Western Otona: A new artwork by elledeegee

A little something I managed to get drawn while the work pace was slow.

(Click here to view)

Think it took me around an hour or two to get it with a few interruptions.

Comments welcomed!

~L~

Places to sell or buy your own artwork…

There are a lot of amateur photographers and freelance artists out there, myself included who want to create something fantastic with their images to send to friends, family or even sell. Well I have to say I’ve tried several different free sites and here is a review:

Shutterfly has a pretty good deal if you join they often send you offers to get a free print or poster print for no more than the cost of shipping. When they have these offers I use them to create posters to sell or give as presents. I haven’t tried too many of their other options but I did send away for a free set of personalized notecards once. The cost was minimal and the cards turned out great with my artwork on them. It made me want to buy more even at their regular prices. I was very impressed with their quality. This site is free and I haven’t seen anything that says you have to pay or buy a minimum for your account to remain active.

Snapfish sells postcards for a buck each with the quality being impressive and looking quite professional. I usually send away for a few of these postcards with my own art, images I’ve taken at events or other photos I’ve taken. Their only request is that all free users buy one item a year (doesn’t have to be more than a single print) to keep your account active and free. It’s worth the cost of a single purchase to join their site. They also sell prints at a daily price of 12 cents. That’s one of the lowest rates you can get prints at. Their print quality is exceptional and very clear even with illustrations.

Dot Photo - Like Shutterfly and Snapfish, share and buy photo gifts with your personal snapshots online. Now they have an option to sell your images to others online for profit.

Photoworks - Like Shutterfly and Snapfish, share and buy photo gifts with your personal snapshots online. Now they have an option to sell your images to others online for profit.

Cafepress is a free site that allows you to make shops for free or pay for a personalized shop. You can upload images or photos to your account and sell them on anything form tees to baby bibs. They have a wonderful assortment of items and occasionally have sales for shopkeepers to buy their own stuff. Helps if you are selling offline or need a great personalized gift. Any money earned will be sent you once it reaches $25 dollars or you can use it to pay for items you buy from your own shop or someone else’s on Cafepress.

Zazzle is another wonderful free site you can upload and sell or buy your art from. They provide you with the space and you fill it with your artwork on notecards, tees, buttons and postcards to name a few. The only downside to Zazzle I found is you have to actually contact their support team to delete items from your shop. Unlike other sites, shopkeepers are not allowed to do any major trimming of products from their shops. The good part is, their prices tend to be fairly low, shopkeepers get an automatic 10% off purchases from their own shops and you get discounts over a certain amt bought. Money you earn can be sent you you through paypal or used to pay for items in the shop you want to buy.

Other free sites online include:

Imagekind - Buy and sell framed or canvas printed versions of your own or others artworks. Markup your art to make commission and earn 15% from framing, mattes and glazing.

Printfection - Buy and sell tees, cutting boards, aprons and other items with your design. Set your own commission.

** Fotolia - Sell your art as stock art. Earnings vary by level or exclusivity of your art on Fotolia. Most stock art sells for a buck an earns you 33 cents on every sale.

(updated 4/200 Fotolia now requires “all” sellers to send both their SS# AND a scan of your government issued ID (aka Drivers’ Licence in the US.) If you don’t mind such draconian tactics to sell (they say it’s to know their sellers better and to stop fraud / theft) then give it a shot.

Deviant Art - If you have an artist account, you can sell prints, coasters, calendars and more. Free accounts only provide about 10% profit of every sale.

** Prickie Button Badges - Sell your artwork on 1 inch buttons. Commission tends to be around $.75 cents per $3 dollar button but can be higher if you adjust your prices.

(updated 4/200 Prickie is in temporary gallery mode till they find funding.

I guess that’s all for now. If you have questions about any of the sites listed, feel free to ask. I’ve been at most sites long enough to say how well they are traffic and profit-wise.

~L~

Blue Girl Postings

Welp, this is my first post. This will be where I post all news about my art and artistic endeavors. I will refrain from ranting and raving unless it deals with art.

I will also be listing winners from the virtual tip jar drawings here. I’ll keep it up as long as I have interest from the community in my artworks. If you aren’t lucky enough to win a button from the drawing, you can always check out my artworks for sale at the Blue Girl Mercado or contact me directly for customized items and artworks. I’m open for commissions.

I’ll be at the Winestyles on Huebner next month for the Artist meetup (meetup.com) here in town. I bought some new things from Cafepress to sell and I hope to be a little more prepared this time to sell my wares. I have a few prints and other items like coaster tiles and such I’d love to sell. So if you are in the area, remember to come by and look at all the beautiful paintings and other items for sale by the Artist meetup group.

More news to come soon!

~L~