a loose style.
Some would say that’s because I have perfectionist tendencies (my Maui friends would say it’s because I have three planets in Virgo) but whatever the reason, historically I have gravitated toward a tight, precise style.
I’m. . . read more
Even though artists tend to be, by nature, a rather romantic bunch, we often overlook one potentially lucrative market for our work: weddings. . . read more
As artists, we’re used to recycling our original artwork. We scan or photograph our art and use it as images for postcards, greeting cards, posters, framed art, and even licensed products. But have you ever stopped to think about recycling your blog posts?
Between your images and your. . . read more
So you’ve come up with a great idea for a children’s book and you’d love to see it in print - with your own artwork as illustrations, of course! The question is, how do you approach publishers with. . . read more
You've done it - you're landed your first solo art show! Congratulations, that's a real achievement in the career of any artist. Now it's up to you to make sure it's a success. . . read more
If you think your local community doesn’t have much to offer for an artist, you may be missing out on great opportunities to build a following. Your neighbours need artwork to hang on their walls and the local doctor’s office could always be brightened up with a sculpture or. . . read more
Over the past few years, I’ve written a lot about guest posting on blogs. In 2010, I wrote about getting visitors to your blog through guest posts and later wrote a second article on how to more effectively use guest posts.
Then in 2011, I shared some guest posting guidelines, and in. . . read more
Not everyone wants original art for his or her wall. Many people love to support artists, but don’t have the money, the space or the eye for choosing pieces to adorn their home.
But these people can still be your customers and collectors, if you provide them with quality products. . . read more
One high school summer vacation I worked as a Mobil Holiday Hostess—a fancy name for a gas station attendant in the days before self-serve pumps. The company trained me in a strict sequence of actions designed to make the customer glad to pay for the service. While we pumped gas, we were to. . . read more
If you’re like me, you struggle with writing headlines for your blog posts. It is never easy condensing a 500+ word post into ten short words or less. But it’s something we’re constantly asked to do—and with good reason! Headlines pull readers in.
Headlines are the first. . . read more
As an artist or wanna-be artist you challenge yourself often, don’t you?
Let me tell you how it is with me. If I’m not growing as an artist, I feel discontent. It’s mostly in my stomach, but in my whole being is restless. . . I find myself working less and less, and slowly I. . . read more
My car warned me this week that I have driven 563 miles past the “recommended service check.”
I don’t notice anything wrong with the way it drives, but I believe in preventative maintenance so I’ll take the car in this week. I know nothing about engines or suspension so I leave that. . . read more