Making Money as an Artist: How to Repurpose Your Images

If your goal is to make money as a photographer or artist, it is good to be able to use your images for a variety of purposes. (Obviously this will not work if you sell exclusive images or photos).

I usually put a lot of effort into getting an image just right so I am always looking for ways to get more out of my efforts. Here is an example of what I am talking about:

First I created an image making sure it was at least 3 to 4 MP

Then I created some cards to submit to Greeting Card Universe

Next I submitted a design to Dreamstime and Bigstock Photo

Next I used the quick create tool in Zazzle and made a whole bunch of products to sell in my store. 

Orange Flower in Vase Note Books by Lorenedesigns
Make your own customizable notebooks at Zazzle

Orange Flower in Vase Planner by Lorenedesigns
Look at Poppy Planners online at Zazzle.com

Gimp Tip: How to Give Text a Shiny Raised Appearance

Here is a quick, easy way to give text a shiny raised appearance.

First, type your text. Then right click on the text layer and choose alpha to selection. From the menu, choose select and then shrink. Shrink your selection till about the inner one fourth of the letters are selected.

 Then feather the selection by about 10 px (menu>  select>  feather) Next create another layer and name it "highlight." Fill in your selection with white paint and reduce the opacity to about 57 or whatever looks good.

How to Sell Your Images Online: Getting Started as a Newbie

"I want to start selling my images (designs, photos, illustrations etc.) online. How do I get started?"  This is a common question.

One way is to sell your designs is by submitting them to microstock websites such as Fotolia, Dreamstime, or Bigstock Photo etc.

If you are just starting out, it may be difficult to get your images accepted.  One reason is that you may not be sure what they are looking for yet or as in my case, you're just not that proficient at creating images that sell.

The first place I submitted my photos and artwork to was Dreamstime.  I think I submitted over 20 files before they finally accepted one (I don't give up easily :) I don't regret it though because I learned a lot from their comments (even though they were rather vague). 

But if you are not inclined to take that route, here are some places you could try to start selling your images without the intense review period.

Redbubble- I have an account but so far have not put up anything for sale with them. One thing I've read is that if you want to sell anything you have to do your own marketing.

Yaymicro- I cannot recall ever having any of my artwork rejected by them, however sales are minimal. I think a person would really have to market themselves to make any money. Another thing that I don't care for is a new a rule they've implemented-  files have to be at least 6 megapixels. I don't usually create files that big.

Mostphotos - there is no image review process, instead photos are rated by other contributers

Stockfuel- All my images were accepted and put on their website but... so far no sales.

Zazzle- I have only been contributing designs to them for a short while but they seem to be pretty easy-going  and have not rejected anything I've uploaded so far.

Imagekind- Upload images that are suitable to be framed or printed on canvas.  If you have any photos on Flickr- they can automatically be brought into Imagekind.  No harsh reviewing process required :)

I hope you found this post helpful. Can you think of any other websites to put in this list? Please leave a comment and let us know.         

Gimp Tutorial: How to Easily Create a Realistic Balloon

I am not sure where I learned this technique but I have used it many times over the past 2 years. Here are the steps I take: 

Open a new file. I set the size to 400 x 400.

Make a new transparent layer.

Use the ellipse tool to make a circle 

Go to menu> select > to path

Select the forground and background color tool and choose the color of your choice- the foreground color needs to be several shades lighter than the background color.

Pick the blend tool and set the shape to radial. Starting in slightly from the upper left portion of the circle, drag the gradient to the lower right just past the center.

From the menu pick filters> distorts> curve bend. Use these settings:

To finish, use the ellipse tool to make a small oval on the bottom side of the balloon. Fill it in with the darker color. To give it a softer, smoother look, go to menu> filters> blur> Gaussian blur and set the blur radius to 2. 

CafePress.com: My First Sales

My first sale at CafePress...this design sold 3 times in less than a week. I started uploading some of my designs about 2 or 3 weeks ago.  

In case you are wondering... yes I am excited. I'm sure you've heard it before..it's not so much the money, it's the idea that someone actually paid me for my art. 

                                            My first sale at CafePress

Greeting Card Universe Review: My First Card Sale

I signed up to be an artist at Greeting Card Universe back in June this year. I really didn't do anything with it at first, but I finally submitted a few cards.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my first card sold. Needless to say, I am quite excited about this opportunity. I believe it's a way for me to learn about card design, hone my designing skills and take careful note of what sells and what doesn't.   

My first card sale 

I was also happy with the feedback they gave me for a card that was not accepted- they told me exactly what to do to bring it up to par.

It's completely free to join and they take care of all the details- printing, e-commerce etc. You can earn up to 56 cents a card.  If you are interested in creating cards to sell, maybe this is a way to get started. 

Update: The commission structure has since been changed- artists get half of what we used to, unless we earn a certain amount of money in each quarter.  To meet this quota, I've been told we need to sell 428 cards for each of quarters 1-3 and 857 cards for the 4th quarter.

If you don't want to create cards, you can also make money by selling them. You get a 12% commission.

My enthusiasm may be a bit premature since I have not been with them very long but so far I really like this company.

Gimp Techniques: How to Create a Ric Rac Border in Gimp

by Lorene Troyer

Gimp is such an amazing program... I am so grateful for all the people who have made it possible... Anyway I thought I'd share an easy technique for creating a ric rac border in Gimp.

1. Open a new document.

2. Make a new transparent layer.

3. Choose the rectangle selection tool and make a narrow strip

4. Fill it with your color of choice.

5. Go to menu > select> none.

6. Next go to menu> filters> distorts> ripple. Select vertical for orientation and set the period parameter to about 30.

7. To give it some texture- from the menu select filters> artistic> apply canvas (I set the depth to 3).

8.You can also apply a drop shadow effect.  Filters> light and shadow> drop shadow (I put a 2 in each of the parameter boxes.)