Nan in Mass Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 I love your pictures !  Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 I will try to do this next week. :D   Good idea! I have a thousand things I am supposed to be doing, too. : )  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I'm hoping I'm reading you correctly, Nan, when you said adventures - I assume you mean crafting pursuits? Here goes!  In 2010 a friend pushed me to sell some of my creations in a fall craft fair. I was terrified!! Yet I had been making all these hats just as a way of keeping my hands busy during some stressful times. I couldn't imagine anyone actually BUYING something I made, lol. But buy they did that day. I couldn't believe it. Best of all, I recovered the cost of the yarn I had bought, plus some. It was a great feeling. So I signed up for two craft fairs in 2011, and then three in fall of 2012. During the fall of 2012, I started learning about other local craft fairs that weren't just about selling pairs of mittens for $5, so I started networking with some participants in these, via Facebook. Through that I signed up for two fairs this past spring. And because I kept getting encouragement about things I was making, I signed up for six shows this fall 2013. Oh, and I branched out from hats. I designed a cross-body bag after I lucked into a really inexpensive source of beautiful cotton batik fabric and polyester batting. I made a bunch of those for last fall and spring, and sold far more than I ever thought I would. Ended up paying back again for all the materials I bought. I also made flower brooches out of various thrifted-but-luxurious fabrics (silk, linen, cotton - will do wool sometime, too). For this past fall I designed another bag pattern (a zipped pouch, because I also lucked into a cheap stash of zippers), and made a few one-of-a-kind zipped bags from linen, wool, and silk (I added decorations to each, too). I've also dabbled in card-making, but not the kind where you glue pre-made things to cardstock - I came up with my own artwork, so each one was a unique piece of art as well as a card.  Looking back on this year, I consider it to be a year of branching out into trying different things in crafting and art, and I haven't really zeroed in on any one or two areas I want to do more in. But I did narrow myself down to bags, brooches, and cards and maybe hats still (I only sold two this fall!! Lots of crochet hatmakers around here now - and kids' hats are hugely popular but not what I want to do). And making each one more unique and artistic instead of mass-produced. And I learned a lot about craft fairs, making better product displays, and a bit more about what's on the market around here. And where to find the people who will pay for quality goods, lol! And I learned about pricing. And I learned how to make a Facebook Page, a website, and a Pinterest page that would ideally attract people's attention. I learned that social media marketing is very complicated and ever-changing, but I put a few basic methods in place for myself.  What else....no, I haven't made a ton of money from this, but I have made some (that I am saving in hopes of getting into a big juried show next fall), and I have enjoyed it all. I also had opportunities to do product/service trades with other artisans - collecting some beautiful jewelry for myself!! For this woman who has lived frugally for years, this is a fun perk for me. For now, it's a creative diversion for me. A chance to try out my imaginative ideas on practical items and see how people react. :D I'm not really developing any one skill area right now...but at least I am getting more chances now to do hands-on crafting. I can see myself doing this for at least another year, to give myself a chance to try out many more ideas I have. It fits in well around homeschooling, limping through my continued academic (re)education, and home duties.  That's the short version. And now I am distracted by family activities going on, so I will sign off here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 I'm hoping I'm reading you correctly, Nan, when you said adventures - I assume you mean crafting pursuits? Here goes!  In 2010 a friend pushed me to sell some of my creations in a fall craft fair. I was terrified!! Yet I had been making all these hats just as a way of keeping my hands busy during some stressful times. I couldn't imagine anyone actually BUYING something I made, lol. But buy they did that day. I couldn't believe it. Best of all, I recovered the cost of the yarn I had bought, plus some. It was a great feeling. So I signed up for two craft fairs in 2011, and then three in fall of 2012. During the fall of 2012, I started learning about other local craft fairs that weren't just about selling pairs of mittens for $5, so I started networking with some participants in these, via Facebook. Through that I signed up for two fairs this past spring. And because I kept getting encouragement about things I was making, I signed up for six shows this fall 2013. Oh, and I branched out from hats. I designed a cross-body bag after I lucked into a really inexpensive source of beautiful cotton batik fabric and polyester batting. I made a bunch of those for last fall and spring, and sold far more than I ever thought I would. Ended up paying back again for all the materials I bought. I also made flower brooches out of various thrifted-but-luxurious fabrics (silk, linen, cotton - will do wool sometime, too). For this past fall I designed another bag pattern (a zipped pouch, because I also lucked into a cheap stash of zippers), and made a few one-of-a-kind zipped bags from linen, wool, and silk (I added decorations to each, too). I've also dabbled in card-making, but not the kind where you glue pre-made things to cardstock - I came up with my own artwork, so each one was a unique piece of art as well as a card.  Looking back on this year, I consider it to be a year of branching out into trying different things in crafting and art, and I haven't really zeroed in on any one or two areas I want to do more in. But I did narrow myself down to bags, brooches, and cards and maybe hats still (I only sold two this fall!! Lots of crochet hatmakers around here now - and kids' hats are hugely popular but not what I want to do). And making each one more unique and artistic instead of mass-produced. And I learned a lot about craft fairs, making better product displays, and a bit more about what's on the market around here. And where to find the people who will pay for quality goods, lol! And I learned about pricing. And I learned how to make a Facebook Page, a website, and a Pinterest page that would ideally attract people's attention. I learned that social media marketing is very complicated and ever-changing, but I put a few basic methods in place for myself.  What else....no, I haven't made a ton of money from this, but I have made some (that I am saving in hopes of getting into a big juried show next fall), and I have enjoyed it all. I also had opportunities to do product/service trades with other artisans - collecting some beautiful jewelry for myself!! For this woman who has lived frugally for years, this is a fun perk for me. For now, it's a creative diversion for me. A chance to try out my imaginative ideas on practical items and see how people react. :D I'm not really developing any one skill area right now...but at least I am getting more chances now to do hands-on crafting. I can see myself doing this for at least another year, to give myself a chance to try out many more ideas I have. It fits in well around homeschooling, limping through my continued academic (re)education, and home duties.  That's the short version. And now I am distracted by family activities going on, so I will sign off here.  Well, I got quote to work but I'm not going to be able to answer mid-post easily. My older browser is not playing nicely with the new WTM board. Oh well...  Yes! That is what I meant! I remembered you saying that you were making things more and more. How awsome that you are selling what you make! And making at least enough to support your hobby! Go Colleen!  I'm going to quote the old fashioned way, since I can't do it the easy way. I wanted to do the official quote part so that all the notifications and links worked.  "I was terrified!!" - I can certainly identify with that! This is so scary. I approached a few consignment stores and every time I did it, I got back into the car and shook for awhile before I could start driving. Ug.  So much of what you said I can identify with... finding places that aren't "just about selling a pair of mittens for $5"..." - that's our church fair. And probably everyone else's, too lol. We have arts and crafts upstairs and baked goods/white elephant down stairs and the crafts really don't sell unless they are down in the $5 range. We had some lovely stuff this year and very few things over $10 sold. Having worked at church fairs since I was small, I was pretty sure it was not the place to try to sell paintings, despite the "art" part of "arts and crafts", but it was an easy place to begin. I took my courage in both hands and started asking other artists questions, and did manage to come up with a few leads on other places I might try, but every time I asked about pricing people just said, "Ah, that's tricky." How did you figure out how to price things? I am finding this especially hard to do because it feels so rude to say, "What do you think my paintings are worth?" I would hate to be put on the spot that way. To say nothing about generally being taught that it is impolite to talk about money. When I asked my family about pricing, they talked about adding up my time and materials. This approach is totally impractical. Everybody dabbles in watercolors and until (which is really an if and a HUGE if) I have some sort of name, nobody is going to pay me anything "reasonable" for my time. Some people asked what sort of prices I've seen when I've been out and about. That is especially unhelpful. "Out and about" are galleries selling paintings for anything ranging from 500-10,000 and amateur galleries selling prints of paintings for $80 a piece and cards for $5. I tried searching online for pricing ideas, but I am having trouble finding something other than very high end paintings or people living in far away places where US dollars are worth a lot more. I'm still investigating the places people suggested I look at selling things but so far the coops have been expensive, both of time and money. The participants split the rent and each take their turn weekly minding the shop. LOL I am already taking my turn weekly minding my 3yo nephew while my sister works so that won't work. And I can't imagine selling enough paintings to be able to pay my part of that rent. Our local consignment shop was very discouraging.  I am continuing to investigate, though. I have a few other ideas and there are other consignment shops. I just need to build up some more courage before approaching more places.  "And making each one more unique and artistic instead of mass-produced. And I learned a lot about craft fairs, making better product displays, and a bit more about what's on the market around here. And where to find the people who will pay for quality goods, lol! And I learned about pricing. And I learned how to make a Facebook Page, a website, and a Pinterest page that would ideally attract people's attention. I learned that social media marketing is very complicated and ever-changing, but I put a few basic methods in place for myself." You are far ahead of me! I don't have to worry about the mass-produced part and I refuse to worry about the unique part yet (later I'm sure that will be an issue), but the artistic piece certainly applies lol. And the rest is a good description of what I am trying to do. How does Facebook and Pinterest work? How do craft fairs work? I assume that unlike our church fair, you pay for a table? Do you also pay a percentage of what you sell? Have you thought about Etsy? Several people have mentioned that, but I am having trouble imagining how putting my paintings together with the paintings of everyone else in the world who paints and trying to sell them all in one store is going to be advantageous to any of us. But perhaps I am not thinking about this correctly? It is a good thing I am more interested in painting than in selling lol. It seems to me that the selling part could easily be a full-time job, all by itself. I keep hearing echos of age-old arguments about painting to sell versus "true art". I put the last in quotes because I think the issue is much murkier than it seems like it is. Are you surprised that some of those philosophical arguments are starting to apply to us lol? I am flabbergasted that I am in a position where I even have to think about such issues. My husband just talked to somebody who sells things online. He says that he spends FIVE HOURS A DAY on his internet presence - making sure that he shows up in searches, updating, etc. Yikes! And yet, I can totally see how that could happen. Have you sold anything over the internet? I am having trouble imagining people buying paintings without actually seeing them in person. I was thinking the website would mostly be a blog and perhaps a place people could go to look at other things I've done if they see something of mine locally that they like. It isn't as though it is going to show up if you do a search for "watercolor painting" lol. But anyway...  Where can I go to see what you are doing? I am so excited for you Colleen! I was worried about you. I'm glad you have something now you are doing for yourself. Making things is so satisfactory, isn't it?  I hope you had a lovely Christmas!  Hugs, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Oh boy, this is going to be REALLY fun to converse with you about!! Hope to get to it this weekend!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Well, I have really no clue what I'm talking about, but I have seen paintings being put up in small restaurants with a price tag on them. Especially if they relate to the place in question. That way, the paintings get seen quite a bit, and eventually sell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Well, I got quote to work but I'm not going to be able to answer mid-post easily. My older browser is not playing nicely with the new WTM board. Oh well...  Yes! That is what I meant! I remembered you saying that you were making things more and more. How awsome that you are selling what you make! And making at least enough to support your hobby! Go Colleen!  I'm going to quote the old fashioned way, since I can't do it the easy way. I wanted to do the official quote part so that all the notifications and links worked.  "I was terrified!!" - I can certainly identify with that! This is so scary. I approached a few consignment stores and every time I did it, I got back into the car and shook for awhile before I could start driving. Ug.  So much of what you said I can identify with... finding places that aren't "just about selling a pair of mittens for $5"..." - that's our church fair. And probably everyone else's, too lol. We have arts and crafts upstairs and baked goods/white elephant down stairs and the crafts really don't sell unless they are down in the $5 range. We had some lovely stuff this year and very few things over $10 sold. Having worked at church fairs since I was small, I was pretty sure it was not the place to try to sell paintings, despite the "art" part of "arts and crafts", but it was an easy place to begin. I took my courage in both hands and started asking other artists questions, and did manage to come up with a few leads on other places I might try, but every time I asked about pricing people just said, "Ah, that's tricky." How did you figure out how to price things? I am finding this especially hard to do because it feels so rude to say, "What do you think my paintings are worth?" I would hate to be put on the spot that way. To say nothing about generally being taught that it is impolite to talk about money. When I asked my family about pricing, they talked about adding up my time and materials. This approach is totally impractical. Everybody dabbles in watercolors and until (which is really an if and a HUGE if) I have some sort of name, nobody is going to pay me anything "reasonable" for my time. Some people asked what sort of prices I've seen when I've been out and about. That is especially unhelpful. "Out and about" are galleries selling paintings for anything ranging from 500-10,000 and amateur galleries selling prints of paintings for $80 a piece and cards for $5. I tried searching online for pricing ideas, but I am having trouble finding something other than very high end paintings or people living in far away places where US dollars are worth a lot more. I'm still investigating the places people suggested I look at selling things but so far the coops have been expensive, both of time and money. The participants split the rent and each take their turn weekly minding the shop. LOL I am already taking my turn weekly minding my 3yo nephew while my sister works so that won't work. And I can't imagine selling enough paintings to be able to pay my part of that rent. Our local consignment shop was very discouraging.  I am continuing to investigate, though. I have a few other ideas and there are other consignment shops. I just need to build up some more courage before approaching more places.  "And making each one more unique and artistic instead of mass-produced. And I learned a lot about craft fairs, making better product displays, and a bit more about what's on the market around here. And where to find the people who will pay for quality goods, lol! And I learned about pricing. And I learned how to make a Facebook Page, a website, and a Pinterest page that would ideally attract people's attention. I learned that social media marketing is very complicated and ever-changing, but I put a few basic methods in place for myself." You are far ahead of me! I don't have to worry about the mass-produced part and I refuse to worry about the unique part yet (later I'm sure that will be an issue), but the artistic piece certainly applies lol. And the rest is a good description of what I am trying to do. How does Facebook and Pinterest work? How do craft fairs work? I assume that unlike our church fair, you pay for a table? Do you also pay a percentage of what you sell? Have you thought about Etsy? Several people have mentioned that, but I am having trouble imagining how putting my paintings together with the paintings of everyone else in the world who paints and trying to sell them all in one store is going to be advantageous to any of us. But perhaps I am not thinking about this correctly? It is a good thing I am more interested in painting than in selling lol. It seems to me that the selling part could easily be a full-time job, all by itself. I keep hearing echos of age-old arguments about painting to sell versus "true art". I put the last in quotes because I think the issue is much murkier than it seems like it is. Are you surprised that some of those philosophical arguments are starting to apply to us lol? I am flabbergasted that I am in a position where I even have to think about such issues. My husband just talked to somebody who sells things online. He says that he spends FIVE HOURS A DAY on his internet presence - making sure that he shows up in searches, updating, etc. Yikes! And yet, I can totally see how that could happen. Have you sold anything over the internet? I am having trouble imagining people buying paintings without actually seeing them in person. I was thinking the website would mostly be a blog and perhaps a place people could go to look at other things I've done if they see something of mine locally that they like. It isn't as though it is going to show up if you do a search for "watercolor painting" lol. But anyway...  Where can I go to see what you are doing? I am so excited for you Colleen! I was worried about you. I'm glad you have something now you are doing for yourself. Making things is so satisfactory, isn't it?  I hope you had a lovely Christmas!  Hugs, Nan  I can't figure out how to break up your quote to reply to sections, either. I'll just scroll up and down til I'm done typing, lol.  Yes, the church fairs are not the places to sell your paintings to at least get your time's worth or cost of materials back. Do you have any bigger art shows or craft fairs around, where people sell well-made things for higher prices? I thought about consigning some of my things to some local shops (NS has MANY local craft shops, esp. ones that cater to tourists), and I was even approached by a couple of shop owners to do so. But after researching consignment, I decided not to. Too much risk for my comfort. And yes, I opened an Etsy shop, listed two items, and gave up, lol. WAY too much competition there now, and I didn't have the patience to figure out all the ins and outs of listing each item and then figuring out how to promote them just within the Etsy community, nevermind the wider world. And Etsy recently changed policies - they allow crafters to outsource parts of their manufacturing processes now. Which kinda takes away the original spirit of Etsy. For now, I decided to focus on bettering my website/blog and keep promoting my items there and via Facebook and occasionally Pinterest. And through local friends and craft shows. I've made most of my sales through local connections so far. And yes, marketing does take a lot of time. Or at least the setting up of marketing strategies online. But to me the hardest part was setting up FB/website/Pinterest. Now I can move forward with them when I'm ready. Yes, your friend who spends five hours a day is doing what is called SEO - search engine optimizing. It is a skill that I've been told I should learn, and I am just not going there right now, lol!!!! I'm content with a few craft shows and maintaining my current online presence. Because like you, I want to concentrate on my crafting for the time being, not make a major business for myself. No, I have not sold anything through my website. I don't have it set up with "buy" buttons and payment buttons and all that. I might try to learn that in the future, but not anytime soon. I do have all my stuff listed there, though, with prices, descriptions, contact info., and payment options. Probably people would have to want something pretty badly in order to go through this, heavens, difficult process, lol!!  Pricing - you know what, just keep asking artists you meet along the way. Esp. artists you admire for whatever reason. Sooner or later someone will give you the nitty gritty. If you have a personal Facebook account, you might try finding a local artists' support group where you can ask questions, too. For crafts, people come up with different pricing formulas. There are some general ones out there. Some of the most common ones I've seen are the following:  2(materials + hourly wage) = wholesale price. Wholesale price x 1.5 or 2 = retail price.  2(overhead costs + materials + hourly wage) = wholesale. And then the above retail formula. Overhead being electricity, business cards, website cost, etc.  I've played around with different formulas this past year. At first I was including my materials costs, but after I paid back all my materials costs and sold off some of my materials, I stopped. I have lots of materials to create with now, and I accumulate them via thrift stores. So it was a pain to have to keep calculating tiny amounts - just seemed unnecessary (which business gurus would probably chastise me for, lol). I just calculate my time (I'm sticking with just above min. wage in our area for now), and multiply it by an amount. Oh, and I did figure a wholesale price then retail, but then I decided I was never going to wholesale anything cuz I will never have time, so I just do a retail price. For this past fall I experimented with wage times three for retail price. And people did buy at that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which shocked me. But not many. Some of that had to do with the types of fairs I was at. So, for spring I may calculate wage times somewhere between two and three for retail, and experiment some more. I would like to get more established in my region for what I make, and aim for a juried show next fall. Where I might be able to calc. wages times three for retail. It's all one big huge experiment, this pricing thing!! And other crafters I've met through Facebook and fairs have said the same thing. You can also do a google search for art pricing formulas.  And on that note, I will tell you this. I got to do a fair right down the road from me, which was great because I also want to get known in my immediate area (though we live in a smaller and older house, this area is growing with many two-income families and professionals). Anyway, this was their second annual fair, and it was put on by artists!! Just this group of artists in this area who have been painting together for years - they decided to start selling together, and this year they invited other crafters from the area to join them. It was so fun, and I made the most money ever at this one! Anyway, the paintings that various ones displayed for sale were in the hundreds of dollars. That is what they are WORTH for the time the artists put in. And I believe some paintings were sold.  Oh, and don't ask people what they think your paintings are worth - not that I think it's impolite (I don't) - but because you will get a huge range of answers, and you will be too vulnerable to criticism. For me, it has been a mental journey. I had to try increasing my prices and see people still buying in order to believe that people will pay for my time and skill. So, my advice would be to just try out some pricing strategies and keep researching the best places to find YOUR customers. The people who will want YOUR paintings. They are out there, you just have to find them. And you will - your paintings are beautiful. OK, I lost my point, lol.....um, so yeah, don't ask others what your paintings are worth, because you will only confuse and doubt yourself and get too many answers. You have to come up with an initial pricing strategy that you can live with. You can always tweak it as you go along. And because you go through this thought process, you also become more confident for when someone says, "I love it! How much?"  The other thing is that people love to get to know the artist/crafter whose product/painting they are admiring. So you having that pricing process in the back of your mind can be handy, too, because if need be you can talk about the work that went into your painting. Which can serve to make the painting worth the price in their mind. They come to understand the work involved, and they get to know the artist. So whenever they look at the painting on the wall of their living room, they think of Nan the artist and her story behind the painting.  Let's see...I was also asked a couple of times to participate in one of those co-ops you mentioned. As for you, it was going to be too much responsibility and commitment for me. Sounded fun, but in reality, too much for me.  Unique - when I said unique, I just mean making my own signature style. Around here, people (mostly fellow crafters right now) have started telling me that they recognize something of mine because of certain characteristics (which was fun to hear!!). With your art, I am certain that your own style will become obvious, simply because each person is unique. You might be painting trees along with a thousand other painters, but did they paint the exact tree you did? Do they have the same reason for painting that tree? Probably not. While you are painting, your unique story is going into the painting. Tell people that story when they are admiring your painting.  Facebook - if you have a personal account, you can create a "fan page" for promoting your artwork. Once you do this, you can get people to "like" your fan page. Then you can post status updates and photos periodically, to let people know what you are up to or show them your latest painting, or even show them photos of the process - anything that lets them get to know you and your work better. It keeps people interested, and when they "like" a photo or status update of yours, or if they comment on your page, their Facebook friends will see. Which opens up possibilities for more people to "like" your page, gaining you more fans. And then there are more specific FB strategies you can use to gain fans and to increase your chance to sell something.  Pinterest - I think Pinterest has business accounts. But I just have a personal account. Basically, Pinterest lets you create "pinboards" or what you and I would call bulletin boards. You can make as many as you want, titling them whatever you want. And on each board, you can "pin" photos related to that board, from other websites or from other "pinners" on Pinterest. So I have boards such as "Colourful Crochet" and "Colourful Bags" - I collect photos I like onto these boards, and occasionally I will "pin" photos of my bags for sale from my website to my pinboard. That way, my Pinterest "followers" can see them. And they can pin the photo. Which gives my product exposure to other people. If people like a board you have, they can "follow" it. There are entire books written just this year, devoted to using Pinterest as a marketing tool. In theory, it's a great tool. In reality, I've had no sales yet that came through that, lol. But, again, it's all set up now, and I can maintain it in a few minutes per day if I want.  And just so you know, those last two paragraphs? If I'd read those even nine months ago, my head would have been spinning, lol. Online marketing is an extreme exercise in logic.  By the way, I "followed" your blog - whenever you post a new post, I will receive notification when I log in to my blog/website. :D  painting to sell vs. "true art" - ah yes!!! When I started, I was making simple hat patterns in pretty colours and cotton yarn (that no one else was doing) - it was mostly to keep my hands occupied during boring times, so that was really mass production. I built up a stash, and started selling. Then last year when I bought all that fabric to make bags with, I did another mass production run. And this past spring. People loved the bags I was mass producing (and my prices were not even giving me min. wage, I later realized - no wonder they were selling!). But I got sick of mass producing. So I started thinking of other ways to craft and play with craft and art. I decided that while I did want to sell, I did not want to get into custom orders and running in and out of fabric stores to buy fabrics people wanted (boring!!!) - so many others were doing that around me. Now, if someone says "Can you make me a silk bag from that pink silk you used on this other one?" if I have any of the thrifted pink silk left, I'll do it. But, my crafting time is for me to develop my creativity and skill, so I will make what I make and put it on the market if it's quality enough. I am of the mindset now that someone out there will "connect" with my style and will buy if they like it. And that's good enough for me. Although, if I ever got stuck and wanted some quick cash, I know how to make a basic fun bag that people have liked, lol!  One experiment I tried this fall a couple of times was this. I came up with a new bag design, and made three of the same design. Different fabrics and colours, but same design. Three times. Three because I would want to have tried the new things more than once (esp. after all the time it took me to come up with a design I liked), but would have gotten bored after three, lol. I did a set of three with wool bags, another set of three with silk bags, and another set of three with linen bags. I might apply that principle to hats, cards, brooches, too. Or different styles of bags. Or different materials to use in bags.  And I can always start tutoring reading/spelling again if I got really stuck for money. I recently acquired a reading student again, after many years' hiatus. I might advertise for more this coming year - we'll see.  Yes, making things is very satisfactory!! Esp. when others admire it! Gosh, Nan, I hope you get into some fairs or something this coming year - you will see how fun it is when people stop and admire and ask you questions about your work!! Oh, and if you do any fairs, bring a piece to work on, so people can see you in action!  I'm getting fuzz-headed and I feel like I'm rambling now. And, yes, you can go to these links to see what I'm doing:  http://colleensharpe.com/  https://www.facebook.com/ColleenSharpeOwner  http://www.pinterest.com/colleensharpe1/  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Well, I have really no clue what I'm talking about, but I have seen paintings being put up in small restaurants with a price tag on them. Especially if they relate to the place in question. That way, the paintings get seen quite a bit, and eventually sell...  This is a really good suggestion! I was thinking banks, since there is one nearby that has paintings, but there are far more restaurants in town than banks, and I have spent far more time looking at the paintings in restaurants than in banks. There is a little one near my Mum's that would be perfect for this, if somebody else hasn't already had the idea. It is too expensive for me to have in it much so I can't remember. Now I just have to gather my courage to go and ask...  Thanks! Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 I can't figure out how to break up your quote to reply to sections, either. I'll just scroll up and down til I'm done typing, lol.  Yes, the church fairs are not the places to sell your paintings to at least get your time's worth or cost of materials back. Do you have any bigger art shows or craft fairs around, where people sell well-made things for higher prices? I thought about consigning some of my things to some local shops (NS has MANY local craft shops, esp. ones that cater to tourists), and I was even approached by a couple of shop owners to do so. But after researching consignment, I decided not to. Too much risk for my comfort. And yes, I opened an Etsy shop, listed two items, and gave up, lol. WAY too much competition there now, and I didn't have the patience to figure out all the ins and outs of listing each item and then figuring out how to promote them just within the Etsy community, nevermind the wider world. And Etsy recently changed policies - they allow crafters to outsource parts of their manufacturing processes now. Which kinda takes away the original spirit of Etsy. For now, I decided to focus on bettering my website/blog and keep promoting my items there and via Facebook and occasionally Pinterest. And through local friends and craft shows. I've made most of my sales through local connections so far. And yes, marketing does take a lot of time. Or at least the setting up of marketing strategies online. But to me the hardest part was setting up FB/website/Pinterest. Now I can move forward with them when I'm ready. Yes, your friend who spends five hours a day is doing what is called SEO - search engine optimizing. It is a skill that I've been told I should learn, and I am just not going there right now, lol!!!! I'm content with a few craft shows and maintaining my current online presence. Because like you, I want to concentrate on my crafting for the time being, not make a major business for myself. No, I have not sold anything through my website. I don't have it set up with "buy" buttons and payment buttons and all that. I might try to learn that in the future, but not anytime soon. I do have all my stuff listed there, though, with prices, descriptions, contact info., and payment options. Probably people would have to want something pretty badly in order to go through this, heavens, difficult process, lol!!  Pricing - you know what, just keep asking artists you meet along the way. Esp. artists you admire for whatever reason. Sooner or later someone will give you the nitty gritty. If you have a personal Facebook account, you might try finding a local artists' support group where you can ask questions, too. For crafts, people come up with different pricing formulas. There are some general ones out there. Some of the most common ones I've seen are the following:  2(materials + hourly wage) = wholesale price. Wholesale price x 1.5 or 2 = retail price.  2(overhead costs + materials + hourly wage) = wholesale. And then the above retail formula. Overhead being electricity, business cards, website cost, etc.  I've played around with different formulas this past year. At first I was including my materials costs, but after I paid back all my materials costs and sold off some of my materials, I stopped. I have lots of materials to create with now, and I accumulate them via thrift stores. So it was a pain to have to keep calculating tiny amounts - just seemed unnecessary (which business gurus would probably chastise me for, lol). I just calculate my time (I'm sticking with just above min. wage in our area for now), and multiply it by an amount. Oh, and I did figure a wholesale price then retail, but then I decided I was never going to wholesale anything cuz I will never have time, so I just do a retail price. For this past fall I experimented with wage times three for retail price. And people did buy at that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which shocked me. But not many. Some of that had to do with the types of fairs I was at. So, for spring I may calculate wage times somewhere between two and three for retail, and experiment some more. I would like to get more established in my region for what I make, and aim for a juried show next fall. Where I might be able to calc. wages times three for retail. It's all one big huge experiment, this pricing thing!! And other crafters I've met through Facebook and fairs have said the same thing. You can also do a google search for art pricing formulas.  And on that note, I will tell you this. I got to do a fair right down the road from me, which was great because I also want to get known in my immediate area (though we live in a smaller and older house, this area is growing with many two-income families and professionals). Anyway, this was their second annual fair, and it was put on by artists!! Just this group of artists in this area who have been painting together for years - they decided to start selling together, and this year they invited other crafters from the area to join them. It was so fun, and I made the most money ever at this one! Anyway, the paintings that various ones displayed for sale were in the hundreds of dollars. That is what they are WORTH for the time the artists put in. And I believe some paintings were sold.  Oh, and don't ask people what they think your paintings are worth - not that I think it's impolite (I don't) - but because you will get a huge range of answers, and you will be too vulnerable to criticism. For me, it has been a mental journey. I had to try increasing my prices and see people still buying in order to believe that people will pay for my time and skill. So, my advice would be to just try out some pricing strategies and keep researching the best places to find YOUR customers. The people who will want YOUR paintings. They are out there, you just have to find them. And you will - your paintings are beautiful. OK, I lost my point, lol.....um, so yeah, don't ask others what your paintings are worth, because you will only confuse and doubt yourself and get too many answers. You have to come up with an initial pricing strategy that you can live with. You can always tweak it as you go along. And because you go through this thought process, you also become more confident for when someone says, "I love it! How much?"  The other thing is that people love to get to know the artist/crafter whose product/painting they are admiring. So you having that pricing process in the back of your mind can be handy, too, because if need be you can talk about the work that went into your painting. Which can serve to make the painting worth the price in their mind. They come to understand the work involved, and they get to know the artist. So whenever they look at the painting on the wall of their living room, they think of Nan the artist and her story behind the painting.  Let's see...I was also asked a couple of times to participate in one of those co-ops you mentioned. As for you, it was going to be too much responsibility and commitment for me. Sounded fun, but in reality, too much for me.  Unique - when I said unique, I just mean making my own signature style. Around here, people (mostly fellow crafters right now) have started telling me that they recognize something of mine because of certain characteristics (which was fun to hear!!). With your art, I am certain that your own style will become obvious, simply because each person is unique. You might be painting trees along with a thousand other painters, but did they paint the exact tree you did? Do they have the same reason for painting that tree? Probably not. While you are painting, your unique story is going into the painting. Tell people that story when they are admiring your painting.  Facebook - if you have a personal account, you can create a "fan page" for promoting your artwork. Once you do this, you can get people to "like" your fan page. Then you can post status updates and photos periodically, to let people know what you are up to or show them your latest painting, or even show them photos of the process - anything that lets them get to know you and your work better. It keeps people interested, and when they "like" a photo or status update of yours, or if they comment on your page, their Facebook friends will see. Which opens up possibilities for more people to "like" your page, gaining you more fans. And then there are more specific FB strategies you can use to gain fans and to increase your chance to sell something.  Pinterest - I think Pinterest has business accounts. But I just have a personal account. Basically, Pinterest lets you create "pinboards" or what you and I would call bulletin boards. You can make as many as you want, titling them whatever you want. And on each board, you can "pin" photos related to that board, from other websites or from other "pinners" on Pinterest. So I have boards such as "Colourful Crochet" and "Colourful Bags" - I collect photos I like onto these boards, and occasionally I will "pin" photos of my bags for sale from my website to my pinboard. That way, my Pinterest "followers" can see them. And they can pin the photo. Which gives my product exposure to other people. If people like a board you have, they can "follow" it. There are entire books written just this year, devoted to using Pinterest as a marketing tool. In theory, it's a great tool. In reality, I've had no sales yet that came through that, lol. But, again, it's all set up now, and I can maintain it in a few minutes per day if I want.  And just so you know, those last two paragraphs? If I'd read those even nine months ago, my head would have been spinning, lol. Online marketing is an extreme exercise in logic.  By the way, I "followed" your blog - whenever you post a new post, I will receive notification when I log in to my blog/website. :D  painting to sell vs. "true art" - ah yes!!! When I started, I was making simple hat patterns in pretty colours and cotton yarn (that no one else was doing) - it was mostly to keep my hands occupied during boring times, so that was really mass production. I built up a stash, and started selling. Then last year when I bought all that fabric to make bags with, I did another mass production run. And this past spring. People loved the bags I was mass producing (and my prices were not even giving me min. wage, I later realized - no wonder they were selling!). But I got sick of mass producing. So I started thinking of other ways to craft and play with craft and art. I decided that while I did want to sell, I did not want to get into custom orders and running in and out of fabric stores to buy fabrics people wanted (boring!!!) - so many others were doing that around me. Now, if someone says "Can you make me a silk bag from that pink silk you used on this other one?" if I have any of the thrifted pink silk left, I'll do it. But, my crafting time is for me to develop my creativity and skill, so I will make what I make and put it on the market if it's quality enough. I am of the mindset now that someone out there will "connect" with my style and will buy if they like it. And that's good enough for me. Although, if I ever got stuck and wanted some quick cash, I know how to make a basic fun bag that people have liked, lol!  One experiment I tried this fall a couple of times was this. I came up with a new bag design, and made three of the same design. Different fabrics and colours, but same design. Three times. Three because I would want to have tried the new things more than once (esp. after all the time it took me to come up with a design I liked), but would have gotten bored after three, lol. I did a set of three with wool bags, another set of three with silk bags, and another set of three with linen bags. I might apply that principle to hats, cards, brooches, too. Or different styles of bags. Or different materials to use in bags.  And I can always start tutoring reading/spelling again if I got really stuck for money. I recently acquired a reading student again, after many years' hiatus. I might advertise for more this coming year - we'll see.  Yes, making things is very satisfactory!! Esp. when others admire it! Gosh, Nan, I hope you get into some fairs or something this coming year - you will see how fun it is when people stop and admire and ask you questions about your work!! Oh, and if you do any fairs, bring a piece to work on, so people can see you in action!  I'm getting fuzz-headed and I feel like I'm rambling now. And, yes, you can go to these links to see what I'm doing:  http://colleensharpe.com/  https://www.facebook.com/ColleenSharpeOwner  http://www.pinterest.com/colleensharpe1/   Colleen -  I can't thank you enough for all the information and commeraderie (no idea how to spell that lol). As supportive as my family is, none of them have done anything like this.  I'm going to answer in pieces and it will probably take me all day. I want to get out and paint before we lose power and my paints freeze. I also am becoming nervous about the crack around the shed (studio lol) door. I put masking tape around it, but I know the snow is going to be blowing in and I want to put everything in plastic bags before the wind comes up much more.  Etsy - So it sounds like I needn't bother. I am relieved. Pintrest - This sounds like more fun. Maybe later I will explore that. Or if I am sick in bed some time.  Consignment - How is this risky? I approached our local consignment shop and the encounter went just about as badly as an encounter which contains no real animosity can go. Ug. I still think it would be a good place to put a painting or two, but it will take a lot of courage to approach the owner again, and if I do, I am going to make sure I know how consignment shops in general work before I go.  Coops - I agree that they sound like fun. They sound like they would be great fun, if you weren't trying to balance art and a family and various other commitments, like 20 hours of childcare for a 3yo. There is a more open group in the area which has yearly dues and then has various events that work various different ways. I might join that. I guess I am beginning to see what else is involved with "overhead" besides the electric heater, three light bulbs, matting, frames, paint, and paper. To that, I have to add website costs (mostly in Starbucks dollars lol) and this association, if I join it.  I think I will try the local restaurants, as Cleo suggested. That sounds like it might work better than consignment stores.  Your three things experiment - nice idea. I can see how that would work really well with crafts. In the end, when you laid out a batch of things that you had made, you would have just the right amount of sameness and variety. The same might be true of themes with paintings. I did four lake paintings this fall. They looked great all together. I usually have done at least three versions of something by the time I move on. I do a values sketch in pencil and several sketches in my sketchbook to work out the colours before I do a small painting. If I like the small painting, I might do a large, more detailed version. Sometimes it takes multiple small paintings before I work out the problems or have tried all the variations I want to try. Some things, like the last two paintings I put in posts on the website, are small sketches without much preparation. In those instances, I skipped the prep because I just wanted to paint while I had time, before I needed to go back to holidaying. : )  Following - I had no idea you could do that! Thank you for telling me.  Style - I looked at your website. Nice job! And I can see what your friends mean when they say that they can recognize something as yours.  What fun stuff you are doing!  Back later, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Congrats, Nan, on your sale! Reading through this thread has been an inspiration. Just a thought...is there an art guild in your area? I have no idea where you are from. We have an art guild in our county that holds shows on a regular basis, workshops, etc. This month they had a youth art competition that my son entered. Anyway, if your area has such a thing, it may be beneficial for you to join and get involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Congrats, Nan, on your sale! Reading through this thread has been an inspiration. Just a thought...is there an art guild in your area? I have no idea where you are from. We have an art guild in our county that holds shows on a regular basis, workshops, etc. This month they had a youth art competition that my son entered. Anyway, if your area has such a thing, it may be beneficial for you to join and get involved.  Ha! Got quote to work!  I am glad it has been an inspiration. It was really scary posting, but I know many people here are thinking about what comes next, after homeschooling, so I thought maybe it would be ok to share my excitement.  An art GUILD... a new word to look for. So far I've been looking at coops, which don't sound like the same thing. Your description sounds much more like the sort of community I need. Thank you! Very cool about your son, by the way!  Nan  PS - SWB, you probably won't see this, buried down in as it is, but I would like to say that the "self-education" part of your board is definately working to help my education. : ) This thread has given me encouragement, support, companionship, and suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 Congrats, Nan, on your sale! Reading through this thread has been an inspiration. Just a thought...is there an art guild in your area? I have no idea where you are from. We have an art guild in our county that holds shows on a regular basis, workshops, etc. This month they had a youth art competition that my son entered. Anyway, if your area has such a thing, it may be beneficial for you to join and get involved.  mamajudy - Using the word "guild" in searches turned up a gold mine of websites for artist's guilds and arts and crafts events in the surrounding towns. I spent hours before Christmas searching for this information without much success. Thank you so much! Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I'm so glad you have found so many resources and events! I have been itching to get out my watercolors and start painting again. This thread has motivated me to get going. Now I can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 That's great! Let me know how it goes. Do you find that painting is scary when you don't do it for awhile? Somehow I lose my confidence when I stop for vacation or something.  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Yes, I think it's like anything - once you stop, it's hard to get started again. I tend to be too much of a perfectionist. I would like to loosen up my painting technique to be something more along the lines of the work of Zoltan Szabo. So I plan on trying some new things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 Our library has a book of his - "Landscape Painting in Watercolor". It was one of the first books I read and I have gone back and reread it since. I should look on the internet and see if I can find photos of his paintings. It is an older book, with many of the illustrations in black and white, and I always wonder with those books what the real painting looks like, even when they appear in colour. I like the simplicity of his paintings, at least the ones in his book.  Last Christmas, my brother-in-law gave me the book "How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself" by Engle. HIs girlfriend, who is an artist, picked it out for him. (I don't know her.) He said she said that she was finding the book helpful because she was trying to loosen up her paintings. I don't think I am at that stage yet lol. I am still just trying to paint what I see. Or what I remember. Or what I imagine, like the angel I did for a chaplain friend who had dealt with a stillbirth, or the book I am making for my nephew. If it is imaginary, it is super simplistic. I love the liquidiness of watercolours, though, and some day would like to take full advantage of that and the happy accidents that produces.  So far, most of my accidents aren't exactly happy, but I can see how you could semi-control them and get some lovely effects, eventually. Mostly, I think I just need to learn to draw better. Sigh. I'd much rather play with water than sit and draw. I suppose drawing something every day should be my new year's resolution.  What other painters do you like?  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I'll have to look for that book, Nan. Nita Engle's paintings are beautiful! I went to art school back in the 70's, and learned to use watercolors there. But I was doing advertising art (most of what I learned is now obsolete since so much is done on computers these days) -- very realistic stuff, and much tighter than what I'd like to do now. You're doing great! A website with a blog, and showing and selling your art -- good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 I'll have to look for that book, Nan. Nita Engle's paintings are beautiful! I went to art school back in the 70's, and learned to use watercolors there. But I was doing advertising art (most of what I learned is now obsolete since so much is done on computers these days) -- very realistic stuff, and much tighter than what I'd like to do now. You're doing great! A website with a blog, and showing and selling your art -- good for you!  Thank you!  I especially like Nita Engle's waves, the bit where the light comes through them. I want to learn how to do that. I tried, but can't seem to get it. If you figure it out, please tell me what you did!  I'm reading a library book right now, Tony Couch's "Watercolor: You Can Do It!". He talks a lot about how to keep things loose, but his directions are based on design principles, in which I suspect you are already well-grounded. He talks about three stages in an artist's life. Stage one is where you are just learning to copy what you see. Stage two is where you focus on the design. Stage three is where you use the design to tell a story or create a mood. I found that information useful, not so much applied to me, since I seem to be working on learning to do the first, while occasionally doing the last for fun (like the book I'm making for my nephew) all while being ignorant of the middle one (unless studying how to make a Japanese garden counts), but because it lets me classify the how-to art books at the library.  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Colleen - I'm still mulling over your post and intend to get back to it again. It just is requiring some thinking, that's all. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I especially like Nita Engle's waves, the bit where the light comes through them. I want to learn how to do that.   Here is a DVD of her workshop on watercolor techniques. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Japanese gardening is something I've been studying lately, as well! The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens here in South Florida is one of my favorite places (it would be a great place to paint) and has inspired me to try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Colleen - I'm still mulling over your post and intend to get back to it again. It just is requiring some thinking, that's all. : )  And I saw yours and will get to it as soon as I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Thanks, Lori D!  mamajudy - I wish I could see that garden. I go to the one on Mt. Desert whenever I can, and I've seen the one at the MFA in Bston, but that is it. I built my garden in my back yard using a ton of library books and my mother (a gardener). Rather like the way I've been learning to paint lol. So what I want to know is whether the design principles I learned to make the garden are the same ones that apply to making a painting? Do you know?  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Well, I have really no clue what I'm talking about, but I have seen paintings being put up in small restaurants with a price tag on them. Especially if they relate to the place in question. That way, the paintings get seen quite a bit, and eventually sell... I was going to mention the same thing. I think it's a win win because the restaurant gets free decor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 I was going to mention the same thing. I think it's a win win because the restaurant gets free decor.  So does anyone have any idea how one would approach a restaurant? Do I walk in the front door with a painting under my arm and ask if I can hang it up lol?  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Colleen -  I can't thank you enough for all the information and commeraderie (no idea how to spell that lol). As supportive as my family is, none of them have done anything like this.  I'm going to answer in pieces and it will probably take me all day. I want to get out and paint before we lose power and my paints freeze. I also am becoming nervous about the crack around the shed (studio lol) door. I put masking tape around it, but I know the snow is going to be blowing in and I want to put everything in plastic bags before the wind comes up much more.  Etsy - So it sounds like I needn't bother. I am relieved.  Yep, it's really big. You may want to check it out at some point, but I just found it to be one more learning curve I didn't have the energy to go through last summer.  Pintrest - This sounds like more fun. Maybe later I will explore that. Or if I am sick in bed some time.  It is fun - and it can be addictive! But it's fun when you see that other people are "pinning" a photo from your website. You never know what could come of that.  Consignment - How is this risky? I approached our local consignment shop and the encounter went just about as badly as an encounter which contains no real animosity can go. Ug. I still think it would be a good place to put a painting or two, but it will take a lot of courage to approach the owner again, and if I do, I am going to make sure I know how consignment shops in general work before I go.  I had two shops ask me if I wanted to consign with them. The first one looked like a fun shop and would have been a good fit for my products, but it was 3.5 hours away. So I'd either have to drive my stuff there or ship it there, at my expense. And then if my stuff didn't sell in a certain amount of time, I'd be responsible for getting it back. So then I started thinking that I would have no way of overseeing the conditions in the shop - how were they displaying my stuff, how often did they freshen the display, did they put everything out on the floor, was it getting dirty from people handling it, etc. etc. etc. And I realized I didn't want to not have control over my products while it was unsold, esp. when the shop was so far away. And I'm more vague on the other shop, but I am remembering something about them just not being very good communicators, which might not be good if I were to ask how my sales were going. And I've heard of some shops not paying artists on time, etc. Overall, I just decided I wanted to retain control. Another thing about consignment is that they take a percentage for commission - generally from 30/70 to 50/50. So, if you are selling your paintings elsewhere also (or maybe prints of the same paintings and the prints are at several shops), you should price them all the same or else customers might not buy. You really can't sell a print for $10 in a consignment place and then $7 from your website, because the shop owner wouldn't think that was fair - it would make it hard for him/her to get business if his/her customers know they can get your work cheaper elsewhere. There are different schools of thought on this, but this one made the most sense to me.  Coops - I agree that they sound like fun. They sound like they would be great fun, if you weren't trying to balance art and a family and various other commitments, like 20 hours of childcare for a 3yo. There is a more open group in the area which has yearly dues and then has various events that work various different ways. I might join that. I guess I am beginning to see what else is involved with "overhead" besides the electric heater, three light bulbs, matting, frames, paint, and paper. To that, I have to add website costs (mostly in Starbucks dollars lol) and this association, if I join it.  I think I will try the local restaurants, as Cleo suggested. That sounds like it might work better than consignment stores.  I remember sitting in a local restaurant in NC a few years ago, and they had local artists' paintings for sale up on the walls. It's a great place to do so, because the customers are sitting and eating, and RELAXING while looking at these paintings! I did go up and examine some of them because I had been staring at them for the hour or so we were there.  Your three things experiment - nice idea. I can see how that would work really well with crafts. In the end, when you laid out a batch of things that you had made, you would have just the right amount of sameness and variety. The same might be true of themes with paintings. I did four lake paintings this fall. They looked great all together. I usually have done at least three versions of something by the time I move on. I do a values sketch in pencil and several sketches in my sketchbook to work out the colours before I do a small painting. If I like the small painting, I might do a large, more detailed version. Sometimes it takes multiple small paintings before I work out the problems or have tried all the variations I want to try. Some things, like the last two paintings I put in posts on the website, are small sketches without much preparation. In those instances, I skipped the prep because I just wanted to paint while I had time, before I needed to go back to holidaying. : )  Wow, you are going to get really good if this is the process you use!! And I think you've written some new posts since the last time I logged in to my website (I get notifications from blogs I follow) - I need to go read them!  Following - I had no idea you could do that! Thank you for telling me.  Style - I looked at your website. Nice job! And I can see what your friends mean when they say that they can recognize something as yours.  What fun stuff you are doing!  Back later, Nan  I am sorry it took me so long to reply!! I have spent this past month decluttering (and getting homeschooling on track after the holidays) big time and rearranging some of our spaces. And telling myself that I need to get creating again, but encountering a block. So I finally sat down and started a couple of just personal projects, just to get me back in the creative mode. I'll start the "for sale" stuff in February. 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Colleen in NS Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 That's great! Let me know how it goes. Do you find that painting is scary when you don't do it for awhile? Somehow I lose my confidence when I stop for vacation or something.  Nan YES!! I think that's why I've had a creative block this month! So many ideas I'd love to do, knowing I'll never have enough time, and not wanting to zero in, lol. Next month I'll just force myself to sit down and start cutting out some fabric, and then digging through my decorative stuff to figure out how I want to embellish another bag. That'll get me going.    I'm reading a library book right now, Tony Couch's "Watercolor: You Can Do It!". He talks a lot about how to keep things loose, but his directions are based on design principles, in which I suspect you are already well-grounded. He talks about three stages in an artist's life. Stage one is where you are just learning to copy what you see. Stage two is where you focus on the design. Stage three is where you use the design to tell a story or create a mood. I found that information useful, not so much applied to me, since I seem to be working on learning to do the first, while occasionally doing the last for fun (like the book I'm making for my nephew) all while being ignorant of the middle one (unless studying how to make a Japanese garden counts), but because it lets me classify the how-to art books at the library.  Nan Ah, your well-trained training coming into effect here, lol! This totally helps me, too, and I know exactly what you mean about it being useful for classifying the "how-to" library books!!! I was at a local university library on Friday, and got caught up in the (HUGE) art section. Ended up spotting some old books (late 1800s) plainly covered and simply called The Handbook of Ornament and such titles. The ornament was PERFECT for me - Part 1 was The Elements of Decoration (and further broken down into several sensible categories); Part 2 is Ornament Applied to Features, and Part 3 is Decorated Objects. So, the grammar stage (learning what they are), logic stage (analyzing what you can do with them), and rhetoric stage (applying the elements. It totally appealed to me. :D  http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Ornament-Dover-Pictorial-Archive/dp/0486203026/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390185403&sr=8-1&keywords=The+handbook+of+ornament  Thanks, Lori D!  mamajudy - I wish I could see that garden. I go to the one on Mt. Desert whenever I can, and I've seen the one at the MFA in Bston, but that is it. I built my garden in my back yard using a ton of library books and my mother (a gardener). Rather like the way I've been learning to paint lol. So what I want to know is whether the design principles I learned to make the garden are the same ones that apply to making a painting? Do you know?  Nan  Are you talking about the basic elements of design? This is something I've been learning about in recent months. Just trying to acquire a grammar stage sense of artistic design.  Apparently if I learned this in elementary school as kids supposedly do, it didn't stick with me as a cohesive thing - just a bunch of random art class projects. So does anyone have any idea how one would approach a restaurant? Do I walk in the front door with a painting under my arm and ask if I can hang it up lol?  Nan  I would!! lol Well, I'd ask to speak to the manager or owner, and I would hand over a business card, but I totally would do this!! During non-busy times, of course. :D  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 YES!! I think that's why I've had a creative block this month! So many ideas I'd love to do, knowing I'll never have enough time, and not wanting to zero in, lol. Next month I'll just force myself to sit down and start cutting out some fabric, and then digging through my decorative stuff to figure out how I want to embellish another bag. That'll get me going.  Ah, your well-trained training coming into effect here, lol! This totally helps me, too, and I know exactly what you mean about it being useful for classifying the "how-to" library books!!! I was at a local university library on Friday, and got caught up in the (HUGE) art section. Ended up spotting some old books (late 1800s) plainly covered and simply called The Handbook of Ornament and such titles. The ornament was PERFECT for me - Part 1 was The Elements of Decoration (and further broken down into several sensible categories); Part 2 is Ornament Applied to Features, and Part 3 is Decorated Objects. So, the grammar stage (learning what they are), logic stage (analyzing what you can do with them), and rhetoric stage (applying the elements. It totally appealed to me. :D  http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Ornament-Dover-Pictorial-Archive/dp/0486203026/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390185403&sr=8-1&keywords=The+handbook+of+ornament   Are you talking about the basic elements of design? This is something I've been learning about in recent months. Just trying to acquire a grammar stage sense of artistic design.  Apparently if I learned this in elementary school as kids supposedly do, it didn't stick with me as a cohesive thing - just a bunch of random art class projects.  I would!! lol Well, I'd ask to speak to the manager or owner, and I would hand over a business card, but I totally would do this!! During non-busy times, of course. :D   I got quote to work, for once, and I don't want to risk snipping it up so I can post more neatly. I'm pretty sure, at this point, that the intermittant (ent?) problem is due to my outdated browser. Anyway...  I am looking forward to looking for that ornament! Good old Dover.  I, apparently, did somehow aquire some sense of design, and so did my husband, but I DEFINATELY don't think it had anything to do with art classes. Elementary and middle school art at my school, as far as I can tell, was not a place where we were taught anything useful because creativity might be squashed. I understand about the creativity being squashed bit. My mother is still indignantly telling the story of a gorgeous Viking shield she made in art class, only to have the teacher tell her "we never put scarlet and purple together", about 75 years later.  I think the pendulum swung too far the other direction for our education. Surely there is a happy medium? Draw Squad does a pretty good job of hitting it, I think (despite its annoying rara-ness). That sense rather mysterious.  When I made my Japanese garden, first I spent a winter reading every book on Japanese gardens I could beg, borrow, or buy.  Then one morning in early, early spring, I heard a funny sound and went out and discovered my husband using a come-along attached to a tree to move a giant rock out of a gully as a surprise for me. He did all the heavy part of the garden and I made most of the decisions, with help from him and my parents. Between us, we were three engineers and an artistic biologist.  My husband and I set all the rocks together. He would dig a hole where I suggested and haul the rock I picked over to the hole and turn it so it faced the way I wanted it. Then he would put the rock in the hole. Over and over again, I would say something like, "Oh - I'm so so sorry but I think it needs to be turned ten degrees anticlockwise." He would come look and sigh and say, "Yah, you're right." Sometimes he'd look first and suggest the change. Either way, the totally amazing part was that when the rock was right, it was right. It looked right to both of us, self-educated from all that reading or not. This makes me wonder about those design rules. Are they something we are born with? Is it cultural? Do my husband and I share the same sense and that is part of why we like each other, or did it develope because we grew up in the same town with similar parents, or did it develop because we've been together since we were teenagers and grew together, or was it something more universal that we can tap into? I hope Mamajudy comes back and answers my question about Japanese gardens and painting and design principles.  I've been reading one of my husband's oil-painting books and it had some good advice about design. I'll try to post some of it on my website, in case you have time to go look and tell me what you think of that batch of suggestions. It will be good for me to take notes, anyway, so it doesn't really matter if you don't have time to go look. This is such a busy time of year! This is when I'm glad I have a painting partner (my mum). She just bought pomagranites for us to paint and her enthusiasm will help me get started again. I supplied last weeks with the toned paper.  And hopefully, soon, I will be able to tell you that I contacted a local art fair! Since you are sort of my partner, too, lol.  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I got quote to work, for once, and I don't want to risk snipping it up so I can post more neatly. I'm pretty sure, at this point, that the intermittant (ent?) problem is due to my outdated browser. Anyway...  I am looking forward to looking for that ornament! Good old Dover.  I, apparently, did somehow aquire some sense of design, and so did my husband, but I DEFINATELY don't think it had anything to do with art classes. Elementary and middle school art at my school, as far as I can tell, was not a place where we were taught anything useful because creativity might be squashed. I understand about the creativity being squashed bit. My mother is still indignantly telling the story of a gorgeous Viking shield she made in art class, only to have the teacher tell her "we never put scarlet and purple together", about 75 years later.  I think the pendulum swung too far the other direction for our education. Surely there is a happy medium? Draw Squad does a pretty good job of hitting it, I think (despite its annoying rara-ness). That sense rather mysterious.  When I made my Japanese garden, first I spent a winter reading every book on Japanese gardens I could beg, borrow, or buy.  Then one morning in early, early spring, I heard a funny sound and went out and discovered my husband using a come-along attached to a tree to move a giant rock out of a gully as a surprise for me. He did all the heavy part of the garden and I made most of the decisions, with help from him and my parents. Between us, we were three engineers and an artistic biologist.  My husband and I set all the rocks together. He would dig a hole where I suggested and haul the rock I picked over to the hole and turn it so it faced the way I wanted it. Then he would put the rock in the hole. Over and over again, I would say something like, "Oh - I'm so so sorry but I think it needs to be turned ten degrees anticlockwise." He would come look and sigh and say, "Yah, you're right." Sometimes he'd look first and suggest the change. Either way, the totally amazing part was that when the rock was right, it was right. It looked right to both of us, self-educated from all that reading or not. This makes me wonder about those design rules. Are they something we are born with? Is it cultural? Do my husband and I share the same sense and that is part of why we like each other, or did it develope because we grew up in the same town with similar parents, or did it develop because we've been together since we were teenagers and grew together, or was it something more universal that we can tap into? I hope Mamajudy comes back and answers my question about Japanese gardens and painting and design principles.  I've been reading one of my husband's oil-painting books and it had some good advice about design. I'll try to post some of it on my website, in case you have time to go look and tell me what you think of that batch of suggestions. It will be good for me to take notes, anyway, so it doesn't really matter if you don't have time to go look. This is such a busy time of year! This is when I'm glad I have a painting partner (my mum). She just bought pomagranites for us to paint and her enthusiasm will help me get started again. I supplied last weeks with the toned paper.  And hopefully, soon, I will be able to tell you that I contacted a local art fair! Since you are sort of my partner, too, lol.  Nan  I know what you mean about the turning of the rocks until you know they are RIGHT. But while I like doing that sometimes, sometimes I get soooooooo frustrated doing that, because I just want to KNOW why something works so I can put elements/colours together faster, lol. Thus my rifling through Ornament right now.  Yes, yohooooo, mamajudy!! :D  Can't wait to hear what you do, Nan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 I came across this, this morning. Look at #2.. http://news.distractify.com/fun/bizarre/the-most-epic-text-pranks-of-all-time  I must admit, I LOLed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 How very apt, Cleo! Perhaps framed with glass would be a safer approach for anything hung in restaurants lol.  Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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