16 x 20 in.

The sock monkeys that is! I’ve added a couple of new paintings to my Larger Works gallery. And a 16 x 20 in. sock monkeys is one of them. It’s so fun to give these characters a little more breathing room, and see how they look in their more spacious environment.

I also want to use this post to answer Mindful Mimi’s question about "how do you photograph paintings for the web?". The truth is, I don’t really know the best way yet. I’m just learning. You see, all of my small daily paintings fit on my flatbed scanner, an Epson by the way, which I love, because in my opinion it picks up the colors beautifully. You can see every detail down to the brush strokes. My paintings are also acrylic so they dry quickly and I can scan them right away. It’s tricky photographing art. What I think so far, is that you need to invest in a really good camera. I’m using the Nikon D40 ( 6.1 megapixel), also LOVE it. A good quality camera can and will make all the difference. (But, if you don’t have one yet, don’t that let stop you from getting started...I know how we can make excuses that keep us from our creative lives...)

When you do take your pictures, and I imagine any good photographer will tell you as did my college photography teacher, don’t be a afraid to shoot a lot of images (thank you digital camera age) until you get a good one. When I photograph my clay characters, I have shot up to 40+ images of just one. And I do know this, natural light is best. The flash just does not work for me. It gives a false impression of the colors and makes the subject feel harsh. I’ve also heard that outside light is good, but I prefer inside because I like to photograph the paintings or characters in their likely setting so you can see them in a home environment , sometimes even with other objects in the frame. Having other objects included also gives a potential buyer a sense of the size of the painting. Basically, start looking at magazines, catalogs, other artists photography ~ Flickr is GREAT for this ~ and see the style that you like and try to re-create the elements in those product shots that inspire you. I find that with any product you are selling, you are also selling a feeling that is often conveyed through the photograph. So, think about who you are, what you represent, what feelings you want your work to represent, and include that as well. Above and beyond, most important, of course, have a nice clear image of your painting.

I hope any of those tidbits of advice might help. This is what I know so far. If you’re a specialist at this please jump in and leave a comment. I certainly would also appreciate any tips you have, especially as I continue to venture into the larger paintings.

Winter Trees 3
9 x 12 in.

*Edit* for Diana ~ I use the EpsonRX500. It’s a flatbed printer scanner and this model, I believe is 3 years old now. It only scans as large as 9 x 12 in.