Webiste or Blog?

[jenbray]

I have recently set up a blog and am currently considering building a website. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether a blog is adequate for showcasing and selling artwork? By this I mean is it considered unprofessional not to have a dedicated site from which to hopefully sell my art. Does anyone actually sell from their blog?

I have a very limited budget and cannot afford to pay someone to build the site so would have to do it myself, I am no web design expert!! I would also need to factor in the time for maintenance and updating, which I have found with my blog takes a lot of time and effort.

Your thoughts are very much appreciated.

[arlynnhr]

Well, my mom and I are putting together an arts and crafts online shop, so we had to start building our own website. I'm not very fond of computer stuff, so my
other is in charge of the building. What I can recommend is the hosting and domain service I acquired: www.3ix.com. They are very cheap and they offer a site builder in some of there hosting packages. I guess it's good for a start!
Hope this helps!

[jenbray]

thanks arlynnhr

that is something i will be looking into

[Singular]

A blog site is a very good way to sell or show your art. There are many, many different Wordpress themes that you can use and/or customize. You do not need to be a web wiz to have a great looking blog. Also there are plugins for Wordpress that allow you to have certain features. Look into hosting companies that support free installations of Wordpress. There are many that have Wordpress capabilities built in to their hosting package.

I do not personally have a blog, because my site was already a major undertaking. But if I was starting fresh, I would have some sort of Content Management System (CMS) with wordpress built in.

all the best,
Joe

[arlynnhr]

That is good advice! I was thinking about starting a blog about my art (separate from the arts and crafts page we're building) but wasn't sure if it was a good idea.
Thanks!

[dianapotts]

I've been blogging on http://diana_potts_art.livejournal.com for a few years now. I prefer it to a website because it is simpler to manage. Right now my blog is more verbal, but when I am in promotional mode, I out my written posts on friends only or private so people can look more easily. On bloggspot I began an art only blog but haven't kept up with it. On my business card I put my livejournal address. The blog would be more for showing skills and development over time. If one does a google of my name or yahoo my blogs come up.

I have a godaddy site and setting it up even with their easy system didn't work well. I prefer blogging. it is more personal.

About selling on blogs, there are paypal selling tools you can put in that people can click on. I haven't used it yet but may during the holidays so friends and family can buy art.

Diana

[upfromsumdirt]

im in dire need of having my own stand alone art site, but
until then i use such free services as myspace/facebook/redbubble
and others as online portfolios - mainly because the art crowd
is already familiar with such sites and might find it easier to
remember you once they log into their accounts.

the downside is that social networks are usually so overcrowded
with artists (visual, musical, literary, etc) that an open air market
is created making it a necessity that you learn to shout above the
din if you are to be noticed.

the good about social networks:
usually, you will accumulate more friends who are artists. they MIGHT
make you aware of any artists calls they know about...

the bad about social networks:
usually, you will accumulate more friends who are artists!
they might be willing to trade pieces with you, but as a whole, they
are not out interested in buying your work, they are already too busy
trying to sell their own - which is why they MIGHT NOT make you
aware of any artists calls they find out about...

myspace has been a great resource for me, but when its all said and done,
i think a more professional site would make a better showcase for my work.

[cirekoy]

Why not look into a service like (yes I'm self-promoting :-\) http://beartful.com

You can upload your images and have an art store with a custom subdomain (http://eric.beartful.com for example) for free. Right now the customization options are pretty basic, but require no knowledge of web code.

Also, if you don't sell any of your art, it doesn't cost anything. When you do sell something, the company will print and ship it (and you can check your account 24/7 to keep up to date)

Anyway, just throwing it out there because it sounds like it would work well for you! Making your own website just so you can sell your art would be a lot of work, especially if you start getting into the e-commerce side of things, which requires upfront money, an official business (usually), and a monthly fee, on top of web hosting and web development charges.

This is at least a free service specific to having an online art store.

Let me know if you have questions

[demac]

All of you seem to be looking for free sites to promote your work try Webs.com it has a site builder built in so no hassle and its free

I have made my site with them and called it what i want. You have so many megs of space which is sufficient even with my work and I still have free space left.

I also hooked in with Singular (this site)and have the link on my site so its a little give and take.

Check my site out and the link is there, just create as you want and don't forget where you heard this from (Singular)

Cheers (Sorry Joe hope you don't mind)
De

[demac]

All of you seem to be looking for free sites to promote your work try Webs.com it has a site builder built in so no hassle and its free

I have made my site with them and called it what i want. You have so many megs of space which is sufficient even with my work and I still have free space left.

I also hooked in with Singular (this site)and have the link on my site so its a little give and take.

Check my site out and the link is there, just create as you want and don't forget where you heard this from (Singular)

Cheers (Sorry Joe hope you don't mind)
De

[Marcio Faustino]

I think both.
A website where you have a blog or journal page.

[natemcclainart]

Weebly is a good option as it provides website + blog functionality and we have been pleased with it's templates that have responsive design & are mobile friendly.
Plus, you can change your theme anytime as other sites don't allow that (ex. Wix.com) which was important for us when we were looking.

Our site (http://www.natemcclain.com) has normal pages and each Art page allows visitor comments using the Blog option without the look of a blog.
Hope this helps!

[Singular]

Weebly is a good option as it provides website + blog functionality and we have been pleased with it's templates that have responsive design & are mobile friendly.
Plus, you can change your theme anytime as other sites don't allow that (ex. Wix.com) which was important for us when we were looking.

Our site (http://www.natemcclain.com) has normal pages and each Art page allows visitor comments using the Blog option without the look of a blog.
Hope this helps!

Thanks for the good tip.

[chirchri]

obviously， website is better one 0v0

[StellaOstene]

In my opinion, a website is better for selling artwork. I feel like a blog isn't enough even for a portfolio (if you want it to be great). So a website is probably the best choice. Also, a piece of advice: try to be minimalistic when creating a website. Many artists tend to express too much on their website's main page, which distracts potential buyers from the actual artwork. Among web builders, Wix offers the best templates for portfolios and art, in my opinion (here's some helpful info on it, in case you're interested http://www.webbuildersguide.com/website-builder-categories/website-builders-for-blogs/). Hope it helps!

[Pooch]

The thing about a blog or a website when it come to selling your art is, it's hard to get people to stop in if you are an unknown. At least it seems that way to me. I'd like to put some stuff out there, but I'm going to go the Etsy and Fine Art America route. See how that works out.