In previous posts I had mentioned that within our technologically advance society, the value of art has greatly depleted due to the convenience of programs that give the illusion that whatever the user makes is professionally “artistic”. But one question must be asked to those who claim to be artists using technology mediums; Is it you or is it the program that’s doing the work? This does not only apply creative-wise but also in technique, skill and overall proficiency of how the work is created.

Many people tend to forget that the program is just a tool and it is the user that should be the one controlling how it is being used. The tool may have some built-in work flow that can try to logically calculate what you want or what you should be doing, but relying on the program’s calculations can hinder not only the creativity being displayed in the piece but also the proficiency and quality of the final work.

Let’s take for example web designing/coding. I consider both the designing and coding an essential asset for those who wish to excel in this artistic field. Although the coding aspect maybe a little too dry/logical for the artistic mind, it is a creative challenge for those who like problem solving. I tend to find many people use programs such as Dreamweaver or FrontPage to do the final coding for sites which can be very useful. These programs not only allow you to visually see changes you make to your layout automatically but you can even have the program generate code for you for things like flash which comes in handy if you don’t want to type it all out yourself. (I myself don’t use flash often for any of my web designing which is why if I were to ever embed a flash component, I would find this useful)

However, with that very same point I absolutely would not rely on these programs to 100% code my layout which I find many people also do. The extent of knowledge the user has in the back-end functionality and code will show just how much of the default coding they will use from the program. These programs tend to add code that are not needed in the final functionality which means added junk to your page. This affects the quality of your page as the code becomes messy, the page loading time is affected and the overall display of your skills are masked. Although this is all in the back-end, these are essential parts to make sure the front end is running smoothly and is displaying correctly. Like a house, not many people see the inside structure of how the house is constructed. But if it was created poorly, sooner or later it starts to crumble. This same aspect goes for your work.

As an artist I believe quality is always better than quantity in terms of showing your true creative skills and professionalism. When you start learning the tricks of how to make things with better quality, you learn how to decrease your processing time which in turn not only makes your turn-around of work faster, but also displays the same amount of care that should be expected from your work. Don’t let the laziness of relying on a program hinder you from learning how to do things efficiently within your field.

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What are thumbnails? They’re those little doodles and sketches of the preliminary ideas that artists get to develop their pieces. But I’ve met quite a few artists who work in fields that need a lot more refinement to their ideas who tend not to take the steps to correctly do thumbnails. I find this very apparent with a lot of artists who use digital mediums to produce work which gives a bad mindset to the industry as it further pushes the presumption that digital art is a quick and easy thing to do. What’s so special about these rough little doodles anyways?

Remembering my high school years, my art teachers had started getting the students into the habit of making thumbnails. I remember thinking in my head “thumbnails are tedious, why do we really need them?” as I did two or three thumbnails right before handing in an assignment. I had believed that if you had a good idea you should stick with that until your final piece and many of the students in the class had a similar mindset. How little did most of us know how important thumbnails really were to the development of our creative thought process for creating our pieces. This aspect was not as directly explained to me until I had taken my Advertising and Graphic Design program, where all my instructors emphasized thumbnails as a key part to ALL our projects. In some classes we were expected to create 20-50 variations of thumbnails and hand those in with our projects.

Getting a fantastic idea is one thing, but following it through effectively is another. That is one of the purposes of thumbnails. In order for you to properly map out the most effective way to use that idea, creating thumbnails will allow you to quickly create multiple ways of executing that idea which in turn will spark your creativity to push the idea further than when you had first envisioned it. They also help you to visually see your ideas on paper because as many artists should know, what you think up in your head does not always mean you can portray it the same way on paper. I haven’t met many artists who were not visual learners and as such thumbnails become a very helpful method to finding out new ways to express your creativity. They can also be used as visual notes. Like jotting down a really good idea you don’t want to loose, thumbnails can be used as visual bookmarks for your ideas. Whether on a piece of paper, in template boxes, on a napkin or wherever you can draw, thumbnails can be keepsakes for ideas you can use in other projects.

Don’t limit your creativity just cause you think you can execute an idea right off the bat. Getting into the habit of making thumbnails will add another helpful tool to your growing skill set for your creative growth.

TIP:Try doing thumbnails in pen not pencil. It will eliminate the habit of using your eraser as thumbnails are not to be worked on like a final piece.

This is one of the questions that people ask me the most and because I do a wide range of work within the artistic field, I cannot give a general answer for every area of work without skipping on details that pertain to only one area. Charging for commission work depends on the type of work you are doing and whether you will be charging through an hourly rate or a fixed budget. This all depends on the artist’s preferences as well as what is best for each client as there are pros and cons to both methods.

A set project budget can be good for getting the most out of the project’s worth without worrying about having to rack up a certain amount of hours. The more efficient you can work in a good pace, the more money you get per hour in the long run. The only thing this does not cover is if you end up working more hours than needed which at that point you start loosing profit. Most of my clients would like to get a sense of how much they will be paying which is why a set budget gives more security. But in this sense you are still measuring your project budget through your margined hourly rate.
Hourly rates can be good especially when it comes to hours you did not expect within your project time line. It ensures you still get paid for the hours you did work on. The only problem is getting a client to agree on an hourly rate as a freelancer or artist. Because depending on the type of work, some clients may have the mindset that your time shouldn’t cost as much as what you are quoting. It is a good idea to give them a sense of what makes up your hourly rate. My hourly rate consists of the work I do for a client, the hardware/software (must be legibly obtained programs) and utilities I use to do work for the project and the taxes I must pay as a working resident within my area. It also fluctuates depending on the time line of the project. For example, if the project is needed within a very short amount of time, the hourly rate increases.

The worth of your talents, skills and efficiency to do work should not be taken lightly. It is a good idea to find people who are within your line of work and compare their pricing for similar aspects you are trying to price. Understanding the average minimum mark-up within your field helps if you are just starting to do this type of work. Gaging your skill level and experience to those in the industry and get an understanding of what you should be charging first. Although it is good to have a positive mind-set about the worth of your work and time, you cannot forget that there are others within your same line of work who may have more experience or skill in specific aspects you have yet to learn and you will be competing with them in terms of prices.

For beginners, you need to start out small especially if you have not established yourself within your field. The more you rack the experience and skill over time, the more you will be viewed as a professional within your field which in turn entitles you to raise your rates accordingly. Artists who take commissions are a dime a dozen and as such you have to be able to margin yourself within the right price bracket in conjunction to your skills then work your way up.

TIP: The most efficient security measure for any of my projects is a proper contract between myself and the client which ensures both parties will be protected from certain instances. Because if you don’t specify it, the client can find a lot of loopholes that can hinder you getting paid correctly.

For artists depending on the type of art and products you plan to produce, will come across different vendors online and offline to work with in order to have their desired product manufactured. For someone like myself, I really like working with online vendors because it saves me the trouble of having to go out to search for vendors in my area. Being a Canadian resident does not always give me the best prices in my area either which makes it a little sad that I must find my materials overseas, however the less you spend the more on your return when you sell. For the most part, I have been very happy with most of the vendors I have encountered. They have been great in customer service and helping to make sure the transaction goes smoothly.
However, there have been cases where I have encountered vendors that left a very bad taste after the transaction and as such I would like to post them in this post to help others avoid the same mistake of ordering from their services.

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The Yellow Tricycle Button Company - a button producer that advertise FREE shipping on ALL orders. There was no mention of any restriction of area for this offer and as such I had ordered 250 sample buttons from them to test their quality and service. The first proofs given to me was photographed and showed that my images printed a lot more saturated than they should have so I gave them RGB files instead of CMYK. The second proofs were just digital cut and pastes of the RGB images which made me suspicious about the actual quality. In either case once they sent me the PayPal payment I paid in full and they had promised they would ship that same day.
A week later, I get a PayPal money order request for $20 shipping…When I tried to inquire about why I was being charged after all they did advertise FREE shipping, the CSR rudely commented that they weren’t going to pay the full shipping fee outside of the US and that I had to pay ASAP. Even with that ridiculous reasoning I paid them and when I asked them to disclose the shipping date, method and when I would be receiving my buttons, they no longer replied.

So in the end this vendor:

1. Was sketchy and unprofessional during transaction
2. Displayed false advertising and popped a $20 shipping fee a week after the payment was given to them
3. Was rude with their customer service and withheld information/service once they got their money
4. Would not admit their mistake and did not consider doing a cheaper method of shipping like a smart vendor would

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