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Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Monthly Blog Train

I don't know if any of you are familiar with what they call a Blog Train, but generally they are something traditional which artists who create digital scrap kits and the like use to share their work and bring some attention to their blogs or websites. I have been doing this in another arena (psp) for a while now, and frankly I see no reason why something like this could not work for artists.

Rather than upload your free images etc to places that offer free stock, and who don't help promote your own sites and blogs, this will be a new way to share your work to the world.

I have started a group specifically for this, which you can find here:
http://fineartamerica.com/groups/the-digital-cafe-monthly-blog-trains.html

It will explain more on the front page. Note, this is not your normal feature group, but is being used for the sign ups and discussions for the trains.

Also feel free to discuss or ask questions here too.

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Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

This idea started late in the month, for the first train,the departure will be on May 15th.

The sign ups are open now until May 8th, which is also when your previews are due so I can make the codes
for everyone who participates to post on their blogs.

You may sign up here, or ask questions, but much prefer everyone to join and sign up at the new group.

http://fineartamerica.com/groups/the-digital-cafe-monthly-blog-trains.html

Hope some of you will participate, as this will only be free promotion and traffic to your blogs, and your art galleries.

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

There is a first freebie on the new Train blog I am designing for this new project.

It is a pre freebie

Grab it here:

http://artistsblogtrain.blogspot.com/

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

We only have two members sign up so far, how about you!

If you need to ask questions about how this works, or the benefits to you
for participating, please do ask!

Please sign up to participate here
http://fineartamerica.com/groups/the-digital-cafe-monthly-blog-trains.html

 

David King

8 Years Ago

Okay, I have to ask. I've read this several times and am no closer to understanding it, one point in particular, what the heck is a "freebie" in the context of POD?

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Hi David,
It would not be a POD that your would set up as a freebie, it would be something like a photo, or an element, or other image that can be downloaded either with a right click, or by way of your cloud files. Another thing that could be offered would be a kit of some sort, which could include several small png images that someone could use as a resource to create something else.

I bet it does sound confusing lol, but understandable to anyone who has never heard of, or done this before.

I will give you 3 examples right now.

The first is the new blog I am creating for just this purpose, which I have added a simple freebie to, just for the heck of it to start people off, and give something for their visit...

http://artistsblogtrain.blogspot.com/

The second is my Scrap Blog that I use for giving away many of the kits and elements I make available to folks,
if you look at this post, you will see a list of links referred to as the train stops. Each of those links goes to a participating blog or
website, and the list continues on each blog untill you get to the end of the destination.

http://scrapartcafe.blogspot.com/2015/03/grab-some-freebies-from-syho.html

I also have another personal blog that I give background freebies on;

http://inspiringblogbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

I hope that helps you understand better, if not, keep asking questions.

The bottom line is, free publicity, promotion, and a chance for new traffic and fans that will ultimately see your blog,
or website, and essentially your art work.


 

James McCormack

8 Years Ago

Following with interest to figure out what it is all about.

 

David King

8 Years Ago

So this is digital scrapbooking? I guess that's why I'm not getting it.

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

no Dave, it is not.

Have you ever used a free stock site, I won't mention names but most of them offer public domain, or images that are offered free for personal or commercial use.

I am taking the concept of what was started in the digital scrapbooking world, and adapting it to the free stock world.

An artist can offer anything they like, such as a painting, which of course would be digital, because it needs to be downloaded.
Just like a stock site, you can offer paintings, backgrounds, photographs, pretty much any image or set of images you like.

I personally may offer a kit or two during the process which may contain png or/and jpg images one can use as a resource to create other works of art, or I may just offer
a free photograph for someone to download and manipulate. In any case, this blog train is about free stock resources for artists, no matter what type of art they create, with the distinct purpose of generating traffic and possible new customers to your perspective galleries.

Bottom line, it can only do a person good to get more traffic to their galleries, along with free promotion, and it's lots of fun as well.
I understand someone who is skeptical, especially if they have never done or tried anything like this, but who doesn't want more people to come to their blog or gallery.

For those of you who may read this and are familiar with this concept, probably know it is a benefit already, and the larger the train gets, the more publicity it will generate.
You can try it once and decide it is not for you, or try it and realize it is, and that you want to continue participating each month.

My motto is, doing nothing gets you nowhere, but doing something gets you somewhere. LOL, simple but true. Hop on the train and go somewhere with everyone who participates!

All aboard!!

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Also, for members that are participating in the trains, I will feature one work for each participant on the blog.

I will add participants art all along the sides, and bottom of the blog. Each new train, I will replace the last months features, with the current blog train participants.

Please just pick one art work per month and add it to the gallery in the group for me to see.

 

SharaLee Art

8 Years Ago

I'm confused and skeptical as to how this will generate sales. Traffic, maybe. Why would I want to give away a free photo download and get nothing but traffic comparable to bots on my site? People looking for free downloads for backgrounds, photo elements, etc are not my target audience. I also don't want to give away any of my photos for someone to manipulate. This is nothing more than digital scrapbooking IMO. Have you made a sale on FAA as a direct result of being on a "train?"

 

SharaLee Art

8 Years Ago

Also, I guess this is not for photographers, traditional artists, but for
"artists who create digital scrap kits"
That leaves me out.
Best of luck to you :)

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

your opinion is your own and you are entitled to it.
No one of course is being forced to do this or anything else, so I don't much understand your attitude.

If it isn't for you, then so be it, but degrading the idea or project is not necessary, thank you.

And I repeat once more, this is NOT for scrapbooking, it is an adaptation of something that started in that community. If someone can not see the benefit,
I certainly won't bother trying to turn anyone's head. I know the benefits, and that is what counts to me.

And why would someone want more traffic, what good does that do any website, blog, artist or other, well gee, I can think of dozens of
reasons, but I will save them for my group.

Anyway,good luck to you also.

BTW, the group has the info in the discussion area that the current sign ups need to know.

For those of you who have signed up, please go there to get the current update.

 

SharaLee Art

8 Years Ago

Attitude? I didn't have one and still don't. Was just confused how giving away a photo(s) will bring me sales. I later reread your initial post and saw that it probably wasn't for photographers. I used the term scrapbooking because several of your links still use the word scrapping. I also didn't degrade your idea. I was asking questions and thinking out loud and really don't appreciate being accused of something I wasn't doing.

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

And I don't appreciate this:

Why would I want to give away a free photo download and get nothing but traffic comparable to bots on my site?

I'm not a bot, and neither are real people who are interested in art, or photography, and if you really re read my posts, then perhaps you obviously missed when I said half a dozen times that this was something that originated in the scrap book community, (for years really) and that I saw no reason this concept could not work for artists, and that includes photographers.

You also posted:

I also don't want to give away any of my photos for someone to manipulate. This is nothing more than digital scrapbooking IMO. Have you made a sale on FAA as a direct result of being on a "train?"

You might have also overlooked that this is a new idea for FAA artists I wanted to try here, so how did you miss that, if you read the opening post twice, and with that said, NO, I have not generated sales here from a "train" that has never left the station!

I have however sold many items to other customers from both my digital stores, and my tangible store, because i offered something to my visitors for free, and they liked what they saw enough to buy other items.

Anyway, I am done with this part of the conversation, and will not argue or debate the fact any longer. Join, don't join, I don't care, have a good evening.

 

SharaLee Art

8 Years Ago

Lol wow. I think you're the one with the attitude. And you're definitely reading things into what I wrote. Done here. Sorry to have touched a nerve.

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

LOL, I don't think so Sharon!

Carry on!

 

David King

8 Years Ago

I'm still baffled by the whole concept so I'll pass.

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Thanks for inquiring David, maybe you will participate with us at a later date. Please do feel free to ride the train when it launches.
It may take 1 or 2 train rides to get more organized, but hopefully there will be some coll and useful freebies for all!

We now have 4 people participating, would love to see more.

 

Dan Turner

8 Years Ago

DAC -- you need to explain this a whole lot better. Your idea remains a confusing mystery.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

 

Wayne Enslow

8 Years Ago

Donate an image to create a new public (or members only or both) domain. You can then have access to photo's to use as inspiration or to copy as your own creation. Or for scapbooking. Thats what I got with fully checking it out, which I will a bit later. Correct me if I'm wrong. :)

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Wayne you are fairly correct there, thank you for answering his question. That is pretty much it in a nutshell.

I realize since this will be a new project for folks here at FAA, it may take 1 train at least for folks to get the hang,
but that is pretty much the idea, and not only is it a very cool thing to do to help inspire other artists, seasoned or amateur,
but it helps anyone who participates to get their own works out more into the public.

Wayne, please feel free to join the group since you do have a pretty good idea what is going on.
I will give more guidance in the group to all who want to participate.

 

Wayne Enslow

8 Years Ago

Did this guy use scrap booking? http://mashable.com/2015/02/25/optical-illusion-photography/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfaWx2NjN4djFoeTdlcnJpdyJ9

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Such very cool images Wayne!

Not sure I understand what you mean Wayne, but he could have used some elements that could be considered scrap booking I suppose.
Mostly I would call it a manipulation of some kind using psp or other photoshop type program.

Scrapping originated in the real world using paper, cards, etc, and placing them into a book (LOL) and embellishing them with things like ribbons, laces, etc.
This is something I never got into myself, I am not necessarily a "craft" person, but more of an artist, using paint, pencils, etc. It was not until the "scrap" world became digital that it caught my attention, as I learned to use programs like psp, Gimp, Pixlr etc. The term scrapbooking now, is somewhat inacurate to me to describe this process, but since everyone has put this tag on so much, it is hard to get away from now. I prefer to refer to all that I do, as digital art, and feel the term scrapbooking should have stayed with the physical craft, because it really confuses people, but alas, there seems to be no better term for it at the moment, and people do seem to like to group things together for ease and convenience now a days, no matter how off someone else may think the description is.

But to answer you directly, Yes, I suppose many people would consider the pics you linked to scrapbooking, even tho I call it digital art.

The purpose of this blog train I am trying to pull off here, is about digital art, and helping to promote real artists. Altho there are many many "real" artists in the scrap book world, the correct description of the term does not necessarily depict a real artist per say. Hope some of that makes sense, because i just woke up and have not finished my first cuppa yet LMAO!

 

Dragon Photography

8 Years Ago

Hi Sharon

 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

Wayne, here is an example of my digital art I did use elements I made for the scrap world, so this could be considered scrapbooking, only based on what I said above, because it contains elements and an image etc, that were added and blended together

Art Prints

 

Wayne Enslow

8 Years Ago

I mostly use photoshop to correct color etc on pics of my paintings. I do like to play around with it when time allows though. Don't consider myself as a digital artist at all. Not familiar with terms used either so please excuse my "french".lol Maybe scrap booking is the wrong term.

I have lots of pics that I could easily chop, extract, and compose a somewhat new photo from. This is what I thought the term scrap booking was, just a new age cut n paste thing. I see a lot of people here doing that and it looks like fun. Some of the results are awesome. Have done this myself for personal use and wish I had more time, maybe I would give up the paints for awhile.

Actual digital creations like vector art etc is something totally different from cut n paste (extract n copy, if you will). Or is it? What are the proper terms? Somebody school me please, lol.


 

Digital Art Cafe

8 Years Ago

I'm still schooling myself Wayne LMAO!!

Well what ever we call it, as long as we get on the same page eentually it all works out :)

Anyway, for the blog train, you can add any type of freebie you like, the point is really, to get people to follow the train to each artists blog,
and hope they will stay and look around, and follow your links, as well as the train links.

The blog I am working on to designate as the "train station" is going to feature each participants art each month, around the blog page, so there will be other pretty things to look at :)

 

This discussion is closed.