Google Plus: Set up a basic page! You don't have to post.

 

Click image to view larger.

Notice the photo box and contact info on the right!

Happy Friday Doodlebugerz! I tell my graphic design clients a few times a week to set up a google+ page. You don't have to upload a header, just upload your photo or logo and add your contact info. Don't post if you don't want to, you are busy! 

What happens? When someone searches your name or brand - your contact info pops up on the right hand side complete with eye catching photo! (or logo). NOW your are plugged into a very powerful search engine machine.

One and done - FREE, CHEAP and top of the page. Just do it :-D

Make my week and follow this blog - thanks!

Artist Spotlight - Jennifer Parker

Tell us a bit about yourself: Did you go to school for art? Are you self taught?
I attended CSU Chico, where I earned a B.A. in visual communications/graphic design. In college, I worked at a gift boutique, which sparked my interest in the gift industry. When I graduated, I was hired as a full-time freelancer and eventually became a designer for the The Gifted Line. I was honored to design for John Grossman's Collection of Antique Images, one of the largest unique ephemera collections in the world. Under John’s art direction, I developed the foundation of my niche style of digital vintage collage. That evolution continued at Punch Studio, where I spent nearly eight years as the Northern California art director. In 2010, I began a freelance, consulting and art licensing business.

What inspires you / where do you get inspiration from?
Nothing inspires me more than traveling. No matter where I am in the world, I find myself mesmerized by the details of my surroundings, whether it’s ethnic textiles, weathered textures, nature elements, or a juxtaposition of unexpected images or objects. I love finding hidden or discarded treasures at fairs and flea markets, too. In the retail world, I appreciate the bold, Bohemian combinations of prints, colors, and textiles at Anthropologie and FreePeople. I am also intrigued by surrealist art, Joseph Cornell’s shadow boxes and Nick Bantock’s richly layered collage-postcard works, such as Griffin and Sabine.

Do you work in just one medium? Several?
I use mostly ephemera [chromolithography printed material out of copyright], photos of textures, and painted backgrounds. I use Photoshop to create multiple layers in a single file to compose my final image.

What are you working on now?
I’m currently in the proposal stage with two new licensees. I’m also designing kitchen towels for Potluck Press and dinnerware concepts for Magenta, Inc.

Anything else you want to tell everyone?
I have learned first-hand that art licensing takes patience, determination, and a lot of time and energy. There are many different sources of information out there, so get familiar with licensing blogs join the LinkedIn licensing groups. You might want to establish a web presence through social media, too. If you decide not to use an agent, hire a lawyer or licensing coach to review all your contracts.

Regularly evaluate your goals. If you’re struggling creatively, change something. Don’t be hard on yourself if your original plan or direction doesn’t work out. If you’re willing to take a new approach, you may end up with an even better outcome.

Seek advice. Working alone can be tough, so collaborate and connect with artists and others in your particular field. Seasoned artists, manufacturers, agents and licensing coaches often are happy to share their wisdom or strategies. When you’re following your dream and doing what you love, most people are excited to offer support and encouragement. And one day, you’ll find yourself giving someone else advice.

Explore many avenues for generating income with your art. I’ve found that licensing is only one piece of the pie. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and open yourself up to many possibilities. 

Are you an early riser or night owl?
I love the stillness in the mornings, although I don’t get up super early. I am ready to start the day after a full 8 eight hours of sleep, a 15-minute meditation and a cup of Marin Roasters Costa Rica blend coffee. I don’t skimp on my sleep, even when I have a lot to do. It is essential for my creativity and productivity to be well rested.

What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is Trader Joe’s Marcona almonds with rosemary. They are to die for!

You can learn more about Jenny and see her portfolio here:
http://www.jenniferparkerdesigns.com
jenny@jenniferparkerdesigns.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vintagestationerygiftdecor
Agent: Julie Ager at Artistic Designs Group

 Do you want to be spotlighted? Send me an email: anntroe@cox.net

THANKS for stopping by - make my day and follow this blog :-D

9 fonts $28, 12 Days Left, EXTENDED License! - Design Cuts

The web fonts and the extra dingbats, ornaments, flourishes are icing on the cake!

Quick post everyone. I found this link posted in the Facebook group Art Licensing Network. It is so wonderful when you can find fonts that we can use in licensing. https://www.facebook.com/groups/artlicensingnetwork/

Above is a sample of the fonts. Here is the link, it expires in 12 days. (No, I don't get a cut :-)
http://www.designcuts.com/design-cuts-deals/huge-creative-font-bundle-including-web-fonts/

If you want to mention to them that you found the deal through Art Licensing Network - that would be nice.

Thanks for stopping by!

Art & Public Domain (Before 1923)

Color pencil peacock on ©1983 Webster's Dictionary pages

This is a school art project my daughter is working on for class. Her teacher loaned her an old (©1983) Webster's dictionary to use as the background paper. In my daughter's eyes - this is a vintage dictionary. In my eyes - it is my freshman year of college! I mentioned to my daughter that it is copyright infringement to use the dictionary pages without permission. I got an eye roll. :-D

"It is just a dictionary Mom... Just for class Mom..." I am thinking, what if you want to sell this piece some day?

So I fired up my computer and did a little research. As far as I can tell, I wouldn't use anything unless is was copyrighted prior to 1923. Here is a good chart for more detailed exceptions: http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm

A Pinterest search turned up a LOT of people creating art on old books - fun to look at! http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=art%20on%20old%20books

I got tired of trying to find out if there is an exception for a dictionary. Does anyone know for sure? I would love to point to some authority so I can say "I told you so" :-)

One more thought...I maybe shouldn't post this image on my blog?! Hmmm.

Thanks Doodlebugerz - Always enjoy hearing from you.
Make my week and follow this blog!

Art Licensing Academy - Have you Heard About it?

I am also asking a favor from you :-D

 

Happy Friday everyone! I have been getting questions lately from some of you: "How did you get started in art licensing - what should I do?",  "What resolution should I scan in my art?", "How did you find an agent?"... — a lot of the time I will say you might want to check out one of Tara Reed's products. (Yes, this sure sounds sales-y!). But she has all this stuff set up and ready to go. SO when I saw that she has an Art Licensing Academy coming up - I thought it might interest a lot of you and I would give it a shout out on my blog. FAQs here: http://artlicensingblog.com/2014/03/art-licensing-academy-faqs/

To give a bit of back story: About 3 years ago, I think, I purchased Tara's How to Find an Agent eBook.  For me, it was confirmation that what I was planning on doing was a good approach. I am a BIG fan of her FREE art licensing "Ask Calls". SO this is someone I feel comfortable recommending.

SO, This is the favor part - I am sure you noticed the affiliate ad on the right-hand side of this blog. No pressure to sign up, just - would you use this link if you are going to sign up anyway? When you click on that ad and purchase Tara's Art Licensing Academy, it tracks that you came from my blog and I get a couple of bucks in my pocket as a thank you for recommending the course.

I am wrestling with this one a bit. I recommend Tara anyway - why not get paid for it? But, will the ads (and this post!) offend my audience? The cool thing is that I know you guys will let me know what you think - you can always email me privately anntroe@cox.net.

If you don't want me to make a commission (if you decide to purchase) here is the direct link: www.ArtLicensingAcademy.com.

Thanks Doodlebugerz, I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Social Media and Double, Tripple.... Posting?!

Here is what I do - Tell me your thoughts?

For the last year - Oh wait! Happy Blog Anniversary to Us! - I post on this blog once a week. THEN I post a link to this blog in a couple of Linkedin groups, Twitter, Facebook, a Facebook Group, Google+, AND Pinterest.

I didn't start out doing that cuz I know that I have a lot of the same followers on all those sites. I was/am worried about the 'annoyance factor' when one of my fabulous followers comes across a repeat post. BUT after mustering up some courage, I posted in all those previously mentioned places and my traffic went up. To me that says I am reaching more people who didn't happen to catch it in the other places I posted...

NOW I have even re-Tweeted, re-Facebooked (you get the idea) about mid week to all my social media sites. Traffic goes up again. Clearly I am reaching new people.

Are any of you annoyed with this? Numbers are NOT the only reason to blog - connecting with people IS a reason to blog. I must admit that when I check out a new follower on Twitter (or any social media site), if all I see is the same tweet over and over again, I don't follow them.

I do try to mix it all up for everyone's sake.

Seriously, let me know your experiences, thoughts - I can take it! :-) Thanks in advance.

Find, Evaluate and Act - by Kiffanie Stahle

3 simple steps to control where your images appear online.

First, tell us a bit about you.
Hello! I’m Kiffanie Stahle, the founder of Stahle Law, a law firm serving creative entrepreneurs. I’ve been taking photographs from the ripe old age of seven and this gives me the unique ability to merge art and legalese. I love that my job is to support creatives on their journey to becoming successful and thriving creative businesses. I help them grow, protect their creations, and eliminate the surprises that could cost them thousands of dollars. My goal is to allow you to focus on what you do best – creating!

Tell us about your new eBook and why you wrote it.
We live in a right-click society and your images are constantly being used without your permission. Sometimes this is just the bump you need to get your work in front of the right audience, but sometimes it’s not (and you should be getting paid a licensing fee).
My new eBook is designed to put the control back in your hands. So you control where your work is being used – not other people. The eBook will give you:
    •    The tools to find where your work is appearing online
    •    The knowledge to evaluate what you can, can’t, and maybe shouldn’t do about it
    •    An action plan for how to act, when you choose to do so.

A lot has been written about how to conduct a reverse image search and those tools are important to the process. But I really think that the core of this book is the method that I teach you to evaluate what to do about the things you find. And since I love to boil things down in a visual manner, this method is centered on a chart I created with a kraft pad and Sharpie markers.

How can people get it?
You can purchase it through my website for $39. However, as a special thank you to your readers, I’m offering them 20% off through the end of February with the code: DOODLEBUGZ. https://www.stahlelaw.com/protect-work-ebook/

Anything else you want to share?
Yes! My favorite event each month is my Office Hours, which I host via Google Hangouts the 4th Wednesday of each month at 11am Pacific. Since it’s limited to nine participants a month, it’s a great chance for you to ask me questions and to learn from the struggles and challenges that other creative businesses are facing. I’m always amazed by the ideas, suggestions, and knowledge shared each month by the participants. If you are interested in joining you can email me at: kiffanie@stahlelaw.com or check out my Google+ page where I post the invite each month. https://plus.google.com/+KiffanieStahle/

Are you an early riser? or night owl?
Total night owl. I try not to schedule appointments before 10am. I need my morning infusion of coffee before talking to people.

What is your favorite food?
If I have to pick one, then pickled items of all kinds: pineapple, grapes, carrots, garlic, peppers, and of course the original pickled item, the cucumber. But dark chocolate is a close second.

Where can people find you?
I’m @kiffaniestahle pretty much everywhere, but as a visual person, Instagram is where I’m most. You can also reach me through my website at: http://www.stahlelaw.com.
Link to Google+: https://plus.google.com/+KiffanieStahle/
Link to Instagram: http://instagram.com/kiffaniestahle


Thanks Kiffanie for doing this spotlight! - I have learned so much from you :-)
Hey doodlebugerz, make my day and follow my blog!