Category Archives: Artists

Personalized Calendars – Easy to make, perfect for gifts

Leave a reply

by Mackenzie Billing

Making a 16-month personalized calendar for friends and relatives is a really creative, fun way to say “thinking about you!”  They make such perfect gifts, and summer is really a great time to get started so that the calendars will be ready as the school year begins.

I recently wanted to make a calendar for my older brother, a photographer, with the wonderful pictures he had taken over the years.  First, I did a full-sized 16 month calendar, starting in September of this year and running through December of 2011. That way there was room for more of his pictures and he could start to use it sooner.

Later, I experimented with calendars in a variety of sizes and formats. During the calendar-making project, I discovered a way to use a special, clear plastic stand the size of a CD jewel case to create a fun little desk calendar. This can be done without using a commercial printer or binding of any kind. It stands upright and has a little slot to put all the pages in. A calendar this small is more for just checking off the days as they go by and doesn’t really leave much room to write.  I think it’s a handy little calendar just to sit on a desk with pictures of the family, nature, pets, animals, or whatever is meaningful to the recipient of the gift. It can be anything you want! It’s almost like a miniature photo frame that you change every month!  What a great gift. Continue reading →

ART REVIEW: “In Your Face: An Exhibition of Self Portraits”

1 Reply

On Saturday evening, June 19, I attended the opening reception for the “In Your Face” exhibition at the San Buenaventura Artists’ Union Gallery. The concept for this juried show was to line up an exhibition of self portraits, “making the private public.” It was one of the more interesting exhibitions I have been to over the past few months. I was highly impressed with the variety of mediums and the broad range of talent exhibited. This show included works from Lens Poteshman, Michelle Bramlett, Aldo Figueroa, William Solomon, Eric D. Ward, Jerome Parker, Melanie Newcombe, and many more. There was even a youth exhibition (these were exceptionally talented children) in the upstairs section of the gallery, which gave the show an innocent flavor. On a scale from 1-10, I would give this exhibition a 9. The exhibition will run through August 1. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend that you stop by the gallery to check out this amazing show.
The San Buenaventura Artists’ Union Gallery has become one of my favorite galleries for a number of reasons. The first reason involves its location. The gallery is nestled right next to the Pacific Ocean in the city of Ventura, where California Street meets the sea. The view alone makes it a desirable location. The city of Continue reading →

Greeting Cards Reign Supreme in 21st Century

Leave a reply

by Nancy Haberman

"Sunrise" by Jennifer Simpson

If you are reading this post, you are living in a world driven by technology. Paradoxically, there has been a trend in art and graphic design towards “things handmade,” or anti-technology. Where once a graphic designer strove to make designs and typography more perfect and mechanical, new designers rebelled by distressing type and creating designs that appeared constructed and hand crafted. If you are a reader of any of the Stampington publications, particularly Stamper’s Sampler and Take Ten, you’ll find examples of some of the finest rubber stamped and hand crafted greeting cards that I’ve seen by crafters in the western hemisphere. Complex designs using mixed media have found a home in the greeting card, even if they do use basic elements created by others.

Twenty-first century creative individuals have growing access to Continue reading →

Co-op Galleries: Pros and Cons

2 Replies

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 →

Summer Projects: keeping the creative juices flowing

Leave a reply

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.

  • Wherever you go, always be armed and ready with a camera and a sketchbook. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
  • Getting a second job, an internship, or some volunteer work helps to build experience. Although the job market is still problematic in this economy, volunteer work is always welcome and has a big payoff when it comes to building up the resume.
  • Start a new series, or work on one that you have already started. Galleries love to see a consistent body of work where all the pieces relate to one another (or at least look good together on the same wall).
  • Social networking is crucial these days. It never hurts to get yourself out there and build up your audience. Do this online and in person; use sites like Flickr, Facebook, Etsy, and Twitter and go to as many social gatherings as possible. Remember that the goal is to meet new people.
  • Get feedback from as many people as you can. When you meet someone new, direct them to your website or show them your sketchbook (which you should carry with you at all times). Getting feedback outside of the classroom gives you a better understanding of what market your work falls into, helping you to navigate your career accordingly.

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!

School fundraisers feature student artwork

Leave a reply

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

Apply your artistic talent to home design with free software

Leave a reply

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.

Marketing your art with your business card

Leave a reply

One of the most important items for all artists to have is a business card. It is the best way to market yourself to clients, friends, and new acquaintances. Another crucial item for the working artist is the hard-copy portfolio or “look-book”.  Wouldn’t it be nice to include your business card in your look-book in an elegant and professional way without the concern of having it fall out and get lost or damaged? This is why we are now offering a clear plastic protective sleeve designed especially for the business card! It has a double adhesive the back making it easy to attach to any surface and a single opening allowing the option to remove the business card while keeping the sleeve perfectly in place. This little sleeve is a must-have for any professional artist!

Artist’s Block: 10 Techniques To Get You Through

Leave a reply

You thought it was just the writers? Not true! Artists get “blocked” too. If you, like many others, find a blank canvas rather daunting to stare at while trying to think up your next subject, here are a couple of techniques to help get your creative juices flowing.

Intuitive Approaches

  1. Research: Start looking for images that you like, or ones that consist of certain elements that you would like to incorporate into your own work. Look up artists that you like and analyze what it is that you find appealing in their works.
  2. Take Pictures: This is another means research, one that comes directly from you. Taking pictures helps us generate ideas and allows us to experiment without too much effort.
  3. Sketches: Sketches are also a means of research. Sketch what is in front of you; doodle any ideas that are floating around in your head. The important thing is Continue reading →

Research Studio: Art as experience / experience as Art

Leave a reply

by Georgia Lange

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, all students in the first year program are required to take a research studio class. These days, it has developed into multiple research studio classes. As a first year student, I chose the research studio entitled “Art as experience / experience as Art.” I will say now that it was a wise choice, as it turned out to be one of the most interesting classes I ever took.

The idea itself is almost philosophical. Art is an experience in itself. To look at a work of art is to take your mind places where you would never have thought to go, and the journey Continue reading →