See our latest guide to the best 2024 international competitions Visiting from the UK? Check our our guide to The best art competitions in the UK You can also see our latest on Monthly Competitions that will raise your profile ..read more

2025 may feel far away, but in the world of art competitions planning is already well underway for 2025 with themes, submission details and deadlines already decided. So make sure you have plenty of time for the paint to dry ..read more

As a professional artist, if you have a website to sell your artwork, collect personal data for newsletter signups or provide information to readers, it needs to meet certain legal requirements. Legal requirements for your website The legal aspect of ..read more

An art book is not meant to collect dust on a bookshelf. It’s a piece of limited edition artwork that should be shown off, like a coffee table book. Major artists and galleries have recognized that carefully curated books can be a major money earner, whether to accompany an exhibition or simply tell the story of a specific artist or valuable set of work. What is an art book? An art book is usually sold in a gallery or studio, has no barcode and features the work of an artist along a singular theme. The theme can be broad or very specific. One example is the great German-American artist Gerhard ..read more

Oil paint is a revered medium among many artists. We explore how its made, its place in history, and popular techniques. What is oil paint? All paint is designed to do the same thing: get pigment (color) to stick to a surface (canvas, board, paper, plaster). For centuries, these pigments were mixed into oils. The most common oil is linseed oil giving oil painting its unique color, texture and tone. Other oils include poppy, sunflower, safflower, soya bean and walnut oils. Over centuries, the oil paint formula has been tweaked and perfected with cleaner oils and synthetic pigments to prevent th ..read more

The internet has changed a lot about the way we work — and sell — as artists, and one of the best aspects is the advent of online art competitions. What is an online art competition? Every art competition begins with an online entry, but there are also hundreds of art competitions that offer the chance to display your work on their digital gallery or showcase your work in front of tens of thousands of social media followers. Unlike the higher-profile art competitions, online art competitions can be far simpler to enter. That also means there are more entries to sift through, so competition can ..read more

YouTube is a video-sharing platform that makes sense for visual artists working in film or animation. But for artists working in 2D and 3D static works, it can be still be a vital resource. For the modern artist, there are many outlets and inspirations available at the touch of our keypad, so what is the secret to using YouTube for artists? YouTube for art resources In the rush to promote ourselves, it is easy to forget that social media channels offer a vital resource for modern artists as well as a platform. These may be simple ‘how to’ videos designed to teach a skill or more about specific ..read more

Judging art competitions is an artform in its own right. And understanding who the judges are and what the judges are looking for will help ensure your work gets to the top of the list and a share of the prize. Who are the judges Judges in art competitions will usually be high-profile members of the art world – the more prestigious the competition, the more likely you are to recognize the name. Often you will see the same names appear and often the judges will admit they don’t have an special skills. Usually there will be a combination of disciplines, but as a minimum, you should expect to fin ..read more

Before mapping out your email marketing plan, you’ll need to consider a few things. For example, do you have enough content for a newsletter, or just enough for an e-shot? Or is your contact list big enough list to justify paying for email marketing software? Or you may be wondering how to build up your contact list in the first place. We explore these topics and more below in our email marketing guide for artists. Note about data collection and privacy: You’ll also need to meet your government’s data protection laws. In the US, you’ll need to check federal and state level data protection laws ..read more

The appeal of art as a second career is an enduring one as many people seek to explore their artistic side. But aside from Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, most artists work in that grey area between a career and a hobby, earning some money but probably not enough to give up the day job. So what does that mean for you? What do we mean by second career? A second career can be one you develop in later life, where time and money allow you to return to a first love of painting or sculpture. Or perhaps your art career sits alongside the day job out of necessity. What’s the appeal of art as a second car ..read more