In the January issue, I’ve shared some tips about how you can get the most out of your media interviews.  Another good tip that can help you through an interview is to have your answers already prepared, so you can successfully breeze through the process with confidence and professionalism. 

This list contains many of the standard questions that are commonly asked during a featured artist interview.  An interviewer will want you to provide at least a few sentences in reply to each question, and some questions may require more than a paragraph in response.  Take some time to write down your own in-depth responses to these questions, and keep them in a handy place so that next time you’re asked for an interview, you’ll be ready!

1. Please list your name, the name of your business, your location, your website, and your full contact information. 


2. Where are you from, how long have you lived here, and have you lived anywhere else that was interesting?


3. What are your other occupations or hobbies, besides art?


4. How long have you been an artist, and how many years as a professional?


5. Describe your art and it's unique qualities; tell me about your particular style, your preferred subjects, etc.


6. Describe your artistic process; what media do you use, how do you choose your subjects, etc.


7. Why do you create art?
   


8. What is your favorite part of your process?


9. What is your educational background, artistic training, and experience?


10. Can you describe how your creative process has evolved into your current style?


11. What motivated you to become an artist; was it a teacher, friend, family member, other artist?


12. What was your first big break?


13. What is your creative inspiration, your muse, or what artists do you admire?


14. What message do you hope to convey through your art?


15. What are your most important artworks, and where are they now?


16. Have you won any major awards, or have art in important collections, or other major accomplishments?


17. Where can your art been seen or purchased?


18. What will be the next big step in your artistic career? 


19. What advice would you like to give to other aspiring artists? 


20. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

In the December issue, I shared a list of things that I like to do around the end of each year, to prepare and plan for the coming year.  

I thought I’d give you an update on my own progress with these annual tasks.

I managed to accomplish eight out of my twelve career goals for the past year.  In retrospect, some of the twelve goals were too complex and I didn’t have the time and energy to tackle them.  For the goals that I missed, I have re-evaluated my arbitrary deadlines and assigned more realistic timeframes to accomplish them. 

I also found that I painted less spec paintings this year, but I also sold more paintings than in previous years.  This was due to increased orders for commissioned paintings, more time devoted to other income producing ventures (ie: workshops, lessons, demos, writing, consulting), and more volunteer activities.  Next year I plan to schedule my time a little better to get a few more spec paintings completed, and I’ve already re-set my prices to reflect the market demand. 

I’ve also planned the direction I want to go with my paintings this year, and I’m going to try to create more paintings of small boats (instead of sailboats and ships) and concentrate on more unusual compositions.  Sailboats in particular are quick and easy for me to paint, but I enjoy painting dinghies and tenders more, and they are getting a better response for me. 

I’ve not yet finished filling out my appointment calendar for the year, but I’m almost done.  During the year lot’s of new things will come up, and I will add them in promptly so I don’t accidently overbook myself or miss important deadlines.  Some things, like updating my resume and promo materials, I do several times a year; whenever there is different or new information to add.  And as for updating my mailing list; well, I hate doing that.  I actually hire someone to do it for me a few times a year.  The only thing I haven’t done yet is outline my marketing plan for the year.  This takes a little more time, as my annual marketing plan has to include specific campaigns that will be tied to some scheduled events. 

So now, let’s hear from you.  Do you have any things that you do to evaluate your business and prepare for the coming year?  What have you learned from your evaluations?  Did you find that you need to make some changes to your career plan?  If so, how will you implement your changes? 

In this month’s issue of Art Calendar Magazine, we discuss the pros and cons of entering art shows, and how to determine which shows are the right ones for you to enter.

The most important factor to consider is the question of ‘Why?’  What do you want to attain by entering shows?  Is it the opportunity for awards, prestige, exposure, representation, sales, or something else?  Determining what you want to gain from the experience is the first deciding factor when choosing shows.  Only then, when you have established your objective, can you determine which shows meet your criteria to help you to achieve your goals. 

The level of the show is one consideration, and an artist must be realistic when deciding whether or not it’s the timing is right for them to try to enter the more difficult shows at the higher regional, national, or international levels.  And one can’t forget that just because a show labels itself as a national level show, that doesn’t mean that it is in reality!  I’ve seen many a prospectus state that is show is open nation-wide, but then go on to state that all entries must be ‘hand delivered.’  That’s not exactly what we would call a national show! 

Another more recent mistake was only about a year ago.  I had entered a national show, and when my notification of acceptance or rejection didn’t arrive on time I assumed it was because it was going to be another rejection notice.  So I put the painting in a gallery show, where it sold immediately on opening night.  Well, you guessed it!  I got an acceptance letter the very next day, after the painting was long gone to an out of state buyer.  Not only did I miss the chance to exhibit that painting in that juried show, I am now barred from entering that particular national show again for a couple of years.  This is a common show rule that I was well aware of, so to add insult to injury, I felt really really stupid, to boot!    

So, do any of you have any tales of art show faux paux that you’d like to share here?  Don't be shy - leave a comment and share your stories with us.  Or am I the only one who makes art show mistakes?

I’ve been trying to think of a subject to blog about here for the past week, and just couldn’t think of anything interesting to say.  Then, the idea hit me; how about a blog that gives additional information related to an article in the current issue of Art Calendar?  So this is a continuation of the article, “The Business of Cartoon Art,” which is in the October issue.  If you haven’t read the full article yet, it’s currently available at newsstands or you can click on the “subscribe” link on this website.  Of course, because this is a blog, the expert editing I’ve become used to is missing.  So Carolyn and Kim, please feel free to jump in and fix my writing at any time!

While conducting my research for this article I learned some fascinating things about this unique business.  The thing that caught my interest the most is the marketing similarities between cartoon art and traditional fine art.  Like most other professional artists, cartoon artists sometimes work on spec, creating the art first and then finding a customer.  Other times they may work on commission, creating artwork specific to the clients needs.  Most of them have developed a specific style and market their art to specific niche audiences. 

Arthur Giesert’s detailed style utilizes the centuries-old process of copper plate etchings, a process that makes him unique and sets him apart from other cartoonists and illustrators.  Although he creates his etchings for both commercial clients and private collectors, for the last two decades he has concentrated his creative efforts on the creation of an extensive series of best selling children’s books.

 Tim Banfell utilizes the classic cartoon style of multiple-panel strips, and markets his beachcomber themed cartoons to weekly publications in coastal communities.  I learned about Tim’s career as a cartoonist while I was producing a juried art exhibit at the hospital where he worked as a graphic designer.  Tim was assigned to be the exhibit liaison for the venue, and after one of our event planning meetings we got to chatting about our own art careers.  I found his profession fascinating, as he explained the ins and outs of cartoon syndication and his marketing methods for reaching potential clients. 

The third artist profiled in this article is Jim Tweedy, a well-known fine artist and cartoonist.  It was easy to write about Jim, as our paths have crossed many times over the years at art festivals and galleries.  A couple of years ago Jim hit a resounding success with his series of paintings and prints featuring Charlie the Red Cat.  Charlie was based on Jim’s own cat, an aloof but really cool and laid back character, who always looked as if he were secretly judging everyone around him.  The Red Cat series of artwork was a huge success here in New Orleans, the same city that gave birth to the iconic Blue Dog, but Jim felt he needed to move on and grow in a new direction.  That new direction is Jim Tweedy’s Friendly Doggies, a series of cartoons, prints, and related merchandise that has taken the city by storm (no pun intended! Really!).  His most popular print, “Self Portrait,” is on the cover of this month’s issue of Art Calendar, and it is in its third edition printing of 15,000!  I also book artists to lecture and demonstrate for various art organizations in this area, and a few months ago I arranged for Jim to give a lecture on Art Marketing.  His lecture was incredible – he shared with the group everything he knows, and was open about his failures as well as his successes.  Additionally, he demonstrated his creative process for his art by having the audience “give him a line,” which he then used as his inspiration to draw and paint a cartoon while we watched.  Needless to say, it was one of the most popular artist demonstrations in years.  One of the most amazing things about Jim is his penchant for thinking outside of the box.  He recently contracted a licensing arrangement to use collegiate logos and mascots in his art, and already, this new line is being marketed everywhere I look - even at the grocery store!

While delving deeper to find out more about the business of cartoon art, I was amazed to find that this business is much larger and more complex than I originally thought.  There are numerous types of cartoon art, and there are scores of professional cartoon artists who earn a living through various venues and marketing strategies.  These artists have discovered ways to identify their audiences and creatively market their work, and find resounding success in the process.