My Top Three Tips for an Art Blog

'Heaven on Earth'       5x7         pastel        ©Karen Margulis
sold

 So maybe you want to start a blog for your art.  Or maybe you have one but don't see how it is helping.  As a blogger since 2005 I'd like to share some things I have learned along the way. First if you aren't convinced an art blog is for you then you might like to read my post about the benefits of blogging HERE.  There are lots of things I could share about blogging but I will narrow it down to three things.  Consistency, Content and Clarity.

1. CONSISTENCY:  You should be prepared to post on a consistent basis. You don't have to post every day. (It is a habit for me)  I would recommend a new post every week. 2-3 times a week is better but once a week is a manageable goal.  Why post consistently?  One of the benefits of having a blog for your art is to establish connections with collectors and other artists. You want people to check in and follow you.  If you are sporadic or erratic in your posting you risk losing your audience. You may have wonderful work and interesting posts but if there is nothing new on your blog week after week, your readers will stop visiting. If you are always pressed for time you can write several posts when you have time and save them as drafts. Then you have new material to spread out and share when you are short on time.

2. CONTENT:  Your readers not only want to see your work they want to hear what you have to say. I am not interested in following an artist who posts nothing but images with prices. I want to read about the art or the artist.  A blog is your opportunity to connect with others. Take the time to write something to accompany your art. I recommend starting by writing about the piece, how you did it, the inspiration behind it. Once you start writing the ideas will flow. Just be yourself! ( I took a blog triage course 2 years ago with Alyson Stanfield and she recommended that we decide who are audience is and write to them...I decided to focus my posts on information of interest to other artists)
Another reason for including content is to help you get found. The search engines like content. I will be talking more about search engine optimization in another post.

3. CLARITY:  Make sure your blog layout reflects your art. I try to have my blog clean and easy to read. I don't like to have a lot of clutter on the sidebar, just the essentials. I could do a better job though!  Make sure you have good photos of your art. Make sure the photos are clear and in focus with accurate color.  I have discovered that some Blogger templates allow the photos to show larger so be sure to test out the template you plan to use to make sure the photos are bog enough.

About today's painting: This 5x7 pastel is done with Terry Ludwig pastels on white Wallis that was mounted to foam core. There is a watercolor underpainting. This is a scene inspired by a trip I took to Ouray Colorado one summer at the height of wildflower season. We took a jeep tour to Yankee Boy Basin which truly was heaven on earth.