To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
Now that school is out for the summer, many parents have a great deal of time to spend with their kids. What better way to spend that time than to hang out with them and make some art? Continue reading
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©Oak Creek Printworks
by Georgia Lange
The most important part of being an artist is showing your work to the public; otherwise, you are just wasted talent. 
Having said that, how does one go about showing his or her work? Of course, there is the online option; social networking sites like flickr, artslant, and facebook are great ways to get your work seen by others who you might never have met otherwise. However, there is a big difference between seeing a work of art on a computer screen and seeing the real thing in person. This brings me to the subject of galleries; galleries are the primary way that artists get their work shown to the public and build up their reputations. There are several different kinds of galleries, and finding the right one can be a challenge. Traditional galleries provide a client base, all or most of the expenses including the advertising, and take the highest percentage of your sales (usually about 50% of the sale price). Traditional galleries are also the most picky when it comes to taking on new talent.
There is an alternative to the traditional gallery, and that is the cooperative gallery. Co-op galleries are usually run by a group of artists working together to show their work. There is usually a membership fee, and the additional expenses often are shared by the gallery members. Co-op galleries are a great way to Continue reading
By David Heyman
When one thinks of different formats for artistic and creative expression, what comes to mind are paintings on canvas or paper, photography and handmade greeting cards, to name a few. One medium that is not as well known are handmade bookmarks.
Since they are not as common as other types of art, many unique opportunities exist for marketing these items, at retail stores, art fairs and shows, galleries and over the Internet.
Handmade bookmarks can be as simple as text and verses, with some basic graphics, that are printed on heavy stock on your home printer. For more elaborate creations, whether it be hand painted watercolors on thick 300 pound paper, a scrapbook collage enhanced with small inclusions, or even a stencilled paper cut-out, the sky is the limit for your options.
Artistic bookmarks can be marketed singly, or in sets. Encasing your bookmark creations in a protective sleeve is an important part of presenting a professional product, as many handmade items are delicate, and easily damaged. Heavyweight clear vinyl bookmark sleeves are ideal for any delicate or higher value items, while a thin polypropylene plastic sleeve works well for printed bookmarks.
A nice touch to add a bit of class to your bookmark is a chainette tassel. These come in many colors, as well as striped varieties, and will increase the perceived value of the piece.
Bookmarks can be practical, they can be collector’s items, they can even be fine art. Using some of these marketing tips, handmade bookmarks can also be a money maker for any artist too!
Graphic artists are always looking for images that can be screened back to provide texture for backgrounds or to fill in fonts or other images. Free high-resolution, royalty free images can be hard to come by. Oak Creek Printworks is pleased to announce our new “Image of the Week” feature. To start with, we are posting not one but three images for the first week. Whether you are a customer or just browsing our site, feel free to double-click on the images below, and then right click on the full-sized image to download a high-resolution copy of the photograph. Be sure to check back each week for a new offering. We hope you like this new feature, and would appreciate hearing from you if you have any comments.
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Terms of Use: You can use these images for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright them or resell them. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the images. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
by Georgia Lange
Summer is upon us, and many of us are excited about taking a little vacation time. This is particularly true for those of us who have been in school for these past several months. Just because school is out doesn’t mean you should quit working; art is a constant process, and long periods of “time off” can be a waste of creative potential. For a true artist, the work is never finished. There are dozens of ways to keep busy while still having fun. Remember, experience itself can be a work of art (see our previous article on this topic for some more food-for-thought). Here are a couple of ideas to keep your creative juices flowing over the summer.
If you would like to comment on this article, or share with us your ideas on how to stay actively creative while enjoyng the freedom of summer, please double click on the title of this article and let us know your thoughts. Let’s get a conversation going!
OLMCS - Student art cards for sale in 2010 fundraiser
Our clients have great ideas. The mom’s at Our Lady of Malibu Catholic School decided to sell the children’s artwork as card sets for this year’s fundraiser. They printed up the cards, but were not sure how to package them. Following a little internet research, one of the moms visited us, wanting to see our clear plastic boxes. After trying a few different sizes to fit both the envelopes and cards in the same package, the result was a professional product for sale, worthy of any store or boutique. And economic too! In addition, the clear packaging allowed them to print a page to insert in the bottom of the box, profiling the artist and showing the prints enclosed.
Congratulations to all the budding artists at OLMCS, who now have the distinction of having sold their artwork. They are off to a great start.
Past clients include public and private schools, and Sister Cities International, which features artwork from children around the world. Take a look at some of their artwork. Perhaps it will inspire you. To check out packaging options, see recent blog article “Greeting card sets – a great marketing idea!” by David Heyman.
"Great Harvest" - ©2008, Sister Cities
"Quilt" - Weathersfield School
"Lions" - Montgomery High School
By David Heyman
Often times when making your own greeting cards by hand, you may come up with several designs that naturally work well together. While you can sell each card individually, an interesting marketing strategy is packaging them together for a card set.
Whether tied in by theme, color, style or subject, you need to have a Continue reading
Let’s face it. Some of us are more able to “see” or envision things than others, especially when it comes to 3D environments. Picture this. You are trying to rearrange your living room in your head and you know just where you want everything, but…you can’t get your idea across to your partner. Can you relate?
Whether you want to build a house, set up an apartment, help the kid furnish a dorm 
room, or plan the layout of the new baby’s room, you can do it with the help of the Autodesk Homestyler, an interactive drag and drop program to help you create 2-D and 3-D versions of your business, home, or room. You can do a variety of things from adding entire rooms, walls, doors, and windows to selecting furniture, appliances, plants, and outdoor landscaping.
Want something a little less complex? Give PlanningWiz a try. This designer has built-in rulers, grids, and basic line and color tools that make it so easy that kids can use it. In fact, besides using it to create home/room designs, you could even use it in conjunction with school lessons to teach perspective, shapes, proportion, measuring on a large scale, and loads of other skills. Check both of these design tools out and see what you think.
