This is the official Blog for the EBSQ Self-Representing Artists Community, where you'll find news, reviews, site announcements, and of course, a generous helping of art!
The people who don’t give up, no matter what life throws at them, are more likely to make a name for themselves in whichever creative vocation they choose.
I don’t know of any artist who wakes up in the morning and says, “Yeah, I’m as good as I want to be.” There will always be room for growth. The key is to keep moving.
5. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” — J.K. Rowling
3. James Gurney has a new instructional watercolor video and he’s posted a list of the materials used, with links and notes — Watercolor in the Wild Materials.
4. Looking for a way to improve your figure drawing skills? Sketch Daily References let’s you pick what you want to draw and the time you want to spend on each and then creates a slideshow for you. You can select clothed figures, nude, specific body parts and even animals.
5. Are you an EBSQ Artist with an upcoming exhibition or other event you’d like to share? Get in touch with me to be included in the Friday Five: amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com.
1. Before I saw the title of Christine Striemer’s Code’s latest painting, I thought, what a lovely dream-like quality. Spot on! Cat lovers will fall for Tuxedo Dreamin’.
2. Don’t forget to download Maureen Frank’s January Mandala – Confidence. “Our confidence comes with remembering and celebrating our past and present accomplishments regardless of how trivial.”
2. Did you know the University of California Press has over 770 ebooks available for free to the public? There is a collection of books on Architecture, Art, Art History, Art Theory and many more subjects. Browse the public ebooks by subject here.
1. For the last few weeks I’ve been posting winter/holiday artwork in the Friday Five. Can you guess what Luda Angel’s painting, Ballerina, brought to mind this morning?
5. Tips on Pricing your Art for Licensing – I see this question pop up in the forums often. So here you go. EmptyEasel.com dishes out a few tips to help you with the process.
2. Lowe Mill Art Studios and Grumpy Cat – The talented artists of this large studio in Alabama, including EBSQ’s very own Tracey Allyn Greene, have been featured in The Huffington Post! Congrats, Tracey!
3. Controversies: eBay and Adobe – Tiffany Toland-Scott shares some very important information concerning this two giants. This is a must read for anyone who uses eBay to sell their art and for all Photoshop users.
4. MOTM: Simplify – Maureen Frank’s mandala for May is all about simplifying our lives. Stop by her blog to download this month’s mandala for free.
5. Fostering Friendly Familiarity – EmptyEasel.com has a superb article on how to market your art by building a relationship with your viewers, not just seeing them as buyers.
3. Mother’s Day Studio Tour – The 15th Annual Camano Island Studio Tour begins May 10th. EBSQ Glass Bead Artist Vicki Miller will have works shown in the Seagrass Gallery. See her blog for more details.
4. Kickstarter vs. IndieGoGo – Tiffany Toland-Scott shares her experience with the two big crowdfunding sites.
5. Varnish and Finish Coats – Georgia Papadakis has an informative post on her blog about varnish, finish coats and their effect on a painting’s overall color.
1. No River like a Craving – Head over to Angie Reed Garner’s blog for a larger of view of this immense painting and step into the river.
2. The making of Esplanade Beauty – Melanie Douthit walks us through her painting process. It’s always interesting to see how an artists approaches a painting.
3. My Art and thoughts on Norman Rockwell – Erika Nelson recently had the pleasure of viewing large Rockwell exhibit. I think anytime we see an artist’s work for the first time in a gallery setting, as opposed to through the media, we are changed.
1. Little Mermaid Charity Auction – EBSQ Artist Natalia Pierandrei, along with other influential artists, is participating in a charity auction to help Robin Sullins. Follow links on her blog to learn more.
2. MOTM: One Thing Leads to Another – Have you downloaded this month’s free mandala from Maureen Frank? “This month’s mandala reminds us that our lives are a journey…weaving in, out and around in all manner of directions.”
3. Understanding your Story as an Artist – Artist Statements, Blogging, and the dreaded Bio are hurdles we have to tackle as artists. EmptyEasel.com has a great article to you approach these essentials.
1. Winterwood – EBSQ Artist Mark Satchwill, may be best known for his portraits, but he proves he can paint anything with this wonderful winter landscape.
4. How to Choose the Best Social Media Outlet – Don’t have time for multiple social networking sites? All you really need to do is pick the right one for you and your art. This article from EmptyEasel.com shares some great tips!
1. Stop and Smell the Daisies – Carol DeMumbrum is participating in a challenge to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. The delightful golden retriever above is the first.
2. MOTD: When all Else Fails – Maureen Frank’s free mandala for January can be downloaded from her blog. This month’s is not about failure, but endings becoming beginnings.
3. 2013 EBSQ Exhibit Calendar – I’ve written a blog post about the exhibits I plan to enter this year. Have you too made a plan?
5. 6 Powerful New Years Art Resolutions – If you’ve been avoiding commitment to a diet or maybe cleaning out the garage, maybe you need to focus on this Art Resolutions from EmptyEasel.com. 😉
Day of the Dead New Year by EBSQ Artist Susan Brack
Ok, I admit it: this is a repost from last year. But the advice is just as timely. Get ready for 2013 with these 7 readiness tips.
Is your contact information up-to-date? Make sure we have your current private email address for lost password retrieval and public contact information for people who want to learn more about your art. We’ve often seen members post that they do commissions but don’t offer a contact method for potential buyers. If they can’t connect, you’ve lost a sale.
Are your website and blog addresses still correct? How about your eBay and Etsy IDs? Again, if we don’t have the right information, people aren’t going to be able to find you or your work at your preferred sales venues.
An addendum to the above: Have you linked to all of your current venues? And have you unlinked venues you no longer use? If you’re primarily selling at FineArtAmerica, but you only have a link to an abandoned eBay account, you’re squandering an opportunity to direct interested parties to work that’s currently available. We suggest you consider removing venues you aren’t actively using or maintaining. This includes placeholder websites and blogs that haven’t been updated in over a year.
When is the last time you took a serious look at your artist’s statement? Do you have a “Hi, I’m new,” message that you posted back in 2007 and simply forgot about? Or notes about your Spring cleaning sales from last year? Are you talking about your photography or sculpture when you’re now showing a portfolio full of abstract expressionism? Have you done any new shows or changed galleries? Don’t forget to add this new information to your CV.
Have your commission prices changed? If so, don’t forget to make these edits if you have pricing listed on your commissions page. Or maybe you don’t do commissioned work at all anymore–you can always turn off this feature by unchecking the “commissions available” box in your profile tools.
Are you showing your newest work? While we do have members that update their portfolio as soon as they have something new, others simply upload a handful of work when they join and forgeddaboutit, letting their portfolios collect cyber dust. When was the last time you added something new? Every time you add new art to your portfolio, that piece shows up on the front page of EBSQ, which in turn brings more people back to your portfolio. For best success, we strongly suggest you upload new work monthly, or even weekly. “Post and Pray” does not work.
1. Lady Luck – EBSQ has an abundance of visual artists but did you know we also have some amazing glass artists? I love these original earrings by Vickie Miller.
2. Strathmore 2013 Workshops – Strathmore has opened registration for their 2013 workshops. This year’s classes are: Abstract Fine Art Painting with Mixed Media, Sketching & Drawing with Toned Paper, and Artful Card-Making Techniques.
3. Copy Rights – What is fair use? Where do you draw the line? This is an interesting article from March of this year from Art News magazine.
1. Alla Prima Pumpkin – It wouldn’t be Halloween without a pumpkin and this one by Christine Striemer is a work of fine art!
2. The Painted Bra Art Project – EBSQ artist Windi Rosson is participating in a project to support breast cancer awareness. See her blog for more details!
3. Bringing Home the Herd – Take a look at my blog to learn about an IndieGoGo project that will feature some of my original watercolors. The alpacas are coming!
4. Build Relationships with your Pinterest Followers – Building relationships with any group of people online is the first step toward creating repeat buyers. Take a look at this great article from EmptyEasel.com.
5. Send me your newsworthy blog posts!! You can contact me at amanda[at]ebsqart[dot]com.
Have a great weekend and watch out for those zombies!
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere (and sometimes beyond).
1. Weekly Painting Special – Bids for the painting above start at only $9.99 with free shipping. It’s artist Windi Rosson’s deal of the week!
2. Best Artist in the Delta Finalist – Congratulations are in order for artist Melanie Douthit who is a finalist for Best Artist in her region!! She still needs your vote, check her blog for details.
3. A Silver Lining – Cathy Johnson has some important new on her Instructional CD’s and a Giveaway!!!
4. Eight Social Media Tips – In my traversing of the internet I stumbled across this post by EBSQer Natasha Wescoat!
5. Should Artists Blog – The simple answer to this questions is YES! This post explains the why.
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere.
1. EBSQ and New Kauai Painting – One of our newest members gave a shout out on her blog. I couldn’t resist returning the goodwill. Welcome to EBSQ Melanie!
2. The Vault – Sara Burrier has opened it. What is it? Only she can tell you.
3. Art Organizations – Art organizations can be in invaluable tool. What organizations do you belong to?
4. Entry in the Enigma Show – Sherry Key has an interesting post up on not just her entry but the story and ideas behind its creation.
5. 12 Blogging Tips for Crafters and Artists – This is an older post, but the information is still relevant. If you are struggling with your blog check this post out for some great ideas.
Art & News from EBSQ 