Show Notes Archives | Page 8 of 52

#223 Nicole Galluccio: Illustrator and Color Enthusiast

Nicole Galluccio is a painter and illustrator in South Florida. In her paintings, she illustrates flowers, fruits, and pollinators, using bright, bold colors. Nicole is a master at color theory, and uses many shades of each color that she’s mixed herself. In this past year, she’s added teaching to her business as she entered the world of Zoom classes. We also talk about her new studio space and how she benefits from being in a shared space with other artists. You can listen to my previous interview with Nicole in Episode 7 of the podcast.

Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher.

Nicole Galluccio

I previously talked to Nicole on Episode 7 of this podcast. You can listen to Episode 7 here.

Nicole’s website is nicolegalluccioart.com.

She also uses Nicole Galluccio Art for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Nicole teaches classes through Old School Square and The Lighthouse Center for the Arts.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Zero Empty Spaces artist studios, here is their website.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Nicole uses many, many colors on each painting, and she mixes the colors herself. What makes the colors really pop is the black outlining she does around and in the detail of the flowers. So here’s the takeaway: Practice, practice, practice and you can get good at the outlining in your artwork.
Sometimes she works on a large piece and smaller pieces that are part of a collection at the same time. She does this for two reasons: First, you can switch and work on another one while you’re waiting for the first one to dry. And second, if she wants to use the same imagery and colors on a smaller piece, it makes sense to work on both of them at the same time so she has consistency.
Because Nicole uses so many shades of each color in a painting, she pre-mixes the colors and stores them in covered plastic containers. She just gets small inexpensive ones at the Dollar Store. She mixes new colors every few months and has them on hand when she’s ready to create.
If your style is changing, try transitioning your art rather than abruptly changing it at a new show. Nicole did a solo show and included paintings in her old style, which included mixed papers in their background, and newer paintings which had a painted background. This will satisfy long-term collectors while showing them what you’re doing now.
We talked a little about social media and how it’s a free marketing tool for your business. Realize that everything can be cross-promoted now. For example, you can make a video for TikTok, but then you can also have that posted to Instagram. You can put something on Instagram, and you can have that appear on Facebook too. You don’t have to make the post twice, so it will save you a lot of time.
Nicole has a studio in a shared space. About a dozen artists are in what used to be a restaurant, and partial walls have been put up to define each artist’s space. This is a great way to gain more foot traffic to see your art, and you can also feed off of the energy of having many creatives in one area. It’s also great for collaborations too.
When you create an event at your space, if you invite other artists to join you, you will get the benefit of all the people that they will invite to the event too. Encourage everyone to promote the event to their mailing lists through all their social media channels. The more people that can come to see your art, the better.
Nicole gave a great example where she defied her own nervousness: She was asked to teach a class, and before she could get nervous about it, she said yes, and committed to it. For her, this takes the nerves out of the equation, because she’s committed to someone else so she definitely has to go through with the task. And of course, she did create and do the class, it went very well, and now she’s offering the class at other locations.
When planning a class with multiple lessons or sessions, don’t plan out all the details of every lesson ahead of time. Provide broad topics of each lesson, but modify the lessons as you get to them based on what the students are asking you for and based on what they already know.
Nicole is working to develop a retail brand of products with her designs. She’s started by offering a variety of home goods at a range of prices, that are more affordable than her large original paintings. A diversity in your product line will attract more buyers as well as repeat customers.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions to other artists and experts. You never know when a conversation you have might be the spark of an idea for a project in the future. And you can also use experts to help you with parts of a project that is not in your expertise.

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#222 Lori Siebert: Art, Classes, and Licensing

Artist and instructor Lori Siebert does not limit herself with the art that she makes. One day it might be mixed media paintings, and the next it might be 3D birds made from the items in her junk drawer. She feeds her curiosity by constantly exploring different mediums and techniques. She has also licensed her artwork with many different companies, and she shares a lot of her tips.

Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher.

Lori Siebert

Lori’s website is lorisiebert.com

She is on Instagram @lorisiebert.studio

Pinterest: Lori Siebert Studio

Facebook: Lori Siebert Studio

Lori will be hosting 3 retreats in 2022. Sign up for newsletter for updates!

To purchase the “Artful Junk Birds” course

She will be featured in the Winter issue of “What Women Create” magazine

She will have a feature in the Fall issue of The Turquoise Iris.

Lori will be teaching at a retreat Sept. 26-30, 2021 through Snippets and Stitches . . . adventures in Mixed Media.

In collaboration with Chair Whimsy, she will have a chair collection coming out soon!

Shop for her Art shirts here.

Wall murals here.

Shower curtains, bedding, textiles through Laural Home here.

Mugs, bells, garden product, floor mats from Studio-M

You can purchase plush toys and home decor from Demdaco here

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

We talked about art licensing, so a lot of these takeaways will be about that. When working with a client, get an idea of they are, who their customers are, and what their style is. You want to make sure you are a good fit for them and your designs will go with their aesthetic.
A virtual pop-up shop is a great way to sell your art. You can host it on your website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Art Licensing Shows, like Surtex in New York and the Gift Show in Atlanta, are great places to exhibit your art to potential licensors or agents.
The first step to get into licensing would be to make a collection, such as 4 or more main images, a series of prints and patterns, borders, typography, and sentiments that all go together and that you can easily adapt and use on multiple different types of products.
It’s also good to search to determine the common themes and motifs, like florals, and roosters.
Holidays and especially Christmas are huge for licensing too, as is coastal décor.
You should research the types of clients that you think would fit your work.
Trade publications can also give you an idea of what businesses are looking for. Two examples are giftsanddec and Home Accents Today.
Lori paints her backgrounds separately from her foregrounds so she can have too images for licensing. That gives the companies more flexibility with using her designs.
Participating in challenges on Instagram is a great way to practice art techniques or try new things as you complete each prompt. As a host of a challenge, it’s nice to see how others interpret your prompt, and you will receive new engagement in your feed.

Post category:Podcasts Season 4 Show Notes

#221 Seth Apter: Mixed Media Artist, Instructor, Designer, Author

Seth Apter is a mixed media artist in New York City. He designs and sells art supplies and tools for a few companies. Using these supplies in his art, he combines paint, ink, stencils, stamps, and various papers to build his mixed media creations. His business used to be filled with travels all over the world where he would teach his techniques. Since he hasn’t been traveling, he does weekly Facebook Live demos, talks, and now online classes. He even tells us about a business class he will be creating in a few months.

Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher.

Seth Apter

Seth’s website is sethapter.com

He is on Facebook at Seth Apter and Instagram @sethapter

His online classes can be found here.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

I’d like to reiterate something that Seth expressed about in person classes: It’s such a different experience from online classes, in that you get to know the instructor and other students better because you’re sitting next to each other, taking meals together, and looking at their art in real time. I’ve traveled to many art retreats and can tell you that it’s wonderful spending a day or more with other artists learning and creating, and I really recommend that you look into classes like that as soon as you feel comfortable traveling and being close to other people.
Seth builds an inspiration wall near his workspace that he changes every year. He includes small pieces of his art as well as lots of artwork from other artists. He uses small magnets to hold them on 12” square metal boards. Hanging artwork close by will inspire you when you’re creating and spark ideas to create new projects.
As a business owner, you want to make sure that your income sources are steady and diverse. If the pandemic and the economic shutdown have shown us anything, it’s to be prepared for changes in the market by offering a variety of products and price ranges, and get your income from a variety of things, like selling art, prints, teaching in person and online, designing, and licensing.
Seth posts demos and artist interviews on Facebook. What he’s discovered, though, is that his Instagram followers are different than his Facebook followers, so he feels he needs to reach them too. Utilize the cross-post feature so you can post on both concurrently so you don’t miss half your audience.
If you’re utilizing Facebook or Instagram to do live segments, announce them ahead of time to get the maximum number of viewers.
You can sell classes that you host on Facebook by offering them on your online Shop and then creating a private Facebook group where you approve their acceptance into the group.
Another option for teaching and getting yourself out to a new group of students is to offer a class through a group of classes. One host may get many artists to offer a small class, and then the host offers all the classes as a package to the students. All the instructors promote the package of classes, so your class will be seen by so many more potential students.

Post category:Podcasts Season 4 Show Notes

#220 Rachel Davies: Mosaic Artist Using Slate, Stone, and Glass

Rachel Davies is a mosaic artist in Dunblane, Scotland. She uses slate that she finds near her home, plus stones and glass for her creations. Like so many artists, her in person classes stopped in 2020, but she figured out how to offer online classes and get the mosaic supplies to her students. We talk about her materials and techniques, as well as an arts organization where she is a member.

Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher.

Rachel Davies

Rachel’s website is racheldaviesmosaics.com

She is also on Instagram @racheldaviesmosaics

You can find her mosaics class with Mosaic Arts Online here.

Please subscribe for her email list to see her latest mosaics and events here.

If you live in the UK and you’re interested in the British Association of Modern Mosaics (BAMM), this is their website.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Rachel uses slate and rocks that can be found near her home in Scotland. Think about the natural materials that you could use for your own art that would make your artwork unique from others. You can also think about the placement of those materials: Do you place it one side up or the other? Do you use just a part of it? Which side has the texture and colors that will enhance your art the most?
If you’re using natural materials, try to source them sustainably. In other words, don’t take things that will deplete an area or harm the landscape. Rachel has discovered she can get used slate roofing tiles when a roof is being re-done. That’s an easy way for her to get the slate for her mosaics.
Rachel told us about something that her town did when shops began to shut down due to Covid. They put large photos of artwork in the windows to keep the shopping streets interesting. This could be done even in regular times if there are vacant storefronts in your town. You could propose this to a town council or the property owner.
A lot of galleries, shops, and art organizations did online exhibitions when things were shut down during Covid. There’s no reason why you couldn’t offer that right now, especially if you wanted to do a show open to artists from a large geographic area. That would save them having to ship their work.
During the pandemic, Rachel taught online classes. Because shops were closed all over the world, she put together supply kits that she mailed to every student so they could make the project they covered in the class. This is a great thing you could offer your students if they can’t find the supplies for your class near their home. Many students are willing to pay the shipping to receive the supplies right at their house so that they can do an art class.
Even with online classes, they can still have a social element when they’re done live, like through Zoom or Facebook, or if they have a forum where students can comment or ask questions, like on a private Facebook page. Many students are more attracted to classes that also offer a community experience.
OK, now having said that, other students may prefer classes that they can just watch and then do at their own pace. It’s good to offer both kinds of online experiences for your students.
The benefit for you as an instructor when you’re teaching a go at your own pace class is that the number of students is unlimited. For Zoom classes you wouldn’t want to teach one with too many students at once so that they will get a chance to ask questions if they want.
Joining a local arts organization is a great way to meet other artists, network with them, and find out how they are selling their art.

Post category:Podcasts Season 4 Show Notes

#219 Cathy Nichols: Making Art with Paint, Paper, and a Little Magic

Artist Cathy Nichols is in Asheville, North Carolina, where she’s an artist, teacher, and author. Her medium is paper and paint, and as she says, a little magic. Her artwork is painted collage layers, and she puts her art on washi tape, pouches, and oracle cards. She even offers a class where you can learn how to make your own oracle deck. Cathy’s book is called Storytelling Art Studio, where she explains how you can create mixed media art to tell impactful stories.

Listen here or download from iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, CastBox, or Stitcher.

Cathy Nichols

Cathy’s website is cathynichols.com

She is also on Instagram @cathynicholsart

One of her class offerings is called Create Your Own Oracle Deck. She posts photos of what her students have made on her other Instagram account called @create_your_own_oracle_deck

Cathy’s book Storytelling Art Studio can be found here.

You can also find her on Facebook at Cathy Nichols Art.

Her stencils can be found at Stencil Girl Products here.

You can visit Cathy’s studio at the River Arts District, in Asheville, NC.

Cathy mentioned that she loves creating on watercolor canvas. I found a great article that discusses the pros and cons of this product here.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

If you want to put your art on washi tape or some other cool item, just do a google search to find manufacturers. As Cathy said, then you’ll have to tell them your specs and see if they can do it, and negotiate your price. Make sure you get a sample first.
Cathy likes watercolor canvas as her base for her painted collages. I’ll include a link in the Show Notes for this episode to a great article that I found explaining the pros and cons of watercolor canvas. This may be a new product you’d like to try.
Make sure you use archival quality products in your art, like glue sticks. Your artwork will last a lot longer when using archival supplies.
Newsprint and tissue paper are great papers to paint on for collages.
Using a brayer to press down your papers when you’re gluing them down will prevent the paper from buckling.
It’s a good idea to declare to the world that you are an artist. That may be just what you need to give you the motivation to begin. For Cathy, she bought business cards that said she was an artist and started passing them out to people. You also could post it on Instagram or Facebook. Once you own it, it will be easier to move forward with it.
To find her own style of art, Cathy got a sketch book and drew in it every night. You have to put in the work to figure out your style and where you want to go with your art.
Cathy enjoys setting up a little tableau with her art when she’s taking photos for Instagram. You may enjoy it more if you take the time to find other objects to place next to your artwork to add interest to your Instagram posts.

Post category:Podcasts Season 4 Show Notes