
"Orchid Cactus 2" - oil - 36" x 36"
Hope you are all having a great painting week.
I'm starting a few new canvases, so I may be persona non-oblogata for a bit.
Here's the orchid cacti as a diptych.

How do you wrap and transport/store your paintings? I'm always looking for new and better ways of doing things.
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When cutting the Tyvek or paper, lay the template on top, and then lay a metal ruler over the edge; this will keep you from slicing into the template.
(B) Line the perimeter of the backing paper with adhesive transfer tape (3M's product is 924 ATG; Jerry's Artarama carries a store brand for a much better price). Strip the backing off the adhesive, lay the backing paper over the wood on the canvas, adjust and press into place (D).
Using a scrap of mat board that has marks for placing screws for every size of canvas I use (which is faster than a ruler or measuring tape), I attach all small D-rings and plastic coated picture wire.
I finish with a label on the the back that lists my web address.
Why back the painting at all? Many years I found out the hard way that stretched canvases stored, or even hanging on a wall over a length of time can end up collecting a lot of stuff in the back... dust, spiders, etc. Much of this can be removed using clear packing tape, but sometimes chunky detritus can work its way down to the front edge of your painting and make a series of lumps... pretty unsightly! Backing a canvas can gives it a nice clean, professional look. It sends a signal that you value your work.
I also store paintings custom size plastic bags that I make... more on that in the next post or so.
So what's your method? I'm always look for new and improved ways of doing things. Would love to hear your ideas.
.Marian Fortunati asked a good question yesterday; "How do you decide what painting to use on a card or postcard?"
For most of us artists, I'd suggest printing short runs. You can order business cards in runs of 250 quite reasonably; this would get many artists through a year. I usually print a new business card every 1-2 years, depending on how much my work has changed. Postcards can be ordered in quantities starting at 100 at some printers.
I'm still sending out samples of printed postcards; those of you on my mailing list will see one in your mailbox soon! (Want one? Click here).
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A big thanks to Megha Chhatbar, who has kindly passed forward the "Passion for Painting" award. Thanks, I'm blushing! I will try to name some awardees this week.
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VistaPrint.com is the low price leader. If price is your main deciding factor, they will be hard to beat. Like all the other printers, they produce a wide variety of items, including biz cards, post cards, brochures, mailing labels, etc. There is a $5 upload fee for any design or image, but you can use that on multiple items, if you wish. This is currently my printer of choice for postcards.
Price:
Pros:
Cons:
PSPrint.com
is a reliable mid range online printer. One different thing about their process is you place the order and pay first, and upload your artwork later. They do offer an online design tool, Design It!, if you do not have access or skill to design your own card (caveat: I haven't tried this tool, but it looks interesting). PS Print is currently my printer of choice for business cards.
Price:
Pros:
Cons:
Moo.comThis European printer (but now with a plant in the US) is new to me, but both Kim Denise (see her special offer below) and Manon Doyle give it excellent reviews (see their card sets on last Friday's post). The biggest attraction: you can have multiple images printed in a single order.
Cost: (does not include shipping; I was not able to ascertain this in time for the post)
Pros:
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Stay tuned: Sources and tips for getting a professionally printed card coming very soon.
Another way to think of it might be to imagine you're being written up by an art critic (who likes your work)-- what's your best case scenario for a winning headline? (and you can't use this one, it's taken: "Local Artist to be Hung in Famous Gallery and Widely Exhibited!")
Preparation is the key. You're going to get asked, you know it, so you may as well be ready. It can be very helpful to practice this with a friend or friends. They can be artists or not; you may find it helpful to practice with both. Imagine what some followup questions might be, and practice answers to those as well.
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In a later post, I'll talk more about business cards, if you like, and also event and promotional postcards: where to get them, how to set them up, etc.
In the meantime, I'm curious, what's YOUR answer when asked what kind of art you do? And do you carry an art business card to hand out? I'd like to post some examples of art business cards, so if you'd like to, send me a .jpg of yours to the email shown on the business card above. Thanks!
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These dendrobium orchids were garnishing the lunch plates when I visited my mother-in-law at her independent living residence recently (she's 90). For some reason, each of the three grandmothers at the table picked up their blossom and put it on my plate. No words were spoken about it, and I'm pretty sure they don't know I'm an artist. Anyway, I took them back to the studio and dropped them in one of my blue glass bowls. They held up for a couple weeks.
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Ready for a scintillating and intellectual discussion about art?
Visit FROM THE STUDIO, a bold new blog by
incredibly accomplished artist Margery Caggiano.
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Don't Miss todays' handy Photoshop Tip on Correcting Contrast.
Very handy for fixing overexposed images.
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Overcoming fear of glass, part two (or maybe parts 2 & 3).
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Photoshop tips for artists: Lossy vs. Lossless files
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Sometimes a painting comes out rather differently than the image in my head... I'm not sure what I think of this one, yet.
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