2018 and My Art Journey

Last year, I had a lot of things going artwise and booking things. This year, with so much art in the house that didn't sell last year, I am trying to get my online "ducks in a row". I did have a website that I cancelled and they said they couldn't give me a prorated refund (Artspan) and had to stick it out until the end of the year. On their information page they gave rates for monthly and annual fees, but when I was signed up it only had the annual. I was upset when they wouldn't prorate my cancellation (even with taking out fees) so when they asked if I would be back, I said "no!". Why would I want to be back if that is their service. I had to let them know I was cancelling again when June came up because I didn't want them charging my charge card again for the year and domain name. I had chosen Artspan to have my things on because they had a gallery and people could order prints right from my webpage. I didn't sell anything in 6 months and didn't have time or a place to promote myself so I figured it wasn't worth it. Not sure if it is my fault - if there was more I should have/could have done or not.

My next forray into trying to sell my art was to sign up for DailyPaintworks.com. You can put your art on there with a monthly fee of about $12-13/month. They do have auctions so your work gets seen and you have a gallery page. I signed up at the beginning of the year and have posted paintings and prints. I have only sold 1 ACEO for $5 - so I am reconsidering my choice. I know they have other things and contests that I haven't explored as well as perhaps liking and commenting on other artists work. I am still on the fence on this one.

Ebay/Etsy - I have been on there mostly to sell vintage items - paper dolls, sheet music, other misc. I did put some prints and paintings on and have sold a couple. I have a couple of larger paintings on Etsy but have only sold one and that was several years ago. Sometimes they do not get any looks for a long time or ever so I do not know if they are even getting seen. Both have been slow,slow, slow this year. Summer is usually my big selling time next to Christmas but it has been crickets. I did set up a separate Ebay store for Postcards, Prints and Paintings. I have had a little action there and most of my small prints and painting and ACEO's are on there.

Bonanza - they have an importer so my things on Ebay are on there - sometimes in duplicate. I haven't sold but one thing so I put them on vacation. With Ebay some advice is that you change something in the title or about the price or description to get it to hopefully look fresh and pop up somewhere. Every time I do that, it goes on Bonanza with the new listing without getting rid of the old one, so I spend a lot of time editing and looking for duplicates. now they have where you can pay a tiered membership to get more advertising and exposure. Not sure if I want to do that yet.

The next thing I am looking at is Orangenius. Still looking, not signed up yet. I also am considering POD. I did Truegether and did the  Ebay download, but haven't had time to look it over much yet.

The thing is, I think there is something I am missing. When I watch these art promote videos, they talk about a mailing list - which I do not have. They talk about doing it on Facebook - which I am nervous about. I am on a Facebook Page that talks about how big copyright infringement is right now. I hate to have my creativity stolen and others make money off of it. There is talk about SEO. Google ads, Promoted listings. They talk about the POD sites where your designs might be stolen off of.

So, as an artist, what am I to do?

Outside sales and fairs - I go alone. It would be setting up a tent alone - if I had a tent. Not sure if my car would hold everything in one trip. If I get overheated I get sick (I know I sound like a baby with a lot of excuses), I use a tablet for taking charge cards but if there is no wifi in the field I am out of luck. I need to get a phone, but rarely use the cell I have now and with not working for the summer it is tight anyway without buying a new phone and service.

I guess I will have to look for indoor sales. Take a fan if there is electricity.

Online issues - I cancelled my webpage and have been using DailyPaintworks.com as my portfolio and a way to show my art. I feel pressured (by myself) to put my work on there and then am compelled all day long to see how many people looked at it, at my gallery and my blog. My options are to look it over and see what more I can get out of it. Maybe there are ways by their contests, or looking at and commenting on other artists work to network and encourage others. I know the numbers go by how many people a day are looking at the site and some days there are more than others. I think I will try to see if there is more I can to to use and enjoy it more before cancelling.

Etsy/Ebay - I am sure there are a glut of artists and artisans (besides everything else) that it is hard to be seen. I know there are creative ways to get known online and I might have to try some.

- Etsy - Jules Art Stuff - I think I will be moving my paper dolls off of Etsy. It seems like when I sell something  it mostly pays off fees from listing and  selling. My art doesn't seem to get seen. They charge a listing and selling fee(s) and now are having promotion and advertising fees. I may wean most of my art off of there and convert it over to a pod and have some prints. I think a lot of people are doing t -shirts right now so it is an option. They also have other ways to promote like collections or treasury that I haven't tried yet either.

Ebay - Jules Art Stuff - I have an awful lot of sheet music on there. I am marking down my paper dolls and hopefully by the first of the year be close to done with them. I enjoy selling the sheet music. I have a store and have been paying a raising fee so the goal would be to end the store subscription and just go on the free listings. They also have a collection you can set up that might help promote y sites.

Ebay - Jules Paintings, Prints and Postcards - for a new site, doing not too bad for the limited items. For having 50 free a month non-store, they give me plenty of extra listings so I am up to 200 listings. I have both hand pulled prints as well as prints of my paintings. I mostly my lower end paintings on there for now. I figure I would like about 100 ACEOs on there too in the future.

Artzok - I signed up with them to teach Painting, prints and ACEO's. New operation, waiting for a job.

Explore Orangenius and Truegether.

The thing is, nobody knows me. I have enjoyed Daily Paintworks because I know my work is getting seen even if sales are slow. Ebay and Etsy have disappointed me this Spring and Summer and this is not the first year with it. I want that whatever I do, I do it well. It has taken this half of the year to come to this point. I am thinking of a Weebly portfolio for free just to have some things out but will look to see what Orangenius has first. I am re-thinking about the big craft shows too if I am doing the local art.

I know a lot of this comes down to promotion. I am not on Instagram.I have a Linkin site just sitting there with my profile blank. I have lots to do, and it just doesn't end. I just want to create but I also want to get some of my art out of my house. Any good ideas - please let me know as I know this is a common problem with other artists right now.

Artzok

https://artzok.com/downloads/learn-acrylic-painting-with-julie-miscera/

So, today is the 4th of July. We are officially in summer. As a Substitute Teacher, I have time off and money is scarce, so I have been looking for other options to bring some money in to pay the bills (and get art supplies). I have 2 Ebay stores - Jules art stuff and Jules Painting Prints and Postcards. I also have an Etsy store - Jules Art stuff, and I have things on Daily Paintworks. Things are slow going. Usually for me, I am busiest with sales during the summer but things are different this year. I usually sell vintage items - paper dolls and sheet music besides my art, but even those things are going slow. I have  been looking for jobs online and the only ones I have seen have been for truck drivers, cna's and factory work. I have couple of leads to check into but have also looked at the remote work - the work from home things.

While I do have a degree and could teach English on line or converse with people from around the world, I also would like to teach using my art. I just found Artzok - which was just launching today. I had seen it before in my art lesson search but just applied and got my things on yesterday. Today it is up and going.

Artzok is different than other art lessons. This is something where you can work on your art on your own and if you have a question or somethings is not right you can email a teacher in the speciality that you are in and they will respond with helpful lessons or information. Say you draw a face and something is not right you can have them look at it and they can help you out and get over that road block. I have chosen to teach 4 different things.

https://artzok.com/downloads/learn-acrylic-painting-with-julie-miscera/

This one is acrylic painting. I have been doing it for quite awhile, so if you want private lessons  you can take a picture of your artwork and I can help you out. If you are struggling with materials or the subject I can help you out. It is on your time. You email me and I email back and answer. When you are ready, you can email me again. There are different mediums and teachers that you can choose from.

I also am teaching printmaking - without a press, ACEO's and those can be done in any medium, and I also have up for approval the Inktense and water-soluable pencil drawings.  Please check out Artzok and see if there is something that you would like to do or if there is somebody in particular whose work you like that you would like to work with. 

There is a free trial. Take advantage of it!

Aceo's and Creativity

So, I have done some Aceo's lately and it seems like a nice project when you don't want to do something large. I have also heard them called "pocket painting or art". That is kind of fun too. The more I do, the more I want to do. They are not as intimidating as large paintings. They are small, intimate and fun. These pieces of artwork are 2.5"x3.5" and at first I thought it would be hard to get details that small. It can be, but you need to plan ahead. The size makes you not put in too many details because you have to be able to create them in a miniscule size but you also want them to be seen. Because my eyes are getting older, I need to use my glasses or the clamp on light and magnifying glass. It allows me to see exactly what it looks like. It may look fine to your naked eye, but if I am going to photo and put them online, this small painting gets enlarged and all the little flaws or details show up big time. What looked great in person looks sloppy and uneven when it is blown up on the computer screen.This is one time the magnifying glass is my friend. These have to be able to stand up to the scruteny of being blown up so your viewers can see them.

So, these are my thoughts -

-I like working on watercolor paper but prefer the Arches Art board. Blick doesn't carry that particular one any more but it may be released under a different title with Canson. It is watercolor paper on a 300lb art board so it is stiff. As a painting, I try to paint the edges of these with paynes gray acrylic paint like I would a regular painting to finish it off if someone is going to display it on an easle or someplace else where the side shows.

- I mostly in the past have used Cold Press paper and board. For somethings it works well and other mediums - not so much. I have done the Inktense pencils on the Arches CP board, but it is uneven in coverage because it is going over the bumps. I think I will be trying the Inktense on the Hot Press watercolor paper because it will be smooth.

-Aceo's  are not just limited to painting. The only thing you need to have to qualify it as such is size. So, I think of other things I can do to create artwork with this size. I have the water soluable graphite pencils that I want to try and will experiment on hot and cold press paper. I want to try some relief and silk-screen prints too. I will have to experiment if I want to print directly on my base or if I want it on paper and then mount it to the base. Mixed media and collage. In the past I have made a ton of homemade paper. I have some I resoaked and cast them in a rectangle shape the 2.5x3.5". It is thicker and I think it will be fun to experiment with and maybe go more sculptural. I have also been playing with the sun developed paper. These are the sheet you lay things on and then set the out in the sun and after a little bit "develop" them in water. I have done a few of those that I cut out shapes and layed them down as a blockout . When dry, I mounted the on the art board and then  used acrylic paint to put accents on to make them more interesting.

-Small but not always fast. These are still artwork that you put care in and want to make them look interesting. They do take up less room in my studio and supplies can be more affordable.

- I have been a careful but not totally frugal artist. I like to reycle things, or not go with top of the line always.  However, I do have standards. I do not use the cheapest stretched canvas. I like things that are gallery wrapped and actually prefer my own stretched canvas. I don't use the cheapest paint because it just does not cover, so I go a step or two up.  I don't go with the kid grade brushes but a lower grade artist brushes individually purchased not as a pack. With the aceo's though I am going to step up my game. I have used cheaper brushes because my kids would borrow them and not wash them out and I would end up with a stiff, useless brush. I didn't want to invest too much in a brush that had that kind of a demise.  Acrylic paint dries so fast that it is one of those things you have to watch for. If you have it in water too long too, that does not do it favors. I have some that I liked but they ended up looking like my hair on a bad hair day. So, next step is better brushes and smaller ones so I can capture all of those tiny details.

Please keep checking in on here and Daily Paintworks to see what I am up to. I am thinking wood, screws and wires might be in my future.

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