Selling Paintings: Which Subjects Sell Best?

According to a Art Business Today survey in 2003*, these were the Top 10 best-selling subjects for paintings in the UK: 1. Traditional landscapes. 2. Local views. 3. Modern or semi-abstract landscapes. 4. Abstracts. 5. Dogs. 6. Figure studies (excluding nudes). 7. Seascapes, harbour, and beach scenes. 8. Wildlife. 9. Impressionistic landscapes. 10. Nudes.

Natasha Wescoat - Thriving Artist

Her work is colorful, powerful, and exciting. On top of that, Natasha is as technology savvy as any person that I know. She’s a rare artist who really gets the online world. - See more here and here .

Chris Brogan Twitter Tips

We really can’t deny the fact that businesses are testing out Twitter as part of their steps into the social media landscape. You can say it’s a stupid application, that no business gets done there, but there are too many of us (including me) that can disagree and point out business value. I’m not going to address the naysayers much with this. Instead, I’m going to offer thoughts for people looking to use Twitter for business. And by “business,” I mean anything from a solo act to a huge enterprise customer.

… read more here and here

250+ Places Artists Can Sell Online

~ Courtesy of Artsyshark.com

1.   3BStreet - A fun and quirky site with great visuals where you get your own animated storefront. Artist participation is juried, with a monthly fee as low at $9.95 per month + 3% of all transactions.

2.   500px.com – Photography site – store your photos, share them and sell them. Features work of beginners to experts. Sell your work by opening a “store” account, which is available to free as well as paid memberships.

3.   AbsoluteArts – Claiming to be “the most trafficked contemporary arts site” it offers levels from free to premier. Artist bio/statement and portfolio displayed with shopping cart.

4.    AbstractArtistGallery - Not an e-commerce site, this is a database of living abstract artists that presents work and includes a link to the artists website to drive traffic there. Juried; they request a donation from artists who are included.

5.    AffordableBritishArt (UK Site) – Artists sell their work with no middleman, commission free, but there is a charge to have an account (4 tiered levels). You must have a PayPal account to receive payment for your work.

6.    Aftcra - This site calls themselves “the place to buy and sell one-of-a-kind goods proudly crafted by American hands.” Set up a storefront here for free, and product prices must be $10 or higher. Listings stay for four months. They take 7% fee on sales.

7.  Altpick – They help illustrators, designers and photographers connect with creative buyers. Art listings are free; membership is $99 annually. Also offering annual awards to artists.

8.    Amazon – A while back, handmade jewelry was the category for artists to list on this huge e-commerce site. Now selling fine art, galleries and dealers can use Amazon as well.

9.    American Handmade Crafts - Free trial (with $35 setup). Monthly fees starting at $12, and each artist can list hundreds of items for sale. They provide a shopping cart.

10.   Ananasa - This website is “the biggest marketplace for handmade items from the Middle East.” Open a store for free, paying a small fee for each sale. The “bargain button” feature offers confidential price negotiation. They offer marketing/support.

… for the full list go to Artsyshark.com 

Straightforward guide about how to pursue one’s artistic career.

Brainard Carey’s book “Making It in the Art World: New Approaches to Galleries, Shows, and Raising Money” is concisely and plainly laid out to offer the greatest amount of advice in the most easily digestible manner.

The first thing it establishes is that in order to succeed you have to make a commitment to your art and to stick to that commitment. There is even a contract that you have to make with yourself in the workbook section. This book lays out a blueprint to make your dreams a reality and the workbook section allows you to put together a plan of action. You can even download the workbook separately if you are a teacher or do not wish to write in the book, in case your plan changes over time or you have purchased the eBook version.

As he explains in the book, one of the most detrimental ideas floating around in the ‘ART WORLD’ is that you should only make art for the sake of making art and any attempt to promote and sell your work makes you a sell-out. This book helps crush that myth. It gives you the tools to make your dream a reality.

We are in the midst of an art marketing revolution. More and more avenues of promoting and marketing your work are opening up every day. Brainard Carey explains how to take advantage of these opportunities, with many examples of artists who have done exactly that.

Like a number of artist handbooks there are sections on getting your administrative duties in order to writing your statement to handling press releases, working with sponsors and how to secure a show at a gallery or museum.

We are in the midst of one of the worst recessions in history and this book is a formidable tool with which to weather the storm. It will motivate you and get you started on your career. As a result, I am now more confident than ever that I have what it takes to make it, and look forward to a successful career as a full-time professional artist. As he states, “the new paradigm is a call to action for all artists all over the world to change the current system of finance and the arts.” I could not agree more.

Artist resources

• figurative artist
• watercolor painting
• painting.about.com – watercolor brands
• school of color the_wilcox_guide 

Handprint - Watercolor resource

Handprint

One of the best and most comprehensive resources for watercolor painters on the Internet.

How to get traffic for your blog

Great list from Seth Godin on how to drive traffic to your blog.

1. Use lists.
2. Be topical… write posts that need to be read right now.
3. Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
4. Break news.
5. Be timeless… write posts that will be readable in a year.

more …

Sixty Minute Artist

Came across a blog some time back that I have found extremely educational.

Here is what the owner Jerry Lebo has to say about it.

“I started this blog for a simple reason: I need to paint to keep myself from going crazy, and with a full-time job and four kids, it is not always easy to find the time. So in June 2007, I set a challenge for myself. Give myself a minimum of sixty minutes a day (more if possible)–and try to make progress in my painting. So, through this blog I am going to let you follow my efforts. I am not trying to convince you that you can make or sustain yourself as an artist on sixty minutes a day–painting is a life-long pursuit and takes serious committment. Also, you should not be under the illusion that you can make a painting in 60 minutes–some take weeks or even months to complete. This blog is not about making art faster, it is about how to turn consistent effort into something worth looking at.”

Check it out – http://sixtyminuteartist.blogspot.com/