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I love painting custom artwork — here’s why it’s the best
UNIQUE ART FOR UNIQUE FOLKS I love painting commissions — portraits, homes, meaningful places, plants — because custom artwork is always so much more personal. When I paint illustrations just for me, they’re super personal to me and hopefully others can connect to it on a deeper level. But when I make custom artwork for a client to be specific…
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8 Mistakes you might be making as an artist
Everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone corrects themselves. Being a working artist comes with challenges, and you’ll have a few of your own to overcome. It’s all good as long as you bounce back! Be sure to set yourself straight after realizing you may be doing one of these 8 things: 1. Not embracing artistpreneurship In other words, if you’re…
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Attract attention (on social media) with this tip
GAIN AND KEEP A SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING It can be easy for you to gain — and most importantly KEEP — the attention of anyone who lands on your profile. How does this work? Simple. In this post we’ll talk about art style: what an art style is, how it attracts attention, and what you can do to grow a…
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Michigan Parks and Places: print series with a cause
I’ve decided to start an illustration series called Michigan Parks and Places! It’ll feature outdoor destinations in my home state that are fascinating beyond measure. I plan to make prints of each piece and send 20% of sales to the Department of Natural Resources in Michigan to help protect our wild places! I hope this series will encourage people to…
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What is a skills gap in art?
GOING THE DISTANCE IN ART Ever heard of a “skills gap?” A skills gap is the distance between the art you actually make and your taste in art. It’s mostly psychological, and can be the reason why artists are stereotyped as being the harshest critics of their own work. When you loooove hyperrealism and want to make artwork that looks…
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Art style and what it can do for your creative business
I talk a lot about art style because I think it’s the most important thing for an artist who wants to sell their art. Creating my art style meant honing in on qualities I loved in my paintings, and when I perfected my style, I fell in love with art all over again. What is an art style? Your style…
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Offensive comments about your art + how to handle them
As an artist who shares or sells your artwork, you hear a lot of feedback. Most of the time, the comments you’ll receive are appreciative and uplifting. Sometimes though, the comments are offensive — even if that person means well. In this blog post we’ll talk about a few common offensive comments about your artwork and how to handle them. …
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SELL ART COMMISSIONS (THE RIGHT WAY)
The other day I was reading a blog post I wrote when I was just beginning to sell custom art commissions in my business. It was a venting article — one that got quite a bit of attention from artists who could relate with my inner turmoil about the stress of custom artwork. However, while reading it back to myself,…
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When to raise your prices: How do you know?
YOU’RE WORTH MORE Pricing your artwork as a new artistpreneur is one of the first challenges to hit you. It seems like this one factor will determine if people buy your work at all or if you’ll fall flat on your face. Frankly, this isn’t true. In fact, the beginning price doesn’t matter that much at all. As long as…
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Want artist friends? Here’s how to find an art community
WHO ARE YOUR PEERS? Everyone needs somewhere to fit in. Whether your group is large and mainstream, or small and niche, it feels good to find a space to connect with others. That’s why I always recommend finding a place for yourself in an art community. NOTE: Artsy Friends, a Patreon group by Carolyn Tantanella, is open now! It’s the…
