Showing posts with label Tips & Techniques. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Post 588: Tech Series 4 The Blogging Story

Tech Series 4 The Blogging Story

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) Artistry Spin Blog will explore the use of technology and its impact on the world of art. There are so many tools and resources that can benefit the artists to not only create artwork, but to inspire them, to share their work with the world and to potentially sell their artwork. We'll review and offer suggestions on some of the top trending tech on the web, popular for artists, and those wanting to find out more about art, and perhaps, YOUR art.
Why an Art Blog?
A blog is a good way to promote your art, your knowledge of art, your art business, and your art website without being overly in your face. As you may know, people buy art more often if they can relate, they can connect to the artist - by learning your story, the story about your artwork, and how it makes them feel. A blog can document the story of you and each piece that you create.
Donna's Cave Paintings Blog on Blogger

A blog is another outlet for being creative, especially if you enjoy writing. You really don't have to write a book, you be you and communicate your message in a way that is comfortable to you, in the language you use every day. Share what you know about your medium, why you painted the subject of the artwork, how you felt or what happened in your life that you poured into the work and so much more.
PWAS Artistry Spin Blog on Blogger
Blogs are search engine optimization food for your art. Google and other search engines plow through the internet gobbling up new content, categorizing what it finds. By adding those sweet keywords and keyword phrases and building your blog content, the search engines will find you and will understand how to catalog your data.
Social media - your Facebook and Pinterest postings, are more limited on the content you post, perhaps by character count, the number of images, who can see your posts, etc. They are meant to be short blasts of info that the viewer can quickly digest. Blog writing means you can post as much info as you like to get your point across, and often all the pictures you took of an art show you are in.
Your art website is your personal and professional online art gallery, a showcase, and an art shop that shows who you are and what you have created, and perhaps what is available for purchase. Your social media links direct traffic to your website and vice versa.
Your art blog gives you the space to share your story and your artistic journey in much more detail. That said, you should have a page or at least a link on your website that directs the viewer to your blog.
Check out Should Artists Have a Blog? Art Blogging Pros and Cons
You'll Need to Pick a Blogging Platform - Check out the tools and features of various blogging software and think about what you want to get out of it - now and into the future. See if its free, a free trial to try, or what the pricing options are. Not many are totally free as there may be hosting fees, domain name fees, or have more features and advanced SEO tools in the pricing levels.
Google owned Blogger is free and is what I use for my blog, Donna's Cave Paintings and for the Prince William Art Society blog, Artistry Spin. It has a user friendly interface and plenty of templates to suit my needs. Here is a A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Blog Using Blogger
WordPress.com has a user friendly interface and a free starter plan: its a very popular blogging platform.
Substack
HubPages
Squarespace (free trial)
Tumblr
Wix
Medium
Ghost
Weebly
There are more out there of course. These are often recommended blog platforms for their ease of use with templates, intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop features, etc. making setup fairly pain free.
See also How to Use This Blog on Artistry Spin
How to Start Your Art Blog
Do some research to spot layouts you like to get an idea of what your want on your site.
You'll need a Name for your blog, and specify the URL for your blog.
Do you need to register your blog and get hosting?
Select the theme and layout you like. Templates are often available. Customize the colors, the fonts, what goes where and more.
Consider sidebars, pages, and other optional features. Be sure and check the Mobile and Computer view of your blog.
Provide a keyword rich description for your blog.
Create a Draft post, get a post started. You should always have at least one photo on a post.
Publish the post and have a look at it live.
Promote the blog. This is not Field of Dreams in that if you build it, they will come. You have to let your art public, friends, family, the world know that you have a blog and you just posted on it.
Can you make money with your blog? Some offer this functionality in several ways.
Just be aware that once you chose a design theme, there are some changes you may not want to do later as it might be too drastic a change. I once altered a theme layout on one of my blogs and some of my posts were temporarily no longer with us. Talk about a mad scramble toward recovery!
An option I like in Blogger is that I can create a Post Template so that whenever I begin a new post, I have my fonts and layouts, signature areas and info already added to the starter post and can then just adjust titles and the body as I like.
What Should I Blog About?
Anything you want to. But a main focus area for consistency is better and in this scenario we are talking about an ART blog. Are you passionate about art? That should show in what you write about.
Create a list of Blog Topics of interest to you, a sort of blog idea list and add to it when another light bulb appears overhead. Sometimes I even have draft posts for blog ideas that I write up over time and publish when I feel its says what all I want it to.
Write about specific art pieces and the STORY behind the piece.
Blog about your goals and what you want to do in the future with your art talent.
Blog about shows you get into and want to apply to.
Write about what artwork and art series you have in progress. Before and After makes for good posts - we all want to see how the artwork turns out.
Have a favorite art tool? Why do you love a certain paint brand?
Obviously, any art shows you have coming up and attend. Pictures of art receptions and definitely your solo exhibits all document your art journey.
Locations, people and places, pets and favorite art subjects that inspire your artistic self are what you post about.
Places you go to paint - do you plein air paint? Do you take art classes?
Your art studio.
This is just a starter idea list, but blog posts themselves make for great topics, pins, links to add to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, etc. By sharing to all your social media, you're helping to promote your art and YOU!
When Should Blog?
Whenever you can! Find a schedule that works for you and stick to it as best you can. Posting at least once a week is often recommended. You can schedule posts in advance to perhaps post every Monday, or whenever you like. Content is King on the internet, so having fresh content regularly is search engine fodder as well as good your art fans.

Want to learn more? What is a Blog? Types, Benefits, and Why You Need One

Well, what do you think? I like that I have a way to say something that I may not always be able to articulate on the spot, but can put together my thoughts on various art subjects and then post them out to the world. There are stories about many of the art pieces that I have and I want to tell that story too. Maybe blogging will work for you, so will you be starting an art blog?

Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.

Local Art: 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. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Post 107: A Juried Art Show

A Juried Art Show

If you are a new artist, you may not know what certain terminology used in art circles are - which I found out quickly when I first started showing my artwork. Maybe you are in that position too; so I hope this helps you get going when you enter a juried and/or a judged show.

Stonebridge "Open Space Arts" Nov-Dec 2021 in Woodbridge, VA was a juried art event where about 14 artists were entered

1. What does a Juried Art Show mean?

When an art show is "juried", that means that only selected pieces will be accepted to be hung at the event, show, or gallery for the predetermined period of time. The sponsors of the art event want to have a great art show for the visitors to see, for enjoyment and for potential sales. Some art events are "blind juried" which means the judges do not know the name of the artist submitting the work (although the signature may be a give-away). The event will ask for "Call for Entries" to an event, but please follow the directions carefully! The directions may include the following:

A fee
A certain number of entries allowed with good quality photographs of the work only (usually no background and without the frame) and formatting requirements
A theme may be asked for or for you to enter specific categories
Size requirements
Hanging requirements
A due date

A panel of artist peers from the local art community may be the committee to review the entries. Sometimes the judges are gallery owners or curators and are paid a fee for their time. Strong composition, balance, value, color and technique are all reviewed as well as properly framed artwork (as needed).

2. What is a judged art event?

In a judged art exhibit, the works are evaluated for special recognition and are ranked. Awards, cash prizes and other acknowledgements may be a part of some art shows.

3. Why are there only X amount of entries allowed?

An easy answer is that it depends on the space allocated for the display and the size of the artwork necessary to fill that space, along with the number of entries. Be sure to include your best works when entering and the maximum number allowed - without exceeding that number.

4. Why wasn't my artwork selected?

A tougher question to answer and there could be a wide variety of reasons for an artist's work to not be selected. One of the most often reasons for acceptance could be that the photograph of the artwork did not show your work in its best light or format, so the judges were not able to consider the work. Alternatively, the artist may not have followed all the criteria necessary for entry.

Nonetheless, it is an honor to be selected to a juried event, even if only one of your pieces is accepted. Many artists don't make it in their first attempts, so don't be discouraged.

After the selections are announced, be sure to then follow the directions on how to get your artwork TO the event - including the where, when and exact times.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Post 48: Request for Commission for Your Artwork

Request for Commission for Your Artwork

Those words that strike excitement, joy and/or a bit of fear in an artist's heart, "I would like to commission a painting from you." Wow, ok GREAT! Wait, what do they want me to paint??!! There are a lot of questions to have answered and agreed upon before any brush hits canvas or running to the art supply store, even if from a friend.

Commission Contract

Unless you trust your friend or family member with your life (and for some artists, their artwork IS their life), a Commission Contract is recommended for anyone requesting artwork from you. The contract spells out what each of you - client and artist expect so that every one of the requirements are met and everyone is happy.

The Commission Contract will state everything that is requested, required, expected and agreed upon. The client is requesting a service from the artist and the document defines what those services are.

So when that message is received from someone that says, "I would like to commission a painting from you," as stated above, our initial response might be -oh how cool! But that is only the beginning of a conversation that could take some time to iron out. Here are a few up front questions that need to be answered.

1. What is the subject of the artwork?

Make sure you have DETAILS on exactly what the subject desired is - the position/angle, the expression, the coloring, perhaps time of day, what to include or exclude, etc.

Is the subject right in your ball park and area of expertise? Great, no worries. But what if it isn't? Are you comfortable with painting people and the requestor wants you to paint their child when you might specialize in pet portraits and/or Picasso styles?

And if you work in oils, acrylic, or mixed mediums, what medium is being requested?

2. What size is the artwork and what surface is desired?

Some clients will need to be walked through the standard canvas sizes available unless the artist is adept at stretching his or her own canvases - or if an alternative surface is being used, you still need to know the size desired.

Common Stretched Gallery Wrapped ready for purchase Canvases:

Mini Canvas - anything under 4x6 (3x4, 4x4)

Small Canvas

4x6

5x5

5x7

6x6

8x8

Medium Canvas

8x10

9x10

9x12

10x10

10x14

11x14

12x12

12x16

14x14

16x20

Large Canvas

18x24

20x24

24x36

30x40

36x48 and up

Custom Sizes

Will the canvas fit in YOUR vehicle? Will it fit in theirs when they pick it up? How you and they plan on getting it home is a consideration both of you should think about.

3. When do they need it?

A great question that will need to be answered especially if there is a special/holiday target due date. Do you have several art requests ahead of them that must be finished? How busy is your schedule? Be realistic in setting up expectations. Some artists state on their websites if they are currently accepting new commissions or not (for a multiple of reasons).

All painted artwork needs a curing period for several of its steps including prior to varnishing, isolation coats (if used) and after varnishing, and the medium used will affect any of those steps. Oil paintings are especially time sensitive.

If the space of time required because of your work load and previous commitments does not fit in with their schedule, say so. Perhaps you have another work in your inventory that might fit their needs if time is of the essence.

When the artwork is completed, how will it get where it needs to go? Clearly specify if the art will be picked up, delivered or shipped up front, in the Commission Contract. ALL of your costs MUST (there is no should) be included in the quote. Shipping is a whole new monster in getting it where it needs to go - a frame, packing materials, weight, etc will all need to be worked out.

4. Do they have reference photos?

Obviously, people portraits, pet portraits, places, objects, etc. with several clear photographs will definitely help the artist to get the work accomplished. The lighting and time of day of the photograph may be something to consider as well.

Some research time may need to be spent to see a specific location from several angles. I once had a commission from a client's photograph of Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia, Canada (see photo below). It wasn't until I did some online research that I was able to see clearly that the 'snowy mountain peeks' in the photo were not all the same mountain so I could paint them correctly. (I try to be that detailed.)

5. Will you need to do preliminary sketches for approval?

Occasionally a client is so confident in your ability that they know you will come up with a beauty for them. And of course, you will. Other clients will want to see what your concept is and to sign off on the rendering before working on the actual final artwork. This is fine too, its all a part of the communication to meet the client's expectations.

There are many things to consider. Typically the contract will allow up to 3 sketches for the proposed work. Anything above the 3 sketches/changes will add to the total cost probably with a by-the-hour rates. And the rights to all of the sketches belong with the artist.

What if the client wants to change something mid-stream, after approval of the sketch? How may revisions will be allowed before extra costs are incurred? All of these issues need to be stated before starting.

6. Will it be framed?

The biggest thing about having the commissioned contract is so that all parties know what to expect. There is nothing worse than the client saying, "I thought it was going to be this way..." Or, "I thought it would be framed". Again, it is communicated on the Commission Contract.

Gallery wrapped canvases do not necessarily need to be framed, but you will need to finish the edges. Finished edges are a sign of a true professional and are expected in any gallery.

Mount Assiniboine, British Columbia, Canada, 18x24 Acrylic on stretched canvas by Donna Liguria. Displaying the finished edge on the canvas.

7. Are there any miscellaneous details to consider?

Who owns the rights to the piece, the artist does. They may "own" the original after they've picked it up from you, but you own the copyright. State on the form if the client may or may not have reproductions made of the artwork. The artist also reserves the right to title the artwork as well as use of the image of the work because he/she may still use its image for print sales. (The client should NOT.)

Exhibitions: There will need to be a statement and agreements on if the artist might use the artwork for an exhibit later and all the details on that should be spelled out. If the artwork is used as part of an artist's exhibition, you would see a "Not For Sale" and perhaps "On Loan from the Collection of __".

For larger pieces:

Will there be a cost to install?
Transporting, packaging and weight costs

8. Do they have a preference where the signature will be?

Some clients may have a preference on where your signature should appear, but as any artist knows, a signature must be on it - at a minimum, on the back of the canvas. Most artists do sign on the front, often the bottom right but an option could be on the side of the artwork as well. You will need to know if there is a preference or if it matters to the client.

9. And how much will it cost?

And the big question, what will it cost? The artist will have to build a quote for the work with the various stipulations as noted above, less the nonrefundable deposit. DO include Sales Tax.

Try to keep an eye on the clock for some projects you do so that you have some idea of how much time various projects might cost. That may help with later quotes. See the blog posts on Pricing.

Protect Yourself

The entire process should ensure that your work and payment are safe, secure and legitimate.

First, ensure the request is legit, especially if contacted via the Internet. There are those out there that are working various schemes, so be aware of that.
As with anything else in life, communication is key and NOTHING should be ever be assumed. Spell it out.
I like to post paintings in progress online via my blog and social media unless the client is gifting the painting and doesn't want the work shown in advance.
I include an "Artwork Care" directions with the contract. I state that fine art is not recommended in warm/damp bathroom environments and if the purchaser decides to hang the work there, well that is on them. Also, they should not hang fine artwork in direct sunlight.

Remember, please remember, follow your instincts and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If emails, texts, or phone calls go unanswered for a long period of time or if the client wants YOU to pay - anything - something could very easily be wrong. Pay attention to the red flags.

This painting is a part of YOUR business and if something goes wrong, at least your up front payment received will cover the supplies cost/startup. You should NEVER incur any of the initial costs. Look at it this way, if the sale falls through, you are only out the time worked on the project not the supplies. You may even be able to still sell the work or paint over it.

Depending on the contract, even then, you may still be able to recover all or some of the costs depending on the amount of work completed. You are providing a service to a client and a good contract will protect both sides.

Payments

Get a deposit! Note the deposit on your contract form and deduct it from your final total. Deposits may range between one third and one half of your total and is NONREFUNDABLE.

A payment method is a necessary tool especially for credit cards. Paypal, Square - there are a lot of options these days for artists to receive payments so research those methods to find what works best for you.

If you must take a check, ensure the check CLEARS - BEFORE starting the work - all starting dates are contingent on that. When the work is picked up or delivered, specify cash or arrange for alternative payment. Give the client an invoice, a Painting Care sheet, Certificate of Authenticity, or any other documentation as necessary.

And Finally...

Occasionally the client may decide to not continue with the commission. Perhaps the quote is higher than they wanted to spend, which is fine. If they don't like what you charge for your service, so be it. To me it is also an honor that they apparently saw some of your work and contacted you in the first place.

But if a deposit has been given and work has started, a good Commission Contract will spell out what will happen whether the client discontinues the agreement or if the artist fails to meet the agreement.

Note: This post may be only a 'beginning' and updated as the information is developed and refined. My hope is to also have a sample form available at some point too, either here or as a page in the Blog.

Nonetheless, have a look around, there are some free simple-sample forms and more expansive versions available online and there are paid versions as well.

Last Update: May 1, 2023

Local Art: Visit us at Open Space Arts at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA from Wednesday - Saturdays 12-7pm and Sundays from 12 to 5 – 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 specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits:

Donna Liguria

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Post 44: Give Your Artwork a Name and Don't Call It Untitled

Give Your Artwork a Name and Don't Call It Untitled

How do you go about giving your artwork a title? Does the name come out of the upper atmosphere of your creative process with so many deep thoughts, maybe a lot of emotions, or perhaps some lofty ideals of human existence? Do you break out the Thesaurus and/or the Dictionary? How does your artwork get its title?

This Painting Needs a Name and I've Exhausted My Creativity for the Day

Recently, our PWAS group had a booth at the Occoquan Arts and Crafts art show and I was helping with our sales. Each artist attaches 2 cards to each of our pieces and if the piece sells, we mark the artwork off of that artist's inventory sheet. The card has the Name of the Artist, the Title of the Work, the Medium and of course, the Price. Not to throw anyone under the bus (and all names have been changed, or politely removed to protect the innocent [AKA guilty]), but it was funny several times when someone purchased an art piece and the art title was just a one-word-wonder like, "Dog", or "Vase", or "Leaves".

One person remarked teasingly with a laugh, "Come on, you can be more creative than that!" I can not say I agonize over a name for my own artwork, but I agree, a one word so-very-basic description as a name seems to not do justice to the time and energy that most people put into their art. Maybe you agree or not, it just all caught me as rather funny. Then again, I find a lot of things amusing.

So this Blog Post was forming in my head, which of course means I need a Blog Title as well. Oh the vicious cycle of a name, begins again. Anyway, of course I get out my trusty Google Search. (Another rabbit hole, oh well.)

Let the Research Begin

The questions I wanted answers to:

How important is the title on your artwork?
When and how do you come up with the name for your artwork?
Does the title fall out of the sky and land in your lap? (Think lightening bolt.)
How big a struggle is it typically?
Do you get online and ask your followers, friends or Ouija Board to name it?
And most importantly: What have others written on this topic?

Let Others Tell Their Art Naming Stories

My research led me to several nicely written articles already written on naming your artwork, so go read theirs!! (I should add - after you finish reading mine.)

What is Considered a Good Title?

According to the experts (whomever they are):

An artwork title should convey where you were coming from when you did it. ("Blue Monday")
A title might give the viewer room to come up with their own interpretation of the work. ("My Monday is Blue")
The title of your artwork helps the piece to tell its own story. ("Somebody Spilled Blue on Me on Monday")
The title may have an intentional play on words. ("Blumon Day")
Persons, places, and critters (pet portraits) sort of name themselves, but can be added on as well. ("See Spot Run into the Blue, on Monday")

Titles that Suck (So They Say, again - whoever "They" are)

"Untitled" is the Title
Just a number is the Title

Hmmm, I'm thinking what if you are in a show where the artwork has an ID number too...

I do take my art seriously, as most artists do, but I hope I can laugh along the way of life too. I am a believer in at a minimum, an interesting title. The advice given by several writers is to avoid the cliche, don't be pretentious, be memorable, shorter names are better and on and on.

As our PWAS member Penny Shaw stated recently in her PWAS Artist Interview as her best art advice, "Do you." When it all boils down, Name your Artwork whatever the heck you want to!

How I Find a Name

Occasionally, I take the "one word descriptor title" and look for a piece of poetry or a line in a song or a quote with that word and build on that line. Other times, yes, the title falls out of the sky and lands in my lap. And no, I do NOT use a Ouija Board.

I have to show you a piece of my artwork and the name I gave it. I amuse myself with its name - I can so picture it happening in my head. First, a picture of the artwork:

By Donna Liguria, Acrylic 10x10

What would you have named it? What do you think I named it? Any guesses?

Here's the Title: "See Any Doritos?"

Let me know what you think of this "tongue-in-cheek" article in the comments below.

Post updated May 9, 2025

Local Art: Visit us at any of our art shows or our monthly meetings. See our website for more info. Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership