Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Learning while I can't paint!



Since I'm moving in less than two weeks and all my supplies are packed up, I thought it would be a good time to learn more ways to promote and try things which I normally don't have the time to do.  Like Pinterest.

Wow, is that ever cool!  I'm still learning it.  I only have 8 followers, all people I know from Facebook except for one, and I'm thrilled to have a new person!  I'd like to tell her but I don't know how to yet!

I also sold a painting on Facebook by just posting some work, so I'm going to do that every so often.  If it's not out there for the public to see, how can they purchase?  Now, I know that from years of retail but failed to do it with my art!  DUH!

Another thing I've failed to do is change up my website.  No one likes going to the same darn thing...so I added some new photos, and also what I need to do is switch things up, and I should have known that from owning my own art supply store!  If people don't see it in one location, move it, they'll see it someplace else.  I did it all the time at the store and people would ask, "When did you get this in?"  (It was elsewhere in the shop, that's all.)  But I'd kindly say, "Oh, I've had it, you just missed it."

Anyway, it's a break from the norm.

On the flip side, I'm so sore from moving things today...a little at a time...cause the more we move on our own the less we have to pay movers.  And movers are expensive.  But I'm sore....


Friday, July 25, 2014

From my studio to the world!


It never ceases to amaze me how vast the world wide web truly is.  

I was looking at my statistics for my website and to my surprise, I've had people from every continent except Antarctica!  (If I ever get someone in Antarctica looking at my work I'd make a special post on it for sure!)

I've had countries in South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.  It's not showing Africa, but I have a friend who lives in South Africa who I know has gone on my website, so I don't know why it hasn't shown up.  Of course most of the "hits" come from the USA, but, when I get them from other countries for some reason it just makes me marvel!  

And as for the United States, I could do a portrait of a dog in California and get hits from New Jersey and Pennsylvania...create a portrait of one in Virginia and get hits from Wisconsin!  It's CRAZY!  

This is also another reason I have to keep abreast of all the new technology!  

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Signed up to do the 30 day challenge again!

While in my downtime of my art supplies being packed, ready for my move, I've been doing research on different ways to promote and lo and behold, the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge is happening again in September!  This way I will have something to immediately promote on my website, as I may start a new page of "What I painted today!"  (Isn't that a great idea?)  Well, I may revise it, to what I did in the studio today.  I already have a page called "On my easel" but I want students, artists and others to realize being an artist isn't just showing your work in a gallery, there's so much more to it all.  Just to set up for the 30 day challenge, one of the biggest things to overcome is to make sure you have enough supplies (be it canvas or paints, brushes, etc.), one thing you don't want to waste your time on is going to the art supply store and waste time.  We all know we go in and look around and play, piddle and putz cause we like them so much!  

So, even though my moving day is upcoming, and my supplies are packed, that doesn't mean I can't do other things, like research promotional ideas, look at other websites...there's always something to do when it comes to art.  

I have one friend who is interested in doing the challenge with me.  She needs the motivation.  I have two more I need to contact.  Both are so talented and should be painting again!  

There you go.  







Sunday, July 20, 2014

New promotional ideas/plans/possibilities

Here I am a few years ago in a gallery with two of my students I had at the time.  Occasionally we used to go to galleries as field trips.  Often, I desired to open a gallery but to do so requires so much money, time and energy, something of which doesn't come into play right now in my life, besides, I'm wanting to get more into the age of electronics to do my artistic promotions for me...I'm starting to feel galleries as nice as they are, are an old fashioned way of selling, so soon, very soon, I am going to explore the new world of promotion.  



It's amazing how much one can learn when actively searching for something!

I've sold work online before, but not at the rate I wish, and I've always wondered about putting my work on items or making prints of my work, but it's so expensive in local print shops, and I thought to myself, there's got to be a better way.  



As an art student of the late 1970's, our marketing consisted of art galleries, going in art shows, mailings, word of mouth, etc.  But it's 2014!  Times have changed.  Over the years I've seen businesses of all kinds go out of business because they haven't kept up with the times.  I'm determined for that to not happen.


So, I had to think, think, think...oh, how my head hurts!  Haha!  Since I know that there are many avenues I love to cover with my art, such as seascapes, and portraits, etc., I also will have a variety of customers and will need to network accordingly.  In this new world of Facebook, websites, Twitter, etc, it's no longer just a matter of putting your brush to the canvas, it's promotion that sells.  I can't tell you how many artists I've seen with c+ at best artwork sell, sell, sell.  What is their secret?  I see shows like "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and I wonder, what keeps them popular?  It comes to me!  They are always in your face!  They promote!  And they promote the littlest thing, they keep your interest.  They ADDICT you to knowing what is going on in their life.  That is their strategy.  

I've seen artists sell their works for thousands of dollars and wonder, "What is their secret?"  BRANDING!  There's a female artist I know of (don't know her personally), where all she does is let her watercolors drip off the page and occasionally smudge them, or puts a curve in them, and they sell, sell, sell.  What is her secret?  She kept up with color schemes for one thing.  She did more pastel colors in the 80's...think, "Golden Girls", "Miami Vice" days, and as the time went on, so did she.  She would have been long buried in the art world if she didn't keep up.  

So how do you network?  First, always have business cards nearby.  If nothing else, it's something physical that a future customer will have of yours.  Nowadays, it's better...ASK the client (or interested party), for their email address.  (Do you imagine me hitting my head right about now?)

I've learned pricing has nothing to do with it...think Picasso...oh, I'm sure you could come up with a dozen artists who have sold tons of work you wouldn't pay a dime for their work.  


So, coming soon, I will be researching on how to better promote myself, get into the millennium, and network, throw around the buzz words (whatever they are, still have to learn them!).  


Promotion is the key.  

Talent, I feel I've got...promotion, I need to learn.  

Look out world..cause...


is a whole new Kathleen Eve Kelly!!!








Thursday, July 17, 2014

I'm moving my studio!


We ALL hate moving! 

I am no exception.  This is my 16th move in my life, and probably not my last.  But since I am moving, and my supplies are either packed, being packed, purged, donated, or lost, know that it will once again all work out for the best.  With each move I've done, I've rid myself of stuff I don't use, pack stuff I don't use, only to toss it when I'm at the new location, and create a new niche for myself.  

Moving is a stressful time, a time when nothing else matters.  So needless to say, I will not be creating at this time, but instead grabbing some styrofoam peanuts, the tape gun or a box and do what I have to do...move.

My goal is to be back up to working order in September.  If it happens sooner, GREAT!  If not, that's okay too!  It proves I'm human.  

As they say in the music industry, "See you on the flip side!"

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Bodie is completed!

K9 OFFICER 
BODIE!


Here it is step-by-step.


First, the drawing.  



As you may or may not know, I like to work from my iPad, as it gives me so many advantages to creating the best portrait I can.  I can zoom in for detail, the light it emits gives me brightness in my pastel portraits, and the clarity is amazing.  If you haven't worked with an iPad or a computer screen to do your artwork, I highly recommend it!



First features I like to put in are the eyes, it breathes life into the subject, then the mouth, I just love to do mouths!  Finally the nose, which seems to be my personal hardest feature to develop.  



Next, I like to add in some color and also when I do add in some color, I make the strokes in the direction the hair flows.  This dog's got a lot of hair, so every chance I get to help aid my quest to do his hair justice, I will!




Next, I begin on his muzzle and teeth, throw in some grass on the side, and start the hair on the left side under the tongue.  There's a badge in there and a silver ring which is part of his collar.  I need to put in both, the contrast of gold and silver will be interesting.  I also started to define his neck a little bit, and the one ear.  



Here comes the difficult part, to follow the "pattern" Bodie has in his hair.  If I get this wrong, it won't look like him, kind of like doing a leopard with its spots or a giraffe with its pattern, you must get it right.  Take time to concentrate on what joins what, colors, direction of the hair, etc.  




Slowly add in hair, working on small areas at a time.  I tend to zoom in with my iPad when I just can't seem to see it from the whole picture and it truly helps.  I find German Shepherd's ears so much fun to do.  The blackness which outlines the feature, needs the softness of the inner ear with its pinks, whites and creams.  



I can't stress enough the importance of watching how you put the strokes down in the correct direction, because it forms the structure of the face!  Take your time!  




It's signed, but now it needs to be preserved for shipping.  I can't stress the importance of this enough.  Without proper preserving, pastels will fall off the paper, perhaps smudge, or worse.  I use Krylon Workable Fixative and spray it quite a few times, but I have to tell you, I am about a foot away when I'm spraying it, I spray side to side and up and down BEYOND the actual portrait.  I let it dry (under a ceiling fan to make the smell bearable) and spray it again and again...with time in between each layer of fixative.  For years there have been debates on what kind of preservative to use, this just works for me.  I've never, ever, in the thousands of portraits I've done or have helped former students create and preserve, have a problem with Krylon Workable fixative.  I've tried others over the years, for example the non-odor type (what a joke that was, it smelled worse!), and other brands, even hairspray (which is simply thinned out lacquer), but hairspray is CHEAP and designed for HAIR, not for preserving artist quality work.  Hairspray can form small dots all over the painting when applied.  Why chance it for a few dollars?  Purchase Krylon Workable Fixative.  It's not cheap but it's worth it's weight in gold for quality.  A can lasts a long, long time.  Oh, and also spray it while the portrait is on the easel, NEVER spray down onto the painting if it's flat on the floor, you're asking for trouble. 


I think he looks quite handsome!  Now I need to wait for Officer Randy, his handler, to send me a good write up on him, as he just got a prestigious award from the State of California, and Officer Randy needs to send me the information.  To motivate him to get it to me, I told him I'll send out the portrait as soon as I get the information.   

Gosh, Bodie is a cutie for sure!  Don't you think?  

All that, and he's a hero too!

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Bodie took so long to do because I got sick with sinusitis, which if you've ever worked in pastels, know you can't put the two together!  Then, when I was nearly better, I went on a ten day trip to California (to L.A...near Bruno's home but didn't get to meet up with RJ), and to Frisco which is where Bodie was to get his reward but the timing wasn't right.  But that's okay, I'm not in this to meet the dogs or the officers, I'm in this to make the officers know someone out there feels for the pain you went through while your dog was injured, it's just something I like doing.  I don't have an agenda, I just love creating.  I feel it's a "calling" for me.  

My personal thanks to my friend of 40 years (we met in high school), who's name is Jamel Reissinger, as she's the $$ behind it all.  She pays for all the shipping.  Wonderfully, my local UPS store works with me to give me the best possible prices for shipping, however, their white tubes for shipping are a bit pricey.  So Jamel found a place online where they are much less expensive.  

All this, and during the creating of BODIE, I am packing up my house and studio and moving to a new home.  We are downsizing, and I can't begin to tell you all the donating I've done of art supplies I no longer use...as well as other crafty stuff, like scrapbooking supplies, beading, and more.  I'm honing in on what I love to do, pastels, oils and acrylic...gave away all my watercolor blocks and paper to a friend who is an art teacher in another town and she dispensed it to students she knows can't afford the quality products I had.  They're getting a chance by using good supplies!  I also donated my pen & ink supplies to a student I saw his work at a local studio, who I learned from someone who knew him comes from a poor family, and instead of using pen & ink all the time, he would use Sharpie Markers.  Talent with the wrong supplies...well, I corrected that real fast!

Years ago when I owned an art supply store, I used to have a Saturday morning children's art class, and the kids were spoiled rotten using the true artist supplies, when they would go back to school, they saw firsthand how the school's equipment was simply crap.  But, it's not the teacher's fault, my friend who is a teacher in the school system told me, she had 900 students to purchase art supplies for, and was given $1000.  Now you'd think that's a little over a dollar a student, but what you fail to realize is it's worse than that...because this $1000 they give the art teacher has to last the whole year through!  Nine months of classes.  For many students, that's 26 classes in the year (for those who have class only once a week), but for many, it's 181 days of class scheduled time for a little over a dollar per student per year.  

So if you think of ever making a donation to a local school, forget the sporting departments, they get PLENTY of money...it's the art department that gets slighted.  Just ask any art teacher what you can donate to her or his classroom, and they will gladly tell you what they would appreciate.  

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