To find the best online storefront for my work.

Help me decide which online storefront to use! Over the next few months, I'll be populating the following storefronts with items. These will range from greeting card packs to original artwork, and everything I have in between. I'm looking forward to this gradual approach for several reasons:

• I'll be able to examine the benefits of art-specific communities like Etsy and Artfire against wider-niche applications like Big Cartel


• Each of these sites has a different process for setting up a shop, setting up a product, and getting paid. I look forward to determining which storefront has the set of features that is most useful to me and is the easiest to work with.


• The communities surrounding these sites are varying, and it will be interesting to see if a particular community notices and likes my work.


• Some of these storefronts have SEO features, and ultimately one may shine as getting the most unsolicited "stranger" traffic.


• You may be able to tell me which was the easiest to use, and which you prefer!

I have already begun stocking these storefronts with items and will progressively begin adding where-to-buy links to paintings. For now, the following links should work to help you get acquainted with my new storefronts.

BigCartel

BigCartel is a small-store format (limit of 300 products) that is designed to appeal to everyone from musicians to artists. It doesn't have to be handmade or art to be listed here. Format is very simple without distractions and ostentatious styling. As a free account holder, I'm currently limited to five products here, which I'm devoting to prints.

Etsy

Etsy is a well-known community of artists and artisans selling handmade goods. I'm not entirely certain I fit in here, but I'm willing to give it a try for the community exposure. There's no free plan here to just dabble in it, but listing rates are cheap, if you only list one of the available product, that is. If you list five of the same thing, the listing fee applies five times. I think I'll use Etsy for gifty items, like original paintings and cards

Artfire

So far I am impressed with Artfire's long list of features, and almost sold on their "pro" plan - for a mere $10 it seems they give you a new planet, make you breakfast in the morning, and sell your work by themselves. Hm.. Well, I've already sold a painting from here, so they might just have gotten me.

Deviant Art

Deviant art is a sort of art social network. Successful work on deviant usually niches itself somewhere in the cartoon/fantasy/OMGhowdtheydothat genres. They have a checkout that supports stickers, magnets and prints. While I'd rather do my own printing, I might see how the magnets and similar objects do here.

In: Art / Studio Projects

To create a workspace for both art and web projects

Having left a 9-5 workplace in 2010 and having fought for time to develop, promote, and do my artwork while engaged in all of my preceeding professional experiences, I decided it was time to create a workplace where I could independently take work in all of my disciplines, and do what my art required for growth in off time.

Petroglyph Creative

Petroglyph Creative is open six days a week. Stop by, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

In: Art / Studio Projects

To collect as many solicitation "credit cards" as possible.

Everyone gets these.They are the silly little fake credit cards designed to make you think that you’re opening an envelope with either 1) something you didn’t sign up for or 2) a card that is so pre-approved, they sent it to you without your consent. Thanks to sales tactics like these, I (and others) had fun amassing credit cards in the middle ‘00s and are now stuck paying them off. Furthermore, idiots like me were targetted who had no idea how difficult these would be to pay off, didn’t read the fine print, and thought they were doing something good for their credit.

Credit cards are dually both a symbol of wealth and a symbol of need, both a symbol of stature and a symbol of weakness. Conceptually, there are very strong and distinct directions for these to lead a painting, a sculpture, or an installation. I collect these cards for future art projects. I have hundreds at the moment, thanks to a few very dedicated friends. My collection has also expanded to include real, expired credit cards; hotel keys, ID cards, or any other expired wallet-sized card. I might even have a driver license or two.

Please help me by saving these cards!

Save your card solicitation credit cards! Put them in a pile, and send them to me at Petroglyph Creative. I am especially interested in the American Express Clear/Blue “Your Name Here” cards, which you’ll recognize if you get them.

In: Art / Studio Projects, Conceptual