Post 482: Getting Your Art Out There: Social Media, Your Art, and Your Art Group

Getting Your Art Out There: Social Media, the Internet, Your Art and Your Art Group

Does an artist need a website? Does he or she need to be on social media? Most artists just want to paint! What do you say? Or would you rather just be out there pounding the pavement trying to get your art into a gallery? How about an artist co-op?... Let's explore some artist promotional options.

Social Media Today

We've all seen it. Go to a restaurant and at one table a family are having dinner, yet all four are holding a phone, their fingers are flying, scrolling, commenting, liking and sharing. Or a table with a few friends sitting together, yet all of them have out their phones in hand and doing the same. Their food arrives and they barely set the phone down to eat! 

 

Photo by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash 

Wouldn't you think that they would be discussing what is going on in each other's lives and around them?

 

Cell phones, perhaps a necessary evil in some ways, yet... how about social media to promote your art?

Although being on the internet and on social media has its issues - it is where most everyone in the world goes to for information. From "Where is the closest coffee shop" to "Things to do near me", to laughing at all those goofy cat videos, most of us use the internet every day. We just ALL need to manage and balance our time wisely when it comes to social media to avoid going down those "rabbit holes near me".

And on the internet, this is where many art lovers go to find out more about the art culture near them, the art shows they might attend, and the types of local art talent, art classes, galleries and creative opportunities available on their side of town and where they might go visit. Social media is where artists can build a following and let their followers know what they are working on and where their next show is.

- I see a social media presence as imperative to showing your art to the world. There is time involved - yes. But the costs can be very low if not free. Schedule some space in your day and/or week and stick to it when you develop your strategy.

An Artist Website of My Own

Every day at an art show, the gallery we are in, or an art meeting, we meet artists that will show us their art on their phones. This is great, we enjoy seeing their artwork. But do they have more than a gallery on their phone?

 

Artists that want to make art sales should have a website (and business card!) these days! The act of having a website online for your art is the equivalent of leasing a building space to display your art in your home town. The big difference (other than cost) is that the website address (URL - or link) can be seen worldwide while someone needs to walk through the door of the rented space. 

 

Advertising that you have an art space - even on the internet means that it is up to YOU to find a way for people to find YOU. The artist will hand out those cards for someone to learn more about what they do and the internet is about linking to what you do.

Artists have many options in creating an online presence with their art store. There are options for free and low cost, and many are easy to set up, while others do take some skills. Knowing coding is beneficial but not necessary. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for", but honestly, there are some good options without knowing any computer code. 

 

Depending on what you want to get out of your art business will determine how far you want to go to have people discover, admire and to buy your art. 

Having an online presence is especially important when handing out your business card (which you should have as well), so that someone knows where to go online to check out your art.

 

See Vistaprint Business Cards

- I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for a specific artist's business card, and the artist doesn't have one. 

Often, when entering art shows, the artist is asked to enter their website URL so that the jurors can see and learn more about them too. 

 

I see having a website of your own with your name, like https://donnaliguriaart.com, as all important for an art profession/business, but at a minimum, having an art presence on something like the Prince William Art Society's Showcase page is a way to have a low-cost presence option. Check the options available to you in local art groups. https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/artist-gallery

An Artist's Social Presence

Part of the process while getting your website built, is getting your social presence started. This gives you places (links) to post your signs or flags leading people (and Google) toward your website (link). The internet is all about links connecting. The more links that connect to you, the hashtags #, the mentions @, likes, comments, sharing, etc - the better connections to find you and your art.

 

I've been calling a social presence as the Big Five - the places to be as far as social spots, and they are:

 

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

YouTube 

...and TikTok would make it the Big Six to many...

There are others but these have been where the bulk of people are. These are where artists are found, their fans and followers are and how they communicate with each other. There are art shows and events, invitations, and so much more - AND ideas!

Your social presence in many of these sites most typically start with your friends and family building as your initial fan base. Consistency is KING in posting, and there are ways to help. As with anything, the research must be put in to find what works best for you, your style of art and where your potential clientele are.

See Explore the 11 Best Social Media Platforms for Artists - note that Facebook isn't listed here, and I find that interesting. Also see Mastering Social Media for Artists: Strategies to Gain a Competitive Edge

 

How to Create an Artist's Successful Facebook Page

How to Use Instagram to Become a Successful Artist (8 Proven Strategies for Art World Success)

My Art Group Online

As stated above - go where the people are - on the internet, and in your local art culture right around you. Find the art groups and art shops and do the research to understand the fee structures, opportunities, volunteering requirements - everything. Find the group(s) that will work best for you and the time you have but honestly, not just how they benefit you but how you can be a benefit to them. Remember give and take?

Research keywords: art group, art society, art guild, artist community, arts center, art council, art alliance, art league, art cooperative, artisans, art creatives...

I see it as it is everyone's job in an art group to spread the word about the art group. This is no "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". I help promote my art group, the Prince William Art Society, which helps bring attention to the entire art group, the art shows we do, the fun we have, the good we try to do in our local community, and more. By helping PWAS, it helps me too. What do you do to help?

When I post something, it goes out to my friends and family. I do not reach YOUR friends and family - your fan base on your own social sites, unless you do the likes, shares, etc.

By YOU helping to share, like, comment, reposting YOU are not only helping the art group, but helping yourself, especially when you can additionally add your links and your own hashtags to a post as well. 

For the Prince William Art Society, adding hashtags like those listed below are ways to help tag and search for more info about each hashtag.

#PWAS #PrinceWilliamArtSociety #PWCArt #pwasartstore #SupportLocal #virginiaart #virginiaartists #PWASOnlineArtStore #PWASArtGroup 🎨📸🖼🖌and if it is more about me, I'll add #DonnaLiguria #DonnaLiguriaArt

Take advantage of your art group's opportunities in the way of committees, art shows, volunteering and what is available on their website. Joining an art group, the artists can build connections, partnerships and collaborations that help open new avenues to you that perhaps you hadn't even thought of.

• For the PWAS members, there is an Artist Showcase which is a personalized artist page for an annual $25 fee.
• There is also a PWAS online Art Store where all members are welcome to show one piece of artwork for sale. Additionally, there is a private Facebook PWAS Chat group for members only where art discussions, polls, sharing of art news and show opportunities are posted. If you are not online, you miss out.
  

Art Galleries, Artist Co-Operatives, Artist Collectives

Getting art into art galleries may depend more on the scale of gallery you are shooting for and where. Smaller town and city galleries may be far easier than the big city spaces...but like most things it depends on you and your talent, your drive/goals and the 'who you know'.

See How to Get Your Art in a Gallery: A Step-by-Step Guide

Art Galleries, like a "vanity" gallery, tend to take a higher percentage of the art revenue sold. The expectations of an art gallery would be the professionalism in presentation, operations, quality...etc.

There are many Artist Co-ops in most communities and being cooperative means that all artists have to work, distributing the labor evenly and fairly.

"An artist cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations. Such cooperatives typically provide professional facilities and services for its artist-members, including studios, workshops, equipment, exhibition galleries, and educational resources. By design, all economic and non-economic benefits and liabilities of the cooperative are shared equally among its members. Cooperative members elect their board of directors from within the membership." - Wikipedia

See Should You Consider Joining a Co-op Art Gallery? and Start a Co-op Gallery: 8 Tips

Artist Collectives are "An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs of the artist; this can range from purchasing bulk materials, sharing equipment, space or materials, to following shared ideologies, aesthetic and political views or even living and working together as an extended family. Sharing of ownership, risk, benefits, and status is implied, as opposed to other, more common business structures with an explicit hierarchy of ownership such as an association or a company." - Wikipedia

Of course, the grander an art district and the art culture is in your area, the more artists are vying for wall space in the locations and shows advertised. And in some of the art spaces, you will need to apply and go through a selection process to be included, while also paying a monthly fee and volunteering. Explore all of the art options available to you and how the traffic (foot and car) is around said spots.

Art Fairs

Art Fairs and Popup Shows can be a good way to sell your art, but the time and work involved, the equipment needed, and many other details including vendor fees and the weather can make and/or break the artist/show. Also, having a helper or an art partner with you to share the work may help with the "solo or duo" art fair. It's a lot of work, but many artists do quite well.

Or being in an art group at an art fair means that your art showing space may be smaller, you'll also pay a commission, and you will need to help setup and take down, but workload and costs are minimized/shared. The art group may have their own tent and equipment, lessening your start up costs.

See How to Art Show and Lessons Learned

Nonetheless, a social media presence and a website are still quite beneficial in the promotion of the show you are attending so that all your family, friends and followers will know to come visit you.

As said earlier, all of it is building links, connections, doing the research, exploring your options, trying this thing or that, and finding where you fit. What works, what absolutely does not, not only where your art sells, but where do you LEARN MORE at, and hopefully have fun too? 

The main point is - start somewhere. Today.

What would you add to the points I have here? What works for you?

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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 Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

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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 and our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm.

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!

Post 481: Drawing with Donna Merchant

Drawing with Donna Merchant

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in connection with a grant provided by the Prince William County Arts Council is has been offering free classes to local PWC artists through the PWAS website registration page. Local artist, Donna Merchant led a drawing class on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

More Than a No.2 Pencil

For me, I'm a self-taught artist. I started drawing when I was a kid by just picking up a regular pencil, like a No.2, and doodling shapes and then on to drawings (mostly horses). One pencil did the trick for me then, similar to what I do now, but using a color pencil - especially when the aim is building an outline that will become a painting.

I was hoping to learn some proper drawing techniques, tips and skills, so I signed up for this class as did some other PWAS members along with some other people from the area. The age range was good to see, several young people on up. 

I understand that Donna Merchant was a past member of PWAS too, and she has quite the resume in the arts. Tom Payne, the organizer of these great PWAS class series in 2024 and the Member at Large of PWAS, gave Donna's introduction and background. And we're off!

 

Photo by Donna Liguria of Donna Merchant. 

Our first project was a game where one at a time, some small object was placed in a bag and the artists would reach a hand in the bag and take a few seconds and without taking it out or looking at the object would feel what it was, then pass the bag on to the next person. On a piece of paper in front of us that was divided into 6 sections, we were to draw what we felt represented object 1 through 6. If we felt we knew what the object was, title it. At the end, Donna showed what each object was. Sometimes, we got them right!

The thing about taking a class and taking pictures is I can't necessarily cover anyone else's art except my own or else loose some of the class...alas. Tis the nature of the beast. Photo of Donna Liguria's Project 1.

The second project was to draw and create a grid and use specific pencils to get a feel for shading with those different pencils, then using the stumps to blend. Many of the artists had not used a blending stump before. What a great new toy! Then we had to draw a sphere and then shade the sphere with a shadow. What a fantastic lesson in the use of various types of pencils. No.2 pencils are now no No.2 pencils. 

 

Photo by Donna Liguria of Project 2.

The third quick project was to visualize a snowman, then with eyes closed, draw said snowman. Ooops! Note to self, do not lift up the pencil. To finish that up, we were to draw the actual visualization of the snowman.

Snowman Project 3 by Donna Ooops Liguria

Finally, in groups of 3, we selected from a table various objects for our still life drawing. My table partners were PWAS members Anna Gatling and Eric Ndofor. This is the still life we were to get on paper.

 

Photo by Donna Liguria of the still life set up of Anna, Eric and I. Note that we were given the tip to set the still life up on a sheet of white paper for the lighting we were in to see the shadows.

Another great new toy discovery was an eraser stick. I like that tricky little tool. Something like this on Amazon. She also pointed out her drawing board easel with its own T Square that could also help as a maul stick similar to this on Amazon.

Here are some various pictures from the Donna Merchant Drawing Class taken by Tom Payne...

 

Left to right are Anna Gatling, Donna Liguria, Eric Ndofor and Donna Merchant

Ok, so how did my still life turn out at the end of the class? I KNEW you wanted to know...

 

Photo by Donna Liguria of my end of class still life

A Little Q&A

So how was the Donna Merchant Drawing class?

Great! I learned a lot!

 

Was the class fun?

YES!

 

Would you like to take another class with Donna Merchant?

YES! And I requested a portrait class which she thought was a great idea!. She was steady giving lots of tips on doing various subjects and techniques, practice ideas and more. She suggested a website called Art Tutor with a Grid Drawing Tool for doing portraits at http://griddrawingtool.com/. 

 

And like playing the guitar or learning piano; like doing Simone Biles somersaults or learning to sing - anything we want to learn to do - it takes...

 

Practice

Practice

Practice

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: Tom Payne and Donna Liguria

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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

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!

Post 480: Congratulations to Anna Gatling!

PWAS Member, Anna Gatling wins 3rd Place at FCCA Art Show

A big congratulations to Anna Gatling, a Prince William Art Society member, for her 3rd place win!

"Focus on Colors" All-Media National Juried Exhibition

Anna Gating was awarded as the 3rd place winner of the "Focus on Color" art show in Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts (FCCA) https://fccagallery.org/. FCCA is located at 813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. And the "Focus on Colors" show has been running from June 29 until July 26, 2024. What an exciting day and a wonderful acknowledgement to Anna's great talent! 

Read more about the show at https://fccagallery.org/focus-on-colors/ and see the very interesting video below about the juror's thoughts and winning art works.

Congratulations Anna! Be sure and drop a congrats below in the comments. 

We LOVE hearing about PWAS member successes and acknowledgements - so let us know about yours too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSoA7q9ZX5M&t=1s

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: Anna Gatling and FCCA

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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

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!

Post 479: Elena Jochum Discusses Art Commissions with PWAS Members

Elena Jochum Discusses Art Commissions with PWAS Members

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) art group met on Monday, July 22 at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center on Cotton Mill Road in Woodbridge, VA. Our guest speaker was PWAS member, Elena Jochum who gave an engaging talk about art commissions, and how she markets her art using social media to gain more art business.

Art Business Commissions

The meeting opened with Emily Hawes, the PWAS Program Manager (on the left), introducing Elena Jochum (below).

The PWAS members asked Elena many questions and enjoyed this very interesting and a must-have topic for artists wanting to grow their art business through commissions.

Elena Jochum sent me the below outline with Q&A for anyone that missed the meeting in this all important art topic.

Commissioning Art

Ways to solicit commissions:

1. You are always promoting! Any social media post whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, email blasts etc. It is important to have consistency with posting on social media.

2. Events are great. Make sure to have a business card with your information. A QR code to a Linktree is a great idea.

3. When speaking to someone face to face, definitely mention that you offer commissions. List what you specialize in.

4. Word of mouth travels FAR.

5. Refer fellow artists if you don’t specialize in what they’re looking for! They WILL return the favor.

6. I like to post on local Facebook groups on days you’re allowed.

7. Email blasts through your website. If you don’t have a website, then just writing an email to all your business contacts once every couple of months with updates and reminder that you’re offering commissions.

One of our local artists once said that only very rarely does a commission inquiry eventually result in a commission. Do you think commission customers are different and if so, is it in some way that might guide the artist's choices?

It depends. I don’t count any interaction in person or online as a definitive, unless there’s a signed agreement. A lot of people are being nice when they say things like “I’d love to commission you for something”, but never do. I think following up once with a question about more information and an explanation of your services is sufficient.

How much should one show their prior commissions or is it better to refer clients to your non-commissioned work?

Having all works in one place is a good idea. I just have all my work up on my website. I refer people who are interested directly to it. They can see my entire portfolio of commissioned and non-commissioned fine art.

Are there privacy issues with showing prior commissions, or do you avoid that? Is there an option in the agreement to request permission to show it, or is it "your work is your work" even if the faces are private individuals' (in the case of portraits)? What about minors?

Most of my commissioned works are on my page. I do ask clients if they’re ok with that, and 99% are. I think this I a case by case basis. I would just have a straight line of communication with the customer in writing.

What are the differences in soliciting for commissions of portraiture and pet portraiture and landscapes or architectural (EG homes) depictions?

I personally promote clusters of images together: home, pet, family, landscape. Let the client decide what they wish to invest in and make part of their legacy.

What is a turn off, and are there things you've been told that prospective customers might consider red flags?

Lack of communication is #1.

Customers: Are there red flags on who is going to be troublesome, and how do you deal with those? Do you ever turn down customers, and how do you do it so you don’t create hard feelings or bad reviews?

Referring clients to another artist is the absolute best wait to avoid issues. You’re still giving them what they want – a product. Just with someone more suitable than you. Being an artist is being part of a very unique community, and it’s important to work together. Getting fine art on the radar in general – will create more sales! There’s a great soda machine experiment to represent this marketing strategy.

What precautions do you need to take before entering an agreement, and do you have sample commission agreements, or pointers for agreements? Are special requests such as colors or pose or mood or "props" best included in a written agreement?

1. Request a 50% nonrefundable deposit and 50% when finished.

2. Have a written commission agreement you and the client sign.

3. My only issue comes up when a customer wants changes with the work as it’s already in progress. That happened maybe twice in the past 2 years. I tell clients in advance – if they want any changes to the photo, it’s an additional $55 fee per change. Sometimes, if it’s a very small change, I give them a discount and do it for free. It’s a win win, because they just saved $55.

Do you recommend accepting a "turn down" when a customer does not wish to accept a finished work and should there be a clause releasing the work for other sale even if it's a personal subject (even if this has never happened to you, interacting with customers has likely given you insights into how it would play out and what are good parameters)? A non-refundable down payment to cover materials and a minimum or time, or a full payment either way or a full refund?

1. 50% nonrefundable deposit is a must.

2. Maybe see what could be done to the painting more to their liking. Depends on what the issue is. If it’s funds, then I suggest a monthly payment option.

3. You created the commission; I see zero issues selling if customer doesn’t want to pay.

4. It does get a little legal-y. Having contact information for a good attorney is not a bad idea in general, so you could ask them these questions.

Scams as opposed to just difficult customers, and what do you watch out for?

If they don’t want to sign the commission agreement – then 99% chance, it’s a scam.

How often and at what point in the process of a work do you check in with the customer? Does it vary, and how much reworking are you willing to do, is there a cut off point at which you feel the relationship is not working or no longer going to be financially acceptable? Is there a way to figure this objectively by usual time on a commission and price, or is it entirely subjective as in some commissions are emotionally more rewarding (and possibly artistically challenging) for the artist?

1. I check in every time I make noticeable progress. Clients love to watch the process.

2. Zero reworking unless they pay me. That also varies on your style of work etc. I specialize in realistic watercolor portraiture. With nature scenes it might be different.

3. Just being up front with the client is important. If you let them know at the beginning that you will rework something, but for a fee. Then there should be no surprises. This type of transparency weeds out any unwanted customers from the beginning! Don’t be afraid to set your rules. This is YOUR business and your art!

Other: Framing? Delivery? Insurance? One avoids paying gallery commissions – how does that interact with direct commission prices? Pure profit or not?

1. Framing is always included with mine. Standard mat board and frame. If they want custom, I either will do it at cost – if more than $750, or send them to Hobby Lobby.

2. Delivery is an additional $60 flat fee for 11”x17”. That includes bubble wrap, protective plastic wrap, box etc.

3. Insurance, sometimes. If going overseas, I will add up to $1000.

4. Definitely not pure profit. I see it as excellent service. Not fun. But excellent. I go above and beyond for my clients.

Is there anything else most people don't realize about offering and providing commissioned work? This could be anything from a hard lesson to surprising emotional or challenge and skill rewards.

Commissions are different for everyone, everywhere. My art was very popular on Okinawa. Only to come to NOVA on my high horse with people not being able to afford anything. I only recently was able to book a small commission with someone in Virginia this month. There are very few and far in between. I still don’t fully understand why there’s such a huge difference. One thing I learned is that it will take time. Post every day, every week. Consistency is key. Maybe if people are seeing more input from other local artists on the pages I use, they will be more used to the idea of investing in fine art. Just think about how often you see photographers promoting their businesses. And even going back to the soda vending machine example. You place two soda vending machines next to each other, one Coke and one Pepsi. They’re direct competitors. But the consumer will be way more likely to buy a soda from one or the other, than not at all.

Elena also showed us her template for an Art Commission Agreement Form for others to create their own, so check that out at

https://www.elenajochum.com/commissionagreement

 

We certainly enjoyed Elena's program and thank her profusely for covering this topic!

More About Commissions

For more about commissions found on Artistry Spin, please see https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/p/commissions.html

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Author: Elena Jochum

 

Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Photography/Video Credits: Donna Liguria

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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

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!

Post 478: Elena Jochum is the Guest Speaker at the July PWAS Meeting

Elena Jochum is the Guest Speaker at the July PWAS Meeting

Prince William Art Society will meet at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA, 22192 at 7:30 pm on July 22nd 2024. We will open with a program by member Elena Jochum, a 3rd generation artist, on the topic of art commissions.

About Elena Jochum

Elena has been painting her entire life and went to Maryland Institute College of Art for a degree in Fine Art in addition to a BS in Psychology from Towson University. She has been working as a graphic designer for companies like National Geographic and Disney for over 16 years.

Elena Jochum recently showcased her watercolor “Subject or Matter” at a juried exhibition through Virginia Watercolor Society at the Academy Center of the Arts. She also showcased her work at Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts, Native Plants of Virginia Symposium at George Mason University, Winery at Sunshine Ridge Farm and a booth for her new business, Tidewater Trove, at the Manassas Bee Festival.

Elena Jochum prepared information on how to get started or improve your outcomes in booking an art commission with clients. We will go over promoting your work, bulletproofing your written agreements and payment methods. This will improve your outcome when being commissioned now and in the future.

PWAS Meets Once A Month

The Prince William Art Society meets on the 4th Monday of every month (except in December). Programs are free and open to the public, who are cordially invited to attend:  https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/

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Authors: Emily Hawes and Elena Jochum

 

Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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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

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!