Alease Michelle - A Mixed Media Artist

2 Steps toward Creating a V.I.P. Artist Client List

Do you have a V.I.P. client list?  If you don't, then it's ok, I will show you how to create a V.I.P. Art Client list in 2 steps.

 Why is a V.I.P. list important? It's important 'cause when you work with clients you love and like to be around, you'll truly enjoy the work you are doing. And we all know when you love doing something, you'll do your best work, which is essential to becoming a successful artist.

Ok enough with the pep talk- lets get down to business.

Step 1 Dump the Duds

Yeah I said it- Dump the Duds

Identify the types of clients you don't want to work with. List their characteristics or behaviors you refuse to tolerate. Think about what really pisses you off and what type of people should not be placed on your V.I.P. art list.

Now take a look at your list and think about who among your current clients fits the profile you've just created? The next part might be little hard- but you are going to have to dump the dud clients. I know this is a bold action and requires some courage, especially if they are friends of yours. I too faced this same issue, but after I decided not to take on anymore projects from them, a ton of weight was lifted from my shoulders.

 

Step 2 - Create Your V.I.P. List

Let me start out saying the benefits of working with V.I.P. clients totally out weigh the negative. Currently the benefits I've noticed are: I am more invigorated and inspired, I connect with my clients on a more deeper level, I feel more successful and confident, I now know that the time I put in creating my artwork matters and I am surrounded by positive energy which allows me to do my best work.

Ok, lets get down to identifying your ideal clients. Ask yourself what type of people do you enjoy being around?  What do they like to do? What do they talk about? What ethical standards do they follow?  And what kind of environment do you want to create in your artist life?

Now look at your current client list? Does any of them have qualities you've listed? If so, they are keepers. If you are just starting out and have no current clients, then look over your list. Picture in your mind what your new clients would look like and then write down 3 to 5 characteristics of these clients.

CONGRATULATIONS you've completed the first part of Building a Foundation for Your Artist Career!  But I have to remind you,the process we've just completed is one that you will have to do on a regular basis. Just check over your V.I.P. every so often and dump the duds that need it, and reward those that are keepers.

In Wednesday's  post I will discuss "Why People Buy Art?"

See you then! Peace & More Love, Alease

 

 

Building a Foundation for Your Artist Career

Hello, and welcome to a wonderful week of posts. This week I plan to post a series of  5 posts on Building a Foundation for Your Artist Career. The advice and suggestions I 'll present in the following posts can be adopted and used in any creative careers. 

I've used them alot in my emerging artist career. And many times I come back to my foundation to check for leaks and cracks. Building a foundation for a house is very important, and building a foundation for your artist career is the same. Making sure the foundation is strong is the key to living in your creative house for a long time.

The Building a Foundation for Your Artist Career will begin with:

1. How to choose your ideal clients so you can work only with people who inspire and energize you.
2. Learning the reasons why people buy art.
3. Creating a personal brand so you're memorable and unique
4. Learn how to talk about your artwork without sounding confused or plain.

 

Over the course of the week, I will take you through the process of building your foundation so that you'll have a platform on which to stand. This platform will become the support you'll need for your business development, marketing and personal growth.

To prepare yourself for this week's post, I ask that you come ready to work and to really think about what you exactly want  and need to do to become a successful artist. To ensure that you don't miss any post, make sure to subscribe by email to my blog. And if you think any of your friends or family might be interested, then please send them a link to my blog.

5 Online Art Challenges to Get the Creative Juices Flowing

Sometimes even the best artists get lose thier "Mo Joe". If you are coming up short with creative ideas,  then I suggest you participate in an online art challenge. Art Challenges are fun, inspiring and these challenges can help you become part of a community of artist sharing their work online. I have recommended 5 online art challenges that would help you get your creative juices flowing.

5 Online Art Challenges

Show and Tell Sundays-Every other week a new theme will be posted and all artist, of all mediums are invited to show us what they have! Then on Sundays, The Show and Tell Sundays crew (Cerri and Cindy) will  host a  blog party and post links to your blogs so everyone can enjoy your collections!

Mixed Media Monday- Create a mixed media piece, according to the current theme and upload it to your blog ,flickr account or online portfolio. Then add a link to the Mixed Media Monday site. Then post a comment on Mixed Media Monday with a direct link to your artwork. Next Challenge is "I am Woman" for November 16th.

Inspire Me Thursday- For all mixed media artist and creative types! It is an invitation to indulge in a weekly dose of inspiration.

Illustration Friday- Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation. Topics are picked each week from a list of suggestion that have been emailed by participants. I have participated in this challenge a few times myself.

Wednesday Stamper- This challenge is for the rubber stamper. You are to post your project using at least one rubberstamp on your blog/journal/ picturetrail... and mention Wednesday Stamper with a link. Then leave a comment with the static link to your direct post.

 

5 Ways to Experiment with Alternative Approaches in Your Artwork

 
As an artist grows into a successful artist, the artist will also need to grow with the types of art supplies and materials he or she uses. I believe part of an artist's professional development deals with his/hers freedom to experiment with alternative approaches.  Consider it an art challenge or another creative inspiration.

5 Ways to Experiment with Alternative Approaches in Your Artwork

1.  Use Unorthodox Art Surfaces. Think about using metal, wood, plastic, clay-board, handmade paper, woven or synthetic fabrics as supporting material for your artwork.

2. Work with Unconventional Art Tools - Instead of a paint brush, paint your unorthodox surfaces with a comb, draw into the paint with a stick, spread paint with a putty knife, or create texture with serrated scrapes.

3. Imaginative Under Painting- Sometimes laying a sheet of color on a canvas isn't adventurous enough. An artist can create touchable backgrounds with natural elements such as plastic wrap, crumpled aluminum foil, string, and salt. Dab wet surfaces with paper towels,textured cloth, and sponges.

4. Low Relief Surfaces -Printing making is a fun and inexpensive art technique. An artist can create a print from a leaf, flower, or feather. Use man-made materials such as lace, decorative tile, corrugated cardboard, or textural wall paper. Custom stamps can be made from stenciling, rub on lettering, and solvent based transfers.

5. Collage - Collaging creates a dynamic sense of order in any artwork. Use new or old newspaper, sewing patterns, maps, diagrams, wallpaper, journal pages, postcards. Create texture with wrinkling paper, distressing paper by standing or burning the edges. Use stitching, weaving, embossing, tea/coffeestaining and dyeing to enhance the overall appearance of the paper.

Experiment with a few of these alternative approaches and watch yourself grow. To get more valuable artist tips subscribe. Peace and More Love, Alease Michelle

Eco-Friendly Art Practice Dates Back to 200BC

 As an mixed media collage artist I am naturally a person who saves every little piece of paper. I never know when I going to need it for a collage. So when this Blog Action Day 2009 challenge was presented, I thought what I great way to share with you one of the oldest eco-friendly art practices.

Have You Ever Thought of Collage as Eco-friendly?

Background

 A collage  is a work of formal art, primarily in the  visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms,  which turns into a new whole. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, hand made papers, pieces of other artwork, photographs and found objects. These objects are then glued to a piece of paper or canvas.

The actually practice of making a collage can be tracked back hundreds of years starting with he invention of paper in China around 200 BC. The use of collage remained limited until the 10th century in Japanese calligraphers. These Japanese calligraphers began to apply glued paper, using texts on surfaces, when writing their poems. The practice of collage continue into the 13th century in medieval Europe history. Gold leaf panels , gemstones, and other precious metals were applied to religious images, and coats of arms around the 15th and 16th centuries. Although this practice has been around a long time, it did not make a dramatic appearance until the early 2oth century as an art form.

Collage in the modernist sense began with  Cubist painters, George Braque and Pablo Picasso.Surrealist artist have also been known to use collage elements in their work. 1962 we also begin to see collage use in Pop Art.

Forms of Collage

 Paper Collage

- paper is the material of choice.It is inexpensive and readily available. The basics are cutting tearing, layering, exposing and securing. It is the simplest form of collage.

 

 

 

 

Found Objects Collage

- this is for the person who is a hoarder of sentimental items. Used bus tickets from a trip to the beach, leaves gathered on a walk through the park, a newspaper headline, or an old watch of your father's can all be used to make an exciting collage pieces to give as a gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Media Collage

- this techniques requires you to use several different types of media. This form allows an artist to review techniques already covered as well as learn new skills.

 

 

 

Fabric Collage

- fabric and threads offer an exciting medium for collages. There is a long tradition of people using scraps of material to express family stories. These images are made into quilts, wall hangings, and pictures. The fabrics can be painted, dyed, stretched, cut and layered.

 

 

Photomontage Collage

similar to decoupage, photomontage provides a simple and immediate way of constructing images using photographs, photocopies and cutouts.

 

 

 

Digital Collage

- computer design uses collage techniques such cutting , repeating, layering, and pasting images. Finished work has an additional bonus that your collages can be scale or sightly altered and then reprinted. Photographic images and existing design work can be scanned and later used in other digital collages.

To get more information about collages and how to tutorials purchase The Crafter's Complete Guide to Collage

Peace & More Love, Alease

illustration Friday: Pattern

Here is my submission to this week's illustration friday theme "pattern".

I created a quilt like pattern- using scrap paper. Spatter paint was added to convey texture and to blend the papers together

31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge

I just signed up for the 31 days to build a better blog with Problogger, Darren Rowse. I think it is time to get serious with this blogging stuff. I love reading about how to blog and I have been trying to implement what I've researched to this blog and other blogs I am working on.

Signing up for this challenge has made me commit to doing better. I suggest that you guys also join. The 31 day challenge doesn't actually happen until April 6, so you have time. Click here: 31 Days - and get to committing to writing better blogs.

Word and Artworks of the Month

Explore - To examine [something] carefully; investigate ; to travel in for discovery

For this month I decided to explored different techniques. This was a totally new investigation for me. I am not really sure if I am going to use these techniques in my current art form- but I can say I had lots of fun playing.

 "White Collar" - 8x10  Created on canvas

Started with creating a background with three different colors (blue, green, and light green)and then adding an aging color (brown paint) to the border of the canvas. 

Then made a gel medium transfer of the little boy. I should have used more gel medium because some of the image did not transfer and in other areas I rubbed to hard. 

Several layers of gel medium was applied before each new application of paper, stickers and rubber stamps.  It sorta gives it a bees wax effect.

Self Critique- I like the effect, but the process take 3 days. Because I had to allow each layer of gel medium to dry before adding another application.

 "Boy" - 12x 9 Created on Canvas

This is a digital enhanced picture of a photo from my collection. I take the photo into Photoshop and applied a stamp effect to image. The image was then printed out, I cut awayed the white and glue image onto canvas.

I then started to add color to the white areas (gold,and tan). In the areas that printed black I added color (blue, and moss green) on top, allowing the black to show through.

The background was created last. I added scraps of paper and applied a thin coat of light blue paint on top of the paper, to tone down the colors of the paper and blend the image into the background.

Self Critique- I am little afraid to use bright color on photo, but this was about exploring. As I worked on this piece I realized I should have started with the background first, then pasted image on top.

"A Gentleman" 12 x 7 Created on Canvas

Background was created first. Scraps of paper was glued down to canvas to create texture and depth.

The digital enhanced image was then glued down. The same painting technique was applied to this image, but instead allowing the black to show through, I added a dark brown to the black areas and removed the excessive amount of paint with a cloth, which created a dry brush effect.

Self Critique- I liked working with the background first. The image works with the background instead of me forcing the background to work with the image. Now the image blends into the background creating a tighter bond with the scraps of paper.

Authentic - Word for the Month

 AUTHENTIC

1. Conforming to fact and therefore worthy of trust, reliance, or belief

2. Having a claimed and verifiable origin or authorship; not counterfeit or copied

Authentic to me describes the love between two people. Love is genuine and it can not be reproduced by technology.  When you fall in love, it becomes a process of showing your true self , free from distractions and distrust. Your lover has proven himself/herself to be trustworthy of that love. Sorta fitting for Febuary, right?

The word authentic is powerful. Artist use the word to describe many things close to their hearts.

Check out Shepard Fairey's view on the on being authentic on the CBS evening news as it relates to his artwork and his view of our new 44th president. Shepard Fairey is a famed street artist who created the iconic image of Obama that has been seen almost everywhere. He was commissioned to create the official 2009 inauguration poster.  

I created two 5x7 collages for the word Authentic. The collages consist of a vintage photo of an African American couple. I love these two! I tend to use them a lot in my collages.  The looks on their faces are priceless. They look to be a couple who have spent many years together. The wisdom that beams from them inspired me to create these 5x7 collages.

 

In these two collages I was able to use a technique that I learn from a  YouTube video with om Tim Holtz. I used Ranger distressed ink pads. Which gave me this aged, vintage style. The remaining of the artwork was created with layering scrap images.   

One Word A Month Challenge

To challenge myself this year I wanted to share a one word concept that I learned about from Ali Edwards.  What I learned that a single word can be a powerful thing. I thought by choosing one word and then creating a collage or two would provide a way to enrich my life as an artist and also increase my vocabulary. LOL

After each month, I will share with you what I have created and explain how the collage(s) defines the word.

If you are interested in challenging yourself - then for this month choose a word and create something, anything, that defines/celebrates your chosen word. You can create a layout, post a blog entry, create a poem, a song, and of course a piece of art. Just remember to feel and experience the word and then create something beautiful.

Post a comment or link about your word and what you have created on my blog.

Looking forward to seeing your creations.