Most Popular Submissions about art marketing, selling art, artist websites and inspiration

 "To create my art I take photos of the slices of life I find especially intriguing and use then to make larger compositions." (Giselle Vidal McMenamin)

 "Being a fan does not equal a collector. You'll find that to be your number one challenge, probably your whole career." (Natasha Wescoat)

 "There are various surfaces to mount linen or cotton canvas to, depending on how light you want them to be." (Howard Friedland)

 "Color can be distorted, so can value, and definitely edges. But the fundamental drawing must be solidly in the representational realm." (Terry Miura)

 " It's great to keep informed of the latest trends in New York, London and Paris, but what about the trending of your own creativity?" (Robert Genn)

 "The Big Picture is that your studio practice is only half the equation. The other half is getting your art out into the world with confidence and a plan." (Joanne Mattera)

 "This poll puts aside (for the moment!) the issues of trying to sell your own paintings and considers it from the 'other side': have you ever bought a painting yourself? Afterall, you want people to buy yours, so have you ever put down your own hard-earned cash for someone else's painting?" ( Marion Boddy-Evans)

 "No matter how successful you become -- people will respect you if you still take the time to reach out to others. The snappy 'Do you know who I am!' remarks don't win fans... remarks like that tend to push away even the most dedicated supporters (we see that happen often with actors and musicians). Thus, strive to be as humble as you can be. " (Brian Sherwin)

 "Artist Suzy Hart notes that the human gaze is the most compelling force in her life as an artist and this influence drives her work. Suzy states that she seeks to elicit an empathetic response in the viewer by capturing the emotion of her subjects." (Carrie Turner)

 "Time ain't money when all you got is time." (Luann Udell)

 "Networking shouldn't be about "working a room" or trying to meet the "right" people in the room. It should be about meeting new people and getting excited about their work, their ideas, upcoming exhibitions, or projects they may be involved in. Just like dating, networking should happen organically." (Kesha Bruce)

 "Are you using Pinterest to spread the word about your art or craft?" (ABI)

 "Because no matter how frustrated, or discouraged, or tempted to never pick up a paint brush again, the nature of the artist is to rebound and to attack that problem again with a new strategy." (Sue Favinger Smith)

 "The total revenue generated by e-book sales in the U.S. in 2012 was $3.04 billion, a 44.2% increase over the year before. That gain was announced in the preliminary year-end report released Wednesday by BookStats, a joint statistics project between the Assn. of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group." (Carolyn Kellogg)

 " There are now less than 10 full-time art critics working at newspapers and magazines in the United States. " (Andrew Russeth)

 "Not all business managers are full-time employees, and, in fact, most are not. Friends and spouses frequently handle selling and administrative work for artists, and for many of the artists who earn enough money from their art -- usually, in excess of $100,000 annually -- to afford to hire others, their dealers or art galleries assume many of those tasks." (Daniel Grant)

 "It is not only the frenzied, dollarized ignorance of collectors that is responsible for turning artists into soulless careerists who oversee small armies of assistants and outsource production. Powhida's exhibition, grounded in satire, shows that artists, to a significant degree, have brought it on themselves. " (Sharon Butler)

 "Should artists work for free? There are a lot of people out there who seem to think so. This attitude hurts the business of art and can destroy self-confidence." (Carolyn Edlund)

 "Don't you wish that I would give you concrete, bullet-pointed, step-by-step instructions for how to increase art sales? I'll never do that, you know, because I won't deceive by promising easy answers to complex problems, but if you really want these tips, there are numerous groups, speakers, writers, magazines, social-media resources, and programs out there that will -- for a price. " (Carolyn Henderson)

 "For this round of Staff Picks we had art critic Brian Sherwin and artist Gayle Faucette Wisbon (Artist Support Agent) select artwork that has been featured on the FASO Daily Art Show. We at FineArtViews encourage you to learn more about these artists: Danielle Perry, Gina Strumpf, Pat Meras" (FineArtViews)

 "I find that most of my plein air works could have been greatly improved in compositional choices. This is one of many reasons my plein air work serves mostly as studies and not as finished paintings. If I do a very large canvas, I wouldn't want to consider it a mere study. I would want a finished painting. But with all the visual stimuli out there and quickly changing light, most compositions aren't as well thought out as they could be." (Keith Bond)

 "Who is your audience? This a question that you should ask yourself early on if you are interested in art marketing. Unfortunately, it often seems that artists don't know the answer - most take a 'shotgun' approach to marketing. The 'shotgun' approach to art marketing -- in this context -- will only work if your artwork is varied. That said, if your artistic direction is focused... your targeting needs to be focused as well. Knowing your target audience is crucial if you wish to successfully market your artwork. " (Brian Sherwin)

 "Some paintings reach a point where suddenly it's very clear that it's time to stop. But most of the time there's no pivotal moment. Rather you begin to wonder whether it might still need something or not. The good news is there are several things you can do to help you decide if the painting you are working on is finished. Almost all of these involve changing your viewing point, to allow a fresh perspective." (Alistair Boddy-Evans)

 "Nothing makes me spit nails more than the idea that some people under-value the work of artists." (Maria Brophy)

 "Artists need to remember that Picasso created thousands of pieces during his lifetime... and not all of them were of the same caliber (at least not compared to the twenty or so that most likely pop in mind). Picasso's ego -- certainly his public image -- may have screamed 'everything I do is a masterpiece!'... but I'm certain that he faced doubts as well. Artist are human, correct? We ALL face doubt. Picasso may have felt that he was more human than human at times... but at the end of the day I'm certain that he had doubts just like everyone else." (Brian Sherwin)

 "Artist Douglas Arneson is known for creating elegant still life paintings. His approach to still life painting is strengthened by his love of traditional, academic art. Douglas notes that his approach to painting is 'cemented ' in strong drawing skills." (Carrie Turner)

 "People will always hold differing opinions on explanatory wall text in museums. " (Bob Duggan)

 "Sometimes we as creative people can lose "ourselves" in the midst of work or daily life." (Megan Evans)

 "In the process of encouraging my students to embrace basic principles I experienced a broader appreciation of those concepts." (Brad Teare)

 "At the end of the day, making art becomes a labor of love plain and simple. Those 8 hours you've allotted for your piece might easily turn to 16 or 20 or more as the dictates of a creative process demand. You rarely think financially when you are making the work and you do your best when it is finished to find a reasonable price that covers both time and materials with some equity. What is interesting is when you compare the relative cost of art to other professions and think of the benefit versus cost... Let's just say, the art will last a lifetime and the rebuilt transmission... until the next pothole!" (Jason Brockert)