Free Flickr

I have been uploading my photos to the free online photo-sharing site called Flickr for some time. Although I began by sharing my photography, I have also started to add some of my paintings. I've seen small businesses, especially craftspeople and artists, display images of their work there. It's a great way to advertise and will only cost you the time it takes to add your images!

You do need to write titles, add keywords and descriptions to all of your pictures so people can find you in search results. This picture is a screen capture of the many folders I created to hold my various categories of photos and art.

I can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinidesign

flickr - getting started guide
What is flickr?

flickr is an online photo sharing and community website. Users from all over the world post photographs of every conceivable subject and style to flickr and they choose whether to share these photos with friends, family or with everyone.

You can put your location or where the photo was taken on a map, link your images to others across the world with a similar subject, such as lighthouses. I've had people from around the globe make comments on my images.

Anyone can look at photographs on flickr, but in order to upload your own photos to any part of flickr you must create an account. Basic accounts on flickr are free of charge.

If you want to join flickr you need a Yahoo! ID http://www.mail.yahoo.com/ (because Yahoo! owns flickr) so start by creating a Yahoo! ID and that will let you create a flickr account.
Start with the FAQ at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/help/faq/

I sized my art about 4 inches, 72 dpi, so nobody can download them to reprint.

PROMOTE YOURSELF - PLEASE!!!

In a recent New York Time magazine article, a publicist noted that one of her clients, a writer, had taken an active part in his publicity. The writer's attitude was that they were in business together. He wanted to succeed, as did she, and they had to work together. Many artists, myself among them, are simply grateful to be published.

But that is not enough.

As an artist or other type of creative person, creating is only half the battle. The other is getting your art seen (or heard if you're a musician) and there is nobody better than you to toot your own horn. Of course having a professional by your side, acting as guide and advisor, is extremely helpful. But handing over your art to an agent and then dusting off your hands on a job well done is turning your back on opportunity. Thinking that hanging your art in a gallery or show is all that's required of you and you can go home and begin the next painting - and expect the gallery staff to sell for you - well, that's not going to get you very far.

You have to be proactive.
Proactive –adjective
Serving to prepare for, intervene in, or control an expected occurrence or situation, esp. a negative or difficult one; anticipatory.

An artist emailed me the other day and complained that the opening for a group show she had taken part in was poorly attended. The gallery, which is also a school of higher learning, doesn't have the show listed on the home page of their web site. However after clicking through two pages I did find the show listed on an inside page.

I'm an active artist in the same community, but I did not receive a notice prior to the show inviting me to participate. Nor did I read about the show in the paper (I may have missed it) and I certainly did not get an email inviting me to view that show. That gallery knows I work for a newspaper, albeit seasonally, so why not take advantage of my connections and let me know about it?

But here's the thing - Every artist needs to send out emails to friends and connections to let them know about your show. You need to act on your own behalf.

Don't just sit there and assume that the gallery-show-agent is going to act on your behalf. You're your best advocate - send out a short, informative email blast! Ask people to send it on. Write a short article and submit it to various newspapers (along with a picture large enough for newsprint!) about yourself and your participation in the show. Nobody else is going to do it for you.


Geraldine Aikman
http://www.aikmandesign
http://aikmandesign.blogspot.com/

Who needs HDR photography? Just be creative.

Renaissance Pears

This photograph is made up of several layers of the same image, with each layer a different density, exposure, or hue. After each pear was adjusted to be darker, brighter, or more saturated with color, I flattened the picture and saved it. I didn't start out with the intention of making a layered image. I was trying to take a photo using the HDR process.

High dynamic range (HDR) images enable photographers to record a greater range of tonal detail than a given camera could capture in a single photo. Photoshop has a "merge to HDR" feature that allows you to combine a series of bracketed exposures into a single image.

Of course I was easily sidetracked and ended up doing my own thing instead of following instructions. I guess the lesson learned is that even if you don't follow instructions, and if you head off in a completely different direction, it's the process (it was fun!), and the result (I love the way it came out!), it's a good thing.

Visit my website and my Flickr site to see more of my photography.

~ Geraldine

FRAMING ART AND STANDARD SIZES

Although many artists begin their painting process with the paper and paint, and when the art is completed, seek out a great frame, I suggest they start with the frame - then create the art to fit the opening. Why? It's far easier to begin with an existing frame, or work with a standard frame size rather than the other way around.

Frames in standard sizes are available at art stores, and frame shops that do custom framing often have ready-made or pre-made frames for sale. Ask your local frame shop if they have ready-made frames on hand. Some shops make up odd-size frames, as well as standard-size frames, out of extra molding but don't put them out front. They sometimes have assembled wood frames that were mistakes, or extras from a custom job. These are often called 'empty frames' because they come without glass or backing, which will cost you extra.

What is a standard size for a frame? 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 18x24, 20x24, 24x30, and 24x36 to name a few. You can buy paper and canvas in these sizes, and your art will pop right in many frames. Canvas requires a deeper frame, of course.

But if you start with a 22x30 Arches watercolor paper, and want to mat the art, you'll run into problems. If your painting extends right to the edge of the paper, you still need at least 1/4 inch coverage from your mat. That makes your inside dimension 21 1/2 x 29 1/2, for example. If you add a 2 inch mat all around, your outside dimension is then 25 1/2 x 33 1/2. Even if you cut your mat 2 1/4" AA (all around / on every side) you end up with an outside dimension of 26x34. Hmm, that isn't standard, is it? You won't find a ready-made frame that size.

So begin with a 24x30 frame. Let's try a 2" mat AA. The inside dimension is then 20x26. Take your 22x30 Arches watercolor paper, mark out an area a bit larger that 20x26, say 20 1/2x26 1/2. This is to ensure that your painting area is larger than the mat opening.

Why does this have to be so difficult? You have to remember that standard frame sizes are based on printable paper sizes, and many posters and photographs come in standard frame sizes, and vice versa, on the assumption they will be put in a frame with no matting.

So you'll save money if you choose a ready-made frame. Cut your own mat or have it professionally cut, or perhaps buy a pre-cut mat (rarely archival quality). Purchase glass and backing (no cardboard!) of matboard or fomecore. You need tools to put it together and a little skill, but you're sure to save money.

Create a Web Presence

A lot of small businesses, among them self-publishers, craftspeople and artists, ask me how they can have a web presence without investing a lot of time or money. The easiest way is to post pictures of your work on the web using a photo-sharing site. I like Flickr. Why not add images of your art or creation to Flickr? Art directors use this photo-sharing site to search for images they might want to purchase.
See mine at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinidesign/

A self-publisher recently told me she found a photo that was perfect for the cover of her self-help book. She asked for permission to use it, and in exchange is giving the photographer credit for the picture as well as copies of her book, when published.

The next best thing is to create an entry for yourself, a personal one, at Facebook. If you also have a business you should create a second entry under the business name, and make sure you add links to and from those personal and professional Facebook profiles. Add any external links (to your photo-sharing page, etc.) to both sites. Keep your profile photos professional and silly personal pictures off your Facebook pages. You don't really want your potential customers and old High School buddies to see you in a less-than-favorable light, do you?

I have a listing at the Maine Arts Commission site, and have links to my web site and my email there. So if you can add your profile and links to any professional organization, do so. ~ Geraldine

Take Any Road You Want To

Not everyone reaches the same conclusion by following the same road.

Recently a client asked me to create a mock-up web site, but he wanted to see a static page. That meant designing in Photoshop. But I design web pages in Dreamweaver. It seemed to be a step backward to design in a flat program, especially when I wanted to show off a rotating set of images, a flash slide show. I went ahead and made a sample web page and posted it within my own site in a client section.

The picture you see here has a flash image with type moving across it. How can you see that effect in a jpeg?

I went to a jewelry-making class once in which the teacher told us to draw out a design on paper. Nothing came to my mind - until I started to work with the materials. What kind of sense does it make to create a 3-D object in 2-D? I need to touch the stones, feel the flexibility of the metal, play around with the parts.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, so don't let anyone dictate how you reach your conclusion. Just head on down that creative road in whichever direction that suits you.

~~ Geraldine

How to Write a Blog

I just looked around the web to see what makes a blog successful. The answer?

You need the three Cs: content that is unique and communicates to interested parties; consistency, which means frequency; and closeness, meaning you should stick to your niche. My niche is creative subjects such as art, helping people, and working with words and images. This is the perfect medium!

I've seen some artists put a painting a day up on their blog, but choosing to post something worth reading every day and keeping it up is not an easy task. For now I'll try to add a post once or twice a week and maybe it will become more frequent.

Tip of the day - when you send an article to a newspaper, copy the content into the body of the email AND attach the word document. Tell them right up top that you're attaching the doc. This way the editor can review the content and have a good idea where he/she can file it.

~Geraldine