Free Online Watercolor Instruction

Don’t have the time or money to attend a formal art school? According to professional watercolor painter Beth Woessner, there are many different, and free, ways to educate oneself off and online...Read more at Suite101

Tips for Buying Paint Art Supplies

For new artists, buying art supplies, especially paint, can be overwhelming. With hundreds of brands, sizes and qualities to choose from, many wonder where to begin. Follow the tips in this article to jump-start an art education...Read more at Suite101

The Pavement Picasso: Julian Beever Chalk Drawings

5 Simple Ways to Save Money on Art Supplies

Buying professional quality art supplies can be expensive. Purchasing the finest brushes, paints and canvas is unjustifiable except for established artists with consistent sales. Fortunately, artists of all abilities can find great deals on art supplies in a number of easy ways...Read more at Suite101

Super Sprayer: Amazing Spray Paint Artist

Small Business Tax Help for Artists and Crafters

"One of the most baffling non-creative aspects of running an arts and crafts business is figuring out what to do about taxes. Owners who can face down extreme bargain hunting customers at a craft show or vendors shorting an order that was needed yesterday can adopt that deer-in-headlights look when trying to get their tax situation under control.  Read More Here: Tax Considerations for Self-Employed Arts and Crafts Vendors

[Left: "Alligator Skin" by Dave Clark. Buy abstract expressionist paintings and watercolors at www.daveclark.etsy.com]

 

Work From Home Online: How to Sell Arts and Crafts on Etsy.com

Learn how stay-at-home moms, artists, crafters and creative entrepreneurs make money selling their creations from an online Etsy storefront....Read More at Suite 101.

5 Free Ways to Increase Blog Traffic

Blogging can be a lonely business, especially when there aren't any readers.  Actually, we here at daveclarkart would like to take this opportunity to thank our completely unique and unrelated readers for leaving unprompted, encouraging blog post comments.  We firmly believe that without dedicated readers like you, we wouldn't make any money on our cost-per-click Google Adsense advertisements.

Legal Warning:  daveclarkart in no way condones click fraud and would never suggest that anybody ever participate in such a fraudulent means of clicking.  Google, if you're reading this, we'd like to say that, um, gosh, we've never felt this way before and it's all happening so fast...ok, we're just going to come right out and say it, you're probably only the best web browsing internet-type company ever.  And we want to have your baby.  Thank you.

News Flash:  Successful blogs have readers.  So where do these readers come from?  How do professional bloggers attract and keep a dedicated fan base?  Many profitable bloggers will tell you that achieving their filthy-rich, techno-weenie, super-blogger status didn't come overnight.   For some, it took years of sacrificing time, money and the very real possibility of talking to actual girls in person, before their work gained a following.

[Above: "Palm Tree" by Dave Clark. Buy abstract expressionist paintings and watercolors at www.daveclark.etsy.com]
 
Tips to Increase Blog Traffic

• Provide compelling, current content.  This could include news, humor, celebrity gossip, how-to advice, pornography, etc.  People are always looking for information and entertainment.  Provide timely, unexpected and unique content to keep them coming back.

• Give readers more to explore. In addition to text, upload pictures and, if applicable, interactive extras like polls or games.  The internet has retarded readers' attention spans.  Get them involved.

• Use keyword-rich wording.  Search engines use keywords or tags, among others, to rank websites.  Search Google's Keyword Tool for popular, applicable keywords to increase site traffic.  But don't over-do it.  Remember that you're still writing for people.

• Get in-bound links.  Your blog's popularity increases with each site that links to it.  Go to social media sites like StumbleUpon or Digg to share your blog with the world, or, better yet, provide links to them so readers can do it for you.  Additionally, post your blog link in industry-related forums, advertise it in your email signature and pitch it to real, live people.  (Yes, they still exist.)

• K.I.S.S.  Keep your blog organized and user friendly.  Black text on a white background is the easiest to read.  Provide white space between posts, menus and sidebars for a clean, professional look.  Go easy on the fancy graphics and animations.  Again, people are impatient. If your site takes an eternity to load (more than 2 seconds), your bounce rate will skyrocket.  

• Use Shameless Self Promotion.  Use your blog to advertise other streams of revenue.  For example, as my loyal reader knows, this blog is dedicated to selling my abstract expressionist paintings through my Etsy Storefront (Free Shipping! Restrictions Apply!*).  Traffic increases through cross-promotion.

Blogging is a demanding, ever-changing business and maintaining consistent website traffic is tougher than ever.  Provide timely, compelling content to keep readers coming back to your blog.

*Of course there are restrictions.  Don't be an idiot.

My Top Four Most Inspirational Contemporary Artists

All artists draw their inspiration from somewhere.  As a student, the artist is often inexplicably drawn to a particular painter, technique or genre that suits his personality.  For me, it is the abstract expressionists and impressionists.  Some of the following artists are almost as good as I am.  I'm just saying.

 [Left: "Mist" by Dave Clark. Buy abstract expressionist paintings at www.daveclark.etsy.com]

In no particular order:

Jackson Pollock  One of the most revered and misunderstood of the abstract expressionists, Pollock pioneered unique drip painting and action painting techniques.  The influence of Pollock's highly expressive style and use of impasto (3D media) is easily seen in the majority of my work.  

Claude Monet  A master of plein air painting (painting outdoors), Monet is famous for his dream-like country landscapes and chaotic, lively urban scenes.  Obsessed with light, he would often paint the same location over and over, capturing the fickle dance of color and shadow throughout the day.

Mark Rothko  Reducing color and shape to a brilliant simplicity, Rothko's work is bold and introspective.  His multiform paintings (what came to be his signature style) greatly influence my landscape works.  One can't help but wonder what he was thinking as he painted these luminous masterpieces.

Vincent Van Gogh  Arguably as famous for his mental illness as his paintings, Van Gogh remains a mysterious, enigmatic personae.  Technically classified as a post-impressionist, his work clearly contains expressionist undertones, as seen in his still life example, "Sunflowers."

5 Questions All Aspiring Entrepreneurs Need To Ask

At some point in our lives we reach a milestone (literally: a very long stone) in which we examine our career goals. If satisfied, we continue along the road of predictability, in the vehicle of apprehension, toward the convenience store of apathy until we reach the parking spot of death. (Please don't try these metaphors at home. I'm a trained professional who reads a lot of Dave Barry.)

However, if, like me, you loathe the daily grind and would rather poke your eyes out with a rusty Swingline stapler than spend one more day in a suffocating office pushing meaningless papers around, then perhaps becoming a business owner is for you.

[Left: "Drizzled" by Dave Clark. Buy abstract expressionist paintings at www.daveclark.etsy.com]

When I decided to leave the corporate world and become a professional artist, I fortunately had my father, a seasoned business owner and CPA, to act as my mentor.

Here are 5 questions all aspiring entrepreneurs need to ask themselves:

1. Am I organized? The responsibilities of owning your own business are enormous. As a starting point, take stock of your personal financial papers. Are they arranged chronologically in file cabinets, color-coded and cross-referenced? Or are you unsure if you, technically, own a wallet? Self-discipline is essential to success. Organization is key.
   
   
2. Can I handle physical and emotional isolation? Running a business, especially a creative business like painting or writing, can be lonely. After all, at the end of the day, you're the one responsible for its survival. So get involved. Join organizations like Rotary International, which are geared towards business and professional leaders. It always helps to know people.
   
   
3. Do I know my DRs and CRs? Most entrepreneurs open up shop because they're skilled tradesmen, not accountancy experts. Do you feel comfortable researching complicated tax laws? How about complying with convoluted, and often bizarre, local, state and federal wage withholding and other tax-reporting requirements? (Not that I'm complaining. Please don't fine me.) Do you feel comfortable preparing financial statements and bank reconciliations with software like Quickbooks? If not, can you afford to hire a CPA to do it for you? Knowing someone with an accounting background is VERY helpful.
   
   
4. Do I need security? Be honest with yourself. Can you handle the psychological and financial stress of going months (maybe years) with little or no income, while watching bills pile up? If not, best to just pursue it part-time until you build a name for yourself.
   
   
5. Can I handle failure? Unpleasant to consider, sure, but it's a very real possibility. Many businesses do fail. So have an exit strategy. If for nothing else, it serves as psychological reassurance. "If I lose everything I can still: get my old job back, work construction for my brother, sell a kidney, etc." It's amazing how helpful this technique becomes when sales are slow.

Above all: don't get discouraged. It's supposed to be hard. That's what makes success so rewarding.

In the next article: "My Top Four Most Inspirational Contemporary Artists"