Imagekind artist and all around social media connoisseur Natasha Wescoat was in Seattle over the weekend for the Create Live Seattle event held at Bedlam Coffee. Local artist David Hoang, also an Imagekind artist (!) participated in the event as well. Artists from around the area were invited to participate by working on pieces along side Natasha and David. Create Live is all about merging art and social media and connecting artists together from all corners of the world. It was  great event and glad we could participate.

The coffee shop was like a lions den of creativity. Artists were drawing, painting, sketching on paper and digitally. While everyone was creating, Natasha and David would tag team on the video chat and connect via Twitter with viewers around the country.

After the event Natasha and David stopped by the Imagekind office and were cool enough to answer a couple of questions. We even had them tag up one of our book cases!

Check out Natasha’s Flickr stream to see photos of the event. Also, if your curious at all what our office looks like on a Sunday afternoon, check out the tour I gave them. Don’t laugh at my awkwardness.

Congratulations to all of the Artful Romance Contest winners!

It was so much fun to see all the different participants and it was a true challenge to find only 10 winners. There were so many truly inspiring works of art entered. Thank you to everyone who participated!

The grand prize winner is Paola Zakimi

The second prize winner is Sandra Arduini

And a huge congratulations to all eight of our runners up!

Couple by Lutz Baar	Only with You by Susi Franco	Counting the Stars by Tine Wiggens	Trunk vs. Trunk by Mr. Roctopus
Chance Encounter 2 by Kip Decker	I Gave My Love a Cherry by Sara Field	Staying Warm by Melissa Robinson	Skating Into the Sunset by Rachel Linder

Today is Jackson Pollock’s birthday. Google has a special logo for the day that features his iconic style, reminiscent of his Convergence painting.

Shop Jackson Pollock framed prints on Imagekind

Jackson Pollock Biography

Nicknamed “Jack the Dripper,” Pollock would literally drip paint (of the most toxic variety) on his canvases in order to create his paintings. He was the first action painter, meaning that he would drip, pour, throw and splash his paint onto very large canvases which were often laid flat on the floor of his New York studio. Many say he would dance, as though in a trance, as he created his masterpieces.

Number 18 by Jackson Pollock

Born in 1912, Pollock was one of the most influential American Abstract Expressionist painters. By the time of his death on August 11, 1956, his work and example were exerting an enormous influence on his contemporaries both in the United States and western Europe. He was one of the few American painters to be recognized during his lifetime and afterward as the peer of 20th-century European masters of modern art.

Shop Jackson Pollock framed prints on Imagekind

Create your own Jackson Pollock painting

Visit jacksonpollock.org

Here are some Emily and I made!

Pollock by Nate

Emily Loves Jackson by Emily

The opportunity to make a living from their artwork is a dream come true for most artists. A dream Imagekind continues to make a possibility for thousands of artists on the site and around the world. That is why it is a natural fit to team up with Ariane Goodwin Ed.D, founder, organizer and host of the third annual smARTist Telesummit and provide this resource for artists.

This is truly an excellent event for artists of all levels to join and learn how they can take their art career to the next level.

Eileen Bettelheim, marketing director of Imagekind.com says, “Imagekind is excited to team up with smARTist for their third annual Telesummit. The Telesummit presents a great opportunity for artists to take their art careers to the next level. This is what Imagekind is all about – helping artists sell their work online.”

By joining the smARTist Telesummit, artists will learn very helpful and very practical techniques on how to sell their artwork. With a panel of eleven experts, you can be sure every artist will walk away with a head full of knowledge on how to advance their art career.

You can find more information about this joint venture that is sure to benefit all artists, by reading the official press release.

Did you know there is an unbelievably easy way to keep people up to date on your artwork at Imagekind? It’s called RSS, which stands for Real Simple Syndication. Read on and I’ll show you just how “Real Simple” it really is.

With RSS, all you need is a link and an RSS reader, and you can keep up with hundreds of thousands (maybe millions to billions) of different content sources on the web. From blogs and news sources, to YouTube and yes, Imagekind Galleries and Groups. Just click and your RSS reader will automatically update every time there is new content to view.

At Imagekind, we’ve incorporated this same technology to make it simple for people to stay up to date on their favorite galleries and groups on Imagekind. Whenever someone adds a new image to a gallery you are following via RSS, or posts a new image to a group, the reader will automatically update and show you what image was included and other useful information about the artwork for sale.

So, whenever you encounter an artist’s work on Imagekind you particularly like, scroll down to the bottom of the gallery, and click the “RSS for this Gallery.” Next time the artist adds more images to that gallery, your RSS reader will update, allowing you to easily simply view the new content.

The Potential for Artists

Incorporating RSS into Imagekind provides huge marketing potential for Imagekind Artists. With RSS, artists can share their feed links with their friends, family and fans outside of Imagekind. That way, they can click and stay up to date when an artist posts new images to their galleries.

To share your RSS feed link, simply right click on the and select “copy link location.” You can then paste that link as you would any other URL. Once you have the link, share it on your favorite social network, twitter, flickr, blog or even send an email. Once someone clicks the link, it will ask if and how they would like to subscribe to your gallery via RSS.

See, a real simple way to share your content and keep people up to date on your artwork for sale on Imagekind.

Want to learn something else you can use your Imagekind Gallery RSS Feed for? Read the post An Easy way to Display your Art Online and discover how to market your Imagekind galleries with banners via RSS.

Note: please allow some time between posting new images and them showing in the RSS reader. There is an expected delay for the reader to update.

Reminder: This is happening tonight

Do you ever wonder if you have what it takes to make a living as an artist?

At Imagekind, we don’t want to just create a group of artists with no direction. We want to be a resource for artists as well; this is what we think it means to be a community. And when we hear of a great opportunity for our member artists that will help better their art careers, we want to pass it on!

Sign up now for this free event and listen in while Ariane Goodwin interviews Alyson Stanfield, the Internet’s Premier Art Biz Coach on the 10 qualities you need for promoting yourself and your art.

Sign up and discover

When: December 17, 2008
Time: 7-8:00pm EST
Where: Your own phone! You’ll receive more details via email.

This is a special free pre-event in conjunction with Ariane’s smARTist Telesummit 2009. We’ve joined up with the smARTist Telesummit 2009, hosted by Ariane Goodwin to bring our member artists helpful resources to better their art careers. I will be sharing more about this special opportunity in the coming weeks, but for now, reserve your spot in the free pre-event!

Hey all you Seattle-area CafePress shopkeepers and Imagekind artists, CafePress is hosting their upcoming Meet & Greet, right here in our own Emerald City. And we’re their special guest!

Here’s your chance to connect, network, and share ideas with local Shopkeepers, Artists, and the CafePress and Imagekind team.

When: Saturday, November 8, 2008
Noon – 3pm PT
Where: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery, & Restaurant
1201 First Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134

If you’re an Imagekind artist in the Seattle area and would like to join us, please email me, nathan@imagekind.com with:

• Your Name:
• VIP Guest Name (if you’re bringing one):
• Imagekind Screen Name:
• Member since:

Please RSVP by November 5

Hope to see you there!

“Draw with vectors! Set yourselves free!”

Vectips posted a sweet interview with one of my favorite illustration artists on Imagekind, Chris Leavens.

If you are at all interested in illustration, vector, or just plain crazy art, you should definitely check out Chris’ work.

Keep reading to see some excerpts from the interview where Chris shares some tips using vectors and insight into how he views his own work.

If I could offer one piece of advice to folks looking to work as illustrators or designers, it’s to focus your attention on cultivating your sensibilities, your angle. Too many people spend too much time trying to hone technical skills. Those come with time and experimentation. If you’re inquisitive, you’ll want to see how far you can push the tools you’re using. Your art, your style, they’re driven by your sensibilities, not your technical knowledge.

I like watching people at art shows looking at my work. Most people get these big smiles on their faces and that’s exactly the reaction I’m looking for. Occasionally some snooty types pass by and sneer, which makes me even happier. One thing that can be somewhat annoying is the ever-present assumption that I use or need to use all varieties of illicit substances to create my artwork. Honest to God, I never touch the stuff. I rarely even drink and I never drink when I’m creating my work. I just have a crazy imagination that would probably make me into a crazy person if I didn’t have some sort of creative outlet.

To see more of Chris’ amazing vector artwork, take a look at his Imagekind gallery where all of his prints are for sale.

To find out more about Chris, visit his personal site and blog over at Unloosen.

Nate