What is Prescreen?

From their website: “Prescreen is a curated social discovery video-on-demand platform designed to promote and showcase premium content.” Basically it is an online movie service for independent films.  I discovered it a few months and found it a place to “rent” hard to find movie for only $2 or $4 depending on the movie.

What is the New Brow film?

A feature film presented by Humble Pictures in association with the Shooting Gallery.

First hand accounts from the artists, galleries and collectors who started and continue the new american art movement.

Pop Surrealism and Low Brow is a wide spread populist art movement with origins in Low Brow art, underground comix, punk music, hotrod street culture, Kustum culture, Street Art, Graffiti, Graphic Design, Tattoo, Surf Culture, Tiki Culture and other California sub-cultures.

This is not a current version of Modern Pop Art. This a new movement, a new thinking in the art world. These are the artists that will inspire a new generation.

Just as artists from the expressionist, Ab-Ex and Pop Art periods their importance was unrealised until many years after they were “discovered”. Most of the public has already seen these new artists through their other work, ad campaigns, tshirts, album covers and graphic design.

Watch as this new movement rises from the streets and into the galleries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja3hGlNEhT4

Since this movie has been out a lot of folks have been looking for a way to see it and now thanks to Prescreen that is easy.

The New Brow film features interviews with Van Arno Anthony Ausgang Shawn Barber Glenn Barr Gary Baseman Tim Biskup Andrew Brandou Paul Chatem Colin Christian SAS Christian Copro/Nason Gallery Corey Helford Gallery Ron English Shepard Fairey Erik Foss Helen Garber Camille Rose Garcia Mike Giant Henoch Gallery Hi Fructose Magazine Silvia Ji Eric Joyner Juxtapoz Magazine Jacaeber Kastor Merry Karnowsky Gallery Yumiko Kayukawa Killpixie Charlie Krafft Jonathan LeVine Gallery Francesco LoCastro Travis Louie Carlo McCormick Liz McGrath Anne Faith Nicholls Opera Gallery Roq LaRue Shag Billy Shire Fine Arts The Shooting Gallery Isabel Samaras Thinkspace Gallery White Walls Robert Williams

And many more.

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Angel Gabriel by Cole Thompson

Thousands of Homes or Thousands of Dollars?

Or how to price your own art? That is a question photographer Cole Thompson wrote about recently on his blog, Cole Thompson Photography.

In the post he explains his approach to money and art in such a well thought out and well written way that I knew I had to share it with you. Here is a small excerpt from the article:

“Worrying about producing art that others like and will buy is not conducive to risk taking and being creative. When I create I want to think about only two things; the art and how I feel about it.

So what method should you use to price your work? I’m suggesting that there might be another way to determine pricing based on your goals rather than your costs or market forces. Several years ago I asked a similar pricing question to someone I respect and he in turn asked me a question: in the end would you rather have your images in thousands of homes or to have sold them for thousands of dollars? He emphasized that there was no right or wrong answer, only what I preferred. I immediately answered that I would like my art to be in thousands of homes.

Therefore I have chosen to price my work reasonably and affordably compared to my peers, because my goal is to produce art that I love and allow as many people to purchase it as possible.”

Click here to read the complete post.

How to price your own art?

After you read it I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. I believe Cole has a really smart approach to art and money but I know not everyone will agree. Do you?

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Toward a simpler, more beautiful Google

That is what Google is claiming the update is designed to do and after taking it for a test drive I can say that the new G+ is a lot simpler. Which says a lot because from the start Google Plus has had a very clean and simple design.

Why bother with Google+?

It is just another internet time waster to distract you and no one you know is on it. Sound accurate?

These days it is getting difficult to keep up with all the social media services that keep cropping up. A valid point and I am one who does not believe you need to be everywhere. But I do believe it is worth at least joining Google Plus and filling out your profile even if you do not spend any time there. Why? Because it is Google. The #1 way people find things one the web is through Google so it makes sense to have your profile and your information on their network in order to help people find you.

With that said let’s talk about the big G+ update.  Here is a brief video that gives a great overview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Atj57r15U

Custom Navigation

One of the updates they seem most proud of is the navigation update.

“One of the first things you’ll notice is a new way to get around the stream. Instead of static icons at the top, there’s a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left. This approach comes with lots of perks, but some of our favorites include:

• You can drag apps up or down to create the order you want
• You can hover over certain apps to reveal a set of quick actions
• You can show or hide apps by moving them in and out of “More”“

I really appreciate having a bit of control over how my G+ is laid out. It would be nice if another popular service followed this lead. (hint hint Zuckerberg)

Want to see it in action?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxbs5uqEjc0

Better Photos and Video

But one of the best new features that I think artists are really going to appreciate is the bigger and better photos and videos.

“Once you’ve upgraded to Google+, it’s easy to share with your circles from just about anywhere. We’re dreaming bigger, though. We’re aiming for an experience that fuses utility with beauty—one that inspires you to connect with others, and cherish the conversations that unfold. Today’s update is an important step in this direction, including:

• Full bleed photos and videos that’ll make you really proud to post
• A stream of conversation “cards” that make it easier to scan and join discussions
• An activity drawer that highlights the community around your content“

I know G+ is still a mystery to many but I do recommend spending some time there. Check out artist Daniel Ibanez’s Google Plus Page to see a great example of an artist putting the service to use.

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Dwolla is different and better for a lot of reasons:

• Cash inspired payment system – money is exchanged from bank to bank only and credit cards are not an option.
• Transactions under $10 are free – yes completely free, no sign up fee, no transaction fee or percentage taken from money exchanged.
• Transactions over $10 are only $0.25 each no matter the amount – yes even if someone buys a $5,000 painting from you and pays through Dwolla the transaction fee is only $0.25.
• There are no contracts, no registrations costs, no hidden fees, no annual charges, no membership dues, no terminal fees, no setup fees, and no PCI compliance needed.
• Integrates with many popular shopping carts such as Shopify, Magento, and osCommerce.

Dwolla is fairly new though and still growing so I am sure there will be more great features on the way.

I suggest heading over to Dwolla.com and checking them out to see if the service fits into your art sales efforts in anyway. It might be that PayPal alternative you are looking for. I could see it being great for any artist who sells low dollar items online due to the low or no cost of transactions. Or Dwolla could open up a whole new market for you if payment and transactions fees have held you back from offering low dollar amount items.

There are plenty of PayPal horror stories out there so it is nice to know an artist has options.

As always please let me know if you have any questions using the comment section below or my contact page.

If you want to find more fans and sell more art you'll want to sign up for my FREE email lessons. I keep them simple and to the point. You can stop getting them at anytime and I will never share your email with anyone for any reason. Sign up now!

Some walls are for selling art and some walls are for showing art but both can be used to strengthen your art career.

Recent years have been rough on art galleries all over the world and many of them have not survived. This means the competition to get your work in a gallery has gotten that much stronger. Because of that many artists, both emerging and established, are turning to alternative spaces such as restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops.

But displaying work in these spaces can also be discouraging because sales are few and far between in such environments. Which makes sense because people are in those places for other reasons and the art on the walls is not the focus of the experience as it is in a gallery. There is a paradox though in the fact that those places often  get more traffic than even the most popular gallery so more people see your work.

It is up to the artist to take advantage of that high visibility by not focusing on sales but focusing on audience building.

How? By bringing the same amount of creativity to your marketing and promotion that you bring to your work.

Use the opportunity to bring your offline audience into your online community because this is how you can continue the conversation with them. And it is best to focus on one aspect of your online community and to make it as easy as possible for the passerby to join.

Facebook is an obvious choice because so many people (over a billion) use Facebook these days and connecting with others via FB has become second nature. So instead of putting your website’s address on your tags consider putting your Facebook page‘s address instead. This works because a Facebook “like” on your page is more of a chance to connect with someone than a visit to your website.

Another obvious choice is encouraging people to get on your email newsletter list. If you actively us it of course. Most email service providers give you a web address that goes directly to a sign up form. This is mine from Mailchimp: http://eepurl.com/eWfV

Also think about offering tangible “take-a-ways” if the space allows it. Instead of a simple tag next to your work experiment with placing light weight card holders next to you work full of your artist calling cards that folks can quickly grab and look you up on the web when it is more convenient. (I’ve seen this done successfully with re-purposed gum packaging as the card holder.)

Consider making your cards little pieces of art. Or make theme useful in form of a bookmark. But keep whatever you do consistent with you and your art.

The Bottom Line…

The most important thing to remember is that anytime you have the opportunity to display your work in public you should take it because there is always potential for it to move your art career forward.

But it is up to you to get creative and take full advantage of that potential whether it be in a gallery in Manhattan or a coffee shop in North Dakota.

Time To Share…

What have you learned from non gallery shows? Let us know in the comments.

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Looking to create an artist website to show off your art and connect with a global audience?

Then you are in the right place!

I’ve created a series of posts that walks you through the steps needed to get started on creating your own artist website using free WordPress software. It covers everything from what is WordPress and why you want to use it all the way through launching and customizing your new art website.

The guide is broken down into six modules:

1. WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – There are two different forms of the mighty WP and a good place to start is with a brief explanation of the two.
2. Domain Names – To have your own website you are going to need a domain name. I cover exactly what a domain name is and also offer some thoughts on how to choose one.
3. Web Hosting – Something else you’ll need if you are going to have your own website. I’ll talk about exactly what you are paying for as well as offer some advice on how to pick a good service.
4. How to Install WordPress – Once you have your domain and hosting in place this is the first step to launching your artist website.
5. How to Design Your WordPress Site – WP makes it easy to customize the look at function of a website through the use of themes. (Themes are like artist website templates.) Here we will talk about what a theme, where to find them, and how to install them.
6. How to Add Features & Functions – It’s your website and it should do what you want it to. Through the use of plugins you can easily add many great options to get the most from your artist website.

The guide starts with a topic that is often confusing to any new to WordPress and that is the difference to the .com version and the .org version. And if you didn’t know there are two different versions this is the place to start because picking the wrong one can cause a lot of headache down the road.

WordPress.com and WordPress.org

Which do you need to create an artist website? The short answer is you need the dot org version.

This is because the .org version is content management software that is limitless and the .com version is a blogging service that is very limited it what it offers and how you can use it.

I created this brief video to cover the basic differences of the two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlxCFE89-II

If you don’t have time for the video here are the basics:

WordPress.com

• Blogging service
• Free with premium options
• Limited design & function
• User must pay to have ads removed
• Can not be used for commercial purposes
• Long URL (yourdomain.wordpress.com

WordPress.org

• Content management software
• Thousands of designs to choose from via themes
• Many features and functions via plugins
• Open source
• Domain name and hosting account required
• Responsible for backups, security, and upgrades

Please let me know if you have any questions either in the comments below or via my contact page.

If you want to find more fans and sell more art you'll want to sign up for my FREE email lessons. I keep them simple and to the point. You can stop getting them at anytime and I will never share your email with anyone for any reason. Sign up now!

Artists Facebook Pages Are Being Updated!

For artists Facebook has been a mixed blessing. On one hand the social network allows you to easily connect with a large and very engaging audience. But on the other hand Facebook has never had a format or a design that is flattering to visual artists and for many artists Facebook is just too hard to navigate and use to its full potential.

But Facebook pages are changing to allow businesses, organizations, and artists to better tell their story.

Facebook is bringing the Timeline to Pages.

You most likely at least have a FB profile for yourself and maybe you use it for you art as well. If so you are already familiar with the recent Timeline update. Now that same format is coming to FB Pages and I believe that change is good news for artists because the Timeline format is more visual and an artist Facebook Page will look much better than it ever has.

There are actually quite a few changes on multiple levels but I want to go over the basics so you are ready when your artist Facebook page updates to the Timeline.

One: The Cover Photo

The large image at the top of the Timeline is a great place to show off your best work. Take advantage of the full 850 pixels by 350 pixels it allows.

You could either use a single large image or create a photo that has multiple examples of your work. You’re an artist, get creative. Use a free online photo editing service like Photoshop Express if you need to crop or otherwise edit the files from your camera.

More details on the FB cover photo can be found here.

Two: The Profile Picture

This is the square image that appears in the lower left corner of your cover photo at the top of your page. It also appears next to every post and update in your newsfeed. Upload a 180 pixel by 180 pixel image of yourself for this one so that your audience can put a face to the work. Being able to see you really helps people connect with your work. Don’t be shy.

Three: Pinned Posts

A new feature of the Timeline is pinned posts. Click the pencil icon in the upper right of a post and select “Pin to Top.” This will keep an entry at the tope of your timeline for a week. A nice way to have an image of your latest work stay at the time even after you’ve updated your Timeline with other news.

Four: Highlighted Stories

Want to really show off a new piece, photo, or video? By using the highlighted story feature your post can span all the way across your Timeline, not just the default half page size. To do this just click the star icon in the upper right of a post.

Bonus: Larger Images and Videos

Facebook’s Timeline format is designed with storytelling in mind. Because of that photos and videos will now be bigger and more appealing. Use this to your advantage by experimenting with larger file uploads to find an ideal size for your work.

To transition your artist Facebook Page to the Timeline start with these four upgrades. To recap:

• Cover Photo: 850 pixels by 350 pixels
• Profile Photo: 180 pixels by 180 pixels
• Pinned Posts: Click the pencil icon then select “Pin to Top”
• Highlighted Stories: Click the star icon in upper right of post.

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Time is the biggest concern I hear about when discussing marketing and promoting art online. Which I completely understand. I imagine you’ve been doing some research in how to market your art online and you’ve been overwhelmed by what you’ve found. There are just too many options out there and it seems as if you must be in all of them or you’ll be missing out on something.

I am a big believe in a blog being sort of an artists online home or headquarters and all efforts are connected to the art blog in one way or another. It makes sense to invest the time you have available to online marketing on your own digital real estate. Focus on creating a quality blog with quality content and then let the magic of the internet take care of the rest by broadcasting your content to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media outlets.

Internet Magic = RSS

These tools and this system is based on taking advantage of your blog’s RSS feed. RSS is a way that blogs and websites broadcast their content and allow other applications to receive the content directly. If you think of your blog as a radio station the RSS feed is it’s number on the radio dial.

The following list of tools will work with any blog platform you are using be it WordPress.com, Blogger, self hosted WordPress, Tumblr, TypePad, Posterous, or any other site that takes advantage of RSS.

Here are 5 tools to help you do that:

Time Saver #1:

Feedburner is a service from Google that works to make all types of website feeds play nice together and is a good starting point to building this system. Head over there and “burn your blog’s feed” so that you’ll have one simple standard RSS web address that will work all across the internet. For example Art Palaver’s feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/artpalaver and it is what I use whenever I am connecting Art Palaver to another website or service.

Feedburner has many features and options associated with it but the one I want to mention here is the the email subscription feature. This is hands down the simplest way to deliver your blog’s content via email. Visitors to your site sign up using a form that Feedburner provides and then receive an email every time you update your blog. Once you put the form in place Feedburner and Google take care of the rest. (Read all about Feedburner’s email subscription option.)

Time Saver #2:

Ping.fm is a nifty service that let’s you “post anywhere to anywhere” as they put it. After you sign up you put in that RSS feed address you got from Feedburner and then connect to as many services as you like. Currently they have 32 different social networks that you can publish to but I mainly use it for my Twitter account.

After you set it up the next time you post to your blog Ping.fm will automatically update all the networks you told it to with a short description and link to your fresh post.

Time Saver #3

RSS Graffiti is what I use for Art Palaver’s Facebook page. It is a Facebook tool that published my content to my page’s wall. I like it because it gives me a lot of control over the how and when a post is shared. And you can use it on your profile or multiple pages within a single Facebook account.

Time Saver #4

Mailchimp is an email service provider that is great for email newsletters and list building. But it also a great way to publish your content via an email newsletter without having to write a newsletter. Using Mailchimp’s RSS to Email feature you can create and design a very nice looking email newsletter that will automatically send your blog’s content to your fans.

This is a much more advanced option than the Feedburner email subscription I mentioned earlier. It takes a bit more work up front to set up but once you have it in place it runs on its own with little maintenance on your part.

Time Saver #5

Nutshell Mail is what will help you bring a little humanity to all this automation we’ve been talking about. It is a service by Constant Contact that sends you an email however often you’d like to update you on your social networks. I believe this is key because it helps you listen and respond to your audience.

Everyday I receive an email in the morning and one in the late afternoon from Nutshell mail that lets me know if anyone replied to me, followed me, unfollowed me on Twitter or if anyone commented on my Facebook wall. I like this because I know I check my email everyday without fail. I might not open Twitter or Facebook but I’ll always open my email.

Any questions?

This list is by no means all inclusive. There are many tools out there to help you get control of your social media and internet marketing. These are just the ones that I personally use and have found to be helpful. I am always open to hearing about news though so leave a comment if there is one you feel I am missing out on.

This article is also available for PDF download here. Feel free to print and share as you see fit.

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A blog for artists is a great tool for being found online and gaining a larger audience for your work. Blogs are ideal because they can be completely free, search engines love them, they are easy to start and simple to manage. Many artists try blogging at one point or another to help promote and market their art online.

But I also know many artists abandon their art blogs too. Mostly because the blog never really “takes off” and it seems no one is reading it. Why bother?

It is like they keeping working in the kitchen making cupcakes but no one wants to eat them. Why keep making them?

People love cupcakes. I think we can all agree on that. So it is not the cupcake per se it might be that they are missing an ingredient or two.

Blogging can be the same way. People love blogs. They have become a staple of the internet. So when a blog fails for artists I believe it is probably missing a few key ingredients.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #1: Words

At least 250 of them to be exact.

Many an artist has uploaded a photo of their latest work in a blog post with a sentence like “Finally finished this piece last night.”

Brief statements like that do not help you because they do not help people find your blog. Search engines need text in order to know what your site is about and point people to it. Be sure to have at least 250 words in every post. It is more ideal to have 300 to 750 but if you can manage at least 250 words in every post you’ll be fine.

It helps me to write blog posts offline first in a notepad. Try it. If you are going to publish a blog post about a piece sit with the piece notebook in hand and write a letter to the viewer. Start simple and trust yourself.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #2: Images

For the blogging artist this is usually not an issue. A lot of your posts are probably centered around an image or two. But even when you post something that isn’t be sure to add an image. We are visual creatures as you know and it is much more pleasant to read an article that has a picture or two than just a screen full of text.

And while we are talking images do yourself a favor and change the name of the image file from something like IMG_245885 to something that includes your name or something that describes the work. This will also help people find you because I guarantee no one is putting IMG_245885 in to Google‘s search bar.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #3: Consistency

I am speaking from experience on this one and I dare say this might be the most important ingredient in blogging.

Set yourself a bare minimum goal for your blog and stick to it come hell or high water. Start with an easy goal like once a month or once every three weeks. Schedule it and make it happen.

The more you blog the better for sure. If you can pull off every day or 5 times a week you’ll see your blog’s traffic increase fast. But if you can only do once every two weeks and you do it consistently you’ll be ahead of most artists out there.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #4: Stay on topic

In this case your art and your life as an artist. If you feel the need to post a restaurant review, a movie review, or an update from your family reunion please start another blog and keep your art blog about your art.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #5: Write to just one person

Just as in speaking it is a lot easier to address something to one person than it is to a whole audience. Writers refer to this as your “IR” or “ideal reader.” It is a person you keep in your mind as you put the words on a screen. I am doing it right now.

My ideal reader is a fictional amalgamation of artists I’ve coached over the years. I write to please just that one person because I know I can’t please everybody and it would be a waste of time to try.

Your ideal reader should be your ideal collector or patron. Who is your biggest fan? Who is drawn to your art at shows or galleries? Picture this person when you write and only this person and you’ll find the words come much easier.

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #6: Proofread

Again I am speaking from experience on this one. I am very guilty of writing a post and then rushing to hit publish before I check it over for any obvious spelling and grammar errors.

Most folks are forgiving of such errors but others just can’t get past them and the beauty of your wisdom is forever stained because you used a your where you should have used a you’re.

If you do not have a someone else to proof read it for you try either reading it out loud or reading it the next day. (Or both)

Key Artist Blog Ingredient #7: Promote the post

After you’ve written, formatted, and hit publish on your blog post now is the time to spread the word about it. Post it on the social media networks of your choice. Blogs can be configured to do this automatically but the “how to” of that goes beyond the scope of this article. (Which is why I wrote this article.)

But don’t just post it once. Continue to promote it through different channels in different ways for weeks and months. Keep in mind that social networks are more like rivers than walls when it comes to posting content. The information is always moving and flowing so people are going to miss your posting because maybe they didn’t log in that day. Just don’t over do it and you’ll be fine.

Any questions?

Use the comment field below or my contact form.

Want to download or print a PDF version of this article? Click here.

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How To Make A Living As An Artist

Step One: Focus on your art.

Step Two: Build an audience.

Step Three: Be ready for sales.

Follow those three steps and you will make a living as an artist. But it is very important that you follow them in order.

Let’s break it down:

Focus On Your Art

If you want to make a living as an artist you must honor the art above everything else. Before you can think about gallery shows, awards, prizes,  and sales, you have to only think about the art. Pour yourself into it.

The work must be the single most important thing in the artists life.

Being a professional artist is first a quiet agreement made between you and your craft. No one else. It may take some time before the world knows you are a pro but all that matters is that your art knows you are committed and always seeking to get better.

Build An Audience

Now that you’ve made the decision to be a professional artist and you’ve been working hard at it the next step is to begin to build an audience. I know you’ve spent a lot of time in the studio and I know you need money but it is not the time to be focusing on sales yet. First you need to get your work out there and in front of people.

These days this begins on the internet. Deny and resist this at your own peril.

Be Ready For Sales

I mean that both figuratively and literally. If you’ve worked at your craft and you’ve been building an audience then eventually someone is going to ask to buy your work. Be prepared for this mentally and also be prepared with things like business cards and sales receipts.

…

Click here if you’d like a downloadable PDF version of this article.

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Anchor by Darren Mahuron

The Art Palaver headquarters is in Fort Collins. A town of about 145,00 people in Northern Colorado. Ft Collins frequently makes many “best of” lists put out by various magazines and news organizations. Such as:

• 5th Best Places for Business and Careers: Forbes – June 2011
• One of the Top Ten Places to Retire in the Nation: Charles Schwab’s On Investing – Spring 2011
• One of the Top 10 Best College Towns: Small-Sized Cities Category, USA Today – September 2010
• One of the Greatest Places to Live in the West: American Cowboy magazine – April 2010

The list of lists goes on and on. But unlike our neighbor Loveland, which was named the #2 art town in America, Fort Collins is not know for its art. But that is not for a lack of trying on the part of the artists that live here.

One artists in particular, photographer Darren Mahuron, has worked especially hard over the years to create a place for artists to publicly express themselves in Fort Collins even when their art did not fit into the status quo set by the established art scene in Ft Collins.

I’ve known Darren for a few years now, in fact I interviewed him way back in 2006 for ZAF622, the art webzine that spawned Art Palaver, and I can tell you he is one of those rare human beings that brings his creativity and his artistry to everything he does, even bike safety posters. (watch the video)

In the video below Mr. Mahuron shares his struggle of being an artists in a town like Ft Collins and the proactive steps he took to try and change things as well as the lessons learned along the way. I believe they are lessons that artists everywhere can learn from but especially any artist anywhere that has lamented about not living in New York City or Los Angeles.

I encourage you to take the time to watch it and I especially encourage you to use the comment form to start a discussion. I know this is a battle being fought all over and I also know that if we can begin to dialogue about it we can begin to form a community around it. And it is through community that we positively change the world.

Art- A Social Responsibility by Darren Mahuron from Darren Mahuron on Vimeo.

Having trouble seeing the video? Click here.

Connect with Darren on his website: SummitStyle.com

If you want to find more fans and sell more art you'll want to sign up for my FREE email lessons. I keep them simple and to the point. You can stop getting them at anytime and I will never share your email with anyone for any reason. Sign up now!