TheVirtualInstructor Blog

Are you an artist that still doesn’t have a website?  Shame on you.  You absolutely need a website as an artist.  A website will increase your exposure and may help you sell your artwork without a middle man (gallery or agent).  So what are you waiting for?  It is so easy to create a website that is professional looking that represents you effectively.  You can hire a designer to do all of the dirty work for you, but the good news is that you don’t have to.  You can create your own website quickly and easily in a variety of ways.  In fact, there are several ways that you can create your own artist website for free.  In this post, we’ll take a look at a few of the ways that you can get your work on the web, and share your work with the world.

Create Your Artist Website from Scratch
The first way to create your own website is to develop it from scratch.  This method will take you longest, and may require that you learn some things about website design.  But, creating your website from scratch gives you the most control over the look and feel of your website.  Here are the steps to creating your own website from scratch…

1. Purchase a domain name- A domain name is the “.com”, “.net”, “.org” or so on.  It may read YourWebsite.com.  You can purchase domain names from a variety of hosting services like namesecure.com or godaddy.com.  Most domain names will cost anywhere from $5 to $10 a year.  You may need to think about how you want your visitors to “find” your website.  If you are thinking about having organic customers (ones that find your website through Google or Yahoo), then you may decide to name your domain to something that your customers will be searching for.  For example, if you make portraits of fish on cardboard, you may want the domain name- “fishportraitsoncardboard.com”.  (That’s probably an untapped market)  Or, if you your visitors will be finding you based on your name, you could purchase the domain name- “yourname.com”.  This first step is quite important because it will affect where you show up in an organic search in Google or Yahoo.

2. Design and Build Your Website- Next, get your hands on some web design software.  This is commonly called an HTML editor.  This is where you may have to learn some things.  Some software makes learning easy though.  In this step, you will create the look of your website.  You may design a few pages that link to each other.  For example, you may have home page, an about page, a portfolio page, a contact page, and a pricing page.  Be sure to make your navigation easy to follow and understand.  Also, make sure that there is a way to get to every page on your website.  I suggest that you create a navigation bar with links to every page on your site and include that navigation bar on every page in your website.
Here is a link to some HTML Editors…
Windows HTML Editors
Mac HTML Editors
(I use Dreamweaver)
Another great website for help with this step (and really the whole process) is 2createawebsite.com This site helped me out when I was just beginning.

3. Purchase a Hosting Package- A web host allows you to publish your website on the internet.  You can purchase web hosting from the same place that you purchased your domain name.  Web hosting packages usually charge you by the month.  Pricing varies, but is usually pretty cheap ($6-15 a month).  Shop around for the best deals and research who has the best service before you buy.  Once you have your hosting you can publish your website to the web.  The best part about creating your website from scratch is that you can change it at anytime and you have full control over what your visitors see.

Use Wordpress and Host the Site on Your Domain
Wordpress is changing the way websites are made.  Wordpress allows just about anyone to create a professional looking website without knowing about coding.  If you want to host your site with a specific domain name, but you don’t want to learn or bother with the coding specifics, then this method is the way to go for you.  You can pick from hundreds of  pre-coded templates, that are easy to insert your images and info into.  You can visit the Wordpress website and follow the directions for uploading your site.  This method will still require that you purchase a domain name and pay for hosting.

Start a Free Blog (Website) at Wordpress.com or Blogspot.com
You don’t have to pay to have your own artist website on the net.  You can visit wordpress.com or blogspot.com and setup your own website in minutes.  The drawback here is that you are not in control of your hosting.  You don’t have total control over your website, but it is free!

So, no more excuses.  Get your art out there.

Creating an Art portfolio for college entrance or for a job is an important step for any emerging artist.  It is important for artists to create a well crafted portfolio of artwork in order to effectively communicate the potential of the student or possible future employee.  Portfolios these days can come in a variety of forms.  Some publishers and firms will still accept tear sheets  (or a single page printed with several small illustrations) of artwork.  Others require the artist to leave the portfolio for review.  These types of paper portfolios have become a portfolio work in itself.  Be creative with how you present your portfolio to a potential employer-within reason.  You want to stand out from the other creative professionals that may be vying for the job.  Consider creating a “leave behind” that you can leave with the potential employer.  This will help them  remember you.  It could be a postcard or tear sheet, or something more creative.  You are after a creative job, so be creative and original.

Portfolios don’t have to be on paper.  In fact many artists are making digital portfolios.  I help my students build portfolios for college and all of them are digital.  It is very easy to snap some pictures of artwork with a high quality digital camera.  Be sure that you use natural light.  You should then edit the images on the computer using a program like Adobe Photoshop.  Crop the images cleanly and then adjust the brightness and contrast to match what the artwork looks like in reality.  You may take a digital portfolio a step further by creating an interactive portfolio in Adobe Flash.  (Find out to Make a Portfolio in Flash with Free Flash Lessons.) This allows the viewer to interact with your artwork and gives you another opportunity to be creative and stand out from the rest.  Burn your work to a CD.

Websites are a great way to showcase your artwork.   You can create your own or hire someone to make one for you.  Many free hosting packages are available out there.  There are also programs that feature templates that you can use to create your own website.  Keep your website portfolio professional.  Avoid putting personal pictures and the like on your website.  Be aware of download times, so that your portfolio is easily accessible to everyone.

Many students ask me about the order of the artwork inside of a portfolio.  My answer is to lay all of your artwork out on a table.  Narrow your work down to 10-12 of your very best, most outstanding artwork.  If there are any works that you are not totally sure of, leave them out.  Evaluate your artwork.  Your best work,  in my opinion,  should be the first work in your portfolio.  A first impression is important in your portfolio.  Your second-best artwork should be the last work in your portfolio.  End your portfolio with a bang.

Remember that your portfolio is a reflection of who you are as an artist.  It should be clean, creative, and well organized.  It should highlight your artwork clearly and send a positive message about you to that potential employer or that college evaluator.