• The first steps to take after deciding to become an artist

    First 4 steps to take to become an artist

    THE BEGINNING How do you become an artist when you’re just starting out? After making the choice to finally pursue your creative passions, you have to start taking action. Great. But which thing should you do first? In this article I’ll walk you through what’s most important in the beginning of your artistpreneur journey.  1: MAKE YOUR INTENTION KNOWN Making…

  • Why you need to ditch print-on-demand art websites

    Create your own art website — NOT a Society6 account

    YOUR SHOP TYPE MATTERS Guess whaaattt? I’m super thrilled because my artwork was featured on BuzzFeed! Hooray!! It was included in a roundup of spooky-themed products in this article here. This is the type of exposure that can help any artist climb to the top of their sales game and get a little more attention from other outlets, starting an…

  • Pre-sale orders: Sell art before you make it with these tips by A Cup of Cloudy

    Pre-sale orders: a tool for profitable artmaking

    REAP BEFORE YOU SOW Ever tried to sell a piece of art without showing someone what it looked like? Sounds crazy right? Well… that’s exactly what I just did. Let me explain. These past few weeks I tried my hand at hosting a pre-sale for the first time ever — with my new 2020 calendars. For those who might not…

  • How to survive your first year as an artistpreneur -- tips and lessons from Carolyn Whittico

    Your first year as an artistpreneur

    ARTISTPRENEURSHIP TIPS Whether you’re diving straight in as a full time artist or taking it slow as a part-time artistpreneur, there are a few strategies that can help you survive your first year. In this article, I’ll go over what you need to focus on to stick with it, make a profit, and expand your brand awareness. MY FIRST YEAR…

  • Generate hype to sell more art with Carolyn Whittico

    Marketing tactics: Generate hype to sell more art

    WHY NO ONE IS BUYING Artists often feel like the way to sell more art is to make better art. While honing your skills certainly helps, it ultimately doesn’t make sales for you.  Have you ever seen a successful artist that you genuinely thought was bad at art? Me too.  That’s because for one: all art is subjective. I’m sure…

  • watercolor gradients

    Picking color schemes: psychology, strategy of color

    COLOR IS POWERFUL Did you know that color can influence the way you taste your food? It can increase the effectiveness of placebos. Color schemes can make women look more or less attractive to men. It can draw your attention to danger and effect your emotion just by looking at certain hues.  As artists, color is a powerful choice. Color…

  • a large painting of tea pots in an art competition

    Juried Art Competition: What to do when you lose

    WHEN YOU’RE NOT A WINNER This weekend I did some live painting at Paint Out at the Park in Dearborn. It was a super cool juried art competition where dozens of artists were given 4’x4’ boards to paint over the course of three days. The winners were given cash prizes and honored at the event, which was part of the…

  • Carolyn Whittico prints hanging at art show in Detroit's Eastern Market

    After an art show: Do these to see results faster

    BEHIND THE SCENES Yesterday I had an art show booth at the Detroit Festival of Books. I was excited to be there; the organizer asked me to show and I always am grateful when someone else does the reaching out. There were so many book shops, fellow bookworms and good food. Plus, it was in the Eastern Market — which…