Join me on Tuesday, June 28th for an art print marketing webinar.
The 2-hour program is packed with useful practical information designed to boost your career. It will run at 7 pm Central Daylight Time. Click here to register now. There is limited seating, act now to claim your spot.
My friend and colleague, Tim O'Neill, contacted me about producing a webinar on selling digital paintings in the art print market. He is a wonderful supporter of digital artists and quite successful as one on his own. He is the publisher of Digital Paint Magazine and also operates the Digital Art Academy. His suggestion hit home with me as a great idea and I readily agreed.
I hope you can join and use the information provided to boost your giclee and fine art print sales.
You never understood that it ain't no good, You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you. ~Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
During the Q&A after a recent webinar I gave on how to achieve print market success, I had this question, "Do you think digitally created art is more difficult to sell than traditionally made art?"
While the question caused me to think art in general can be difficult to sell for many reasons, I came away believing artists today have the power to define their work and themselves as never before.
Digital art deserves respect. So do you!
Regarding selling digital art, it is valid to ask if selling it is harder. For me, the short answer is yes, depending on who is selling and who they are talking to. Nevertheless, I believe artists in the digital medium have the means to stand up and demand respect and fair market value for their work.
Isn't it true that nearly all artists find garnering success, acclaim, recognition and staying relevant a constant battle? These things do not come easily to most of us. We fight for our right to be seen and to be respected.
Genius can be plucked from obscurity
Yes, there is what seems like the occasional overnight success. One plucked from obscurity by some fluke occurrence as with Susan Boyle on some British talent show. But, I bet she spent thousands of hours perfecting her incredible voice, just like The Beatles spent thousands of hours in seedy bars in Hamburg perfecting their craft and, as the apropos lyrics from their tune Blackbird says,
I went on further in answering the question to mention there is Museum of Computer Art celebrating digitally made art, which is great sales cannon fodder. I pointed out the museum is mentioned in an Art Print Issues blog post titled, Overload - What Digital Art Tells Us About the Future. So, digital art is already on the scene, just maybe not conscious to buyers on Main Street. But so what, is that where your future is? Is Main Street where you will build your collector base?
The future is bright for digital art and any artist who seizes control of how their work is marketed
It does not take much investigation to find there numerous serious artists working in digital form. Take for instance, Bonny Lhotka. She has been around for decades and is a founder of the digital artist collaborative Digital Atelier. Other founding member are Dorothy Krause and Karin Schminke. The Digital Atelier® conducts research on digital imaging for fine art application.
The Digital Painting Forum is a beacon
Would a thriving community such as found on the Digital Painting Forum with a substantial viable paid membership be possible if there was not a bright future for digital art? In my opinion, making digital art is too compelling for many artists to be able to put it down or dismiss it. Giclee printing did not come from consumer or artist demand. It was a product for art publishers. Digital art is the opposite in that I see the demand on the artist side that eventually will take it into the mainstream.
I surmise in complete conjecture that perhaps older generations who can remember when a fax machine was cutting edge technology are less prone to accept digital art. But, those in subsequent generations have grown up on a steady diet of digital art. As such, I see the future as bright for digital art.
In short, my best advice in answering the question from the webinar is artists have control over how their art is defined if they are proactive. You can choose to let others define you, or you can choose to demand others take your perspective. How you roll on your decisions and actions is what will make the difference.
Confidence, courage and conviction will lead you to new art career heights
I know it takes true confidence in your work and what it stands for to be demandingly bold about its importance. As always, the meek will have a harder time controlling the buzz around their art. At the heart of it, you have to stand for something, believe in it and not let others, as Dylan says, "Get your kicks for you."
Certainly, if any one artist embodies what it means to stand by his work in the face of withering repression from those who wanted to define him, it is Bob Dylan. At the height of his soaring popularity as a folk singer, and unaccepted spokesperson for his generation title, he dropped his acoustic guitar and plugged in to begin writing the most powerful rock n' roll lyrics ever written, much to the deep dismay of his most loyal fans.
You can define how you and your artwork are perceived
In fact, "Like a Rolling Stone", tops Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest rock songs ever. I know you are reading this piece and that you are not likely to galvanize an entire generation with your artwork. Nevertheless, you can take a lesson from Dylan to realize displaying the courage to stand up for yourself and your art, to not be fenced in, to define yourself and to define your artwork is all in your hands.
The Internet flattens the playing field
Today, with the Internet greatly helping to flatten the playing field, the art arbiters have less power than any previous time. Artists are not beholden to galleries and agents to make their career. You can be as controversial as you want and still command respect and sales. The inestimable Hazel Dooney has proved this to all who admire her fearlessness when it comes making art and taking control of who her followers are and what message they get directly from the artist.
There is opportunity in market fragmentation
You are the artist. You are the message. You can use the Internet, blogging and social media to control the message. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but if you are spinning silk, no matter what anyone else tells you or says about you, you can make art that collectors you develop will repeatedly buy from you.
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in. ~ Anthem, Leonard Cohen
I talked a bit about market fragmentation in my webinar. It's made things different and all but sadly put traditional media such as Decor Magazine, Art Business News, Art World News, and tradeshows such as Decor Expo Atlanta and ArtExpo New York in the grave or on life support.
Use the cracks to let the light shine on you and your artwork
On the flip side, market fragmentation causes cracks. It is how the light gets in. It is in those cracks that artists, especially digital artists, can define themselves, create a market, and control the buzz about their artwork and themselves. That's a delightful unintended consequence that those paying attention are using every day to their distinct advantage.
It's my hope you are inspired by reading this to get your own kicks for you!
The Giclee Business Digital Fine Art Printing & Art Business Directory Debuts
If having a convenient, easy-to-use giclee printer directory, plus a digital fine art printing services and robust art business resources guide would help your art career, then you will love the Giclee Business directory!
Giclee printing and art business resources at your fingertips
Until now, artists seeking to learn more about how to get their original works reproduced as giclees have had difficulties finding giclee printers, fine art image capturing services and other fine art business resources.
Your problem is solved with the Giclee Business online directory of digital fine art printing resources and fine art business and art marketing resources. It contains a growing list of nearly 500 giclee printers, fine art digital printing service providers, and contacts for the art market's top art marketing and art business resources.
The Giclee Business directory connects visual artists and companies with services for them.
Here are some short videos to help you get started:
In addition to the videos, you will find answers to your questions on the Giclee Business Frequently Asked Questions pages. They are designed to help you find the information you need to get the most from the directory whether you are a visual artist user, or a company seeking to list and advertise to reach visual artists.
For giclee printers, and those companies providing art marketing and art business services, GicleeBusiness.com is a great place to affordably advertise to reach artists
If you want to reach artists in the most powerful way possible, this directory is for you. When artists and fine art photographers come to the Giclee Business directory, they will be seeking solutions to help them in their careers. There is no better time for your message to reach and influence visual artists than when they are actively looking for the products, services and advice you routinely provide them.
The Giclee Business Directory is produced by long-time industry pro, Barney Davey
This directory is curated and published by Barney Davey, author of How to Profit from the Art Print Market, a perennial bestseller on the Amazon.com "Business of Art" category since 2005. By being intimately involved in the fine art print reproduction market since 1988, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this exciting new giclee printer directory developed exclusively for visual artists and fine art photographers.
Since 2005 he has published more than 400 hundred posts and articles aimed at helping artists learn how to work smarter and keep more of the money they make. Most of that information can be found here in the Art Print Issues archive, one of the most highly trafficked and well respected art business blogs on the Internet.
Digital Arts Studio Rocks How to Profit from the Art Print Market and GicleeBusiness.com
Our good friends and supporters at Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta and Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale are already enjoying the benefits of their advertising in the directory and also in the 2nd Edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market.
The ad for Digital Arts Studio seen on the right can also be found in the book. Look for a profile about this the premier giclee printing studio in an upcoming issue. You'll want to learn more about them.
Part of its benefit package includes an exclusive webinar provided for its artists coming up on Arpil 4.
Because the book is produced just like giclees with print-on-demand technology, it is never too late to start advertising. You can get full details here.
Please help spread the word to publicize the Giclee Business Directory
I will greatly appreciate your help if you would kindly share this post with your artist friends, blog about it and link to it. It will be a way to make it more useful and to make the many hours in its production all the more worthwhile.
While browsing for information on another subject, I unexpectedly and delightfully came across Digital Art Revolution: Creating Fine Art with Photoshop, a new book by Scott Ligon. He is a digital artist, filmmaker and the coordinator for the digital foundation curriculum at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Although I believe traditional forms of painting will never cease to be created, enjoyed and collected, I see digital fine art taking its own important place in the field of visual arts. As such, you can find on this blog numerous posts about the impact of digital art, the growing interest in digital painting and how using the term "Convergent Media" might be a helpful term to digital artists.
Now comes along Scott Ligon to add an impressive voice and contribution to the conversation about digital fine art with his new book. You can visit his Digital Art Revolution website to read a synopsis of each chapter. The book is illustrated with fine art from 40 digital artists. There is also a link to download his critically acclaimed short film, "Escape Velocity", on iTunes.
Glimpsing the future of digital art
I suppose we all have milestones or epiphanies where we get a glimpse of the future. One for me was when attending an art and picture framing tradeshow, produced by my then employer, Decor magazine in Orlando, Florida. This show took place in the 1990s and was so long ago it was called the Art Buyers Caravan (ABC) Orlando Show. The name changed to Decor Expo a few years later.
It was there in the booth of an exhibitor, I met an artist named Rocco. The company was selling a full-service digital art creation and printing service. While there were other companies selling ink jet printers, there was nothing like this company in the market at the time. Rocco showed me a very nice digital still life image of an apple he had painted earlier in a demonstration there. It was quite well rendered on a white background, and one could see it could be finished into a commercially viable piece.
What was really cool was when he played back the series of strokes used to paint the apple. It was sped up and only took a few seconds to watch this image be completed. To give some perspective, the term "giclee" had yet to be introduced into the market. So, it was a bit surreal to see this use of technology to create art. I likened seeing the sped up strokes magically come on to the screen to watching the late TV drawing instructor, Jon Gnagy, on speed.
Rocco was using a digital stylus and tablet that was a crude forerunner to a modern Wacom Cintiq 12 x 12 Tablet. He told me from the first time he picked up the stylus and realized he could mix colors at will and change pressure on the point to get different effects that it felt as natural as a paint brush to him. That he could easily demonstrate how to use it to get realistic looking brushstrokes and create an appealing image were all I needed to know I had just seen the future of digital art.
Now, more than a decade later, we have artists like Scott Ligon coming along to teach and help push the importance and acceptance of digital art. And, I can't wait to see what happens next!
P.S. You can still win the Milton Glaser "To Inform & Delight" DVD raffle! The drawing deadline has been extended to the release date of April 27. Get your entry in now. Having seen the film, I guarantee you will be
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Every now and then someone comes along who casts a long shadow over some aspect of their chosen field. When it comes to making contributions to digital painting, Marilyn Sholin is such a person. She is an acknowledged master of the Corel Painter program who shares her talent, techniques and insights with thousands of digital artists and photographers worldwide.
As with many digital painters, Marilyn's path began with a professional career as a photographer. In her case, she has worked for more than 25 years to become a highly accomplished and sought after portrait photographer. Those who know Marilyn recognize a drive and indefatigable spirit that pushes her to take on new and interesting challenges. Those high achiever attributes undoubtedly are behind her becoming an expert user and teacher of the Corel Painter program and other digital imaging tools as well.
Marilyn's expertise has led her into authoring books and marketing CDs; all with the aim of helping others grow their talents in digital painting. She is also the founder of the Digital Painting Forum. It boasts more than 2100 members who have shared nearly 85,000 posts. What is truly unique is this is a closed paid forum. In an age where forums offering free memberships spring up like wildflowers in warm weather after abundant rain, it is refreshing to see and a confirmation of Marilyn's leadership and the dedication of its membership that the Digital Painting Forum stays strong and viable with its paid membership program.
Marilyn teaches classes around the country and overseas as well. If you are interested in learning more about digital painting, or want to advance your skills, you should check out her schedule of classes she offers from her home studio in beautiful Asheville, NC. I visited there last summer and spent some time with Marilyn. It was an inspiring trip on numerous levels. You can get information on all her upcoming events here. If digital painting intrigues you, as it has so many others, you won't find a better resource to improve your skills and advance your learning than through the stellar efforts of Marilyn Sholin.
If ever there were a piece of contemporary art that accurately describes the current human condition, it would be Rick Simpson's magnificent piece titled Overload and seen here.
The image is the perfect metaphor for the piling on of the global financial market gyrations on top of those of us interconnected through digital communications. As if we didn't already struggle with an overwhelming amount of useful, trivial and useless data being streamed through constantly improving gadgets.
Simpson's piece took home a well-deserved First Prize in the 8th Annual Donnie (Digital Art Contest) Awards presented by MOCA, the Museum of Computer Art. I think the judges were equally in tune with Simpson's view in foretelling our near future.
Digital art, in my humble opinion, is still in its nascent state. While there is an impressive body of important current work, I believe the best is yet to come. It might just be with equipment not yet invented, or brought to market.
It could be that futurist Watts Wacker's Next Big Thing theory as outlined in the above post may well come from the ranks of digital artists. Given we are nearly through the first decade of a new millennium, it would be a natural evolution.
Art is about expression, which is why it is an excellent harbinger of things to come. Artists seeking to express themselves will use whatever means available to forcefully and eloquently bring forth their vision. I'd say Rick Simpson's work shown here punctuates the notion.
There is no argument we are cursed to live in interesting times. Events of the past few weeks have made things too interesting by far for most of us. Let's hope the last minute maneuvering to save the US economy works. Too bad most of us are clueless as to how this happened.
On a wing and a prayer our economy flies now
We all understand home prices jumped to unheard heights when the interest rate was dropped down to record lows and stayed there for the longest time. In a nutshell, supposedly smart people who should have cared and known better turned out to be average people with above average greed.
Homeowners were sucked in along the way as many succumbed to the Pied Piper's tune telling them prices would not go down and they could use the equity in their home like a free ATM machine. It was a glorious party, but now the hangover and reality have set in with a monstrous financial headache. It's not that simple, but the essence is there and applies to the highest gilt-edged boardrooms as well as modest two bedroom bungalows.
Can these really be the best of times?
Now, if you are not so depressed about the undoing of our national financial underpinnings, you might be wondering how you can sell some art. I have been saying in workshops, consulting sessions and private conversations for some time that these interesting times are arguably the best of times for visual artists. How so you say? Simply, there are more ways to create your art and more ways to get your art to market than any previous time.
You are not relegated to choosing between oil and acrylics and paper or canvas. You might be start your creative process with the Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camerafor digital photography to capture an image and manipulate it in Photoshop. Or to perhaps learn exciting techniques for making digital imagery in Painter. If you choose the latter, you'd be wise to partake of the tremendous knowledge from Masters such as Marilyn Sholin. You might be digitally painting on the fabulous Wacom Cintiq 21UX 21.3" Tablet with Interactive Pen.
Are you working in convergence media?
If you are doing these things, I think you are creating something I call convergence media. Like mixed media, the term it borrows the name from, it requires pulling together in unique fashion an artistic vision using a variety of techniques, tools and products to create the final image. Then again, you may be putting paint on canvas as always and just using technology to do image capture to print giclees. And, there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
Just a few short years ago, you would have been doing none of this. Nor would you have a blog, or an online presence with your own Website, not mention the many worthy sites that will help you market your work. In short, right now, you have more opportunity to control how your art is made and more unique ways to find collectors than before.
These are the best of times to release all your creativity
If you have a spirit of adventure and a streak of creativity, you ought to be thinking of how you can use this new technology to create new ways to make and display your art. Why do vehicle graphics have to always be a movable billboard. Why can't they also be a piece of movable art? Do you have the resources, vision and chutzpah to graphic wrap something larger than a Hertz bus? Challenge yourself to go beyond your traditional thinking. How can you use your creativity to create something unique memorable and fantastic? If you rise to the challenge and answer that question and succeed with your vision, you are certain to have your ticket punched for the fast lane to awareness for yourself and your art.
Maybe your vision, budget or stomach for adventure is more mundane. Why not think about using wood, mylar, plastic or other substrates to create art. Here's an idea; you could work with a custom furniture maker to create art that is part of the furniture! The only limit is your imagination being throttled by yourself.
Below is an example of how Dutch photographer Suseela Gorter is using technology to create new ways to have her work displayed and appreciated.
(TREND HUNTER) These Flat Flowers stickers are the work of Dutch photographer Suseela Gorter. Flat flowers are photographs of flowers in a vase printed on a clear and static material. You simply stick the Flat Flowers… [More]
Start your own creative wheel turning. Let your mind wander. Daydreaming is essential to creative thinking. Write things down as you think of them. Use The Brain to capture and connect your thoughts. You have the capacity to do something unique. If you challenge yourself and respond, good things are bound to ensue.
I'm honored to be giving a presentation titled Making Art & Money in the Digital World at the Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta next month. The company is an industry leading premier digital printmaker. The talk is slated for Wednesday, August 13 at 6:30 pm at company headquarters. The address is: 1082 Huff Rd NW, Atlanta, Georgia Phone: 404-352-9779 Toll-free: 866-352-9779. Space is limited. RSVP via email by August 8.
Here is a synopsis:
Any artist wishing to improve their business will benefit from attending. In a fast-paced hour, you will discover new perspectives on art marketing for visual artists and photographers. Q & A to follow.
Tips on marketing, advertising, publicity, blogging, Web sites, social marketing and gallery alternatives will be provided. Artists will learn unique ways to market themselves and about attributes shared by successful artists. An extensive resource list will be included with the presentation handout.
The presentation will shed light on the rapid changes in traditional art print market and what it means to visual artists and photographers. You will gain insight to help decide to self-publish, seek a publisher or do both. The talk will include the attributes on every art publisher's dream artist list and the merits and pitfalls of both self-publishing and working with a publisher.
A discussion will be provided on how visual artists and photographers can use the print market and digital printing to:
• Grow awareness for themselves and their art • Increase sales • Diversify their price points and consumer mix
I'm looking forward to it and promise to do my best to make it fun, informative and worth your time!
A long time reader and artist extraordinaire, Jane Vanderhoof recently sent the beautiful diptych images below with this message: "Barney, you might want to check this site out and talk about it in your newsletter. This is a great way to be creative with art."
Thanks for sharing this cool Web Sketch tool Jane. I could not agree with you more; it looks like great fun! Click on the image to go directly to her Web Sketch gallery where you can read Jane's heartfelt lovely companion verse for the pieces.
Like so many nifty things on the Web, it's at brought to you at our favorite price, FREE!
P.S. If you have noticed a slow down in the pace of my blog posts lately, you are to be commended for your keen observational skills. I'm devoting time to some other projects and traveling in July and August. You can expect to see a slate of new stuff delivered at full speed starting around Labor Day.
If you have been reading along with this blog, you've seen posts questioning whether the term giclée is passé, rhetorically asking "What Is a Giclée?" and suggesting the term, "Convergent Media" is more appropriate than digital art. The situation is that digital media and communication continues to take a larger role in our lives. The blog you are reading now is a cool by-product of digital media and Web development. The picture below is the work of Convergent Media Artist, Steven Friedman and is featured on the home page of the Digital Painting Forum.
To those born soon enough that life without Game Boys, text messaging and DVRs is inconcievable, I predict the notion digitally rendered art can be construed as fine art will go without question. The rest of us have, or will catch up in due time or let it pass as something we never got. Me, I've had maybe four text messages in my life and don't feel a need for any more any sooner...but don't think about asking me to give up my blog or Internet connection. And, don't tell me exquisite art can't be created from bits and bytes.
, a new book by Scott Ligon. He is a digital artist, filmmaker and the coordinator for the digital foundation curriculum at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
He told me from the first time he picked up the stylus and realized he could mix colors at will and change pressure on the point to get different effects that it felt as natural as a paint brush to him. That he could easily demonstrate how to use it to get realistic looking brushstrokes and create an appealing image were all I needed to know I had just seen the future of digital art. 
. It's been a top seller in several Amazon categories since publication. In the early going, her publisher struggled to keep up with the strong demand for her book.
for digital photography to capture an image and manipulate it in Photoshop. Or to perhaps learn exciting techniques for making digital imagery in Painter. If you choose the latter, you'd be wise to partake of the tremendous knowledge from Masters such as 
Blooming Window Art - Flat Flowers Stickers (GALLERY)
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