I’ve never been one to take care of my things. I studied Buddhism in high school and developed a certain nonchalance to possessions; mostly because it coincided with my general carelessness. And I had a friend in art class in high school who would  flip out if any of her paintings got scratched and I thought it was cool just not to care…. But now that my art is in galleries, nice galleries, and SELLING (people are actually giving away their money in exchange for my paintings) having scratched up, dented or mishandled paintings is just tacky, thoughtless and rude. …

A few years ago, I’d finish a painting and write “This is HUGE” or “Enormous!”. Those paintings were all about half the size of “One More Cup”… painting it I learned that size does matter, for lots of different reasons. There are some of the things to think about when you’re buying canvases. 1) Price: If I remember correctly, a canvas this size in the states would probably cost over $100. Price is a major factor, unless you’ve already got clients throwing money at you. Buy as big as you can afford. 2) Most big, classy galleries like to showcase …

If you’re an artist an the verge of becoming a ‘professional artist’ (ie selling paintings for $$$), you’ve probably asked yourself the following questions: How much is my art worth? How much should I charge for my paintings? How much can I get for my art? This article may help you understand how to charge for your paintings, what gives artworks their value, and what to do to increase the value of your paintings. A long time ago I set a goal of earning $1000 per painting; this is not so much because my paintings were ‘worth’ $1000 – that …

This picture (on the left) is one of several I got from a professional photography studio. I was looking for cool, edgy shots to make myself look more like an artist. Unfortunately, they airbrushed my skin so much that I look like a little girl. In this article I’m going to teach you how to take a perfect self-portrait at home to use for your artist bio or author’s jacket cover. Why you need it – and what is ‘it’? Come’on, I know you’ve seen them. Every artist or author needs that subtle, classy, professional head shot that they can …

If you’re an artist, you’re probably wondering how to get more exposure. There are tons of websites and offerings online claiming to boost your sales, get more fans, and make you internationally famous, but do they really work? In this article, I’ll give you (what I’ve found to be) the most effective way of marketing my paintings. 1) If you want the career of an artist, focus on building your reputation to the point where galleries will deal with you – your online presence is a big part of this. There are many websites that will host your paintings, but …

Here are a few of the links I use to find out about art deadlines, competitions and contests. Be warned, many of these opportunities charge an entry fee – choose wisely and enter categories that you could feasibly win. Don’t worry about the prize, think about the exposure. By entering, who will see your work? What market/area is being addressed? Will there be any media coverage? Will you make valuable contacts? 1. artshow.com Juried Art Exhibitions: Art Shows and Art Competitions | view site >> Juried Art Exhibitions, Art Shows, Art Competitions, Juried Art Shows, Juried Art Competitions, Art Contests, …

Do you want to sell your art? Did you just start painting and now have a little collection that you want to capitalize on? Have you decided that you have the ‘soul of an artist’ and want to learn how to promote yourself, gain exposure for your work, get recognized? In my inbox today is a tip from Smartist-telesummit (if you’d like to get your own tips, join their free mailing list: http://www.smartist-telesummit.com). It warns me against playing “Wizard of Oz”, or creating an overblown sense of self image. This is a great thing to remember, and I need to …

Caring for your paintings – should I varnish? Short Answer: Absa-freaking-lutely! I’m a big offender in this area… I never got around to varnishing most of my early painting, and in the years since they’ve gotten scratched, dirty, and torn. The biggest reason to varnish your paintings is for PROTECTION. Wait about a month after you’ve painted them to make sure they’re really dry, then put on a heavy coat or two. If you’re paranoid, put on 5 coats and they’ll be practically impenetrable. This way they can get scratched pretty bad without having any effect at all. The other …

How to paint portraits with oils. Tip: Oil paintings rarely look smooth and natural up close. Frequently take 4 or 5 big steps back, to see what your piece really looks like. 1) Select a great picture with deep shadows. Painting a person will be so much easier if there are clear blocks of light and shadow. If you select a picture taken by a normal flash camera, the whole face will be lit up and you’ll have no way to depict the nose, eye and mouth areas except by outline, which will look cartoonish at best. 2) Sketch the …