Artists - How About Fine Art America?

"...then...It Rained Teapots!"

Looking for a nice online gallery that will sell prints of your work and leave you free to make any sales of the originals? I've just picked up a spot on http://www.fineartamerica.com Its only been a couple of weeks but people are looking at my work and they are leaving comments so I'm hopeful this will turn into a viable venue for me.

On this Fine Art America you must upload files of your paintings to them. I generally upload a file of about 3 to 4 megs at 300 resolution. That's easy to do in any paint program to set the resolution to 300 pixels per inch and make the image as large as possible. This allows Fine Art America to make fine prints of your work for any customers who wish to buy them. You set your own commission on purchases.

They have free spots and for a small fee (30.00 a year) you can get more perks. They also have community forums and groups so its a nice place to go and chat with other artists.

Just thought I'd pass this information along and hope you will comment and add places where you are doing well.

My painting for today is a silly piece I just simply enjoyed painting.

Ebay - Art is not an iPod

"Tranquility"

I really hesitate to even bother with this post but it seems to be necessary to bring up a big point. Ebay has probably the largest artist community in the world yet instead of helping artists they are busy pounding them into the same mold along with iPods and other items sold on the site! The same rules apply to artists as apply to iPod sellers....quantity will make you a Top Rated Seller and TRS sellers get top billing in the listings. Offering free shipping will also get you better placement in the listings. So, now, instead of a piece of art selling on its own merits buyers are instead seeing the art of those sellers Ebay gives the most exposure! Most art will not even be seen on the site. Top sellers will grind out the same art enmass to keep themselves at the top - good art will be missed or not seen at all! Ebay still uses its best match search in the arts category. That just has me scratching my head....best match to what? An artist can be brilliant but if he takes his time and lists just a piece or two a month then he will find himself buried in the listings and given little to no exposure. Soon....he is forced to walk away. I just have to ask you art buyers and collectors....are you aware of all this or are you content seeing the same artists over and over again - is this really how you want to buy your art? Comments please....

After my vent I think we need something calming. My watercolor for today is called "Tranquility"

Help the Economy.....Make & Buy Art!

In our present society, where people stand in line overnight for the latest electronic gadget, its pretty easy to ignore the artists and their work in this country. That's kind of sad. Art is a talent - it can be honed and perfected thru hard work but the spark has to be there...within the artist. It's what makes a true artist - not a scribbler or a paint dripper who are touted as genius in the artworld but the true artist who enjoys creating for the sheer joy of it. We have literally thousands upon thousands of them in the world and their talent is mostly ignored. A sad fact.

Artists can be so ignored in our society that a good one can be found most anywhere and most do not even know they have this talent. People always come up with the same stale old line "I can't even draw a straight line" - well...neither can I but I have the patience to pick up pencil, brush, chalk or whatever and to let my mind wander to what I want to put on paper.

After awhile, the hand learns to draw what the mind sees and creating art becomes a joy, and the soothing of the act of creating art becomes a calmness and a euphoria!

Some artists stick to a single theme or medium. I seem to enjoy all themes - all mediums. #1. The Lesson, pastel. #2. The Biker, watercolor. #3. A Walk in the Rain, Acrylic.

So, grab a pencil or brush and some paper and give it a try AND have a bit of encouragement for that artist in your neighborhood or your family or among your friends. Art needs to come into the sunshine once again and it needs to gain the respect and be recognized by our society once again.

Last but far from least....go out and BUY some REAL art. I don't mean prints from Walmart. I mean something an artist has taken his time to do and to put down for posterity. Places like Ebay, Overstock, Etsy, etc. are full to the rafters with original art - most selling below the price of prints you will find in stores AND you don't even have to move from your computer. SUPPORT artists by encouraging them and by buying real art.

Now, for listening to old granny's rant.....have a cupcake :-)

Create Some Art - It's Good for the Soul

Luminous Red Poppies

Yeah....I know, "I can't even draw a straight line"! Might interest you folks to know that I can't draw one either. Very few straight lines in paintings and even then, there are rulers...so no excuse! They say petting a dog or cat is very tranquilizing - well, so is creating some artwork...even if that artwork is in needlecrafts, such as crochet, knitting, tatting, macrame...whatever!....and you don't have to feed artwork or take it for a walk. What I'm trying to say is CREATE SOMETHING - it will do you good!

Art has always been a part of my life, I was born that way. That is still no excuse for you not to try some on your own. Pick up a cheap tin of watercolor paints, a brush and some paper and give it a try. Youtube.com has many demonstration videos in painting all mediums. A cheap set of acrylics and a couple cheap brushes will do miracles for you. You can while away hours and pleasantly too. Take a couple of nightschool lessons in painting - here, we have them at our community center. Inexpensive but could open up worlds for you to explore. Can't afford paint and paper....pick up some crayons or colored pencils and a pad of cheap drawing paper and have a go at it. If you can't afford that then go to http://www.ratemydrawings.com and paint digitally - its FREE! Give it a try...that's all I ask.

My painting for today is "Luminous Red Poppies" recently sold on Overstock.com

Goodbye Summer...Hello Autumn

Halloween Cupcakes
Watercolor

Living here, in Southern California, its difficult now for me to remember the four seasons and just how wonderful this time of year really is. On the east coast where I grew up right about now there would be a slight crispness to the air and an indication that the trees would soon put on a spectacular display. Here, we are still in a hot, dry spell. Our summer weather will last this month and next before we finally begin to feel Autumn air. In this spirit of change I've already shifted my paintings to Autumn colors and the upcoming Halloween.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Autumn Tree
6 X 4" Acrylic

A Holiday Weekend Full of Art

Its been far too hot here to do much of anything outside. Southern California has been in the grips of a heatwave for over a week now. It sure isn't helping the firefighters north of me fight the biggest fire in the history of Los Angeles county. Now they have announced its arson. Many of the fires in this state are arson. Last year, my city here faced a ferocious fire. Many large beautiful homes were lost forever simply because there was "too much fire and not enough water". It was heartbreaking and...for the first time in the 31 years I've lived here...I had my things packed and sitting by the door.

So, what does one do on a super hot holiday weekend here? I don't know about the others, but granny here, is home with her watercolors and some good movies and the a/c running.

Some finished work:







with more in the works.

I so enjoy watercolors and I'm thankful to be able to do this work. I read somewhere that the great Norman Rockwell used to say: "being able to draw and paint is like always having a bag of lemon drops in your pocket." He was right...

Happy Holiday Weekend from

Grannygoodpaint

Support American Artists!

"Sunburst Daisies"
5 X 11" Watercolor

I know the economy is bad but yesterday I was shopping in Walmart and saw a bin of large prints with several people picking thru them. One fellow pulled one out and smiled at it...as though he found the prize in a box of Cracker Jack! I looked over and noted the price....not much less than some small original works one can find on artists' internet websites or on sites such as Ebay, Bonanzle and Etsy. I wonder what makes a person bypass real art in favor of a sheet of paper some machine stamped out? I look at original paintings and am sometimes in awe at the skill and imagination of the artist. I respect the person behind an original piece of art and the work he/she put into it. There is NOTHING like original art. No mass produced print - no matter the name compares to a piece of art where you can look deeply and see the brush strokes that artist placed on the canvas.

So, I'm asking any who might stop by to read this to check out the sites I've mentioned here and look at some original art. If you buy a piece I'm pretty sure you won't be sorry. Look beyond just the topic or color of the piece - look deeply to see the part of the artist's life and heart that he or she put into it.....just for you!

My painting today is a sunny watercolor.

Grannygoodpaint Changes Her Palette

The author of this blog is an artist and has been one all her life. Let's talk art today and some of what it takes to sell your work. I used to make a darned good business simply putting my artwork up on Ebay but those days seem to have passed. Now I'm spread out all over the place and learning to market my work wherever and whenever I can. Younger artists will want to do art shows and hang their work in coffee shops and restaurants, etc. That's great! Some will open websites - even better! BUT be prepared for the work involved in getting traffic to your site. You don't just build a website and sit and wait for the crowds to come. It just doesn't happen that way.

Also, there are sites where you can get exposure and some are free. Bonanzle is one that will give you a free shop and free listing fees and you only pay when you sell. Etsy is another popular site...charging only 20 cents to expose your work for 4 months! Then there are others you probably never considered....Artist Rising where you can place your work and if a customer wishes a print you will be given a small percentage of the sale. I recently sold a large painting off Artist Rising because it caught a customer's eye and she wanted the original. Made the sale, with NO fees involved, directly to the buyer. Imagekind is much the same as Artist Rising. Don't forget your own neighborhood - everyone here knows I paint and many come around for that special gift they can't find in stores. There are a number of these sites where you can place your work for possible sale of prints. Its something to consider.

If you have a tip or a site or an outlet where you are making some sales...by all means please share it with us.

Some work that is up on Ebay right now:

I can also be found on Bonanzle, Etsy, Overstock and my own website

Buying Art on Ebay

I'm posting a very informative article from a fellow Ebay artist. Ebay has one of the largest art communities in the world...if not, THE largest. People need to take advantage of it. There is no need to have cheap dime store prints on your walls - art on Ebay ranges from $1.00 on up into the thousands of dollars. There is definitely something for everyone AND at reasonable prices.




A piece of Marie's artwork presently on auction on Ebay


Friday, February 27, 2009
Buying Art on Ebay

I may have jumped the gun here...with today's economy many people are probably wondering if they should even be buying art in the first place!

Is art a luxury or a necessity? Lets' talk about that briefly and then I'll follow up with some good advice about buying art on Ebay....or you can just skip to that advice by scrolling down.

Naturally, as an artist and as someone who majored in the Social Sciences, I feel that art is a necessity. Art is so much more than something to hang over the sofa. Art is the mirror of the society in which it was created...a true reflection of the concerns, joys, struggles, accomplishments, and priorities of the time.
Art is history.

Psychologically speaking, art holds it's ground here too! Our environment has a direct impact on the way we feel. Each color even has influence over our moods and the ability to concentrate or relax. If we find ourselves in a space that we perceive as open, warm and inviting we are serene, calm, and comfortable. If we find ourselves in a space that we perceive as cold, too cluttered, to stark, or sterile we can feel uneasy, agitated, or even depressed! Comfortable surroundings filled with objects that we find attractive & meaningful simply makes us feel at home and lifts our mood.
Art makes us happy!

So the next time you see a painting or a sculpture or any piece of art and that art speaks to you....GRAB IT! And do so, guilt free..."nesting" is healthy!

BUYING ART ON EBAY

In my opinion, Ebay is a GREAT place to buy original art! From traditional landscapes to modern abstract paintings...Ebay has some of the most talented artists available! Not only that...you can get some really good deals on original art. You no longer have to settle for prints and posters if you prefer original art, but are on a budget. Paintings sell on Ebay from $1 to $1000 depending on auction style, painting size, and artist recognition.

Now granted, Ebay isn't as easy to browse for unique items items as it used to be, but it's still pretty darned easy. Here are some tips for a good experience:

Pay attention to the selections!

From the home page, select: ART: from within the DIRECT FROM ARTIST menu select PAINTINGS.

This area will get you the better deals versus buying from a reseller or gallery...unless you're looking for something "vintage." If that's the case you may prefer the DEALER - RESELLER area.

Once you're in the DIRECT FROM ARTIST:PAINTINGS area you'll want to perform a strategic search. Ebay's "Best Match" search is not all that it's cracked up to be, often leaving out fabulous paintings from artists who are considered "small vendors" because they do not list 2-3 paintings everyday! Best Match might be great if you're shopping for gadgets, but it's the worst way to shop for unique, hand made items.

Having said that, Ebay also has a new tendency to force their ideas upon shoppers...be sure to look to the left of the screen...you may actually have to select DIRECT FROM ARTIST again to refine your search!

Still looking on the left side, scroll down and make any other selections you like in order to refine your search.

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST.....look for the drop down menu near the top right of the screen, directly over where the listings begin...you can find it...really you can! It is there, but by design it's less than obvious. Once you locate it, click to see all the selections and choose either ENDING SOONEST or NEWLY LISTED depending on your preference. NOW, you can really browse through all that is available. Here is where you'll find those wonderful pieces of original art: Landscapes, Original Abstract Paintings, Original Modern Abstracts, Urban Paintings and so much more...all original handmade art. Not some watered down search that features mass produced schlock preferred by Best Match.

Keep an eye on all of your selections, they do tend to revert to Ebay's defaults in between visits...or even if you jump out of a category and then come back.

If it sounds like a hassle, it can be at first, but after a couple of times it really is very easy.

Support the arts..... DON'T USE BEST MATCH!

Warmest Regards,
Marie Bretz
(formerly Marie Bahr)
Paint All Night Studios

My Own Personal Alternative to Ebay for Holiday Shopping

LuLu & LiLy "Showtime"

Yes....this is a blatant ad for my own website...please don't stop reading! I long ago joined the ranks of sellers who started their own website. In fact, I started mine in 1996 and its been running continuously ever since. Now that Ebay has made it so very difficult for small sellers to sell on their site, I've taken my Ebay fee money and put it into my own website. It has a Paypal shopping cart system for convenience. It has a large ACEO section for people who collect hot little artwork gems. LuLu has her own page there for all the fans who collected her chubby little uninhibited self on Ebay. There's a Christmas ACEO page, Miniature Art pages, Large Art pages, Handmade Pendants pages, Magnets, Tatted Lace, instructions, free patterns and supplies! Right now I'm running specials on shipping. Shipping on ACEO's is only 50 cents. I keep my shipping extremely low, I combine shipping and just about everything on the site is negotiable. Free little stocking stuffer gifts go out with each order. Please come and take a peek and refer it to your friends. Help one small seller survive without big brother Ebay ;-)

The sites that make up what I call www.angelbabies.net - a domain name I've had since 1995:

http://www.watercolorsbypatricia.com
http://www.ACEOart.net
http://www.tattingjustforyou.com

My painting for today is a LuLu ACEO. No...she's not for everyone, but she does have a following of people who love her.

Not About Ebay This Time.....I Promise!

"The Whatchamacallit"

This fellow lived in my bedroom closet for a long time. He only came out at night to play with my cat and he eats only green grapes.

Nope this is about my website. Tomorrow I will start a contest - actually a drawing for either the pictured "Whatchamacallit" painting or another painting of my chosing - probably a small landscape with birch trees. I want everyone who reads this to drop by:

http://www.watercolorsbypatricia.com

and click on the flashing "Contest" sign. All you have to do then is click on email me and tell me which of the paintings you would like to win. If I draw your email address I will contact you for your address. Contest will run from tomorrow to December 1. Either painting would make a lovely holiday gift so that would be one less gift you'd have to buy.

While you're there, look around. I have ACEO's and some frames that would make excellent gifts and there is a sale price page of paintings, a unicorn page and even LuLu has her own page. In addtion to the artwork there is a selection of handmade bamboo tile pendants that would also make great holiday gifts. What I'm asking is that you shop with me. There's a Paypal shopping cart - or I take checks or moneyorders....I'm easy :-) Every page has an email me link so you can rush off an email to me and I can combine shipping on whatever you like and arrange payment.

So...yes, I know this is an advertisement but I've been good all year. I've been preparing my website full of artwork, pendants and even tatting pattern books and supplies - the least you can do is come and look ;-)

Thanks for putting up with me.

My artwork - which will be a contest piece is called "The Whatchamacallit" Its a 5 X 7" acrylic original painting.

I Remember the Ebay Community...

"The Firedragon Nebula"

It was about 10 years ago or so. I'd sit in the Ebay Cafe handing out advice to newbies who would rush in all excited that they made a sale and "what do I do now?"....or they didn't now how to fill in the listing form...or countless other little problems. We would fuss and fume but help out anyway. There was an almost endless barrage of questions that never seemed to end. Ebay was hot...hotter than any business on the internet. Commercials played all thru the day on radio. They had a pleasant jingle that eludes me now. People were all excited about winning an auction on Ebay or selling something that had been sitting in the closet or attic for years and getting good money for it.

I remember the first item I actually sold on Ebay myself. It was a large decorative wooden spoon and fork - the kind you hang on a wall. I found it in the laundryroom of my apartment house. People left items they didn't want on a table there and if you wanted it you simply took it. I came across this spoon and fork and decided I'd try my hand at selling. Took a picture of it - bungled my way thru the listing form and put it up for auction. The spoon and fork sold for $12.00 and that started my 10year selling career.

Ebay 10+ years ago was a different animal than what we see today. There were outages every other week or so, but we didn't much mind. There was feedback, but you could give feedback to anybody for any reason. Tying feedback to a transaction came about later. Listing pages were plain, with no thumbnail pictures - just lines of what each item was. That was fine too. It was a fun place and an exciting place and highly addictive! Best of all, people who ordinarily didn't have or earn enough money to see them thru now had a way to supplement their income. Ebay became a haven for stay at home moms, out of work people, disabled, retired, even college kids - everyone had a "level playing field" (hear that Mr. Donahoe?). It was a wonderful invention and it was wildly successful.

Long about the same time I started selling on Ebay I was also taking a class in watercolor painting at a local night school. Well, my practice pieces started accumulating and after awhile I decided to see if I could sell them for a few bucks each on Ebay. I was not prepared....by the end of the watercolor course my teacher said "your paintings are good enough to sell - have you considered selling them?" I told him yes, I have been selling them on Ebay. He looked surprised and asked how many I had sold. I told him honestly...oh...about 40 paintings to date! I thought he was going to pass out! Since that day I believe I have sold well over 2,000 paintings - mostly small but some large ones too right on Ebay! Nowhere else in the world could I have gotten that kind of coverage for my artwork. It was heaven for me. Today, Ebay is home to probably the largest artist community in the world and they are completely ignorant and oblivious to that fact. Like everything else, we are just numbers to them.

When I look at ebay today, it breaks my heart. Most sellers are failing and moving on or quitting the business. Donahoe is intent on destroying Ebay as we know it and just as intent on molding it into something much like Amazon. Ebay management doesn't realize people look at copycats with contempt. The uniqueness, the rareness that was Ebay will soon be gone. Most sellers are hoping that when the present management is finally swept out and a new team takes over that there will at least be enough of ebay left for us to come back and pick up the pieces.

Sorry for rambling...I was just in a nostalgic mood tonight.

Something to shake things up here. Its my space nebula painting (original sold)
called The Firedragon.

Art in America

Hello again everyone. At this point, I don't know who reads my posts or whether I'm just spitting into the wind. It would be nice to get a comment...like "hey, I'm here and reading." Doesn't have to be anything more than that.


I want to speak today about Art in America and mainly about Art on the internet. In the past, THE place for art on the internet was Ebay but with its new wacky policies it has caused many artists (myself included) to lose pretty lucrative sales on that site. Going to Etsy and Art by Us is great - they're both wonderful websites...BUT...its awfully difficult to get buyers to follow. Like rats on a treadmill they go back to Ebay and fail to realize less and less good artwork is there. This is a post beggin people to stop in to Etsy.com - where all items are handmade in art, sewing, soapmaking, you name it....and Artbyus.com the dedicated art place that has been around for so many years. Its run by two fellow artists who keep the site going to keep art alive on the internet. So, if you haven't yet, please visit:

www.Etsy.com

My two shops there are:
www.misspat.etsy.com
www.tinypainter.etsy.com

www.artbyus.com

My ID there is misspatricia



If you're looking to buy any art at all...or if you just feel you'll go to Walmart and pick up a print or two PLEASE look in on these sites. Its very important to keep art going on the internet. Without buyers, it will die.



I hope you enjoy my pastel above. "The Pastel Unicorn"

Rate My Drawings....Please

A little diversion from online selling. Rate My Drawings is a site that is truly addictive for most artists. If you have ever thought of dabbling in digital painting this is a good place to try your hand. You can use your mouse to paint with but the ultimate way is with a Wacom tablet and pen. I assure you it gets easier with each and every drawing....its only tough when your fellow artists come in and rate what you've done (just kidding).

The site is

http://www.ratemydrawings.com

and if you go there and look up Patty013 you will see over 65 drawings by yours truly :-) You also get to see just how I did each one. Go...try something new and most of all...ENJOY!

Happy Independence Day - Life After Ebay!

What a wonderful day! Our country is 232 years old - we're in the midst of a presidential election year - the promise of new change for the better. Except for gas and food prices, the war and healthcare... things could be much worse.

I guess this is a year of change in most of our lives. Many of us are feeling the loss of Ebay. I know I am and several of my fellow artists are in that same boat. I am putting more and more effort into sites like my own website and Etsy. I think for an artist, Etsy seems to hold more promise than the other sites. In the past, I'd put a few things up, hope for the best and not visit Etsy again until the listings ended. Lately, I've been really checking out the site and found the chatrooms and they are WONDERFUL! You can chat with other "Etsians" and see their work pop up on the side of the screen and you can even flood the room with chocolate chip cookies (I don't know why but its fun). Its such a lighthearted site after the heavily restricting Ebay that I expect Etsy to be THE site for art and handmade items. For those who haven't scooped it out, please go and have a look - there IS life after Ebay and its looking pretty good!

Above - The Iris Bed - at a special price on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/tinypainter
http://www.watercolorsbypatricia.com
http://www.ACEOart.net
http://www.tattingjustforyou.com