LOCKDOWN ART#1: Working in a Series #1

We are now in the third TOTAL LOCKDOWN in the UK - and it's winter - so I'm going to create some resources for artists wanting:

• to learn more about art and/or 
• some stimuli for making art - within the constraints of the lockdown limitations on where we can go and what we can do.

Initially I'll be looking at my past blog projects about

• working in a series 
• understanding colour
• understanding composition.

A Making A Mark Project - Working in a Series

Back in 2008, I developed a series of posts on my art blog "Making A Mark" about working in a series as an artist - and subsequently developed a site (now unpublished) about "working in series".

I'm resurrecting those posts - or links to them - on this blog in order to provide a resource for those who would like to have a go at developing a series.

These blog posts explored:

• reasons why artists work in a series
• reviewed Monet and his series paintings
• considered specific series by Monet - the stacks of wheat and the paintings of Rouen Cathdral

These are those blog posts. Bear in mind when you read a post that, while the general principles and points made are perennial, some of the details re links to individual artists may have changed since it was first published.

• A Making A Mark Project - Working in a series - This post starts my project about working in a series
• What are your reasons for working in a series? - I've come to the conclusion there are probably four main categories of reasons why artists work in a series. Within each category there are more specific reasons. 
• investigate and explore - subject 
• investigate and explore - technique 
• emotional

• Making A Mark Poll: What's the main reason why you work in a series? - The question is: What's your MAIN reason for working in a series? With the emphasis being on the word MAIN. Having recognised there's lots of reasons why we work in series I want to try and pin it down a bit more and see if you can work out which is usually the dominant reason for you.

• Why and how Monet developed his series paintings - This post looks at:
• why Monet painted series paintings
• when he painted his series paintings
• the various reasons leading to his choice of subject matter
• which paintings are regarded as part of his series paintings
• and finally, how he actually designed and painted the series paintings from a practice perspective.

Wheatstacks (end of summer) 1890-91 - Claud Monet
Oil on canvas, 60 x 100 cm (23 5/8 x 39 3/8 in);
The Art Institute of Chicago

• Monet's series paintings - stacks of wheat - About the motif, design and execution of the series of paintings of stacks of wheat
• Monet's series paintings - Rouen cathedral - An account of Monet's series paintings of Rouen Cathedral

La cathédrale dans le brouillard 

by Claude Monet

(included in the Sotheby's sale on 3rd November 2008)

12 good reasons to paint in a series

Tomorrow I'll be looking at 12 good reasons to paint in a series and thereafter will 

• explore each reason further
• with links to further information, images and resources about famous artists who produce work in a series.

A Jeff Koons Masterclass

Jeff Koons is now teaching a masterclass on Art and Creativity on Masterclass. Why would you sign up - or why might you not?

1. Great Trailer

There's a video on YouTube which acts as a trailer for the 2 hour Masterclass by Jeff Koons - see below.

Trailer for Jeff Koons’ MasterClass lesson. Courtesy of MasterClass / YouTube

2. Masterclass Subscription

Having a subscription is great for those wanting to learn as it means no big one-off outlays.

Plus subscriptions are also great for content providers. That's because 

• if you get the right people to provide content - and the experience is valued, you're making money as soon as you've recovered the sunk costs of paying for the contributor - in this case Jeff Koons and the cost of the video. Thereafter it is "passive income" - which just goes on rolling in - so long as the contributor continues to be "a name".
• people forget they are still subscribing and hence the subscription continues to generate income for a long time after people have stopped looking at the content. (I've got a magazine subscription I really should sort out.....). 

3. BUT no other masterclasses by artists ?

So does this mean that Masterclass is getting into art? 

The thing is Jeff Koons is the ONLY artist who has so far delivered a Masterclass about art for Masterclass. 

It has nine categories - of which Arts and Entertainment is one (i.e. music, writing, acting, theatre, film-making, magic, screenwriting, choreography etc etc).

Bottom line  THERE IS NO OTHER ARTIST TEACHING ART ON MASTERCLASS.

So why would you subscribe - just for one person? Particularly if that one person has a particular take on art

Here's what the New York Times thinks:

• CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK: Can Jeff Koons Teach Me to Paint? By Andrew Russeth (27 December 2020)
• as in I couldn't find anybody else who's taken the class and written about it!

Really, this is a sumptuously produced infomercial for Mr. Koons’s art, and the best moments — the funniest, the weirdest — are when he feels free to cast off his teaching responsibilities and just talk giddily about his art, not yours, and his zest for Titian and Rubens, Bernini and Queirolo. (Women do not figure in this curriculum.)

Personally speaking I don't like how Masterclass handles Privacy - where they seem to make a virtue out of something that should be a LOT more upfront and transparent and controllable than it is (.e. I want to switch off cookies before entering the site). Instead it reinforces my notion of them as a "a slick operation". I think they might very well be breaking the law in relation to certain territories - but I'll wait for our own pet dragon (the Information Commissioner) to take that on.....

Notes: This is the Press Release - which tells you just how much you read elsewhere is actually original writing as opposed to regurgitation of the press release.

This is what it has to say about Masterclass (this is them not me)

ABOUT MASTERCLASS:
Launched in 2015, MasterClass is the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to 100+ instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects, including Arts & Entertainment, Business, Design & Style, Sports & Gaming, Writing and more. Step into Anna Wintour's office, Ron Finley's garden and Neil Gaiman's writing retreat. Get inspired by RuPaul, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes, and discover your inner negotiator with Chris Voss. Each class features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson. You can learn on your own terms—in bite-size pieces or in a single binge. Cinematic visuals and close-up, hands-on demonstrations make you feel like you're one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable instructor guides help reinforce your learning. Stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile, tablet, desktop, Apple TV®, Android™ TV, Amazon Fire TV® and Roku® players and devices.

Making A Mark: the 20 most popular blog posts for artists (Part 2 2006-2019)

This is a list of Making A Mark blog posts from previous years (2006-2019) - unrelated to art on television - which have proved to be perennially popular - and were the most popular in 2020

It follows on from yesterday's post Making A Mark - the 20 most popular blog posts for artists in 2020 (Part 1) - which highlighted how art on television - rather than in exhibitions - became very popular in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Summary

As last year five of the ten are "how to" posts - although interestingly not the same five as last year! If you write a good "how to" post on your blog about perennial topics it can be of value and generate traffic for very many years - but popularity and relevance can come and go.

I'm also noting which are NEW ENTRIES and which have moved up or down compared to last year's post Making A Mark - the 20 most popular blog posts in 2019. The Pandemic has had an obvious impact on some.

Please note that I've excluded all television posts from previous years as they get their moment in the limelight in the most popular posts in a year - see yesterday's post Making A Mark - the 20 most popular blog posts for artists in 2020 (Part 1)

#1. Favourite quotes about drawing and sketching

The mobile version of Favourite quotes about drawing and sketching (2013) was the most popular post in 2020 - by some considerable distance.

Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worth while, and it will do you a world of good.
Cennino Cennini

L'Écho, study for Une Baignade, Asnières (Bathing Place, Asnières) by Georges Seurat
Conté crayon on Michallet paper. 31.2 × 24 cm

Last year it was #2 - and was outranked by my somewhat encyclopedic annual guide to the BP Portrait Award in 2018. 

Last year I said I kept meaning to do an update to this post and this year it's definitely going on my 'to do' list.

#2 How to hang a large or heavy picture - using heavy duty hanging hardware

How to hang a large or heavy picture - using heavy duty hanging hardware (2015) has moved up one place as the BP slipped out of the rankings

I can only think nobody else has written a decent post about this topic. It's certainly the case that is something you don't want to get this wrong - which is why this post beats the next one on traffic! Includes pics of kit you need and helpful videos!

However this might also reflect activities associated with Covid-19 lockdowns (see the next post!)

#3. How to hang a picture - using D rings

How to hang a picture - using D Rings (2015). This post is particularly relevant for smaller paintings and drawings.

PLUS:

• I've now also got a page about How to hang a picture on my Art Business Info for Artists website
• I also wrote a summary blog post about How to hang a picture back in April 2020 when it suddenly struck me that lockdown is when everybody decides to 
• redecorate 
• and/or completely rehang their art collection 
• and/or finally get round to hanging those paintings they've bought which have never quite made it on to the wall. (I know that's one of the things I did!

Hanging hardware

#4. Creating a signature on your art

Creating a signature on your art (2009) - moved up five places this year.

This is one of those perennial issues which comes up time and time again concerns the best way to sign your art. 

This is of course quite different to another type of signature - Signature membership which I also wrote about in 2009.

#5. Who knew Giles from Gogglebox was an artist?

Who knew Giles from Gogglebox was an artist? (2018) is a NEW ENTRY in the top ranked older posts

It just goes to show that art and television seems to be a very popular connection. (Television posts are banned from this post - but this one is allowed in because Giles does not do art on television!)

#6. Artists and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Artists and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) (2016) is another climber - up four places from #10 last year.

Again this is one of those perennial topics which is often searched for but rarely produces a decent response. I think this one still comes top on Google.

#7. How to create a 'search description' for your Blogger post

How to create a 'search description' for your Blogger post (2009) - This is a NEW ENTRY and one which I suspect has cropped up due to the change from Legacy/Classic Blogger to New Blogger. 

#8. What kind of art do people like to buy online?

What kind of art do people like to buy online? (2016) is another NEW ENTRY.  This post covers:

• the similarities and differences between the type of art that British and American people buy online
• how this compares to the type of art that people like to paint.

Based on sales data in 1 January - 31 December 2015 (Source: Artfinder)

I suspect this post has popped up because of the unique nature of 2020 - when an awful lot of art exhibitions and art fairs did not take place. Hence more and more artists have turned to trying to sell their art online.

I think maybe it's now time to revisit this post - maybe via a poll or survey to see whether anything has changed in the Covid-19 era.

In the meantime - for all those interested in this topic - please take a look at the big section about How to Sell Your Art on Art Business for Artists

#9. How to sign an art print

How to sign an art print (2011) has dropped four place since last year. However it's a detail that matters - and for some reason there's not many "how to" articles!

#10. How to do a reverse image search

How to do a reverse image search (2011) is another blog post about a perennially popular search query - which has also dropped four places. 

You can find the updated version here - How to do a reverse image search in the Copyright section of my Art Business Info for Artists website.

Addendum

One of the things I tried to do when I started this blog was to write about things which I thought artists needed or wanted to know about - but which weren't covered terribly well online. 

That's still the case - and if you ever get a query where you cannot find a satisfactory answer, do please let me know and I'll see if I can come up with one! Although I try to avoid practical matters I've no experience of!

Making A Mark - the 20 most popular blog posts for artists in 2020 (Part 1)

The most popular blog posts on Making A Mark changed somewhat this year - because of the Pandemic.   Thus there's a HUGE emphasis in 2020 on 

• art on film/video - rather than in normal art competitions / art exhibitions
• art competitions and other art programmes on various television channels; and 
• collaborative video endeavours online on Facebook Live.

I'm splitting the most popular posts between 

• Part 1 (today) 2020 and 
• Part 2 (tomorrow) the previous 15 years.

Part 1: The most popular blog posts in 2020

Below I'm identifying the most popular posts based on a combination of the Making A Mark blog statistics from 

• Google Analytics (which splits them between desktop and mobile) and 
• Statcounter.

While it was inevitable that at least some of the most popular posts related to the Pandemic, most were in fact related to ways in which we managed to divert our attention from the Pandemic.

Portrait Artist of the Year

#1: Portrait Artist of the Year - broadcast by Sky Arts - was the most popular overall topic #portraitartistoftheyear

Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 7) - Waiting for the decision

The top post of 2020 - by a large margin - was Curtis Holder wins Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 7 Autumn 2020).

Also popular were my reviews of other episodes - although I suspect they might have been even more popular if I'd published them sooner after the episode was broadcast as I did last year. Here's a few more posts.....

• PAOTY Commission: Curtis Holder draws Carlos Acosta
• Review: Semi-Final of Portrait Artist of the Year - Autumn 2020 
• Review: Episode 8 of Portrait Artist of the Year Series 7 (Autumn 2020) 
• Review: Episode 1 of Portrait Artist of the Year Series 7 (Autumn 2020) 
• Call for Entries: Portrait Artist of the Year 2021 - which in the end became the series filmed without crowds during the summer and broadcast in the Autumn. (I'm completely perplexed as how they are going to identify different series going forward).

What's interesting is that Series 7 (originally intended for broadcast in early 2021) was MUCH more popular than the Series 6 series earlier in the year - which started in January and was mostly broadcast outside lockdown.

I suspect this was in part due to the fact that many more people could view Series 7 as Sky made the Sky Arts Channel 'free to view' via Freeview from September. 

• Hence the audience was potentially that much greater.  
• I rather think this decision may have been prompted by the success of the Grayson Perry Art Club on Channel 4 during the Spring (see below) - and it of course provided a marketing hook to interest people in Sky television. 

Portrait Artist of the Week

#2:  It was followed by Portrait Artist of the Week - also by Sky Arts - which I think garnered a LOT of interest from artists from literally all over the world - because they were able to follow on Facebook Live

Looking back at what worked in the art world in 2020

This has to have been one of the most stressful years for artists ever - and yet within that we have seen some remarkable achievements by artists.

In this post I'm going to try and highlight some of what I saw and heard about in 2020 which helped artists keep going....

• Artists Support Pledge
• Portraits for NHS Heroes
• The Art Teachers who learned fast how to deliver art lessons online
• Art Marketing and Website Makeovers
• The Virtual Online Art Exhibitions and Tours
• The Virtual / Online Conferences for Artists
• Online Resources
• My Contribution

Let's all remember going forward that we are not at the end - even with approved vaccines - and it's going to be a long time before things get back to normal. 

So we need even more innovation and endeavour and hard work in 2021 - but if what I've seen in 2020 is anything to go by, there's lots of artists who are up for that!

Artist Support Pledge #artistsupportpledge

Artist Support Pledge - the gifted keep giving

Matthew Burrows started the Artist Support Pledge on on the 16th March 2020 in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

I wrote about it in The Artist Support Pledge in May 2020.  Some artists have been regularly selling small works online all through the pandemic. More than a few professional artists have told me they've had more sales and generated more income this year than in some 'normal' years in the past.

Matthew Burrows was awarded with 

• an MBE in the Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours List - for services to the arts during the Covid-19 response

• Personality of the Year in the Apollo Awards 2020

The online selling platform helping artists make a living now has more than 69,000 followers, has produced 447,000 posts and generated around £70m in sales. Burrows, Apollo’s Personality of the Year, was subsequently made an MBE in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours – and his no-frills initiative has been hailed as a lifeline for artists struggling in the wake of Covid-19. Personality of the Year | Apollo Magazine (19 November 2020)

In 2021 I'm going to pledge to do one post a week which will highlight the artwork of at least five artists whose work is posted for sale for £200 or less with the #artistsupportpledge.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all used other platforms to highlight the works of art that we liked - and continue to help those whose incomes have been decimated due to the lack of exhibitions.

Portraits for NHS Heroes #portraitsfornhsheroes