Community Shout Out

Hi folks! Today is normally a newsletter day, but since we’ve got a long holiday weekend hovering on the horizon (I can almost smell the smoke from the Fourth of July barbecues already), I’m putting the newsletter on vacation until next week.

In lieu of that, here’s a couple of things I’d like to bring to your attention…

Several GCU artists have started Facebook fan pages to use for promotion, which is great (including me)! If you’re trying to get those vital 25 “likes”, leave a comment on this post and I’ll beat the drum for you.  And if you haven’t joined our Facebook roll – for Pete’s sake, give me your link so I can put you on the list.

Our Lightning Round: KITTIES continues until July 5th – write a blog post or Squidoo lens about cats and include links to 3 cards at GCU, and you could win 20 free card credits! Join the furry fun by leaving a comment or sending me your link.

Have you checked the holiday lead-in time over on the right of the page? For the maximum opportunity for exposure, you should be working on Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa related cards right now. Crank up the air conditioner if you need to get in the mood. 🙂

Don’t forget about Friday’s CRITIQUE  CLINIC: if you have a card that’s getting lots of clicks but no sales, or if you aren’t sure a new design has what it takes, submit it for peer review. ATTENTION – it’s a long weekend special! The clinic will run over 3 days (that’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday) – whee!) AND I’m also opening it up to anyone who wants to submit, whether you’ve recently submitted a card or not. ONE card per artist, please. No artist minimum this time; we’ll take everyone who wants to submit HOWEVER I reserve the right to close the clinic if I deem it necessary. I also urge all artists to participate in the discussion.

Photoshop Elements users: I stumbled across a tutorial I thought you might find useful – it’s the Secret to Creating Circular Text. It looks like a fairly easy method for creating a very professional looking effect.

If you missed it, Doreen Erhardt has posted a tip for artists who have a Facebook business page – an app that allows you to set up a cool splash page. Check out her forum post for the details.

Do you photograph people on train tracks? It seems to be a somewhat popular setting for wedding photos, but it may be illegal in your area. Check this forum post for details.

And that’s it for now. Have a great holiday weekend, and stay safe!