Moving countries with a dog: a long post about packing!

Packing up your entire life in a couple of suitcases is a challenge to say the least, especially when you're taking your full art studio and everything your dog owns with you. Here's how I packed for my move from Finland to the UK. :)

• Start planning your packing well in advance: I wrote my list two weeks before the move, and added to it almost daily since I'd forgotten everything important, as you do. You'll also need to check how much luggage you can bring - if you're flying it's generally around 20kg per suitcase, and if you're bringing your pet on board you have to make sure it weighs no more than 8kg (or 6kg for some airlines) including the weight of it's bag. The pet's bag has to fit under the seat in front of you and should be a soft one so you can slightly squash the fabric to fit if it's not the exact size, bearing in mind your pet should be able to spend the entirety of the flight in it comfortably. You're also allowed a little carry-on bag in addition to your pet, so pack all your travel essentials in that. Before packing make sure to check what you cannot bring on the plane! If you're flying to the UK you can bring your printer ink, for example, but you couldn't if you are flying to the USA as they have very strict rules in regards to ink cartridges.

Helping @liserichardsonart pack up her art studio for our big move 🎨🐾 #etsy #etsycards #etsyart #shopsmall #cutedog #crossbreed #dog #doodle #doglover #dogsofig #dogsofinstagram #dogs_of_instagram #doodlesofinstagram #freija #instadog #instapet #instacute #instamutt #ilovemydog #mutt #pet #poodlemix #terrier #terriermix #terriersofinstagram #yorkiemix #yorkiepoo #yorkiepoosofinstagram #movingwithpets #movingcountries

A photo posted by Freija (@freijatheyorkiepoo) on Jul 16, 2015 at 12:29pm PDT

• Make a list: This seems like the most obvious tip ever, and if you've ever moved house you'll know how to do this in a way that works for you. However, moving from country to country you'll have to trim the list down a little unless you're prepared to dish out for a removal company (which is dead expensive if you're going on a student budget!), and consider what you can replace once you've moved or bring along later if you're able to leave things behind in storage or with family. Here's my list: 

• Paperwork:
• travel documents (pop them in a plastic wallet so they're all in one place for you to grab when you need to.)
• passports (for people and pets alike - make sure they're up to date and that the pets have all the correct vaccination details marked in there.)
• tenancy paperwork (everything to do with your rented flat that you'll need.)
• university paperwork (you'll need it to set up a bank account if you don't have one already, among other things!)
• medical records and prescriptions (although you won't be able to use them abroad as such, you may find them useful when going to your new doctor - also if you have a national insurance card bring that along too!)
• any other identification and legal paperwork
• a map or list of important addresses in your new hometown (because you'll need to know where the bank, GP, post office supermarket, and many other places are located practically as soon as you arrive, and that means before the broadband is set up.)
• Clothes: 
• two or three weeks worth of t-shirts/tops
• plenty of underclothes and socks (these can be used to protect fragile items in your suitcase, such as ornaments if you're a hoarder like me and can't bear to part with your collection)
• three or four pairs of trousers
• warm clothes just in case (that is if you're moving in the summer, in the winter this one is obvious!)
• a pair or two of thick or woolly socks (for cold evenings and wellies if you're moving to the UK!)
• jim jams (warm and cold weather ones)
• a pair of boots, a pair of nice shoes, crocs or sandals (wear trainers when you move!)
• at least one pair of gloves, hat and scarf
• jean jacket, sports coat, raincoat, warm autumn coat (I don't know whether I'll need a full-on winter coat in the UK, I may buy one later - but I've got a winter gilet which can be chucked on top of the autumn coat for added warmth).
• Dog clothes: 
•  two warm jumpers
• two raincoats (because on rainy days you really don't want to do two to three walks with a soggy coat)
• a set of booties
• lifevest
• hi-vis jacket
• spare leash, harness and collar.
• Soft furnishings and decorations: 
•  a quilt (I'm talking about a crocheted little quilt, not a duvet, you can buy one when you arrive!)
• a couple of throw pillow cases (if you have nice ones you don't want to leave behind that is, don't even think about taking the actual pillows for goodness sake - those are easily and affordably replaceable)
• a stuffed toy (if you're sentimental like me!)
• a few SMALL ornaments (I collect dog figurines, art, and prints, I'll pick and choose the best ones to bring with me).
• Books and DVDS: 
• any dvds you want to bring, packed in storage cases (I have A LOT of videos because I've always got something on whenever I paint, but instead of bringing all those boxes with me I've grudgingly agreed to pop all the disks into those big folder things - much easier to move with)
• a few important art and reference books I'll definitely need
• a couple of fictional ones to last the initial week or two (I may eventually have my collection shipped over, but for now there's simply too much to bring along)
• recipe book (I've got a homemade one with all my favourite recipes jotted down in it)
• Dog supplies:  
• food and water bowls plus the plastic mat they go on (if your dog is anything like mine, there's NO WAY they'll agree to eat and drink in a new enviroment from brand new set of bowls)
• brush
• nail clippers
• fur scissors
• heat pants (for intact girly girls)
• paw balm (only if you've already got a tin open!)
• frisbees (or any other sports equipment your dog may use that costs a pretty penny)
• one or two balls
• a soft toy or two
• Art stuff:  
• Printer (I'm shipping mine separately since it's MASSIVE - I'm using sendmybag.com which seems to be the best and most affordable option - just be aware that you cannot ship the ink cartridges along with the printer, so either use them up or pack them in your suitcase. I managed to pack all my paper and packaging supplies as well as some other studio bits and bobs in my printer's box too, since I paid for 30kg and my printer only weighed 16kg on it's own. I'll update this post once I've moved and let you know how that's worked out!)
• portfolio (only the best work from the past year or so - if you can leave your older work with family or in storage then do that because if you're like me and have accumulated an absolute mountain of originals, it's doesn't make sense to bring it all with you.)
• laptop and charger
• external hard drive
• painting supplies (for me it's a tin of gouaches, a watercolour set, any salvageable paintbrushes since I've not replaced most of mine for ages, pencil case with the most used pens and pencils, one full pad of good paper and all remaining painting boards, one or two of these fab clay yoghurt pots I use for watercolours, and two little palettes)
• wacom board and pen
• scissors (you'll probably need them during the move too!)
• In addition to all this, I've also listed my meds and makeup, a hair dryer (I've got a REALLY nice one), a few choice pieces of jewellery, a couple of my nicer bags, maybe one set of sheets and a towel or two. Basically make sure you bring things you're sure you'll need, and store everything else with family or with a storage service, and brin
• g it over in little batches when you can or sell it at a flea market or garage sale. 

•  Time your packing well: If you're moving with pets like me, do not pack their day-to-day belongings until right before you leave. This may not apply to every pet, but my dog will work herself into a panic if she sees me packing too early - when we go for holidays I try to pack and leave as quickly as possible so the trip will go as smoothly as possible, and that same idea will apply for moving too. Obviously everything else needs to be packed earlier, so what I've done is laid everything out into a couple of washing baskets ready to dump in the suitcases quickly and easily. I started really packing this weekend before the move begins on Monday evening.

• Set aside things to be moved at a later date: If you're moving countries and you've got friends or family who'll be visiting you after you've moved, it's a good idea to have them bring over some of your non-urgent belongings with them. Make sure these things will be easy to find - bag them up ready to be packed later!

That's about it, tomorrow (Monday) we head off to Helsinki for the night before flying out on Tuesday. If my blog goes back to radio silence, I can guarantee it's due to lack of internet connection in the new flat. But I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about after the move, so I'll write to you on the other side! :)

Getting out of a slump

Long time no motivational art blogging! Actually, this time I'm going off on a bit of a tangent, but it's all applicable to anything and everything that you might be working on a lot at any given time, plus it's a quick read so ho hum. ;)

Today hasn’t been great, I’ve been a bit off-colour in the art department (’scuse the pun) and things have been feeling a bit iffy with my webite, shop and general social media stuff, like I know there’s more I could do, and that I could do it all better, but something is holding me back. The thing is I’ve had this sort of crises with my work so often that I know it always inevitably precedes a kind of leap of progress, so I’m not getting too worked up about it (it also helps that one of my favourite video bloggers, Lachri Fine Art, mentioned having a similar sort of revelation with her work: a slump generally proceeds a big improvement). That’s not what inspired this blog post though, funnily enough – but it does involve the exact same thought/panic/revelation process as art!

See, it’s actually dog sports I wanted to talk about. My dog is fantastic, as I’ve mentioned many times before, she’s all you could wish for in a sports companion: endless motivation, enthusiasm, very fast and agile, is willing to work for toys and treats alike… So colour me surprised when every now and again (not frequently, thank goodness!) we have a really terrible training session.

Tonight it was frisbee. Freija girl LOVES those disks to bits, and usually I have no trouble getting her to at least attempt a catch (we’re not great at flying catches yet, not least because I am completely useless at throwing what is essentially a rubber pancake in such a way that it’ll fly smoothly). That was not the case this time, she wouldn’t go for the disks till they simply dropped in front of her to pick up. We wrapped up the training session fairly quickly when I realised things weren’t going to work, and left the little football pitch we practice on in a decidedly frustrated mood.

As a dog owner it can be difficult to hide that frustration, especially if it’s aimed at yourself (“why can’t I get this throw right?” “why am I not giving commands clearly enough?” etc.). What I try to do is take a deep breath, pause the training for a few minutes and figure out what’s going wrong while giving girly girl a chance to sniff around for a moment. If it seems like she’s too excited to focus on catching practice, I’ll let her chase a couple of rollers (where you throw the disk on it’s edge so it rolls instead of flying) and end the training there. If it seems like she’s getting irritated at not getting the catch right and receiving no praise, I’ll have her do a trick she knows and end the session on a happy note. And if it’s simply me being rubbish at throwing, I’ll go and practice that throw without Freija so I can get it right for her next time.

When we practice anything, whether it’s painting, crochet or even doggy tricks, there will be moments when it feels like we’re up against a brick wall. The first time (who am I kidding, the first ten times) this happens, we’ll get annoyed or even angry at ourselves for not being able to overcome the obstacle. That is not going to solve the problem – you have to make yourself take a step back, take a deep breath, and work out what’s going wrong. This can take a minute, a day, or several weeks, but you’ve got to let yourself get over that frustration and really focus on what you can fix in order to get better, and once you do you’ll soon forget that you had to go through that process in order to progress. That’s why I’ve written this post, as a little reminder that you’re capable of improving in whatever you’re working towards, as long as you give yourself a fair chance. :)

Painting my pooches

 

I draw and paint dogs all the time. I often take inspiration from Freija, she’s such a funny looking thing that I find it quite easy to get her characteristics down on paper or canvas. But oddly enough, I’ve never found it quite as simple to paint my older dog, Kara. I’ve given it a go many times before, and occasionally I’ve been fairly happy with the result, but mostly the portrait just looks a bit off. I’ve put it down to using the wrong colours, not putting in enough work with the initial sketch, basically just every reason in the book as to why it wasn’t looking a lot like her. I’m still not completely certain on some of the drawings, studies and painted portraits, whether I was just trying too hard to make it look like my idea of her, or was it down to not being quite there yet in the skill department (I’ll say right now that I’m not a great fan of straight-up realistic portraits, illustrations are more my thing). Whatever the case, I was not happy with most of the results.

"Quizzical" a painting of Kara from 2014

 Since I found out I was definitely going to be moving to Bath, I had this idea that I wanted a nice portrait of Kara to take with, something pretty to remind me of her and to brighten up the new flat (whatever that’s like – I’m going on a househunting trip to England mid-May, fingers crossed I find something really lovely!). It had to be larger than A4, but not huge so that it would be easy to frame and take along with the move – so it’s A3. It also had to be… well, not TOO colourful, in case it clashes with the décor of the flat – some of the potential ones in Bath have interesting colour schemes, so I was going to have to make it work with basically ANYTHING. So I decided on subtle pale pink on grey, with details in black and just a hint of brighter pink in the eyes and nose – I’ve used a similar palette in purple before with the splatter painting of Freija, but this had to be more “interior design-y”. With the style of the piece, I sort of wanted to hint at realism, especially round the darker detailed areas of the face, and leave the rest airy and light. Watercolour helps with this effect, just using light washes with a fairly large brush does the trick.

 
So the idea was all set, all I needed to do was find a reference photo, and in looking for that I sort of saw what had been going wrong in my earlier attempts at the grumpy old lady. The photos I loved, where she really looked like herself, weren’t particularly good – there was very little detail, they were often dark and grainy (an iphone camera with bad indoor lighting does not a good photograph make), just plain rubbish. I looked at the ones I’d used before and they were ALL like that. As it turns out, gorgeous though she is in real life, Kara just isn’t particularly photogenic. I eventually found ONE shot I’d taken on my actual camera that had real potential. It was from a hike last summer, and the lighting was really rather lovely, Kara was looking slightly off camera and it just had the feel of a good portrait. It’s the kind of photo I can snap easily of Freija since she’s essentially grown up as a photographer’s dog, she KNOWS to hold a pose and has the patience of a saint. Kara has never been this kind of dog.
Combining ALL of what I’ve talked about above, this is the result! I’m pleased with how it turned out, and will definitely be happy to pop it in a frame to spruce up that Bath flat later this year. :) 

 

Also if you're interested in my painting process, I actually recorded a very sped-up video of the portrait I did after this of Freija-girl. I think I'll record more painting videos from now on, this one was rather fun. :)

 

Tagging tips for Etsy

 

I’ve written up a few tips on improving your SEO today (two Etsy-themed posts within the last few days – guess who’s been tinkering with her shop this week?). I started my Etsy shop at the end of September last year, and had NO CLUE about search engine optimisation, or SEO for short. It’s all to do with relevancy and making it easier for people to find your shop. I thought because my listings are on this huge shopping website, people are automatically going to find them – that’s what it’s for, right? Not quite. The thing about Etsy is that the marketplace is SO saturated, you’ve got to be really quite specific about what it is you’re selling, but you also have to think like a buyer and avoid really technical terms that only you and fellow artists will ever think to use (surprisingly few people search for "archival 300gsm art print", as it turns out). Also if you're used to tagging on Instagram or Twitter, tagging on Etsy can be a bit irritating. Where on IG you've got around 30 tags to use as you like and you're guaranteed to be found with at least a handful of them, on Etsy you've only got 13 - so you have to use your tags wisely.
So here’s a little checklist for doing up your titles and tags on Etsy (please note that they do change their search algorithm every now and again, so although these tips may work now, check and see if there’s any new info in the Etsy forums about SEO).

• Match your titles and tags! The way Etsy works is that to consider something relevant to a search, not only does the title have to include the search term, the tags do too. This means that your listing will be more likely to be found nearer the first few pages of the search. 
• Avoid one word tags. Say you’re selling a really cute dog-themed greeting card, so you include the tag “cute”. At the time of writing this post, there are 596,498 results for that tag. It’s pretty unlikely your listing will be at the top of those results. Now switch that tag to “cute dog card”, and there’s just 2177 results – one of the first listings is one of my cards. It’s SO much more likely that something searching for your kind of product will use a more specific search term, and finding it will be a lot easier this way.  
• Don't include the name of your artwork. Us artists love using the name of our work in our titles. However, if that title isn’t along the lines of “sheepdog painting”, NOBODY is going to find it in a search. Instead of using the name in your title, why not pop it in the description? :)
• What are your buyers searching for? Try to think of potential uses for your product and include those in the title and tags. For example, people might be searching for “dog lover gift” or “farm animal décor” – if your art would be PERFECT for either of those uses, go ahead and tag it as such! 
• Use descriptive tags! What exactly is your product? If it's an A4 art print, tag it! If it's a kids birthday card, pop that in there too! Also with art it can be a bit difficult to pick out a single colour for your tags, but if you’ve got work where this is possible, definitely use tags like “purple dog art” or “blue cat painting” – I’ve had A LOT of people find my shop with colour-related tags. 
• Don’t tag everything exactly the same way. You're probably selling similar products - I sell dog art, cards and gifts, so it's all pretty much in the same niche. Experiment with different tags where you can – use “art for kids” on one listing, and “dog wall art” on another. The more searches come up with your items, the more people will see them and click through to see the rest of your shop! 
• Update your tags little by little. It’s easier to tell what’s working and what isn’t when you redo a few listings at a time. I did about ten a day, and since I saw immediate results, I had got through all my updates within a week. :)

Product photo tips for Etsy

Judging by the countless forum posts on the subject, one of the biggest pitfalls for an Etsy seller is photography. I’ve briefly mentioned this before, essentially saying you want your photos to be just as nice as the product you’re selling.
Now I’ll be the first to admit my listing photos aren’t the best in the world – if they were, I wouldn’t feel the need to change them ever few weeks or so! Honestly I must’ve spent more time changing, tweaking and updating my photos more than I’ve actually spent on making new items, eek! The thing is that when you’re putting a lot of time and effort into your shop, you do begin to notice things that could be improved a lot more than you would if you just set up shop and left it as is – it’s all about creating a beautiful brand to go with what you actually make, and it takes lots of work.
I’ve tried a number of different kinds of photos. Some have been pretty, some have been simple, and some have been downright terrible. Thankfully I usually notice the really bad ones quickly and spruce them up then and there – before eventually getting fed up with those photos and taking a whole bunch of new ones. What works and what doesn’t is really down to personal taste, but I thought I’d write down a few things that should be considered when taking and editing new listing photos.



 
What to include in the photo?

• I really love styled listing photos with the product shown in use or with other matching bits and bobs around it. One of my favourite kinds of photos for artwork is to show it on a gallery wall with other similar pieces, or perhaps on a mantelpiece with a vase of flowers and pretty decorative objects beside it. These sort of styled photos can be properly gorgeous, and work nicely in editorials and blogs – it’s all about creating really desirable scene built around your product. However, don’t go overboard. These photos can easily look cluttered and your product can get lost among all the props. Depending on what it is you’re taking the listing photo for, a plain background can be the best option to show it off beautifully. I’d suggest trying a bit of both kinds of photos to find what suits you best, and perhaps using the styled scenery shot for your second or third listing photo just to give your customers an idea of what it could look like at home, and also a sense of scale.

Party Westie print

White backgrounds – yay or nay?

• When browsing Etsy, you’ll notice A LOT of the listings have a plain white or off-white background. This is to highlight the product itself, and can give a professional, polished look to your shop. Generally speaking white does work well, and I’d suggest using it especially if your products are bright and colourful – my dog postcards and prints tend to fit into this category, so a white background helps them leap off the page. Where I don’t think this works, however, is with white items – specifically cards and prints. Firstly, taking a photo of white paper on a white background is a right old pain. Secondly, it can make your listing look washed out and easy to overlook in a search. At the moment I use a pastel pink background for my Terrier Love cards, for example – I’m bound to change this at some point, but generally speaking when you’ve got a white product, use simple coloured backgrounds to your advantage – make those photos really pop! 

Terrier Love: Border Terrier card

 Cohesiveness among your own listings

• I readily admit that I struggle with this one. When your products are multi-coloured artwork, it’s difficult to find a way to make it all match neatly. This can apply to lots of other products as well, so I’d say don’t worry too much if you’ve got a bit of a mixed bag in that department. What you can do is to rearrange your shop so that listings which complement each other are all in the same area. Also if you do use coloured backgrounds, make them the same colour or similar shades – and if you’ve got white backgrounds for most of the items but a few coloured ones here and there, I do recommend using pastel shades to keep it bright and fresh. This also applies to lighting – make sure your listing photos are ALL well lit, either photographed in natural light or using an adjustable flash gun (you don’t want full-on flash photos, they never look appealing). 

My current shopfront. Although the colours of the products themselves vary, there's a general theme of pale pink and bright white going on throughout my listings.

Thumbnails – to zoom or not to zoom?

• Another tricky one. What I’ve done is zoomed out on my cards, bags, notebooks and bookmarks, because the main listing photo in these includes a plain background. It gives a sense of these being tangible items, something you can pick up and use. This may be different for other kinds of products, jewellery for example can look a lot more exciting in a search when the thumbnail highlights the key features. On the flipside, I use zoomed in thumbnails for original art and prints. That’s because my main listing image for these is the full artwork with no border or background – I want the focus to be solely on the art. My second and third images show the tangible product, framed or on an easel, but I want that first impression to be of nothing but the painting itself. The thumbnails are zoomed in on the main feature of each painting – most of my work is vertical so it’s got to be cropped a bit for Etsy’s thumbnails anyway, so I try use that to my advantage.

Here's an example of how I use thumbnails for cards and prints differently.

Those are the key things I came up with, although of course there’s always hundreds of things that can go right or wrong with listing photos… Just do your best to show your lovely products as well as possible, and don’t be afraid to go back and redo a photo or several hundred. It’s all about trial and error with product photography, you wont find what works for you unless you give it a go. :)

Finding the right kind of paint

I have a confession to make: painting was my least favourite part of making art up till late spring in 2014. I know, I know, how on earth did I survive art school without enjoying painting? It’s a real mystery, somehow the actual painting courses just whizzed by without me really noticing at all. In fact, considering I got into that school with an entrance exam that included me accidentally tipping water all over my nearly finished watercolour piece, effectively ruining it, I reckon I did quite well to pass any courses at all.

Over the years I’ve tried lots of different mediums, starting from kid’s poster paint to really rather professional oils. For years and years I struggled with watercolours, which I had convinced myself ruined all my work, since nothing turned out how I’d have liked. In art school I took up acrylics, and used them for everything imaginable – painting on canvas, wood, even handmade fimo pendants. Somehow I left that particular medium there and haven’t picked up my once-cherished plastic paints since. At school we slaved away with oils, starting from the gesso base on our handmade canvases, to the layers upon layers of colour applied with palette knives and all manner of non-brushy equipment which was simultaneously exciting and tedious. If there’s one thing I absolutely hate, it’s working on a painting for more than about a week – I get bored of looking at it and loose all motivation the longer it takes to complete. I gradually settled into working solely on my tablet in photoshop – no mess, I could pick it up where and when I liked, and it was heaps faster with no waiting for each layer to dry.

"Lewes Corgis", one of my first Scenic Dogs illustrations in watercolour.

So what changed? In early 2014 I was still sticking to my digital art like glue. Still, it did feel a bit odd not having anything physical to show for my hard work, after all no originals existed, if I wanted to display my art it had to be printed. I was longing for something tangible. I’d taken up crochet and it was SO fulfilling, and through that I sort of began to think about getting back into traditional art and painting. The watercolour set from before art school was still sitting in a cupboard, so I grabbed a brush and started experimenting. Turns out, after all that time, I just needed to WANT to paint, and the results were wonderful. It took effort, but since I had the motivation to keep at it, I was finally pleased with my painted work. Inspired by the first few successes, I took on a series of dog illustrations now known as Scenic Dogs, and haven’t looked back since – it’s all about the painting now! ;)

"Canis Major come out to play", one of my recent gouache paintings.

Recently I have of course been learning to use gouaches as well. I find they’re a happy middle ground between my usual watercolours (gouache is a type of watercolour, of course) and the acrylics I was so fond of in art school. They’re opaque but can be watered down well, and mix nicely. I adore the chalky matte effect the produce when dry, and I like that I can combine them with watercolours without fear of paint crumbling off or other mishaps later down the line (like mixing oils with acrylics had taught me).

So that’s how I discovered my favourite kind of paint! Brands are of course another matter all on their own (my rule of thumb is to stick with Winsor & Newton or Daler-Rowney when possible, but others can be good too). :)

Scaling down: My thoughts on ACEO paintings

 I’ve recently been working on some original ACEO paintings, or artist trading cards as they're also known. Basically they’re teeny tiny paintings the size of a playing card. I’d bought one last year from one of my friends, who’s also an animal artist, and thought I’d find it difficult to work on such a small surface. After all, my earlier work had been close to 150cm on the longer side, and I'd found it difficult enough to work with HALF of that a couple of years ago! In 2014 I gradually learned to work back at the standard A4 size, and I still use that now to some extent since it’s easily frameable, scannable, and the most popular size among buyers. I do enjoy sizing up now and again, but no more than A3 – I’ve had more than enough of MASSIVE paintings that I lumber myself with, thank you very much!
But getting back to the ACEOs, I’d been wondering whether they’d be worth a go recently, as I kept seeing them posted by my arty friends on Facebook and Etsy. After a little bit of casual research (read: pouring over the response other artists had been getting from their followers), I found there’s quite a nice market for tiny originals, since they’re usually very affordable compared to full-sized paintings, and it’s a nice way for fans of artists to collect something unique and special. They’re also enormously cute - perfect for dog illustrations! ;)

Skye Terrier Puppy ACEO

I’ve done four dinky little doggy watercolour ACEOs in the past week to see how I’d fare, and I’ve discovered two things: They’re properly addictive to paint, and people really do seem to enjoy them! One’s already found it’s new home, and the other one I’ve popped in my Etsy shop has had A LOT of interest, much more than my A5 gouache originals or even A4. It also gives me a fab opportunity to try simplifying my paintings in a natural way - there's only so much you can fit on an ACEO after all!

Little Sealy has found his new home already!

So onto the practical side of working with 2.5 by 3.5 inches of painting surface. It’s initially quite off-putting to downscale SO much, I admit. For me it’s easier to work with a rough sketch in a larger sketchbook and then move onto the actual card, much like I would when scaling up onto larger surfaces. Painting on a little surface like this requires quite a lot of self-control and patience (if you're anything like me, shaky hands occur surprisingly often when concentrating on teeny tiny details!), plus a very small paintbrush. I use a set I picked up for a few quid that’s intended for use as nail art brushes, and they work like a charm. The great thing about a little painting is that it’s very quick to go from start to finish, so if you had a lot of ideas ready you could easily do a few in a day.

Smile! Yorkie ACEO

I do think they’re heaps of fun, so it’s nice to have an option for those days when I just can’t face starting a big painting but want to work on something new. And to all my artist friends, I really recommend giving ACEOs a go too. :)

Comfy Freija ACEO

A like is not just a like when it comes to Facebook

 This morning I woke up to find my Facebook page had hit a lovely new milestone: 300 “likes” within a year of opening the page! I’m thrilled to bits, most of all because I know a lot of these people genuinely like my page – they’re not paid likes and the only like-for-likes are from other artists who’s work I enjoy anyway. The thing about statistics like these is that one can quickly become a wee bit obsessive about checking them day in day out, and I know a lot of page-owners can, in a moment of desperation, try to boost their follower-count by dishing out money to companies who claim to earn you thousands of likes quickly. Tempting though the idea of your work being seen by all those people can be, it doesn’t quite work like that - please please please don't waste your money on these schemes!
As many bloggers have pointed out before me, these paid likers aren’t actually real people but accounts made for the sole purpose of liking millions of pages, and therefore wont help your business in any way at all – the only thing they’ll do is raise that little number at the top of your screen. The way Facebook works is this: if your posts are getting lots of clicks, likes, shares, and comments from a good percentage of your likers, then it’ll deem them important and will show them to your followers and through them their friends. To encourage that kind of engagement, the likers obviously have to be interested in what you’re posting. See what I’m getting at here? The real fans are FAR more valuable in the long run, even if you’ve only got a handful, because if you’ve got 50 likes and say 30 people actively comment, like and share your posts, Facebook will think you’re more relevant than a page with 1000 and only a few active likers! :)

This can of course be a bit frustrating for page owners, I know I sometimes get seriously annoyed my new art posts aren’t being shown to all my followers, but there is a way to organically boost your post’s relevance: share them yourself! Not just on your personal page, but in groups devoted to whatever it is you’re posting. When I share a dog illustration from my page to all the various animal art groups I’m in, that post will get up to five times the amount of engagement it would get without sharing – and may, with a little luck, draw new real fans to my page! The groups are a natural way to show your posts to the people who are really interested, so use them as much as you can to get your work seen. The same principle works with groups as well as pages too, join the ones with say 1000 members or less, and your post will probably be seen by more people since they'll be more likely to be active members in the group. Also there are lots of massive generic art groups on Facebook, with hundreds of thousands of members, and you can bet your work will get buried under a million posts from all those other artists within minutes, which leads to nobody really taking any time to look at any of the posts on the page - there's simply too much!

To sum up:

• Your like count is just a number.
• The valuable likes are the genuine ones that engage with your posts, and really love your work!
• Facebook works in mysterious ways, so just focus on posting really good content and sharing it organically - it's the best you can do!
• Groups can be a real helping hand in getting your work seen by the right people, use them wisely!

Trendy subjects - are they really your thing?

Today’s subject is… subjects. No really! I was browsing the Etsy forums recently, and came across an interesting thread which I hadn’t really thought about for quite some time: Should artists follow trendy subjects in order to sell their work?

At the moment trendy subjects in the animal art field are owls, foxes and deer. They’re HUGE, and are overflowing onto clothes, stationary, home décor… you name it, those critters are on it. I even saw foxy Christmas decorations last year. Now combine that lot with a muted palette and geometric shapes and you’re bang on trend! But don’t think I’m saying that’s inherently a bad thing, because I most certainly am not! If you’re into owls go right ahead and paint them, and have fun! Experiment if you want to, you might come up with something seriously cool!
However, if you’re thinking your own work isn’t being seen because it’s up against the popular stuff, that simply isn’t true – it’s a different, far larger market. Although fox art might be selling really well in general at the moment, it’s spread out over hundreds of different artists who might sell one card or print every now and again – unless you’ve got a devoted following already you’ll probably sell no more trendy art than what you’d normally sell (in fact, the trendy stuff will probably be more difficult to sell compared to your other work!). Breaking into a massively saturated market isn't easy if you're not really persistent with bringing your own take on it to the table - you've got to put all your effort into showing that you are the artist worth supporting, and that means you've got to be excited by your work!

See, there’s a reason people are drawn to your work in particular - when you’re really passionate about what you’re making, it shows. You’ve spent time perfecting your own style, and figured out interesting ways to tackle your subjects, and that's what people want to see and buy. Artists like Louise Rawlings and Kate Brazier are perfect examples of this – not only is the style instantly recognisable, but the repeated subjects are things the artist is clearly inspired by and has spent heaps of time working with. Whatever it is you love painting, be it dogs or flowers or houses, you’re showing the world how you feel about your subject and your customers are going to be the people who feel the same way. You wont get that same feeling with a subject you’ve got absolutely no interest in.
Now I’m not saying always stick to your comfort zone and don’t try anything new either! Just remember that your work really comes to life when you love what you’re doing, when you’re inspired. So if you’re not really feeling what’s popular right now, you honestly don’t have to force yourself into that mould.

Ignore the competition silly artist, you're doing your best!

I've been talking to a few artist friends recently, all of whom have been down in the dumps about the usual suspects; making it in the creative industry, being seen in a sea of so-called "better" artists, and generally just not feeling good enough to make it in the competitive art market.

Now, I shan't pretend I don't feel like that every now and again, we all do! What I try to tell my artsy friends whenever these  things come up is this: Somebody out there is looking for exactly what you have to offer. Whether it's a company or a commissioner, or even somebody looking for the perfect birthday card, there will be someone. Until they find you, you can only do YOUR very best. 

I'm very much for focusing on the nice things and ignoring the rubbish ones, not because I don't think we can learn and grown from a setback or two (fun fact: we can and do, oh so much!), but because if I were to spend any amount of time moping about thinking my work is a big pile of poo, I wouldn't ever have time to sort it out! 
As a little metaphor, consider a person who spends all their time watching the news. Day after day they see terrible things happening all over the world, and feel helpless and stuck and really, really dreadful. Then they flick over to the local news, and there's a heartwarming story about a little old granddad who tidies the park or a guide-dog who saved it's owner from being run over. Now, this person could either spend all their time stuck worrying about all the bad things happening in the world that they can't control, or they can draw some positivity from the good things that are a little closer to home, and get up and enjoy life. 
See what I mean? It's good to be aware that there's heaps of competition and to acknowledge that it's not easy to get seen among the millions of other artists, but you don't need to compete with the rest of the world. You just need to make the most of your own thing and you'll be all the happier for it, which in turn will inspire your admirers and potential buyers, and that's really why we make art in the first place, isn't it?

So here's a little list of things I do when I've had a big old slap in the face from the nasty side of the art world:

• Look up pictures of cute dogs and doodle all my favourites. Not only does this put me in a good mood (because dogs, obviously), but it also may lead to a good idea for a new piece of art!
• Revamp my entire Etsy shop. There's always SOMETHING that needs to be updated, improved or binned, and what better time to do this particular chore than when you're feeling a bit fed up with the actual making art aspect of the shop?
• Snap photos of things (usually Freija). It's a good way to use up a bit of that creative energy without having to commit to a "proper project" when you're just not feeling up to one.
• Google other artists similar to your own niche. I know this sounds counter-productive when you're feeling like your art isn't worthy of being seen by human eyes, but actually it does help to see that although your work might be similar, it's not the same - on my part that means looking up other dog illustrators, many of whom have become firm favourites. I love their work, but I can also see that mine is good in a different way!
• If I'm in a really properly foul mood, I get away from the computer and go and do something completely different like starting a crochet project or reading a bit of the latest The Simple Things (note: this is in no way endorsed by them, it's genuinely just my favourite magazine). Doing something so utterly removed from my usual work helps to move on, and it's usually really inspiring too!

Online networking for the artsy type

If there’s one thing that unites all artists, it’s this; we all hate blatant self promotion. You feel awkward and pushy and dreadful, and lots of artists decide not to promote at all. They sit in their own little corner of the internet, perhaps an art blog or personal webpage, and post their pictures happily, with just one or two people ever seeing any of it.
I did that too not too long ago.
However, there are ways around that sleazy sensation you get if you go around saying “look at my art and buy stuff”. Firstly, don’t say that, silly! The best marketing you can get is through peers and people who really love your work saying so publicly. “But I don’t know anybody who likes my stuff!” you might say. Of course you don’t if you’ve never told anybody that you do all that wonderful artwork, so get networking! There are lots of ways to do this…

Twitter:

• As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, I participate in a pet business networking hour hosted by @woofwoofwednesday. It works like this; at 8 o’clock (UK time) you start tweeting about your lovely work (include photos and links!) using the hashtag #woofwoofwednesday in each of your tweets. Then search for that tag and see what everybody else is posting, and retweet the things you like the look of! You can find heaps of talented, friendly people to follow this way as well, and they in turn will probably follow you. The community for this particular networking hour is very welcoming, and always up for a bit of a chat between tweets – I follow most of the people I meet on twitter and facebook if they’re on both sites.
• Notable networking hours (in UK time) that I’ve come across are: 
• #crafthour from 7-8pm on Sundays 
• #womaninbizhour from 7-8pm on Sundays 
• #geekhour from 7-9pm on Mondays 
• #creativebizhour from 8-9pm on Mondays 
• #woofwoofwednesday from 8-9pm on Wednesdays
• #twittersisters from 8.30-9.30pm on Thursdays 

• There are also lots of regional networking hours for local businesses, such as #somersethour , #yorkshirehour , #sussexhour … You get the drift!

Pinterest:

• It can be a bit difficult to figure out how Pinterest works, but once you get pinning you’ll find it hard to stop! Amidst all the recipes, fitness tips, fashion photos and cute puppies you’ll also find a LOT of Etsy shops. Shoppers pin things they like, which can sometimes spread like wildfire if a popular user picks up on it! But to make sure your artwork gets on there in the first place, you should also get pinning yourself. Remember to always link back to the items your pinning so people can find them easily (wouldn’t it be terrible to loose buyers because you’d forgotten to show them where to find the lovely painting, print or card you’ve pinned?), and as with all other social media include your page link on your profile. I pin items from my Etsy shop on a dedicated board, but I’ve also seen some fantastic boards which mix and match stuff from the seller with things that would go well with it in terms of home décor. I try to pin a few of my items each day, to spread them out and avoid flooding my followers feed with my pins in one lump.

Tumblr:

• It can be easy to get sucked into the hamster-wheel of reblogging other people’s posts on tumblr, which can play in your favour. Start a blog showcasing your work, and again make sure to get the most out of your tags by using ones people are likely to be scrolling through (#artists on tumblr is particularly popular), and also more specialised ones for those looking for something specific (if you post dog art like me make sure to use tags for the breeds!). It takes time to build up a tumblr following as there’s so much content posted every second, but using appropriate tags will be a big step forward. It’s also easy for a post to go viral, gaining you heaps of views and followers completely by surprise! I’ve had this happen twice, and am still in shock.

Facebook:

• First things first, set up a dedicated page for your artwork. Facebook doesn’t allow personal accounts to be used for this purpose, and it’s much easier to reach potential buyers if you LOOK like a professional with your page. Once you’ve done the mandatory chore of inviting everybody on your friends list to like it (inevitably a good chunk of them wont, but hey ho life goes on), you’ve got to find other ways of spreading your work about. The most efficient way to do this is by joining art groups. A quick search will find you heaps for art in general, but these aren’t necessarily the best way to connect with other artists. Look for groups of around 1000 members or less dedicated to a medium or subject you work with, these are usually nice little communities bursting with supportive members and a good atmosphere (with some luck there wont even be spammers!). I’m in several dog and animal art groups which are great for this purpose, including:
• Animal Artists Unlimited (I’m an admin for this one!) 
• Dog Art 
• Pet Portraits 
• Canine Art and Artists 
• Networking for Pet portrait artists! 
• Canine portraits

•  Lots of these groups also host various kinds of challenges (ours most certainly does), which all members are invited to participate in. These are fun ways to practice new topics and mediums, and also help boost your visibility within the group. A good way to post to groups is by sharing your work straight from your own facebook page, giving it a straight link back without faffing about with urls. Remember to spend some time perusing other artists work too, often it’s incredibly inspiring and you might make a new friend or two! :) 

Goodbye starving artist, hello moderately peckish Etsy seller.

During the year after leaving art school, I realised I needed to figure out a way to make money from my art. This was especially important when I began thinking about applying to university in the UK, because oh my sweet lord is that one expensive endeavor! Now I know many other current and indeed former art students, illustrators, graphic designers and various other artsy types are struggling to figure out a way to monetise their work so they can carry on doing what they love. I may not have a solve-all answer, but I can tell you what I've done so far...

I started a Redbubble and indeed a Society6 shop back in 2013, and although I’ve still got the former, I’ve not pursued it actively for a while now. The reason for this is simple; although outsourcing the printing and raking up royalties for the use of the artwork seems like an enticing offer, it doesn’t quite work like that. Redbubble allows you to set your own profit margins on top of their base prices for the products, while Society6 has the same (low!) profits for everything apart from art prints. However setting these margins high (mine were 80%) will not attract buyers, as the prices will be ridiculously high after factoring in the product prices. So I closed the other account, and have emptied the other of all but phone cases. They weren’t worth the bother.

Next I thought I’d open my book for commissions. This works for a lot of artists, particularly in the pet portrait area, which I enjoy. Generally the formula for pricing commissions is simple: time taken + material costs + skill level. Many artists underprice their work by miles, which can potentially lead to more buyers after a bargain, but will ultimately lead to one VERY stressed out artist with barely any profit to show for all their hard work! You’ve got to remember that people WILL pay for quality, and low prices can even reflect poorly on the standard of your work (a price tag can be more convincing that what people see with their own eyes!!). I’m still open to commissions, but they roll in rather erratically, so unless you’ve got a hefty following to begin with, they won’t pay your rent.

I was initially doubtful about Etsy. I had a shop set up several years ago, which never really kicked off, and I’d ended up binning it after a couple of months. There are heaps of horror stories online of sellers dealing with all manner of disaster, from iffy buyers to broken parcels and legal trouble. After a lot of uhming and aahing, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it anyway. This time round I went in with heaps of quality postcards of my work, a beautiful professional printer for making art prints, bookmarks, notebooks, and whatever else I could think of on demand, so I was thoroughly prepared. With the support of my friends locally and online, I bagged my first few sales within a couple weeks of opening. I was determined to make my shop work this time round, and within the space of three months I’d managed to sell a massive 70 items online!

Now I know that the profits aren’t even enough to cover one month’s rent in most places, and I’ve a long way to go. However, it’s earned me more than any other venture I’ve attempted, and I’m making steady sales each week. That’s already a win in my book. :)

To finish off this post, here’s a list of things to help make the most out of your Etsy shop:

• Work out the best possible tags for your items. It’s no good using solely professional terms like “archival print”, because buyers won’t necessarily be familiar with those terms. “Cute dog art” is much more likely a term for my customers to be searching with!
• Put effort into your descriptions. Lots of people on the Etsy forums say one of their biggest pet peeves is sellers who list items without explaining WHAT it is people are looking at! Somebody perusing my shop might not know whether the item they’re looking at is a greeting card, and art print, or an original, so I make sure I spell it out for them thoroughly!
• Opinions vary on what works best in regards to shop photography. Some like items on a plain white background, while others enjoy seeing the item in use, or as part of a set scene. However, one major thing is to make sure your photos are light enough for buyers to see the item properly, good quality (no pixelly mess, thank you very much!), and above all do justice to your product. If it doesn’t look it’s absolute true-to-life best, people won’t want to buy it, after all they can’t pick it up and see it for themselves like they would in a brick and mortar shop!
• Write up your about page. I know it’s icky to write about yourself, but think of this more as building a trustworthy image of you and your products that gives the buyers confidence in spending their hard earned cash on what you’re selling.
• NETWORK! Network till your hands fall off. Head over to the Etsy forums and chat with other sellers, join teams related to your products, make use of your pinterest, twitter and facebook accounts to really spread your shop out there. If people can’t stumble upon your shop elsewhere, you’re relying solely on people searching Etsy for your exact product – that’s pretty limiting!
• Most of all create products you really LOVE! Take some time each week to forget about promoting and running your shop to just sit down and do what you do best; make something beautiful. That’s why you started your shop in the first place, so focus on creating some wonderful things that you and your buyers WANT!