Valuable insight from our judge of the “Creative Inspiration” Online Art Gallery Show.
It was my pleasure to be invited recently to judge an online art show hosted by the Las Vegas Artist Guild and held on the web platform Show Submit. I'll admit an online-only show was a first for me, and I'm sure the same can be said for many of the artists. For many years I have participated in juried art shows at galleries and festivals, entering my artwork, and occasionally judging the art. It can be quite a daunting task, framing each piece, attaching hangers, writing description cards, and crafting an artist bio, along with selecting a title and price.
This new format, an online-only show, is something that I think has its own appeal. A little less is required in the physical preparation of each piece we present, and we don't have to wrap our work up and deliver it to a location, which is a plus! And yet, we have to have some due diligence if we want to walk away with a ribbon, or better yet cash! The first thing to consider is that our only ability to show our work is a photograph. Now that we live in a time that most galleries may be digital, we all have to become better at getting behind the lens. I've noticed that many artists, especially in the recent show, lack decent photographs.
Here's some basic advice that I hope you'll take into consideration before you upload any less-than-glorious images to your next show or platform. First, take a little time to create a stage for your work. It's a quick task to clear a little space in a well-lit area in your home and set up an easel or a small table. I do recommend taking photos in the daytime when you have a better chance of a filtered, yet bright room. Keep your backgrounds very simple, with a white wall or a white sheet. Crop in close. This means getting down, or up, onto a level view of your art. Do not shoot your artwork at any angle other than a 90-degree straight-on view. There should be nothing in the image but your art! Pay attention that the image is uniform in lightness, with no dark shadows, and no bright spots. If it is getting a "hotspot" then move it around the room until it is more in balance. Sometimes very shiny things are better taken in a dim area, and avoid using a flash.
If you are taking pictures of paintings, you should never include a frame. Take art from behind glass before shooting. Make sure you are choosing a good mid to high-resolution for your images, and saving your images as a .jpeg for purposes of sharing is best. If you are a bit shaky, like I found out I was, use a tripod. They even make cheap little brackets for your smartphone to attach to a tripod. My smartphone takes some pretty amazing pictures, and I have a very expensive Nikon that mostly sits in my closet these days. And last, show your pictures to someone else and get their opinion. Make sure the image is not blurry and is a good representation of your artwork. Don't shortcut this last crucial step!
And my last piece of advice is to know your correct category for art medium. It is pretty simple to say something is a sculpture or an oil painting. But if you have added sand to your acrylic painting, or painted oils on an old milk can it is Mixed Media. If you drew with pen and ink and then added watercolor, it is Mixed Media. Make sure you read the descriptions and don't get dismissed by the judge because you simply mislabeled your work.
Best of Luck to all of you for your success, and keep being creative because this world desperately needs it!
Lucy Brownlee, Owner, Live Wedding Painting & Co., Las Vegas