The Good News: Seven more coffee shops have been added to the network feed. The coffee shops are located in Pasadena, Burbank, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Redondo Beach, San Dimas, Hollywood and Ventura (2) and the network is growing rapidly. ICN has also struck a deal with Aardvark Records, check it out:
"Aardvark Records and World Wide Arts' Independent Coffee Network have announced a licensing deal. which sees the British record label supplying the US-based music video entertainment provider with its promotional music videos. The video licensing deal will see popular videos broadcast in independent American coffee houses from coast to coast."

It's real, it's happening and it is growing. I just spoke to the manager of Backstage Café in Burbank, CA and he contacted one of our artists Minoo Khanbabai about purchasing one of her works. He also stated that ICN was a great addition to his business and customers really liked what they saw.

ArtId is the sole provider of original art images to the network. WE NEED YOUR ART and your Art related videos. It takes 35 images to fill an average 3-4 minute music clip. That translates into a lot of images in an 18 hour broadcast day. You don't want ICN going to our competitors for artwork and diluting your visibility and our brand impact, do you? Those of you who have sent in your CD, a giant THANK YOU.

The Not So Good News:

Out of the over 1500 ArtId members, only 45 artists have sent in their images.

What are you waiting for? At a time when everyone is complaining about no sales or exposure this huge opportunity is being handed to you. All it takes is putting your high resolution images on a CD and mailing them to me. If you don't know how to do that, read my blog or ask someone to help you. All the requirements are posted on the site. Check Calls for Art on the Home Page or Coffee Network TV in Blogs. If you have questions ask me, mary@artid.com.

If you know artists, have artist friends that want mega exposure, tell them about it. There is no deadline, this is an ongoing project and you can continue to send in new work as you finish them. Send in those CD's!]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2730 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Photographing Your Artwork and Resizing Images

Photographing
Here are a few tips that apply to almost any camera. It's important that your camera is 4mega pixels or higher. Make sure your camera set to the highest setting ISO Large or Hi. Some cameras have a RAW setting, choose this. This mode will give you the largest file with the most information.
Take pictures of your artwork as closely as you can, either lay it on the floor or hang it on a wall. Shoot it straight on, not tilted in a chair or leaning against a wall. Overcast days are perfect for photographing art. Never shoot in direct sunlight, always in indirect light. Do not use a flash unless you can control the "hot spot" it will leave. Try not to shoot through glass unless there is no other option. Shoot your work including the frame if it has one. You can crop it out later if you want.

Download your pictures from your camera to your computer to wherever your software puts them. (It's always a mystery to me). If you already have a system set up then ignore this part. Create a new folder on your desktop called ORIG FILES. Go find the newly downloaded images and drag them to the new folder. Open Photoshop Elements or other editing software and open an image.

Sizing
Here is where we might part ways. These instructions are for Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements but may be very similar to your software so get what you can out of it.
If the image it has a perspective bow in it you can select it, go to Transform, Skew and drag the corners around until it straightens out. Now you can adjust the color, brightness etc. Go to Image Size or Resize and look at the numbers. For the web you want roughly 8×10-ish and 72 ppi (sometimes called dpi) and roughly 600 × 800 pixels or larger but not more than 5 MB.

For the ICN hi def screens you want hi res images 300 ppi and at least 1700 pixels minimum in either direction. If you unclick the Resample Image box you can change the resolution and the image size will change with it. Click on the Resample Image box and you can change the dimensions without altering the ppi. Your hi res images should end up 900 KB or larger. For ICN, larger is better as long as it is 300 ppi and a min of 900 KB

Saving and Sorting
Make two more new folders on your desktop One WEB and the other HI RES. When you are done adjusting and resizing an image click "Save As". Name the image, save it as a .jpeg, and save it to the appropriate folder on your desktop, 72 ppi to the WEB folder and 300ppi to the HI RES folder. Keep the original file unchanged. This keeps the images separated and easy to find when uploading. So now you have three folders, Original Files, Hi Res and Web.

Burning a CD
For PC people:
Go to Start, select My Computer, and select, CD DRIVE. When the window opens you can drag the entire appropriate folder or single images from your desktop to the window and then click "Write these files to CD". I'm sure you have put a blank CD in by now, right?

For Mac People: Go to Finder, File (on the very top menu bar) and choose New Burn Folder. Name the burn folder. Drag and drop either the images one by one or the whole folder Hi Res or Web or both onto the burn folder. Go back to File and choose Burn (folder name) to CD.
That should do it.
Now you can save your files in whatever system you have that works for you. Always save the Original Files, they contain the most information and you can go back to one if you screw something up. If the only images you have, have already been sized for the web, or shot with low-resolution equipment, you can't make them larger. If this is the case you should go back and re photograph the image.
There is a lot of info, groups and sites, on the web for troubleshooting your process.
Or ... ask a five year old.

Post Note: As Marie mentioned in her comment below, RAW files have a lot of information and therefore take up a lot of memory in your computer. It's always a good idea to copy ALL your images to a disk, archive it and store only the lo res web versions on your computer.

I have been grabbing a few hours now and then to practice my oil painting. Ta Da! I'm Watching You is finished. The subject is my cat, Shadow who often pretends to be sleeping but still has one eye open. He used to have one white whisker that looked pretty funny but now he has a few on each side, making his portrait more balanced. The painting is 3 × 4 so I had to cut and fit my own frame.

I thought everyone should get a little good news. Sandy DiCristofaro received a commission last week from someone who saw her work on her ArtId site. A few days later, I got a calligraphy job from someone who found my ArtId site in a Google search for calligraphers. Leaving links, blogging, and social media really does pay off.

I believe that as long as you are here, you should be, curious and engaged in what interests you, always learning, always challenging yourself. Many artists have stated that they need to make art in order to feel balanced or complete, that a challenge is what drives them to improve and expand. If you feel that way then you must have a bucket list. Even accomplished, talented, tops in their field, artists have something they want to explore to broaden their work.

I'll go first.

1. Take a life drawing class
2. Learn to paint (well)
3. Conquer flourishing
4. Write a book (does that count?)
5. Incorporate lettering with altered surfaces
6. Become proficient with raised gilding
7. Go back to quills and vellum
8. Carve letters in stone
9. Make more uninterrupted studio time

Now, what is on your artist's bucket list?]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2610 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here at ArtId we have made a commitment to accept advertising, from eco friendly art suppliers, only. Companies that are making a difference in their everyday business practices deserve our support. When members log in there is a link to Rex Art Supplies one of our environmentally responsible partners. So what is Rex Art all about?

Katrina Morris, Director of Internet Marketing, states, "Here at Rex Art we do our best to be green. Our offices and warehouse are painted with low VOC paint, we use non-toxic cleaning products and we recycle shipping boxes and packing material. We've installed efficient lighting fixtures throughout our facility and programmed our thermostats so that we use less energy. We even made sure our desks were certified to have less of an impact on the environment throughout their lifecycle."

April 1950 gave birth to a new small business, in Coral Gables FL, Rex Artist Supplies. In 1995 Rex Art was the first on-line provider of art supplies. Family owned and operated for four generations, Rex Art understands the importance of customer service and personal attention; this, combined with high quality art supplies, and a commitment to using less energy, makes Rex Art a leader in the industry. It has been very difficult for us to find art supply companies that are also earth friendly in their business model, or produce a truly nontoxic product. Art materials have historically and consistently ranked very high in toxicity and posed a real danger to the artist and the earth, now is as good a time as any to start buying green supplies from green companies and demanding more companies rethink their business practices.

Equally important with eco friendliness and quality products is customer service. Katrina added, "When you shop at Rex Art you get 21st century convenience with old fashioned, knowledgeable, fast and friendly service. We are not as big as some of the huge art supply providers, but quite often we offer pricing that is just as good as the big guys and we have better free freight deals. Customers can feel really good about shopping at Rex Art because there is a real family working here. Art supplies are our lives, as they have been in our family going on 4 generations! We care very much about our customer's needs, and want to make sure we can do our best to fulfill them. Our main goal is to provide personal service, something that is often lacking online." They also have a Special Order service should you want something they don't usually carry.

Please check out their website and order from Rex Art whenever you need art materials. http://www.rexart.com

Artists have the power of creative thinking on their side. When things are not going as planned, use that power to think differently. How will you use this time to your advantage? How can you make art with leftovers you have in the studio? How can you change your format to fit these times? Clean, organize, develop your mailing list, use the social media tools you have to get the word out about you and your work. Start blogging! How can you make sure that your website is the best it can be? Start with Is Your Website 2009 Worthy?. Why Google Isn't Finding You and Describing Your Art For The Internet.
Take the time to make some simple changes to optimize your site. Create solutions when others are taking their ball and bat and going home.

Sales have slowed across the board, and now it the time to be marketing the be-jeepers out of yourself. Everyone else is. In what might look like a saturated venue, sales of art on the internet hasn't even started yet. ArtId is working like crazy to help educate the designer, decorator, consultant and consumer, that original art is even available for sale on the internet. Shockingly, they don't know. Most are still using the gallery model as their source for original art, or they turn to the poster reproduction to cut costs. We all need to educate the buying sector that art is most certainly available on the internet.

To help sales along, one of the most positive things you can do is have, and prominently post, a return policy. Buyers are much more likely to buy something if they know they can return it if it isn't what they expected, it doesn't fit the space, or the colors are wrong.

Contrary to popular perception, misery and art don't mix, especially in the long run.

Let me know what you are doing to stay positive.]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2467 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I was about to go on ranting about injustice and under appreciated artists, when I read Sheila Wedegis' blog about painting for a cause. It made me stop and think. Contributing to your community, to an organization or fund is a very good thing. As an artist, it is logical for me to donate a piece of my art rather than give cash. The number of good causes holding art auctions is overwhelming, now, and I can't give to everything. So, Sheila's idea makes a great deal of sense. She loves Labradors, she paints Labradors and she is contributing to a cause that helps Labradors. That's brilliant. By aligning her work to the cause there is a ready-made audience for her subject matter. She works on a painting a day and donates a portion of the sale to Lab Rescue.

Fundraising is an ever increasingly daunting task. I have been on many a committee and I have found that thinking outside of the box makes for a more successful event. Art auctions don't reap the same results as they once did, and donors are more eager to participate in something new and different.

Since I don't have a focus of subject matter really, I am thinking about what I can do to raise funds for my chosen cause, breast cancer. I could do mixed media collage pieces or letter quotes of encouragement, hope and healing. Maybe both. This way, when I am asked to donate I can politely decline saying that I support a cause I feel strongly about and leave it at that.

I'll bet you are reading this saying "Hmmm, I could do something like that." Choose a cause that means something to you and get creative. You are still doing your part in contributing and you don't have to feel guilty saying "No."]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2389 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

In 2009 ArtId has made the commitment to be environmentally responsible and post information that will help our members make green decisions about their work and their surroundings. Part of that commitment is to seek out and partner with a limited number of environmentally responsible art supply companies. These advertisers will be contributing to the content of the site with news and information about new products and working towards keeping art, artists and the earth safe from harmful substances. You will soon see some new link connections on the log in page. Earth Safe Finishes and Rex Art. Please go to their websites to see their product lines and support them when buying art supplies.

I will be writing more in depth about each of these companies in the coming weeks. We will be keeping the advertisers and number of pages limited to comply with our original idea of clean, uninterrupted spaces. If you know of any companies that are producing green supplies, storage systems or studio furnishings please let us know. Help keep ArtId free of harmful dancing bears and bouncing smiley faces. ]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2385 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 The value of art lies in its ability to generate income. An entire industry is built on that accepted truth, dividing art and artists into strata of profitability and determining success and failure.

By that definition, my art is worthless and I am a failure. If money were arts only measure of value I would stop today, I would throw away my tools and supplies and watch a movie. While my art may be of no value to anyone else, the simple act of creating it is priceless. I produce what I call art, because I have to, it's like breathing or sleeping. If I don't participate in the act of creation I suffer from creative deprivation. I am uneasy, off balance, something is wrong; I have to find a tool and a surface on which to make marks.

What is it about our art that we are propelled to put it up for public scrutiny? Because our art is visual then does that make looking at it compulsory? Is viewing it the final step in its completion? Is the sale of our work, its measure of success, of my success? I put my artwork on the Internet for global scrutiny; if I don't sell it then do I take my ball and bat and go home?

I often ask, "If you were the last person on earth with no one to see your work, would you still do it? I am inspired by artist Millie Gift Smith is both prolific and undaunted, Millie puts it all out there, her successes, her failures, her experiments and diversions. She faithfully maintains her web visibility and participates in the art community by writing and commenting, initiating conversations with like minds, inviting the critics and the admirers with the same open arms. If Millie were the last one here she would make art for the sheer joy of it.

We have veered tragically to a place where the molded plastic head of an artist sells for 10,000.00 and Millie's fabulous $300.00 watercolor doesn't sell. What are we doing? Do people with excessive amounts of money lose their sense of value? Or do they just believe the people who tell them what they should value. Conspicuous consumption is rapidly being frowned upon, and openly criticized. It's about time. Much of the art world has been overinflated to make room for more profit for more people.

The social component of art is never fair. There will always be those of questionable talent who will profit in great disproportion, and those very gifted who will die in anonymity. There will be artistic genius recognized and dismissed. The faster we put that "unfair" boulder out of our way the more quickly we can travel.]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2355 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Somebody better call the Geneva Convention, there is a painting being tortured. Obviously overworked, but what a blast! Joyce's book has been christened, with paint, but not so badly I can't still read it. The second is a painting in progress of my cat on the windowsill. I'm making observations as I go because I have never worked with oils before. I'm not really frustrated because I'm having so much fun and I can always paint over them.

This piece, A Long Way To Go and Curve Of The Earth are part of a series that is my attempt to break away from so many right angles. All my work is very squared up and orderly, not consciously, I'm just really comfortable with the format. Maybe it's a by-product of graphic design. As you can see I really broke the format with these tentative curves. "Hold on Mary, don't go crazy all at once." It may not be earth shattering but is is a start at working with movement through space.

I have nothing against galleries; I owned one. They serve a portion of the population that is looking to invest in and collect art. Clients rely on a good relationship with a gallery, for advice, recommendations and information. It's kind of like the stock market of the art world. What's hot, what's not, what's new, what is a long shot, what is a good investment? They use words like "important", "ground breaking" and "explosive". High End, is that near the north end? The percentage of working artists today who are adequately represented by a gallery is very small. I have nothing against Art and Craft Shows; I've exhibited in them. They serve another purpose for another portion of the population. They range from high end to low end. Some are juried and some are open, they are held on town commons and in church parking lots. Craft shows are great place to discover new talent, cool new stuff and fresh approaches.
Then there are the rest of us.
I call us the "betweens". We are not represented by a gallery, and finished with, or never did, art and craft shows. There are millions of us, professional, talented, hard working (not to mention attractive) artists who do triple duty, creating art and self promoting, jumping between right and left brain. We have to serve as artist, photographer, writer, graphic designer, publicist, blogger and web site manager. That is one tough gig.
We're still trying to shake off the "starving", "unorganized", "ditzy" labels. If you are still hiding behind one of those, don't. We are poking the media into recognizing, art on line, as a resource. We are trying to awaken the consuming public to buy art online, or at least look at it! We are pulling at the ear of HGTV, decorating magazines, art consultants, retailers, and all those who influence consumer buying trends. Our art is most widely available through our websites, online. The Internet is a huge resource for art in every price range, color, style, style, subject and media.
All you set designers, all you homeowners with blank walls, all you Banks, Doctor's Offices and Restaurants, with faded art that needs to be replaced anyway. Support a part of society that is greatly overlooked. Do the right thing, buy a "between".

In Annonay, France, the Canson paper mill has making the finest art papers in the world for nearly 450 years. Descendants of the founding Montgolfier family work today in the Rhone Valley mill where the company first produced paper in 1557. Canson's history tells the story of the development of fine papermaking, and includes such milestones as the manufacture of the first French vellum fine writing paper in 1777, and the use of the Hollander (cylinder) for pulp beating in 1781. But the company's most publicized accomplishment came in 1783, when brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier invented the hot-air balloon -- made of paper! In 1807, Napoleon awarded a patent to the Mongolfiers for a pulp coloring process. It was a son-in-law named Canson who patented a technique for incorporating sizing into paper.

Tracing paper's semi transparent quality allowed for the overlay of images for comparison and fitting as well as the copy and transfer of shapes and images long before copy technology made it possible. The surface of tracing paper while seemingly quite smooth has a tooth that is excellent for pencil drawing, colored pencil and pastel. The surface is also excellent for pen and ink, technical pen, and marker.

Pergamano Parchment Craft is a popular, rediscovered craft rooted in an art form that stems back almost two thousand years. Today's parchment craft projects are delicately beautiful, lacy designs created by a combination of techniques including embossing, stippling, perforating, cutting and coloring.

Tracing paper can also be used as carbon paper. After tracing the desired shape(s)rub the reverse of the image area with a soft pencil or graphite stick. Rub lightly with a tissue to remove the excess powder. Turn right side up, position and retrace the original shape. The graphite on the reverse will leave a faithful mark.

In addition to it's familiar uses, tracing paper and tracing vellum have found new uses in the 20th century. Tracing vellum can be put through a laser printer and keep a crisp image but doesn't work well with ink jet printers. Tracing vellum can be used as a wrapper, slip-sheet or as an overlay for original drawings and formal documents. Made from cotton fibers, today's parchment (vellum, tracing paper) is translucent with a smooth surface and light gray color.

Canson's tracing paper is 100% cotton fiber and contains no translucence, chemicals, bleaches or optic whiteners. For more information on the entire line of Canson's fine artists papers and art materials go to www.canson-us.com.]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2322 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 I dare you to do a feature or series on buying art for the home on the Internet. Readers are ready for some new ideas. They are sick of you featuring what is the newest cool thing at Target. Design tips like wrapping fabric around a stretcher frame ala Merimekko has been done and done and done. So has finding some object in the junkyard, spray painting it and hanging it on the wall as art. Readers regularly buy everyday home goods from the Internet, why not art? Because you don't tell them to.

Instead of sending people out to a chain store to buy cheap reproductions made in China, why not do a little economy stimulating right here at home. There are thousands of talented artists who sell their original work through their Internet galleries. Art is available in every media, subject, color and price range. Art can be purchased framed, unframed, original or limited edition giclee's. Every artist has contact information, a perspective buyer can talk to the artist directly and ask questions before they purchase. Buyers can inquire about the artist's return policy if the artwork is not what they expected, or doesn't go with the sofa.

For many people buying art is difficult, galleries are intimidating, they don't trust their own judgment, they don't know where to start, or what is a good buy. Educate them, write articles about what to look for, how to measure, how to frame and hang art, advise them, and show them examples of art in an environment. Decorating publications need not feature one artist or web site but rather the concept that everyone can have original art in their home with the click of a button.

Original art is available at surprisingly affordable prices. For the same amount of money as one trip to The Christmas Tree Shops, or a pair of designer shoes, consumers can own an original piece of art and support a deserving industry.

Give your readers something new, some fresh ideas and options. I double dog dare you.]]> http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2300 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:30:54 +0000