All About Hedcut - Stipple Ink Dot Portraits

I've created a new Squidoo page all about stipple (or Hedcut) style portraits. These are the portraits made completely out of small ink dots and dashes, made famous by the Wall Street Journal. In fact, people sometimes call them "Wall Street Journal Style" portraits when they don't know the official name for them.

People also call it Pointillism, but pointillism is generally dots of different colors placed near each other, so that when you move away from the artwork, the colors seem to merge. So I tend to think of Stipple as the black and white ink drawings, and pointillism as color.

If you ever wondered about the portraits, I hope this page will tell you everything you ever wanted to know.

Frank Calloway, 112-year old Alabama Artist

Here is the story of Frank Calloway, an "emerging artist"...at age 112. He draws for up to 9 hours a day on paper on long rolls....like murals. His drawings show a time gone by ....Incredible!....

CNN Story
Video (you can see some artwork in this video)

Many Artists Giving Up in Face of Economy

In my meanderings about the Internet, as well as in conversations with other artists, I noticed something going on recently.

Artists are giving up. I can't believe they are just 'rainy day artists.' I'm sure they don't want to be rainy day artists, they just think they are being forced to quit...the old psychological recordings replay, telling them that they aren't good enough or that they need to "get serious" and give up on this "silly art thing."

The negative recording seems so sensible. There are a lot of "reasons" that it seems right to quit.
Here's one of them: "The economy is down so nobody's gonna buy this stuff anyway."
This is best said in an Eeyore voice, by the way.

I just don't agree, Eeyore.

I think there is a market for everything at a certain time or place. Rather than give up, think about changes or modifications you can do that will make your art more interesting.

I personally get in an art rut often. That's when I bring out (or buy) an art supply that I've never used before. It brings back that spark for art.

I've also heard an artist refer to her art as "not serious business" and she can't depend on it, so she's going into an MLM plan type thing. I want to know why art isn't "serious." Even if the art is childlike and fun in nature, it can still be "serious" business! It just needs to perhaps be re-marketed to a different target customer, or tweaked in some way to get it moving. If you don't think of your art as a serious business, why should anyone else respect it?

I get discouraged too - a lot. More than I would like to admit. I have bad days like anyone else.
I've wanted to just quit several times when it's gotten so hard to try to do art and raise 4 kids. But I know I couldn't live with myself if I quit. I just like my art and what I have built up so much. I'm not a quitter.

Is the economy down? Yes.
Is gas expensive? Yes.
Are these hurdles that we can overcome? Definitely, yes!

Consider alternate solutions to the problem before just giving up:

If the money coming in is less than before, what I can I do to reduce the out-flow of money?
Examples: start using coupons, don't browse on Ebay and get tempted, grocery shop less to reduce temptation, don't order pizza as often, etc.

Rather than lowering your prices, perhaps you should consider raising your prices first.

Work on the presentation of your art on your site or your blog. Don't have a site? A down time in business is a good time to do the things you wouldn't have time for otherwise.
Take your downtime and use it to your advantage. Think like a CEO. Think of this 'down time' as a blessing. What wonderful things you can do with the downtime!

Examples:

• compile your customer database
• move customer database to a new system
• organize your art supplies, clean the studio
• back up all your images onto CD-Rom
• Back up your website, do a direct mailing campaign
• figure out how Google Adwords works
• figure out and add alternate payment solutions like Google Checkout to your site
• compare mailing fees and options at FedEx, UPS, USPS
• shop around to see who has the lowest prices for the supplies you regularly use
• Add Your Ideas Here
  

There are speed bumps in the road of life. Don't stop driving forward!

Call to Artists

Art Calendar Magazine has over 50 new listings in their "Call to Artists" page. You'll find grants, public art calls, juried shows, galleries reviewing portfolios, festivals and more. Be sure to check the site weekly for new opportunities. Good luck! ...see the listings

House Portrait

Here's a house portrait I completed recently. The mat and frame are done in a digital art program. I did this 'mock-up' to show how it could look matted and framed. I always hate how scans or digital photos of my art look. I can never get a good clear picture of them.

This one is mixed media - it's mostly colored pencil, but the sky is scrapbooking chalk, which is basically a pastel. I love how it makes a soft sky.

I have been doing a lot of portraits lately and keeping busy. I hope you are doing well too!