Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a group of local artists in Prince William County in Northern Virginia dedicated to an appreciation of the visual arts and fine crafts of local artists and this is their Blog, Artistry Spin. Find information about and by PWAS, our events, our Scholarship Program, our artists, our art shows and exhibits plus much more. Many of our artists display art at locations all around Prince William County, Manassas and beyond.
There are several times a year here in Woodbridge, that our local Michael's Store announces those beautiful, immortal words, "70% off all Canvases". Joy fills our little artist hearts. After a quick check at the bank account and grabbing any available coupons, we are OFF to Michael's in that mad dash to get the best pickings...
Meet Your Friends at Michael's
Literally and in some different ways!
I get to the store and grab a cart. I really wish they had bigger carts because those wee wheeled baskets don't hold the big canvases. I make a beeline to the art section. With all of the level one, two, three canvases on sale at 70% off, it doesn't get much better than that. All those gallery-wrapped canvases - 4x4, 5x7, 6x6, 8x8, 8x10, 9x12, 10x10, 10x20, 11x14, 12x24, 16x20, 20x20 and on and on...livin' in the artist paradise... Got my ten in my hand and a gleam in my eye... (or was it Gangsta's Paradise?)
If you get there early in the sale, the choices in sizes are best of course. I grab all my favorite sizes plus that size over there. Maybe I need two of those? I wonder if I should have borrowed a tractor trailer?
I turn to go down another aisle and who should appear? A PWAS member thinking the same way I am. I go to the checkout and low and behold, another PWAS member. Impromptu artist meeting! A quick trip? Bah! An afternoon with friends!
OR I have met an artist friend at Michael's before to shop some recommended special effects paints. New toys to play with! Interference, Dragonfly and Color Shift paints are too much fun!
OR as I go up and down the art supplies, I come across another person pondering the merits of mediums. A quick question will open up the conversation, "Oh, are you an artist?" Followed by, "What do you paint?" You know what, you tell them about the Prince William Art Society and bam, you have a new friend and fellow painter!
I did invite some of them to the next PWAS meeting on Monday, March 27 at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 7:30pm. Planting those seeds you know.
I'm happy now as I put away all my new blank canvas purchases, oh the potential. I see the question mark hovering over their cotton surfaces wondering what they will grow up to be.
Author: Donna Liguria An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 The Prince William Art Society is a 52-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.
Do you have an Etsy shop? If yes, you KNOW it takes work, work and more work. If you have one, drop your Etsy link in the comments! If you don't have one, have you been thinking about it?
Donna Liguria Art Etsy Home Page 2023 - @DonnaLiguriaArt
Before you get started on Etsy, do a lot of research. Repeat, a LOT of research. And if you already have an Etsy shop, continue to do some research on optimizing your Etsy site. You cannot build it and leave it, this is not Field of Dreams and "if you build it, they will come". Etsy takes work. And Etsy means having a shipping station (unless you have art products that are fulfilled by a Production Partner [site]). Etsy becomes a part of your weekly, if not daily schedule to a degree.
When I have "Great Find Videos", I will try to give you a list of the highlighted points in the video as well to help you. Because this Great Find is such a large topic, I found several videos with some great tips and advice you will find useful. Because Artistry Spin is the Prince William Art Society's art blog, I keep in mind that we are creating art on various surfaces and art prints - but there are key things that are important no matter what your Etsy shop sells.
Good Title - this is NOT the title of your artwork - they are keywords to FIND your Etsy listing. This is important, it is also not the size, probably not the medium nor your name (or product subject's name) unless you are well-known.
Good Images - GREAT product pictures are KEY as well as video(s) about you, how you do your art, and/or how you did that art piece.
Natural Lighting
Background - trendy, clean, natural
Clear Images
Edit Images
Good Description - using those SEO keywords and phrases
Good Tags - using SEO keywords and phrases (limited characters)
Shipping Station - decide if you will ship international or national. Decide how large your artwork will be that you will ship. PRICE your artwork so that you cover ALL of those costs. Get the equipment and supplies you need to take care of shipping - and that is ALL part of the costs, including the labels.
Shipping Carrier
Shipping Profiles
Packing Materials - source, in stock?
Free Shipping if possible
Weight scale?
Video 1: Complete Etsy Tutorial for Beginners 2022 - How to Create a Profitable Etsy Store from Scratch
1. Offer a trending product with a unique selling point. Research-based
2. Use smart SEO. Research products, trends, search engine optimization.
Title, Tags (13), Description, Categories, and Attributes. Sale Samurai (fee).
a. Diversify your keywords phrases
b. Use title that is easy to read, separate by comma, line, or dash
c. Start your listing description with a hook. Spark emotion, sentiment
d. Use long-tail Keywords, phrase with multiple word descriptor
3. Market for Momentum. Collaborations, influencers, other sellers, partner with.
a. identify potential collaborators within your niche, similar target audience, micro influencers. Look for a seller whose product complements yours.
b. Reach out to potential collaborators.
c. Decide on your proposal and make the pitch. Campaign goal. Beneficial to them too.
d. Negotiate the terms of the partnership. Specific CTA (Call for Action)
I am learning as I go too. My Etsy Shop is at https://etsy.me/3xqNIqL - which may give you and I some free listings if you use it. Pictures are a thorn in my side but I am working on it! There are a LOT of other Etsy videos out there and you may like those better - you will probably learn a new angle from any of them.
Again, do you have an Etsy shop? Drop your link in the comments.
Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.
Perhaps a new series of Artistry Spin Blog Posts are "Great Find Art Videos". One of the PWAS (Prince William Art Society) members sent me this video link and it is really good enough to share with our art group...because we volunteer at Open Space Arts. We as the volunteers are the "sales persons" and we represent all the artists that have artwork up whether our art is up or not.
Sales Tips for Live Art Shows
Please click the video below or the link to watch the video.
Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.
Want to know how to get involved at OSA? If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or a are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.
Do you paint only what you want without a thought to the work being sold? How's your attitude toward your artwork - "if it sells, it sells" or do you paint with SELLING as your ultimate goal?
Do You Paint for the Purpose of Selling?
I do believe creative people just HAVE to BE creative, somehow and some way, just for the love of it. They just have to.
I was wondering though, how many of you do your artwork with the subject, theme, perhaps the colors, with the intention of making a sale with what you create?
Definitely, I've met artist that are both ways. Some are trying to make a living being an artist - which means of course, getting out there and pushing, pushing, pushing toward getting their artwork seen and getting those sales.
But I see it as do you paint (or create) what you love and try to sell it or do you intentionally select what you create so that it appeals to specific audiences (clients) that you show it to?
Favorite Themes that Sell
I went in search of "what sells" when it comes to art.
Although you never know what might strike someone's fancy when it comes to art, there are generalized art themes that are said to sell. There is no set formula. The uniqueness, the quality of the work and the cost all effect the sale-ability and probably a LOT more, including:
the person's decor
the size of artwork
colors used in the artwork
the person's budget
Obviously, there is a lot we have no control over as the artist. Also a beneficial influence is that people do enjoy meeting the artist and getting to know them, albeit even online, which familiarizes the appeal for that person's art. It puts a familiarity and personal "relationship" with the artist.
There ARE things that do sell more than others and this list is basically in order:
Traditional Landscapes and Local Views - from tranquil mountain, field and forest scenes and farmlands to your local-to-you hot spots and historical spots. I found that while in Occoquan, have artwork OF Occoquan.
Modern and Abstract Landscapes
Seascapes, Beach Scenes, Harbors - these remind many potential buyers of a great vacation and dreams of "where they wanna be".
Abstracts - probably includes paint pours. Emotion, mood, color, size all must appeal to the viewer.
Dogs - You know people and their pets, dogs in particular. Dog and Cat pet portraits done well at good prices, that is pay dirt in my opinion.
Wildlife - Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. I've seen a lot of sales of sea turtles and birds, so sort of knowing what favorite critters are, and cute depictions of various critters, and larger than life animal life paintings have appeal.
Impressionistic Landscapes
Figure Studies and Nudes - these appeal to a lot of people because people like looking at other people -with and without their clothes. Frankly, I admire the artists that are good at painting the human form.
What Size of Paintings Sell?
Some artists only work on a large scale big-butt canvases, while others may work on a mixture of sizes. Some artists can work in miniatures and small sizes with great detail, while another artist may find that too confining a space to work in.
The big as a couch, over-the-couch paintings, diptychs, triptychs - the multi-panel paintings, are considerations for the buyer as focal point walls, which also means that the color(s) plays an important part when people decorate their homes.
Much harder to tote around huge paintings for art shows - for you and the potential buyer, these impressive pieces do have impact, eye-catching effect. Delivery and or shipping, pickup - all have to be considered, perhaps by both.
I think the artist has to analyze when displaying and showing his artwork what will most likely sell AT that art event. This past year I started the "3x4 mini painting with easel" trend for my own artwork. A good price point, a good gift, easy to find a space for it in a home or office, they do sell. And the animal ones seem to sell the best.
A question I have asked at some of our Prince William Art Society events is "What has sold best in the past at this event?" Often, it has been the smaller paintings for the reason of price and carrying the purchase around.
Some may see it as I can sell one large piece for big bucks as opposed to nickle and dimes for many small paintings - well, maybe if you are already a successful artist. Your opinion needed on this one...
What Media Sells the Best?
Prints - obviously because they are generally less expensive than the original artwork. People can support the arts without buying that original piece and the most popular sellers are the limited-edition prints - from offset-litho and giclee prints.
Oil and acrylic paintings are still the next selling media, with watercolors coming next.
Next thought is how well mixed
media does - I'm interested in how well these trends are as I see many
artists in our group producing some fascinating work in mixed media.
What Color Sells the Best?
I'm not sure how true it is but I am reading that the color red helps a sale. If landscapes and seascapes are so high up on the list of what sells, wouldn't that mean that blue sky, blue water, and green landscapes are big sellers?
Every year the fashion and decor folks come up with "color of the year". I'm wondering if there is any influence with that choice?
Where Do You Sell the Most Artwork?
Do you sell more online or offline? Where online? Do you do well at local art shows, art galleries, libraries, art events?
Do you sell more locally or internationally?
Maybe a lesser question is do you find a better time of year to sell your artwork?
"Seasonal" Art?
Holiday, snow scenes, pumpkins - there is definitely artwork for certain times of year, but do you leave it up all year? Do you leave a snow scene or a Santa Claus painting hanging in its spot throughout the year? Or do you cycle your artwork out depending on season?
And Before I Put the Paintbrush Down...
I do have a few more questions.
Being absolutely unique in style - definitely more eye-catching and quite often very interesting, is it harder or easier to sell?
Still life - do they still sell well?
Is there a price point that sells best - not only for prints but size of painting?
There is absolutely no right or wrong when an artist is being creative. I'm not saying that. And I do believe the "starving artist" thing isn't necessarily true these days, but you do what you have to do to keep food on the table. Just DO what you are good at. But I do see it as having multiple price points available to appeal to more potential clients.
I
recently sold a painting called "Just Look Up" and hearing from the new
owner, she said, "Whenever I look at my new painting, it makes me
happy." As the poet Robert Frost said, "And that has made all the difference."
By Donna Liguria "Just Look Up" 16x20 Acrylic on Canvas (SOLD)
Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!
Author: Donna Liguria An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic
painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects.
Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.
