Dash of Inspiration – December 5, 2011
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Scanning Tips
There have been some discussions on the forum centered around scanning so I wanted to offer some good tips and inspire you to learn more about this process that some even call more of an art than a process. I’ve certainly found scanning photography, film and watercolors to be a more in-depth process than one might think to achieve a high-quality scan.
Your first step is to choose a scanner that is right for your needs. Photographers who have old negatives and transparencies will require a scanner dedicated to film and photography. Artists who are scanning their small works will need a scanner capable of handling their size requirements in addition to high-quality capture if you work in smaller sizes. For those who work in large format you can find services that use large commercial grade scanners or those which provide studio quality digital capture to transfer larger works of art into a digital format suitable for selling on POD’s and/or as fine art prints.
It’s more important to learn how to use your scanner well than to purchase the latest, greatest model.
Five fab photo scanners compared by CNET
(c) Ginette Callaway
Scanning Fine Art
A mistake often made is the assumption that scanning art for selling online in print form is different than scanning fine art for giclee reproduction. Anything which sells online, such as our greeting cards, are reproductions of our artwork and therefore the transfer to digital format needs to be done with the same quality and attention to detail that you would in preparing the capture for a limited edition print. This article might help you understand the need for a high quality scan of your artwork.
What Are the Best Scanners for Drawings & Watercolor Art?
Turn Paint into Pixels by Dani Jones
How to Scan Artwork From Artists Resources Wiki
Tutorial: Scanning Drawings to Color in Photoshop
Scanning Software, Tips and Help
And remember . . . as with anything worth doing, when it comes to scanning artwork, photographs, and film – garbage in, garbage out – in other words, if there is dust and scratches on your film, they will be there when you scan. If your photograph is out of focus, so will your scan.
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Critique Clinic – December 2-4, 2011
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Design Contest: Let It Snow!
We’re doing a Design Contest with a difference!
This time, we want to see one of your existing Christmas cards on GCU featuring SNOW – that could be snowmen, snowflakes, a snowy landscape, etc. Photo card, regular card, customizable text card – anything goes as long as it snows.
Just give us the URL or PID# of your submission by December 12, 2011 by leaving a comment on this post. On December 13th, I will post all entries with a poll and open the voting. The poll will be open until December 18th. On December 19th, I will announce the winner.
What will you win? A $15 Amazon gift certificate + the knowledge that your fellow artists like you, they really like you!
One submission per artist, please. Feel free to spread the word when voting opens. And merry Christmas!
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Design Spotlight: Kay Murphy
We’re putting the Design Spotlight on Kay Murphy, a delightful artist – thanks, Kay!
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I grew in an only child in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, my Mom was artistic, I used art as a means to entertain myself, often on the back of a horse with a sketchbook. When I married my husband Bill, we would visit art shows, and he would bug me to sell/show my art. Finally I gave in. He took early retirement to help do the shows.Share this:
Design Spotlight: Culinary Greeting Cards
Today, we’ve got our Design Spotlight on Margaret Chayka of Culinary Greeting Cards – a perfect example of a niche business that’s doing well. It’s a brilliant idea. Thanks, Margaret!
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This card has been a best seller since it was created 5 years ago, and was created for people who love to express the holidays through food (and humor). In my store, people love their veggies! I sell more vegetable Christmas holiday cards than anything else.
As a former personal chef I have a bit of an “inside” to the culinary and food industries, and I began my graphic design business several years ago, serving the needs of fellow personal chefs and have met many other types of foodies along the way. Culinary Greeting Cards began as a year-round resource for greeting cards featuring food, cooking, and baking subjects, but my customers typically only buy cards for the holidays so it’s evolved into a Christmas card store.
Christmas sales are good, as well as good for you! About 1/3 of my customer orders are for 50 or more cards, and a few orders of 300-500 every year is normal. My customers include chefs who cook or bake, grocers and food vendors, kitchen and gourmet stores, catering companies, restaurants, plus home cooks and bakers who love to give gifts of homemade goodies.
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Dash of Inspiration – November 28, 2011
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
A Blast From the Past
I began contributing A Dash of Inspiration to the GCU Community Blog on April 25th this year, wow how time flies! Since I can never find these posts based on title, I’ve been putting a list together so I can find them when I want to reference something. In doing this, it dawned on me that all the new artists who have joined GCU might have missed some of these posts, so thought a recap of a few might be nice for any newcomers. I will be adding the entire list by category on my website so they will be easy to find when needed, I’ll pass that link on by the end of the year.
Enjoy and see you next week!
Dash of Inspiration – May 9, 2011 – The Text Says it All
Dash of Inspiration – August 22, 2011 – Frame It!
Dash of Inspiration – September 6, 2011 – Tools and Resources for Grammar and More
Dash of Inspiration – September 19, 2011 – Better Designs = More Approvals = More Sales
Dash of Inspiration – October 17th, 2011 – How the Heck Did They Do That?
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Critique Clinic – November 25-27, 2011
How does it work? For three days a week (Friday-Sunday midnight), I will open the clinic to any artist who wants an honest peer review and critique of a card which gets plenty of clicks but no sales, so something’s probably not quite right, or you’ve got a new design you want to test drive, or you’re unsure about the marketability of a card. Or perhaps you’re a newbie who isn’t sure if a recently submitted card is up to a marketable standard. Anyone is welcome to participate. In fact, I encourage everyone to at least look at the cards in question and read the critique comments – you may learn something. The purpose of the clinic is to help artists improve the commercial appeal and marketability of their cards.
THE RULES
- ONE card per artist only.
- Card must be for sale at Greeting Card Universe.
- We will take an unlimited number of artists, including those who have submitted recently, HOWEVER I reserve the right to close a clinic for the day if the submissions become overwhelming. If the clinic has been closed, and you submit a card, your comment will be deleted.
- To submit a card for critique, post a link to the card at GCU in the comments section of this clinic post.
- Any artist is free to comment and/or give a critique of a submitted card. HOWEVER, post-and-run comments like “great card” or “you suck” will not be tolerated, nor will abuse. Criticism should be constructive, not destructive. Play nice or you will be banned.
- I also won’t tolerate temper tantrums if you decide your “artistic integrity” is being stepped on because you asked for a critique, and someone told you the photo you’re using isn’t in focus. If you can’t take honest criticism, don’t submit. Once gets you a warning; twice and you’re banned from submitting in the future.
- Artists who critique may do so by giving their opinion, posting an example of another card, or pointing the submitter to a video, on-line article, or other helpful suggestion.
- Don’t forget that artists who are giving you tips and helpful advice are volunteering their time and trouble. Be nice. A link back to their store on your website or blog is appreciated (but not mandatory).
- You are free not to take any advice offered. There’s no guarantee any card will be a bestseller, so don’t come into the clinic with unrealistic expectations.
- Rules may change as we go along and we see how things turn out, okay?
So without any further ado, I declare this week’s Critique Clinic open!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing all my friends and colleagues at Greeting Card Universe
a very happy Thanksgiving tomorrow –
hope you all have fun making heart-warming memories with your loved ones!
There will be no post tomorrow.
The Critique Clinic will be open as usual during the weekend.
Enjoy your holiday and be safe!
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Refresher Round-Up
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Since we have new artists joining GCU all the time, I thought I’d provide links to Nuts & Bolts: GCU How-to & Tips articles we’ve posted in the past on topics that will be helpful to newbies and old-timers alike. Enjoy!
Artist’s Notes and Product Descriptions
How to Write Product Descriptions
Categories
Keywords
And as an added bonus, here’s more advice you can use right now…
73 Ways to Describe a “Widget”
In this article, the author is using the term “widget” as a generic word for any product. Many of the points in this article will be very helpful to you as you formulate product descriptions for your own greeting cards.
How to Make More Sales at Greeting Card Universe
One of the first Squidoo lenses I did to help out other artists with marketing tips
Photography Basics
With GCU’s new marketability standards, it’s getting tougher to get cards approved. This website provides easy-to-understand tips on how to take good photographs.
Font Squirrel
“Only the best commercial use free fonts” – there’s some good, basic fonts here to enhance your collection.
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Dash of Inspiration – November 21, 2011
A Dash of Inspiration, A Cup of Creativity by Doreen
Happy Thanksgiving
I figured most of you are busy this week preparing for the arrival of company, getting ready to travel or concentrating on cooking a feast … so I thought I’d just give you a little feast for your eyes this week with these Fall & Autumn Inspired Illustrations and send my wish to all of you for a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
GCU Community 