1. Get Discovered

Last year we covered quite a bit on the process of getting your work out there, and being discovered by as many people as possible. Here’s a round up…

• As you may be aware, Artweb has created a Facebook App to allow syncing between your Artweb account and Facebook page, and also to enable you to promote your work more easily. If you have an artist Facebook page then you can try out the app right now, visit this link!

• Search Engine Optimisation – Using effective keywords in order to expand your online presence and ‘searchability’. Here’s a link to a useful article on this subject.

• Social Networking – Back in October we covered how to effectively use social media to improve traffic to your website. Read it here!

2. Be Inspired!

Sometimes it’s hard to be inspired. Never-ending chores, day jobs, and the mundanity of the everyday, sometimes make us forget, or just completely miss, those inspiring moments in life. Here’s some ideas for how to reinvigorate your creative mind…

• Inspiration lies in experiencing the new, so why not book a plane/train/bus and go to a place you’ve never visited before…. whether that be the other side of the world or a nearby town you haven’t yet explored.

• Take some time out from your routine. Inspiration can’t be forced, but sometimes all it takes is switching off from everything for a few hours, or minutes. Yoga is great for relaxing the mind, as is going for a long and unplanned walk, or even simply closing your eyes and putting some relaxing music on for a few moments. Meditation on a regular basis is something a lot of people swear by, and can be the key to keeping a relaxed and open mind.

• Slow down, be observant of your environment: nature, people, books, cities – they are all teeming with inspiration for you to find, it just takes noticing the world around you!

• Do something out of your comfort zone at least once a week. This is a great way of learning skills you never you knew you had in you!

• Attend a Pecha-Kucha night! Pecha-Kucha nights started in Tokyo, and involve presenting a series of 20 slides on a certain topic, for 20 seconds per slide. The result is a fast-paced and fun presentation on a new subject, each person bringing together completely different themes. Find out more here.

3. Motivation is key!

We all know it can be hard to remain motivated during January and the winter months, but we have a few tips that might help…

• Here’s one great technique for upping your creative output: The One Hour Project. Give yourself one hour to complete a work of art, and not just a sketch of an idea, a fully completed work. If you have only one hour, then there is no time to deliberate or think – it forces you to act, plus it’s such a short time commitment so you should have no trouble fitting it in – perhaps today, perhaps once a week? And as it’s only an hour, you won’t feel precious about the results.

• Decide to enter a competition with an imminent deadline. Artquest has some great opportunities listed by deadline dates, which are updated constantly.

• Make a commitment to updating your website – a monthly update can be a great motivational tactic. Make it so you have to upload at least 1 new art work every month, and stick to it!

• Starting a blog can give you motivation by being a tangible and public record of your progress. Here’s a link to one of our previous articles on the benefits of an artist’s blog.

• Get a new look…for your website! Here are some great new templates from Artweb that will be available very soon:

www.alexbamford.com

www.richardwhadcock.com

www.sarah-young.co.uk

That’s it for now! We hope our New Year’s Resolutions have helped inspire those of you who might be feeling the January Blues this month. We’ll be back with our next newsletter in February, see you then!

‘Christmas Cushion Collection’ by Lettie Belle

1. Marketing

• So you’ve spent hours handcrafting your products, have arranged a stall and are all ready to go… you need people to come!! Of course, being part of a larger Christmas market will in some cases guarantee you a great footfall. However, a bit of marketing before you go could have a great impact. Social media is the obvious tool here – get Tweets out to craft-focused organisations who might re-tweet to their followers, think about your audience and who would like your work and target those areas.

• Marketing also continues throughout your Christmas Stall, and being part of a fair is a great way to promote your work. You don’t want people walking away from your stall without knowing who you are, or how to contact you for future sales! Make some simple business cards, or even just paper slips with your website details to give away with each sale. If they like your artwork now, then they are quite likely to want to find out more.

2. Display

‘Vintage Wedding Bunting’ by Nicola Corrigan

• As an artist, you are bound to be confident creating a creative and appealing display. But often, with so much else to organise, you may find yourself rushed and unable to plan your space before the doors open to the fair. A little pre-planning can go a long way in this situation! Draw up a couple of plans and consider how to creatively stand out from the crowd.

• Think about your bestsellers, what you think will have more impact and draw people in, and also think about the direction most of your audience will be coming from (something that might need to be reconsidered once you see the space!)

• Think of inventive ways to display your work. Cards stacked in a box might not be the most exciting way to show off your designs – they need to be visible and every design needs to be showcased!

• Remember, this time of year people are bound to get into the Christmas spirit! Even if your work isn’t inherently ‘christmassy’, a few fairy lights or twinkles might encourage people to see your work in a more ‘gifty’ light!

3. Packaging

‘Christmas Star Cards’ by Sharifa Brooks Read

• One thing people will love at Christmas fairs is the option to have their purchases wrapped. This doesn’t need to be anything extravagant or expensive, some simple tissue paper with a little bit of ribbon or bow will go a long way!

• Provide paper bags for larger items to allow people to take their purchases away easily, without effort

• Clever packaging is also a great way to link or up-sell your work. If a customer loves a print, you could mention that you also sell them as packs of 3 (nicely tied with a ribbon, all ready to go!)

4. Price

• Clear pricing will often make or break a sale! If a potential customer can’t see a price, they’ll very often walk away rather than asking, especially if you are busy talking to another customer.

• Label your prices in a fun and friendly way, perhaps you could personalise each piece of work with a little quirky sentence that describes the piece!

• Before pricing your work, you need to research and see what similar items around you are selling for. You don’t want to be selling similar items to those around you at a higher price, but equally you don’t want to under sell your artwork!

And finally, here is some advice from some of our Twitter followers, who are particularly experienced in the art of the Arts/Crafts Fair!

RT @1958 Munich Get to know your stall neighbours at the fair- How many fairs do they do- which are the best ones? What sells? make friends!

RT @peggy_martinez: Arrive early, some fairs state they open @ 10am but let crowds in @ 8, missed opportunities! Be friendly & open-minded.

RT @BronaghKennedy: bring a seat! Standing for hours on end makes for a tired grumpy artist!

RT @jobs_and_opps: Christmas Fair tips: Clear price labels, decent wrapping + smile no matter how cold you get!

David Rodgers, whose Spotlight interview is currently on our blog, has helpfully compiled some art fair advice on his own blog, visit his post here! Thanks David!

We hope this helps if you have an upcoming fair, or perhaps inspire you to get involved in one this year or next!

This is the last article in this series, and will focus on how you can develop your own individual website design, without going over the top and without having to know lots of fancy coding! A lot of you will be using Artweb’s templates, so we will be referencing some of the provided tools within this article. If you are thinking about designing your own artist’s site and haven’t tried Artweb’s website builder, it’s a great place to start!

1. Easy Navigation

As artists, it may be easy to get carried away when you first start building your site. After all, it is a technical version of a blank canvas! Creativity and experimentation are great for your artwork, however simplicity and keeping things obvious is key to a successful website design. Here are a few simple tips regarding navigation and menus:

• Your menu should be arranged in either a straight column on either side of the page, or as a bar along the top. Artweb’s templates already featured these menu options, so the hard part is done for you! Here’s an example of top menu bar, put into practice by artist Yvonne Ayoub: http://www.yvonne-ayoub.com/

• …. And here is an example of side menus, used by painter and printmaker Sharifa Brooks Read http://www.sharifabrooksread.co.uk/

• Have clear, concise menu headings that explain what the user will find within those sections. For example, use ‘Paintings’, ‘Mixed Media’, ‘Sketches’ etc.

• Avoid the temptation to be too cryptic! Potential buyers might be put off by long headings that describe in-depth processes before they’ve even seen the work. If you want to include processes and the background to your ideas, this could be done as a caption once they have already clicked on the artwork. That way, they are drawn in by the visual impact of the work.

• Equally, avoid being unspecific. A section on your website that has some of your best work in it is not going to be well represented by the heading ‘misc’ or ‘other work’.

• Try to avoid colours that are too close where text is. For example, don’t use yellow text on orange menus, or purple on pink etc. The classic black on white is ideal!

2. Get straight to it!

• You may have seen websites with fancy ‘splash’ pages. These can often put people off, especially if they include a lengthy animation that can’t be skipped through! Make sure your homepage is your landing page, and that it clearly shows the menu with all the sections.

• If you want, you can still create impact on your home page by displaying a large image of your most recent/successful artwork, or having a film or animation playing. However, make sure all the links are visible too so they can navigate easily from the homepage.

• Here are some great Home Page examples:

• Painter Kym Haverson lets her work do the talking with her simple, clean homepage: http://www.kymhaverson.co.uk/:

• Tracey Ann Marrison uses 2 sidebars on either side of the page. On the left are all the sections to do with info, while on the right you can find her artwork categories. She has kept her text and name a modest size, which allows her featured artwork to really stand out: http://www.tracyannmarrison.co.uk/:

• Again, simplicity is key for Simon M Smith: http://www.simonmsmith.co.uk/:

3. Colour scheme

• Keep to a colour scheme that compliments your work!

• If in doubt, stick to white, blacks and greys. As tempting as it is to use your website as a paint pallet, try and think about how this comes across to visitors!

• In most cases, your artwork provides the colour, and shouldn’t be competing with your background colour (see the successful examples by Kym Haverson and Simon M Smith above)

• In some cases, vibrant colours can be used… if they suit the work! See examples below:

• Illustrator Corrina Rothwell, who was our featured website a few weeks back, is an excellent example of this. She uses vibrant pinks and contrasting black to set of her colourful and humorous art works: http://www.corrinarothwell.co.uk/:

• Here’s another example of colour being used effectively. Sheila Marshall has complimented her confectionary-focused work with a subtle pop of pink! http://www.sheilamarshallartist.com/:

4. Fonts

• When choosing a font, stick to simple and clear typefaces such as Arial, Georgia, Tahoma or Times new Roman

• It’s personal preference, but sans-serif fonts such as Arial appear clearer and less fussy than serif fonts, such as Times New Roman

• Choose a font that suits your work best! In the 2 examples above (Corrina Rothwell and Sheila Marshall), both artists have used fonts that are clear and easy to read, but that reflect the character within their artwork.

That’s it for now! We hope these website examples and tips have helped inspire those of you who might be struggling with their website design. Remember there are so many great websites out there, get exploring and see what works and stands out for you!

We will be soon, as we are bringing next month’s newsletter forward to talk about all things Christmas! Got any tips for selling work at Christmas fairs? Know effective ways to market your work at Christmas? Why not share your ideas with other artists… let us know your thoughts here. See you soon!

OPPORTUNITY

Artist or Illustrator wanted for Album Cover

Sharon Lewis is a highly regarded songwriter and is looking for artists who may be interested in painting/illustrating a cover for her new CD titled Roses At The Top. See more info about Sharon here: http://www.sharonlewis.net/.

Sharon’s new album is quite a magical journey, with songs about longing, hope, loss, friendship and transformation. The inspiration behind Roses at the Top is of a spiritual journey in life, and the quest for self-knowledge and self-love. The emotional landscape of the song is a mountain that one is climbing, symbolising life’s trials, and the roses at the top symbolising enlightenment, contentment, peace.

The album is self produced and at present does not have financial backing, so Sharon is really looking for artists who feel inspired by the music and would like to contribute. However, all credits and links to artists would be noted on the cover. Please contact info@sharonlewis.net if you are interested. Below are links to some of Sharons songs for the new CD:
http://soundcloud.com/sharon-lewis/kings-and-queens
http://soundcloud.com/sharon-lewis/roses-at-the-top
http://soundcloud.com/sharon-lewis/birds-of-prey

Good luck!!

For many artists, social media and publicising your website or work on the Internet is already a major part of their routine. For many others though, this can be a very confusing and daunting area, particularly when using social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook to their full advantage. This article will hopefully clear up some questions that we regularly get asked!

1. Social Media

Perhaps the most obvious way of publicising your website is through social media. The most popular platforms are Twitter and Facebook, however there are many other networks out there. For this article we will cover the basics needed for getting started in the social media world.

Setting up a Facebook profile for your artist practice:

Firstly we have some big news – Artweb is shortly releasing a free artist profile app for creating a professional artist’s facebook page – click here to join the waiting list.

And in the meantime, we have a great article online that shows you exactly how to set up your own artists’ ‘page’ on Facebook. This is different from your personal profile, and allows the focus to be solely on your creative practice. People can ‘like’ the page, and the more people who do, the further audience your work could reach! Having a link on this page to your main website will increase traffic and get your site seen – you just never know who could stumble across your work. See the full article here for more information on setting up your Facebook page.

Setting up a Twitter Account:

We have had a few requests recently for an article on Twitter, and how to use it effectively in an artist/creative business-specific way. Hopefully we can demystify it a little! Of course there is plenty of information on Twitter itself, and they have a great glossary which will go some way to helping you understand the language that can be utilised, see here. We’ve put together a few helpful hints here though just to get you started:

• Your username should be the name you use for your art practice (remember, keep things clear)! You could also mention your profession in your username, for example “JamesTurnerArtist” or ‘ClaireBarkerPaintings”. That way when you Tweet it will be clearly relating to your business, and can help people relate your Twitter account to your website.

• Using the @(username) sign in a Tweet is called a mention. Whoever’s name you put after the @ sign, that user will see the Tweet in their mention feed. If you say something particularly of interest, they might then Re-tweet that to all their followers, and your name will be in their Tweet. So this is how you can get your name spread around quite quickly, by mentioning relevant organisations who might be interested in your work. For example, if Artweb receive a Tweet saying “@theartistsweb I have a painting exhibition this weekend@SkyGallery, Bournemouth”, we could then Re-tweet this to all of our followers, meaning they have very quickly increased the exposure of their exhibition!

• Another great tool is the hash-tag # symbol. This links popular words to a pool of Tweets, meaning you can click on the hash-tag word and see other Tweets relating to the same thing. For example, you could Tweet “My #photography is on show at Star Gallery, #London, #Art”. This way your Tweet will be linked so people who might search Twitter for ‘art’, ‘photography’ or ‘London’ could see your Tweet. To get the most out of this you need to spend a bit of time seeing how hash-tags work, and getting to grips with popular searches.

• The best way to learn is, as with most things, to jump straight in! Sign up, follow some people or organisations, and gradually work out how the conversations work. A great one to start with is Artweb of course, follow us @TheArtistsWeb and give us a mention… we’ll Re-tweet any events or exhibitions you have coming up!

Remember to ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ other people…

…who are relevant to you, whose work you admire, or who you just generally like! Starting a network of fellow artists is extremely helpful, and can help you see how others are publicising their work too.

Setting up a blog:

We talked about setting up a blog in a previous article – take a peek here. In reference to getting your website more publicity, a blog can be extremely useful in starting networks and letting followers into your working process. Our last article covered various blogging platforms and the benefits of blogging – so if you’re interested but don’t how, it’s a good place to start!

2. Spread your url

• Add your website to
 all of your social media profiles

• Make sure it is clearly written on your business cards

• If you are on any online communities, include your site as a forum signature

• Include your website in your email signature too!

• If you’re applying for a job, it could be a good idea to include it on your CV, even if you don’t think it’s hugely relevant. A friend of mine once applied to a job in a gallery, and whilst the gallery did not take their application further, they visited their website out of curiosity and ended up offering them an exhibition instead!

3. On your website:

• Linking to social media: So you have a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a blog. The next thing to do is add a link to all of these things on your website, so people who may come across your site can then connect with you, follow your progress and like your pages! By doing this, people who are genuinely interested in your work can be reminded of you on a daily basis, and it’s also easier for them to share your site with others.

• Sharing buttons: Another useful addition to your website is to include ‘like’, ‘tweet’ and ‘+1′ buttons, that allow visitors to your site to instantly follow you and also to share your work. Conveniently Artweb has a feature to help with this! If you are an Artweb user, just go to: -> Login -> Settings -> Sharing & Bookmarks, and you will be able to add like/ tweet/ +1 buttons to your website. It’s a very useful tool, as every time a visitor clicks one of these buttons all the people connected to them will potentially see this, and be inspired to visit your site. Also, search engines are starting to use social media activity as “signals” for their algorhythms – similar to how lots of incoming links to your website helps with search engine results, lots of likes/ tweets/ +1′s are starting to have a similar effect. If you’re not sure what these buttons look like, you will probably have seen them before without realising – here’s a reminder:

Artweb members Liberty Gallery put these links on their homepage, ensuring maximum visibility (visit their site here!) and see below:

• Link to fellow artists and friends, and get them to link to your website. Having a page dedicated to ‘links’ or ‘other artists’ is a great way of publicising fellow artists’ work and getting them to repay the favour. Don’t go crazy with adding links, but link to people you might have worked with or have had an inspiration on your work, as well as galleries, organisations and collectives you might be part of. Here’s a great and simple example from Maria Rivans website:

• Have a ‘News’ section, and include information on publications, artist talks you might be part of, and exhibitions. This will keep people up to date with your activity and can also link to the things you talk about on your blog and social media.

We hope this has helped anyone who finds social media daunting, and inspired you to become more active in getting your work seen by more people. After all, there are so many brilliant websites out there, they deserve to be seen by the masses! We will be back on the 21st November with the 4th and final part of this series, focussing on the design aspect of your website, and giving some tips on how to make the most of your website’s visual style. See you then!

We are going to be doing a series of articles with some tips on how to get the most out of your website. In this first part, we’ll be looking at how you can maximise connection with your visitors by creating an ‘About Me’ section that really stands out, and represents what you and your work are about!

There a lot of great articles already online, such as Artquest, so here we are going to summarise a few of the important points and give some examples of artists (including Art Web members of course!) who are really using their About Me section to full advantage.

1. Artist Statement

• Try and include a portrait of yourself!  There are lots of reasons why this is useful. It helps visitors to your site connect with your statement and your work, and it’s also a chance to let some of your personality come through. You don’t have to have a generic passport photo, why not think about how you can channel your creativity through your picture!  A great idea is to to have someone photograph you next to or amongst your artwork, it makes it feel real and shows you’re passionate about your work. Below are a couple of artists that I think do this well:

Artweb member Martin Cheek has a great example on his site, see his whole site at: http://www.martincheek.co.uk/:

Another successful profile picture is that of Kate Boyce, http://www.kateboyce.co.uk/biography:

• Try to convey the fundamental elements of what your work is about. Think about what it concerns and what ideas you tend to focus on.

• What materials and processes do you use and why?

• Try not to overcomplicate your statement with long theories or confusing though processes. Keep it concise and clear, and make sure it really is relevant to your work!

• What/ who are your influences? How have these affected your work?

• The length of your statement can vary when applying to residencies, galleries etc, but for your website all you really need is a few well-written paragraphs that capture people’s attention. Here are a couple of good examples:

Mixed media artist Camilla Brendon uses her statement to introduce the themes and ideas behind her work: http://camillabrendon.com/statement.php

Collage artist, photographer, illustrator Julia Bellamy, an Artweb member, also has a short and sweet statement that sums up her practice and references her influences and inspiration: http://www.juliabellamy.co.uk/about-me

• Another great idea is to use a ‘strap-line’ or headline, if you want to sum up your practice in a few words:

Artweb member Anne Magill has decided to use a quote on her opening page. This is a really great idea as it gives a sense of professionalism, and  that the artist is successful: http://www.annemagill.com/

Artist David Shrigley, http://www.davidshrigley.com/, whose work is all about humorous combinations of text and images and implied meanings, has used the ideas within his work for his opening page. It’s successful because the strap-line is a work in itself!

2. Biography

• Your biography is a chance to boast! Many artists struggle with self-promotion and maybe feel uncomfortable about listing achievements and successes. However, we all know how important it is to sell yourself, especially when you are trying to sell your work at the end of the day!

• Focus on the parts of your life that you are most proud of. For example, if you feel you’ve had a great education and gained a lot out of it, write about this in a bit more detail.

• Include some info about where you grew up, your influences perhaps, where you moved to etc. Your biography is a chance to talk about YOU and not just your professional achievements (These can be listed in detail in a separate CV).

• Don’t be afraid to use humour!

• General things to cover are: education, exhibitions of particular note, awards or shortlists (choose 1 or 2 important ones) any artist’s collectives you might be part of, future shows and commissions, and any part of your personal history that you feel is relevant. Here are some examples of successful biographies:

Joanna Yates has a great biography on her site, also a brilliant use of a profile pic that shows her working: http://www.joannayates.co.uk/about-me

Another excellent example is Leyla Murr who writes about herself with a great energy and enthusiasm that really reflects her work: http://www.leylamurr.com/biography

And here are some other great examples we thought worth checking out:

http://www.eliseferguson.co.uk/biography

http://cecilrice.theartistsweb.co.uk/biography

3. Artist’s CV

• Your CV can act as an extension of your biography- an opportunity to list all of your achievements in detail.

• If you feel that you don’t want a CV on your website as well as a statement and biography, you can always include it as a link to a downloadable PDF. That way, people can choose whether they want to read it!

• It’s good to include your basic info at the top, such as full name, email address, phone number. Some artists include their date and place of birth, but this is entirely up to you!

• Include your education in date order, most recent first. If you have taken on further or higher education, it might not be necessary to include GCSEs  and specific grades, unless you feel they are relevant to your work.

• List your exhibitions by year, for example:

2011

-Landscapes, The Artists Gallery, London

- Beautiful Creatures, Close Up Gallery, Herts

2010

- Seascapes, group show at The Other Gallery, Bournemouth

- Found structures, Hope Gallery, Ipswich

etc

• You can also separate your exhibitions into Group shows and Solo shows, if you prefer

• Include details of residencies or exchanges you have done

• Make sure you put down awards and any you have been nominated or shortlisted for

• Include a commissioned section, to list selected commissioned work

• List any work that has been published in books, or any articles that have been written about you and include images of your work.

Here are some examples of a couple of Artist’s CVs, from artists at various stages in their careers:

http://www.siobhanohehir.com/biography

http://www.helenmasacz.com/exhibitions

That’s it for part 1, hope you enjoyed the article! If you have any examples of great ‘About Me’ sections why not post a link as a comment?

Part 2 will be focussing on ‘Making it Clear‘, covering ideas on how to clearly communicate with your audience, as well as tips on pricing, sizing and taking photographs of your work.

See you soon!

Firstly, some thoughts on why blogging might be good for your art practice in this digital social media age!

- Blogging allows you to post ideas and thought processes without committing to it being ‘finished work’

- It encourages feedback and initiates discussion about your work in progress
- A well-thought blog can bring traffic to your website, if used cleverly
- It acts as a point of reference to things that inspire you, acting as a digital scrapbook
- Artists can link their blog to Twitter and Facebook and other social networking, allowing for wider audience potential
- Many blogging platforms act as communities as well, where you can meet other artists and initiate collaborations
- Curators often look online to find info on artists- the more of a presence you have the more information about your practice you are putting out there.

- Many artists feel that theory and process is as much part of their practice as the outcome, and voicing your thought processes could help to emphasise the theoretical elements of your work, and clarify your direction.

Drawbacks?

In my opinion, there aren’t any drawbacks to having more of an online presence, especially for artists! The only thing you might want to think about is keeping your images safe. One way you could do this is using a creative commons liscence (see our previous article on Getting the most out of your website for more info on this). Some of the blogging platforms out there encourage others to repost and share the work you post, which can be great for exposure, but if you aren’t happy with this make sure you read and adjust the settings to your requirements.

Some links to other useful articles on the net, worth a look:

A-N has some great articles on the benefits of blogging for artists, and even has a blogging platform of it’s own:

http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/article/406327

http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking/article/539709

Other sources of info:

http://www.squidoo.com/blogging-for-artists: Lots of articles and in depth discussion on tips and advice for artists who want to start a blog!

http://www.theloungegroup.com/the-rise-of-the-digital-scrapbook-culture/: Interesting article on the Rise of Digital Scrapbooking

Some examples of popular blogging platforms, and what we think:

Blogger:
http://www.blogger.com
Very simple and great for ‘following’ other blogs, which can initiate conversation with others and encourage others to follow your blog. Links to Googlemail accounts so good if you already have one, as you can utilise your existing contacts.
Example of blogger template designer:

WordPress:
http://wordpress.com/
Extremely customisable and great for the techie artist who wants to create their own blog design. WordPress offers a hosted or self-hosted option, so if you know your stuff you can have absolute control over the look and feel of your blog. For some people this might be important in expressing their work, for others it might be unnecessary and a little daunting to begin with.

Posterous:
https://posterous.com/
This platform is great if you just want a blank canvas (no pun intended!) to spill out your ideas without fussing over design. Acts as more of a note/ jotting space and allows for email updating on the move, which is perfect if you spot something inspiring out and about!

Tumblr:
http://www.tumblr.com/
Imge: example of Tumblr search function via tagging
This has a lot of nice layout choices, very contemporary and simple. Tumblr is great if you just want to post images as and when you feel without having to make too much sense of your ideas. Another good thing about this platform is the search functions and the ability for others to find your work and repost, like or follow you. Personally this is my favourite in terms of exposure and getting your work/ ideas seen!

Example of Tumblr search function:

Livejournal:
http://www.livejournal.com/
Very community focussed- so brilliant if you’re looking to make connections and discover people with similar interests. Very simple and usable.

A few tips

- Utilise search function capabilities such as tagging, labels and categories – the more info you attach to an image the easier it is for search engines and your audience to find it!

- Explore other blogs and comment on posts – this will encourage people to reply and have a look at your blog. It will also allow your avatar to be viewable by their followers, who may also have a peek at you posts.

- Post regularly and keep the content relevant – once a day is great, but a couple of times a week is a good start. If you start to get followers, they’ll want to know what you’re up to, and taking an extended break from blogging could cause them to unfollow!

- Link your blog to your Twitter and any other Social networks – Your friends and family are a great place to start when trying to get your blog out there!

- Include your blog address in your email signature. Often people will be more inclined to look at a blog site rather than an artist’s website, perhaps it’s our nosy nature… whatever brings traffic to your work though can’t be a bad thing!

To summarise…

There are of course many more blogging platforms, so do your research and see what’s best for your needs! Think about what is most important to you – exposure? collection of ideas for your own process? networking and collaborating? All platforms offer these things but perhaps some focus on certain things more than others.

Happy blogging, and leave a comment if you have a blog, perhaps you could inspire others!

1. How to create an artist’s successful Facebook page.
2. How much will artists sell online in 2010?

This site I’ve banged the gong for………………..Cornelia Blunt. Cornelia is a portrait sculpture artist who creates stunning sculptures from life in resin, clay, bronze or plaster.

Why Cornelia’s site? It’s a good example of less is more. There are enough clearly photographed images of Cornelia’s work without reams and reams of text to pore through, and great before-and-after shots of the sitters during work-in-prgress and of the finished sculptures. The biography gives a captivating but clear and informative description of the process involved, which would be tempting to anyone sitting for a sculpture! The links page has direct links to the sites of those she’s been trained by; and those sites too are impressive! The photos of the sitters and the sculptures are big enough to not have to squint with simple captions. Cornelia Blunt has a site which perfectly illustrates how an artist’s work can speak for itself with great impact by simply having clear pictures, good details, and enough sense of the artist behind it to leave you wanting a little bit more.

Take a look at this simple but effective site and also at her lovely work. Well done, Cornelia!
http://corneliablunt.theartistsweb.co.uk/

4. IN THE NEXT EDITION OF THE ARTIST’S NEWSLETTER….

• Running an artist’s blog; is it worth it? Is there much to be gained from it? We look at some successful blogs and explore the benefits writing one could have for you.
• How to get more traffic to your website…ways and means you may not have thought about!
• Get your site looking nifty and you could have next issue’s ‘Artist’s Site Of The Month’!
  ….and there’ll also be anything else that I have an ‘Eureka!’ moment about between now and then.

Coming up on The Artists Web Blog…..
Oh, lots! Watch out for our series of interviews surrounding the National Portrait Gallery’s prestigious BP Awards coming up! Also some gallery reviews…are they visitor-friendly? Were the exhibitions good? Worth the money? We’ll be welcoming your comments and experiences of those we feature so do have your say. I’ve also had a nice chat with BBC daytime presenter Alistair Appleton (if, like me, you’re an ‘Escape To The Country’ fan you’ll know who I mean!) about his experiences of art, his influences and what artwork he’d have in his living room if he had unlimited money! Do check out our latest ‘Spotlight’ interview with stained glass artist Rosalyn Mina…stunning work! And of course we’ll be running more Spotlight interviews over the weeks to come. So plenty to keep checking the blog for.
That’s all for now. Till next time!

If you’re an artist who makes a living from their work (or at least has a fair stab at it!), the chances are you’ve undertaken some form of art training in the past. Many artists who study art in higher education are busy enough afterwards trying to sell their work, get established and earn enough to pay the rent to give studying art any further much consideration. The path that an artist has to take in terms of marketing themselves, exhibiting, getting their work into galleries, making a name for themselves and being creative enough to keep producing work they’re satisfied with is certainly an education in itself. But assuming that studying art is in your past (once you’ve got your qualifications and are on the career path) might be a missed opportunity in your career. My latest ‘Spotlight’ interview with Rosalyn Mina (have a look on our Blog!) made me think of this point. Rosalyn had started off her training in illustration at University; whilst she was doing this course she saw some work in stained glass which fascinated her. She begged her tutors to allow her to do her final project with a focus on stained glass as illustration; they agreed and her new passion for stained glass was ignited – you only have to look at some examples of her work on her site to get an idea of the training she had to undergo and skill she had to acquire in order to make it a success! She returned to her love of painting further down the road and now produces lovely work in both paint and stained glass. So you may think that you’re happy with your chosen artistic skill; whether it’s painting, sculpture, installations etc. But you’re creative; you’re an artist – who knows what other skills you may have lurking under your palette?

This is where the good ole’ art course comes into focus. Luckily, there are literally thousands of courses in all art mediums being run pretty much all the time all over the country! You’d find it difficult NOT to find something that might take your interest. So why should you maybe consider taking an art course (leisure or qualification-based) when you’re already an artist?

Well, you could ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you happy with the amount of income you’re making from your chosen art medium right
  now?
• Is there an area in art that’s always appealed to you but for one reason or another you’ve
  neglected to explore it further?
• Have you thought about other areas that your current artistic talents could be put to
  beneficial use? For example, if you paint landscapes in oils, have you ever considered
  illustration? You’re a painter; you can create beautiful pictures – if you could learn to
  base your art to required themes, illutrations could open new doors of opportunity – and
  income – for you!
• Is there another area in art that could earn you far more money per artwork than the
  medium you currently specialise in?

I know some of you may be recoiling in horror at the thought of even wanting to deviate away from your passion, but in Rosalyn’s case, as mentioned above, she thought she’d found her passion in illustration; before she considered stained glass, that is! And once she’d delved in, a new and highly successful passion was born. So if you fancy exploring other possibilities, you might want to start to consider the factors that will affect you as you travel down your new artistic path.

Here’s some points to consider:

• Fitting it in – if you decide you’d like to explore another art medium, your current schedule is going to have to shift around a little bit! Choose a course in your chosen medium which will still allow you the time to continue with your current specialist area of art. At this stage, just one hour a week will be enough to spend on your new interest, to gain an insight into what’s really involved, if it really grabs your interest enough to inspire you to pursue it, the materials involved (cost!) and above all, the satisfaction it brings you – or not!
• Worth your while? Check the finances! – so you’re seriously considering – for argument’s sake – a course in sculpture (you currently specialise in ceramics – so you’re good with your hands!). Have a good look at what adding sculpture to your artistic repetoire could do for your career. Is it a good money earner once you’re accomplished? Could you really benefit financially from producing works in both sculpture AND ceramics? Are the costs to produce the works horrendous? Do you have any equipment already that you use for ceramics that you can also utilise for working in sculpture? Can you effectively split your time between the two mediums to enable to produce enough work to make enough money? And – of course – can you afford it? If money is tight, could you factor the cost of the course into your current annual expenditure? Can you make cutbacks in other areas to allow for the extra cost? Or maybe do a push with your current art and try to produce/sell more works to limit the financial impact. Treat this as a career investment; passion and love of art of course come into it – but at the end of the day, this is your job and finances must be a fundamemtal part of any choices you make within it.
• Space – where will you practice your new subject? Do you have enough studio space to incorporate two art mediums? Are you going to have to find a new place to hire out in order to develop your second skill? If so, you need to factor the costs into your budget.
• Enjoyment – you love what you do now, but could you love another?! Think about the long-term; maybe having a second area of work will keep your current one fresh over the years. You won’t tire of it because you’ll have variety. Do you enjoy a challenge? Could you view the changes as positive rather than a stressful upheaval? Do you feel confident enough to ‘go back’ to being a student? This is quite an important point to consider! You may feel accomplished and confident (most of the time!) in what you do now, but do bear in mind that doing a course will mean returning to the learning/making mistakes side of art that you thought you’d left behind you at art college! Try to envisage the end goal; a job as an artist with two (or multi!) mediums that you’re skilled in and which provide you with financial reward, stimulation, challenge and enjoyment.

Once you’ve decided to go for it, get searching! Word-of-mouth is a good way to find out about courses run in the medium which interests you; get talking to your fellow artists! Check out the library, local listings in papers, community centre notice-boards and of course your local colleges/adult education centres/art schools. Go and see some exhibitions specialising in the medium that’s grabbed your interest. Maybe talk to other artists who specialise already in that medium about the pros and cons.

Is there a teacher in you bursting to get out?

So what about the ‘other side’? No, I don’t mind supernatural goings on. I mean teaching an art course. That idea may fill you with instant fear but you could surprise yourself! I made that transition myself (not in art, but in singing). Having been a singer for most of my life, I’d had more lessons and done more courses than you could shake a microphone at. But then one day a music studio owner suggested to me that I teach the subject – to which I laughed heartily and at the same time shuddered with horror at the thought; too scary! The following week, he called again and asked me to come down and give him a singing lesson. I saw it as a challenge and did so. The next day, he’d booked me a paying student – cue absolute panic, night sweats and what-the-heck-did-I-agree-for rants at myself. Ten years on, I’m a happy singing teacher (when I’m not writing about doing art courses!) with hundreds of satisfied singing students under my belt, a number of amazing achievements made by some of them which make one feel partially responsible and therefore very happy and a huge passion for teaching and seeing people’s journeys as they learn, develop and gain in confidence that I would never have guessed I had in me. I was thrown in at the deep end with hardly any time to think about the change from student to teacher and it was a real case of learning on the job. Sometimes I think I would have preferred to take a course as it would there would have been less panic attacks at night! But at the same time, I know that I wouldn’t have taken a course – because I simply wouldn’t have got around to it. Teaching would have remained on my ‘to-do’ list because I thought it might be an option when I was much older.

To teach a subject you love is fantastic; you never have to worry about conveying your own enthusiasm for the subject to your students because it naturally oozes from you! If you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll have the enthusiasm to pass that passion onto others. Here’s some more bullet-pointed things to consider if you’re now sitting there with your tea thinking ‘hmmmm….teaching! I wonder!’. We love our bullet-points.

• Scared witless by the thought of standing up in front of a class and – well, teaching? Change your viewpoint on it. See it less as a public speech and more as explaining to a friend how they could start to paint a picture. If you’re terrified about teaching a class of 20 – don’t! Start with a class of 6 or 7. Stage it as a drop-in for people to come and see your work, have a look, have a feel of your sculptures, have a cup of tea and a chat…and then they can have a go themselves after you’ve shown them the basics.Keep it small and friendly. You may be a fully accomplished artist, even if you’re not so sure in your less-confident moments. But bear in mind you’ll be teaching BEGINNERS…it’s back to the basics which you know like the back of you hand, but which they don’t.
• Do just one trial lesson with a friend/acquaintance. That was my first experience of teaching a subject I adored and, although scary, was enough to give me a real taster of what it would involve. I hadn’t thought about the repetitions they’d need to do as a beginner before they felt confident to move onto the next point. There was I worrying that they’d get bored/feel they weren’t getting their money’s-worth and all they were concentrating on was breathing from the diaphragm correctly as it was all so new to them! I hadn’t realised how much fun it would be. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the feeling of elation when, at the end of the session, they told me how much fun they’d had and how they’d enjoyed it. As new teachers, it’s so easy for us all to get bogged down and concerned about OUR abilities; but the student’s concerns and concentration will be focused on THEIR abilities to get it right. A trial lesson will show you all this and give you a taste of whether you might love it or decide that it’s not for you.
• Hone your basic skills – after all, these are (likely) what you’ll start off teaching. For a one-hour lesson, you may THINK that you can cover quite a lot. But it’ll be a lot less than you realise! The basic skills of the art you’re teaching you’ll have acquired long ago and quite likely do them now without thinking about them. Revisit them. Look at your most basic techniques and the most basic starter exercises. Make sure you know them inside out. Can you answer questions thrown at you on them? The exercises may take you ten minutes to do but the chances are they’ll take up the whole of a first lesson for a beginner. And no, they won’t be bored! Learning the basics is essential, still a big challenge for a novice and will be enjoyable for them too – so don’t feel you need to overload them with knowledge the first ten or so sessions; that will just be confusing. Keep the exercises basic, make sure you know your stuff and don’t worry about it not being enough; when you’re learning something new, you don’t want to be overwhelmed with information.
• Where could you teach from? Home? A community centre? Look at possibilities. Don’t necessarily worry about not having great expanses of land with stunning views if you’re teaching painting; your students want to master technique and skill and they can achieve this without being in a field.
• Money! It’ll cost you to run a course, there’s no doubt about that…but the financial benefits can be great. If you teach privately, you’re getting all the money once you’ve paid the expenses….and if you’re good at budgeting and can manage ways to keep costs down, you could be pleasantly surprised at how much you can earn after just a couple of hours! Ring around other private art teachers in your area to find out what the going rate is (you can pretend to be an interested student!). Start to work out a budget. You need to factor in:
  • Materials. Think about the less obvious things such as pots for water, cloths to clean
    up any spillages and so on, as well as the more obvious materials.
  • Preparation time. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of your time! You’ll need to make lesson plans, do paperwork, prepare the room etc. This should all be factored into your hourly/two-hourly rate. You don’t just work for the duration of the session you’re teaching! You could be looking at hours of extra work just in the preparation; this all needs to be taken into account when it comes to pricing your lessons.
  • Don’t undercharge! This is common with new teachers; they simply don’t feel confident as teachers yet because they’re just starting out, so they charge less than they could or indeed, should. If you price yourself too low, propective students may ask themselves why that is. Is he/she not very good? Are the materials going to be poor quality? Does the teacher even know his/her craft? Be competitive, but then again don’t price yourself out of the water! Find out the going rate, work out an average and price yourself there. You may worry about teaching but the students simply want to know how to paint/sculpt/make a mosaic – and you KNOW all this and can show them. They’ll be happy to pay you the going rate for it. Trust me on this one.
  • Practice your teaching skills! There’s plenty of books/Youtube clips/advice on the internet on how to teach. But what I learnt was that it’s actually pretty simple; you just need to do the following:
    • Work out the content of your classes/courses. If you’re running a four-week art course, work out exactly which points/skills you’d like your students to reach by the end of it. Don’t overload them and keep it realistic. Think back to when you were learning; how long did it take you to fully get a grasp on the skills you want to teach?
    • Ensure that the methods you’re teaching are solid. Don’t teach short-cuts! That may be something YOU do with time and confidence on your side but don’t pass that on to beginners! Keep the methods tried, tested and make sure you’re covering all the essentials.
    • Plan your lessons. Crucial at first! Work out a time sheet for the duration of your lesson and try to (realistically) work out what you’re going to teach at which point. Factor in demos. Factor in tea break! Factor in setting up and saying goodbye! All these take up the class time and are often forgotten when it comes to planning the lesson! So you may find yourself pushed to get everything fitted in because you didn’t realise it would take 5-10 minutes of that hour-long class just to say the hello’s, get everyone sat down and be ready to start!
    • Practice speaking slowly. Not in a wierd, slow-motion, slurry manner but at a speed which doesn’t scream ‘I’m a new teacher and by jove I’m nervous!’. It’s so easy to speak nine-to-the-dozen if you’re nervous. You may lose your students and make it hard for them to keep up and remember everything. Take your time, speak slowly and once you’ve explained – stop talking! Don’t feel you need to fill the hour with explanations; your students need to be told and then spend most of the time working on it themselves before you come back with appraisals and suggestions.
    • Support, support, support and encourage, encourage, encourage! You know yourself how your confidence can get the better of you sometimes when it comes to art..well, for your nervous-but excited students, it’s going to be at times, all-consuming.
      Always encourage them and practice ways of offering advice that sounds positive and
      not too critical. Start with a positive before you address the mistakes; their
      attempts will always be the best they can do so celebrate those attempts and make them WANT to get improve, not be afraid of doing another clanger. A bit of carefully-chosen language and they’ll feel fantastic, supported and motivated and you’ll feel all mother-hen-like.
    • Keep content varied. You want your lessons to be consistent and well-taught but having the same old format week after week won’t motivate your students. Throw in different exercises; bring in different themes each week even if the skills they’re practicing are the same; don’t be afraid to uses dvd clips of skills/artists you’re studying. Keep thinking up new ideas to get your points across and your students will remain motivated and excited about what next week’s session will bring.
    • Set an end-of-course goal. Staging a small exhibition of your students’ achievements is a great way to steer the course to an exciting and rewarding conclusion. It will also motivate them no end if they realise their work is going to be on show to the public in a few weeks! It doesn’t need to be fancy; you can do it in your home! Invite their friends and family to the event, lay on wine and nibbles and present their work in a proper (if small-scale) exhibition style. It’s a great focus for your students and you’ll see their progress in it’s entirety which is great for you! Most important of all…it’s fun!

Hopefully all the above won’t have scared the living daylights of you and will have shown you what teaching can be – which is a lot of hard work but great fun, rewarding, confidence-building and financially a good bet! I can totally recommend it; making the transition from singer to singing teacher was one of the best moves of my life. Give it a go!

Art shows and fairs dot the calendar year-round, providing opportunities for artists and art-enthusiasts alike to showcase and buy art and to network with those who are also passionate about art and crafts. As an artist, you may well have your own website showcasing your artwork and you may also occassionally exhibit at local art fairs. For many artists, however, exhibiting at an art show is something they are yet to do. It may seem like too much effort, too much expense, too much time off work – or it may simply be down to a crisis of confidence! In this article, I’ll be speaking to Sam Maund and Jenifer Wall, who run Brass Monkeys, a successful Hove shop selling handmade metalwork, jewellery and silversmithing. They both exhibit regularly at shows and have sound advice and experiences to pass onto other artists! I’ll also be taking a look at some of the art shows coming up this year, with dates, details and deadlines. If you didn’t set yourself a New Years resolution for 2010 – how about setting yourself an April resolution and trying your hand at presenting your art for the world to see in an art show this year? You never know…you might just sell something AND have fun!

Jennifer Wall and Sam Maund first started exhibiting in shows some years ago. Jen was already showing at trade fairs and when they first started working together, ‘made’ Sam do one with her! Sometimes it’s a nudge, scary or not, that artists need to get going. Now Sam and Jenifer exhibit regularly and are seeing huge benefits of doing so. Here’s their thoughts and insights on the topic! Although they exhibit at jewellery shows and craft fairs predominantly, their advice and experiences also apply to artists who want to exhibit at art fairs.

How long have you been exhibiting at craft fairs?
Jen – thirteen years.
Sam – I’ve been doing them for seven years.

Why did you decide to start doing them?
Jen – You have to be out there to find customers; they won’t come to you! Certainly if you work in a studio or workshop, you have to find your own customers and show them what you can do.

How do you find out about fairs going on?
Sam – It’s pretty much word-of-mouth. Ask other makers, see what works for them. Look at their work as well, to see if theirs is similar to yours because sometimes a Trade Fair may work for one person but not necessarily for another. The first time you do a Trade Fair it’s never fantastic. It takes a couple for you to get used to it and for galeries to trust you to come up with the goods!

How about the expenses?
Jen – The fairs vary greatly. However, if you don’t factor in your time, a local fair can typically cost around Ј500-550 to do. Whereas if you do one of the London shows, you’re looking more along the lines of around Ј1500. But you factor that into your financial year and that cost really should be incorporated into your selling prices. When you’re pricing your work you need to take your expenses into account and Trade Fair costs should be included in that annual expenditure, maybe under ‘Advertising’.

What is the difference between a ‘Trade Fair’ and a ‘Retail Fair’?
Jen – Trade Shows are for selling to shops and galleries; Retail Shows are for selling direct to the public. If you do a Retail Show (selling to the public), you go along and you sell at retail prices which are much higher than the Trade prices; you should be selling to the public at the same price that galleries would be selling at because you too are going directly to the public. With Retail Shows, anyone can go in whereas with Trade Shows (selling to galleries), you have to show some ID to show that you’re a trader. A Trade Show is half the price, as the galleries you sell your stuff to will sell it on at a higher price.
Sam – you especially have to factor in the cost of a Trade Show when you’re selling to galleris, because you might not make a profit due to the prices you’re selling at, which are so much lower than Retail. You’re selling at cost so you really should factor Trade Show costs into your advertising budget. At Retail Shows you actually usually just manage to cover the cost of that show due to selling at retail prices. Retail shows tend to be a little more expensive to do. Trade Shows are lovely ways to keep in touch with other makers and see what everyone’s doing because you don’t have the same stress as Retail Shows; although you want to sell to galleries when you do a Trade Show, you only need to cover your costs as you’ll make your money throughout the financial year by selling to a gallery. At a Retail Show, you have that one day to make your money! So you have to have lots of stock with you when you do one. But all shows are very nice to do! Apart from when you don’t make lots of money!

How far in advance do you have to apply to a Fair to get a slot?
Jen: It’s a good idea to know what shows are around that you’d like to take part in; take a look at them the year before you want to do it. Some Retail Shows, like Goldsmiths, have strict deadlines and you have to apply a good year in advance. You can often book a Trade Show up to a few days beforehand though, especially at the moment with the economy not being as good. But research the shows and the deadlines the year before; that’s the best idea.
Sam – It’s crucial to visit them before you do them. Then you get to have a look around and decide which area you’d like to have. Some areas for having a pitch are definitely better than others and once you’ve decided on the right spot you can apply for that particular space.
Jen – Another point is that Retail Shows sometimes ask you to submit examples of your work and then they decide if they’ll let you in. That’s why it’s always a good idea to vet the shows beforehand; it’s all well and good if you get in but you need to have seen the standard of other artist’s work beforehand and ask yourself ‘am I happy for my work to be displayed next to this?’.

What do you need to take with you if you’re participating in a Trade or Retail Fair?
Jen – A big pile of promotional material; especially at Retail Shows. Things like postcards with your details and different prices for both Retail and Trade Shows – it’s a good idea to email customers from your mailing list and galleries that are in the area which you’d like to sell to a few months in advance to let them know you’ll be there. It’s a good idea whenever you make a sale at a show to ask that person if they’d like to go on your mailing list.
The other thing is not to get too despondant if you have a terrible show because every maker at some stage has a really bad show, whether it’s down to bad attendance or poor organisation by whoever’s running it.

Does a big dose of confidence help?
Sam – I don’t think a maker is ever overly confident about their work! But it’s almost a case of ‘just book it’! You have to just set yourself the date and force yourself otherwise you might never feel ready. And of course, you’ll get better at doing them the more that you do.
Jen – Try and look positive at your stand as well. Don’t look glum even if you’re feeling it! If you see a maker sat there looking really miserable, you won’t want to go up to them! You have to try and adopt a bit of a fixed smile, no matter what you’re feeling and be cheerful and upbeat. If you do look glum, the day will only get worse….
Sam – …it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy!

I’d like to thank Sam and Jen very much for their time and for kindly discussing their experiences and offering their advice. You can see their work for yourself on their website below:
http://www.brassmonkeys.org.uk/

And for those of you who now feel brave enough to take part…….
Here is a line-up of some of the UK’s art fairs and shows for 2010. Some of them are booked up…but all of them are worth a visit if you’re not a frequenter of such shows to start checking out the scene and the competition!

Frieze Art Fair, Regents Park, October 14-17, 2010
http://www.friezeartfair.com/

Leeds Art Fair, The Light Headrow, May 7-10, 2010
About: Leeds Art Fair supports local artists from the region and is in it’s 27th year. All work is available for sale and it attracts a good audience each year. The event is held in ‘The Light’, a shopping mall in the centre of Leeds which has proven to be a prime public space in which to showcase the artists’ works. Applications for this year’s event have now closed but if you live in the Leeds area, it’s well worth going along for a look-out and get prepared for next year’s Art Fair…which may include yourself as an exhibitor!
http://www.leedsartfair.org/

Affordable Art Fair, Battersea Evolution, London, March 11-14 2010
This one has a great following….The Affordable Art Fair gives visitors the chance to see and buy paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography and original prints. With works priced between Ј50 and Ј3,000 it features 120 selected galleries from the UK and Europe exhibiting contemporary art. As well as the Art Fair itself, the organisers have set to hosting plenty of hands-on, family-friendly activities, all of which are fun, enlightening and, best of all, free. It’s well worth putting this one in the diary for next year. Great art that is affordable….you can’t go wrong, really!
http://www.affordableartfair.co.uk/

Newcastle Gateshead Art Fair, The Sage, Gateshead, October 1-3 2010
With over 9000 visitors last year, this Art Fair is popular and presents a sound platform for emerging artists in the Emerging Artists Showcase, which gives 15 unrepresented artists the opportunity to showcase their work. Held in The Sage, Gateshead, it’s the perfect space for exhibiting fresh and invigorating art. Applications are being taken now; click on this link to apply: http://www.ngartfair.com/downloads/pdf/AF-10_Application-for-Exhibition.pdf.

Kent & Sussex Art Fair, The Great Barn, Rolvenden, May 19-23 2010
Now in it’s third year, the Kent & Sussex Art Fair is a smaller-scale but no less enjoyable exhibition held in a lovely barn displaying work from 51 artists. This year, furniture is being added to the mix. Go along for a lovely day out and sign up to be added to their mailing list if you’re interested in participating next year.
http://www.kentandsussexartfair.co.uk/index.html

Reading Contemporary Art Fair,Rivermead Leisure Centre, April 23-25 2010
Alas, too late to apply but it’s run by the same organisers of the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair (see entry below) which, hurrah, you CAN apply for!! If you’re not able to make it to Reading this year, you can browse the artwork online. But try and go if you’re in the area; there are also some drop-in workshops going on.
http://www.readingcontemporaryartfair.co.uk/

Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Windsor Racecourse, November 12-14 2010
2010 being it’s fifth year, the Windsor Contemporary Art Fair is held in a lovely setting with works from over 100 exhibitors. Prices are similar to those in the London Affordable Art Fair, with works ranging from Ј30 to Ј3000. Applications are being taken by artists interested in exhibiting; follow this link: http://www.windsorcontemporaryartfair.co.uk/wcaf_exhibitor_info_pack_form.asp. Again, a good day out if you’re not intending to participate.
http://www.windsorcontemporaryartfair.co.uk/default.asp

London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Islington, 19-23 January 2011
Applications for next year’s London Art Fair have just opened so move faster than a speedingn bullet to get in there! It’s in it’s 21st year and received a whopping 21,700 visitors this year…one worth being seen at. ‘Art Projects’ is an exciting sector of the Fair; applicants must adhere to some criteria for a subsidised stand, with amazing prospects; some of the stands in this year’s Arts Projects scheme sold out completely! Have a good look round this website, sign nup for the ebulletin and dare to bare your work at the London Art Fair…it’s a good’un!
http://www.londonartfair.co.uk

East Cheshire Art Fair, ‘The Art Of Caring’, Macclesfield Town Hall, 8-16 October 2010
Some definite benefits here; it’s free to take part, open to everyone, it’s in aid of the East Cheshire Hospice and it gets a good visitor count. Sign up for the newsletter on the blog and get on the list to exhibit. It’s all in a good cause and is a friendly, perfect starter-show for those who haven’t exhibited before.
http://www.theartofcaring.org.uk/

The Great Sheffield Art Show, The University Of Sheffield, 9-11 July 2010
Application forms taken till next month. Preview night with sponsors, traders and professional artists. Art demonstrations and workshops along with trade stands make this a popular show for artists. To exhibit, you must submit up to 6 works and then a selection is made by the show committee.
http://www.gsas.co.uk

Animal Art Fair, Fulhum Palace, April 16-18 2010
I was going to say it ‘does what it says on the tin’ but then realised that it might sound like all the art is created by animals. Which it isn’t. Obviously. This is coming up quick and I didn’t know it existed (this being the inaugral event!) but it looks like a good exhibition; over 40 artists and sculptors and a plethora of talent. If you like animals, this one is for you.
http://www.animalartfair.com/

Made10, Brighton’s Design & Craft Fair, Corn Exchange, 18-21 November 2010
Applications being taken till 14 April for this popular design/craft fair in bustling, cosmopolitan Brighton. Over 5000 visitors each year, over 100 exhibitors, every genre possible from sculpture to textiles and most importantly, a nice cafe for a cup of cheering tea and a slice of hearty cake. Yes, I have my artistic priorities sorted. This is a great fair (I should know; I’ve been to a few of them) and a great opportunity to sell your wares in time for Christmas! See you in November!
http://www.made10.co.uk/

Oohhh…hot on the heels of that one….

Is the Brighton Art Fair, Corn Exchange, 16-19 September 2010
Again, deadline for applications is April 14…get the form filled in! You can do it online so it’s quick and painless. This art fair is now the largest on the South Coast with over 130 exhibitors. It’s a friendly, buzzy affair and a great opportunity to network. And if you need to go for a quick break whilst your mum/friend/lover looks after your stall, you can go grab some Autumnal sea air. Lovely. Last year Brighton Art Fair netted it’s highest total sales ever…not bad considering a recession! Don’t miss this one.
http://www.brightonartfair.co.uk/

Palace Art Fair, Fulhum Palace, 7-10 October 2010
This exhibition is run by the same busy geezers who run both Made10 and the Brighton Art Fair! Wonder how their work/life balance is….? This art fair will exhibit just 100 artists – I say ‘just’ because for a London show, this is positively intimate! Unfortunately you’re just going to miss applying for this show at the time of going to press although I did make a point of featuring it on the blog a couple of weeks ago to avoid disappointment. But sign up for their newsletter for notification on how to get in next year’s event…a London show that’s not so vast only major galleries can compete? Got to be worth a look-in.
http://www.palaceartfair.co.uk/