LITDigitalart TeePublic First Sale

A couple of weeks ago I got an invitation from Redbubble to open a TeePublic Website to sell my digital art. All of my digital art custom pet portraits are already uploaded to Redbubble where people from around the world have bought items with the likenesses of my art. But it does take a lot of time to open a shop and fill it with paintings. So Redbubble made it easy since TeePublic is owned by them. All I had to do was click on a link and all of the files would automatically be uploaded. I’d just then have to do a bit of clean up. But it definitely saved tons of time. I haven’t spent nearly the effort yet getting everything in order. So it was thrilling to get an email this week announcing that I made my first sale. It was a button with a greyhound on it. Unfortunately I can’t determine who or where the purchase originated from. Several of the other websites show that finer detail. All I know is that it is heartwarming when someone out there likes my image enough to purchase even the smallest trinket, or shirt, or wall hanging. The sky is virtually the limit. I always enjoy painting these furry critters because it reminds my of our two dogs that we had when we lived in the Midwest. It’s a wonderful way to remember them. 

Redbubble and Amazon Merch LITDigitalart Sales

I opened my LITDigitalart Etsy Shop around 2011 - primarily to paint custom pet portraits. Every time a portrait was completed, the digital image would then be uploaded to a variety of websites including Amazon Merch and Redbubble. Because the digital art industry has exploded over the last ten years, the competition is even more fierce. Luckily my living doesn’t depend on my art! So it is always a joy when I get a notice that an item that I painted was sold. Most recently Redbubble contacted me about a mug that was sold in Germany with the Westin’s portrait, and a t shirt was sold in Australia with the same image. It is amazing that people from all over the world not only see my work, but like it enough to purchase something. Then I received notice that two T-shirts were sold on Amazon Merch. What I loved about those T-shirts is that the image was of our beautiful pet Borzoi Tatiana. She was really the inspiration for painting pets and we have her portrait hanging in our home. My first request for a pet portrait was for a vizsla in Oregon. Over the years I’ve painted over three hundred. Every portrait is special and the customers are so great to work with during the entire process. I always liked drawing ever since I can remember. I never would have guessed I’d actually be selling it! 

Zazzle LITDigitalart Update

I’ve been dabbling in digitalart since the iPad came out in 2010. Every time a custom pet portrait is completed, it is uploaded to a variety of sites like Fine Art America/Pixels, Etsy, Redbubble. I got an email from Zazzle the other day that said I have not uploaded any new products lately - which I haven’t for a variety of reasons. So I figured I better get cracking. Last month two pet portraits were completed right before I had my first cataract surgery and those images would be perfect candidates. Since it’s been a while I had to try and remember the process and finally figured it out - again. And after that was done the same images were uploaded to Redbubble and FAA too. It’s not that I get a lot of traction for these images and products but it’s still thrilling whenever these products get attention from all over the world. Now digital art is common place. Lately I’ve been working on combining photos and digital art work for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge. It’s more fun to create a project rather than just edit a photo. Maybe I should start uploading some of those?

LITDigitalart Custom Pet Portrait

When the iPad came along back in 2010 I was one of the first embracers. Little did I know that it would become the device that I would use to start painting again. I found an app and started playing with it, then opened an Etsy shop and the rest is history. Now I have not only the Etsy shop, but Redbubble, Zazzle, Fine Art America/Pixels, and Amazon Merch shops where all of the pet portraits that were commissioned from all over the world are uploaded. So it’s always a thrill to get a request from new and returning customers. The most recent request was for a cat by the name of Frank for a mother in law gift. The hardest part is getting the portrait set up - selecting the best option out of several photos - with the customer. There is a lot of back and forth regarding what to include, exclude, background colors, etc. Then a prelim sketch is created. As the painting progresses the updates are provided over a two to three day period. Generally a few background options are provided. After the customer is happy with the outcome, the progression of the portrait is condensed in to six steps showing the start to the finish in an image; suggestions for how to use the jpeg image on a variety of products are provided; and a sample for a framed portrait is shown. It’s such a thrill the receive the feedback all along the way and to know that the final product is such a personal gift. There are so many choices out there for this kind of product compared to thirteen years ago. Whenever I get a request it is so rewarding. 

LITDigitalart Custom Pet Portrait Referral

When the iPad came around back in 2010 I was ecstatic! I didn’t know it would have quite the impact that it has. I accidentally stumbled across an art app and since then have been painting pet portraits. I always loved drawing and painting - primarily watercolors and pastels. I taught myself how to paint digitally and opened an Etsy shop. I’ve made 334 sales and am so enthusiastic whenever I get an order. But before the shop I practiced painting animals using friends and colleagues pets. I worked at the Library of Congress at the time and unexpectedly met someone who worked in the Congressional Research Services section while walking in the halls on an afternoon walk. I actually met quite a few interesting people by walking in the hallways. I asked him for a photo of his Labrador and painted her portrait. He told me his family had it printed and it hung in a prominent room in their home. After that he asked if I could paint his neighbor’s dog that had just passed away. And after that, they requested another on behalf of another family member. I retired from the library six years ago. Last week I received an email from the aunt of this individual requesting two pet portraits. She said she had always liked the portrait I had done for her nephew that she saw in his house. It was really nice to get this request - especially from someone connected to someone in my past. To have your artwork noticed is always a thrill. I finished up one portrait this week and am currently working on the other. When asked if it would be okay to offer my services to others I immediately said “yes!” I really appreciate word of mouth connections. I never would have guessed I would be doing this before the iPad came around. Now I have Zazzle, Redbubble, Fine Art America/Pixels, and Amazon Merch shops too. Thanks to everyone who not only requested pet portraits, but for sharing your experience with others. 

LITDigital Art Sales

I started my LITDigitalart Etsy shop ten years ago. After that Zazzle, Fine Art America/Pixels and Redbubble shops were added. And then Amazon Merch. I still do occasional custom pet portraits through Etsy. Digital art has exploded over the years and there are so many more options now. For every portrait that was painted, the images are used on the other websites. And I get a lot of gratification whenever an item is sold. I certainly couldn’t make a living off of the profits - but I am touched by the interest anyone might have to find my work out of the millions of images out there. Someone really likes the black German shepherd on my Amazon shop. I don’t know who it is because that information is not shared. But ever since I posted that item it has consistently sold over time. Maybe it has something to do with a dog show and orders are taken? A cat postcard was liked by someone in Ohio and another person in Virginia. A golden retriever postcard was liked by someone in Michigan. A parakeet sticker was noticed by someone in Canada. And someone from New Jersey liked the Persian dancers tote. It’s amazing how these images are now scattered literally around the world. I would never have guessed anything like this could happen. When I get an Etsy order I need to create a product and it takes a good bit of time to paint a portrait. But for the other sites it’s a simple notification and it’s a great feeling. Thanks to everyone for noticing! 

  

Fine Art America T-shirt Order

It’s always fun to get an email from a website that showcases my digital art and photography informing me that an item was purchased. Unlike with Etsy communications, those are requests for commissions that require me to create a new piece of work. These are communications that inform me that someone liked something that was already painted or photographed so much that a purchase was made with the likeness. And that’s what happened yesterday. I not only got one email, but two from Fine Art America. The great thing about digital art and photography is that the images are available worldwide. I have had commissions and purchases worldwide as well. So it was interesting that someone from Markdorf Germany found two images that they liked. One was a photograph of a birdhouse in front of the “pull the curtain” art display at the Hirshhorn Museum, and the other was one of my first digital art paintings of the Martin Luther King Memorial - both in DC. The idea that someone all the way in Germany found the images, liked the images, and bought the T-shirts with the images on them just tickles my fancy. I have a few websites that I constantly update and attend to - Fine Art America, Redbubble, and Zazzle. And everything I do is highlighted on my website LoisTavaf.com. So, thank you for noticing my work out of the millions of images out there! 

Amazon Merch Update for my Digitalart

I have several websites that showcase my digitalart. I also have a my personal website LoisTavaf.com that pulls them all together in one place. Fine Art America, Pixels, Zazzle, Redbubble and Etsy are easy to navigate using my iPad. But Amazon Merch was always a different animal. I had to reconfigure the images to a specified size and do a lot of manipulation to support all of the requirements. I needed my laptop because it was not an iPad friendly approach. When my laptop gave out last year I could no longer add new images to the inventory - until this month! I check the site on a daily basis and noticed that there was an update from February that said a new design editor was introduced and would be made available on a rolling basis. I was excited to see what that meant. So I easily uploaded an image in the create option and went to work. Not only did the image upload, but it could be used on all of the products including not only T-shirts, but sweatshirts and hoodies, and also phone cases, totes, pillows, and pop sockets grips. And I could do it all using my iPad!! It also includes automatic translations for UK, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Denmark. Not that I have a lot of sales on Amazon, but it’s really nice that this option exists again. The limit for new products is 50 per day, but I have a product potential for 33,000 items!! It truly is a worldwide marketplace. It’s just another way to continue expanding my artwork on line. All of those pooches, kitties and other sweet faces will have a broader audience. It’s such a thrill when someone notices and purchases something I’ve painted. Now I need to start uploading! 

My Children’s Books

It seems like it was just yesterday. I wrote a children’s book called a Tiny Fish Tale and also illustrated it using my iPad. It was published on StoryChimes through the Apple App Store. I was thrilled! It was followed by another book called The Four Promises. It was also made in to an app. A third book followed called My Trip to Washington DC - All by Myself. By that time I decided to self publish all of them on Amazon. All three stories are about my two grandsons. They are now 18 and 19 years old! I keep copies of the books in our foyer. Now that we live in northern Virginia the condo building put up a small book case on the first floor for people to donate books for others to read. So yesterday I took two of my three books and placed them on the shelf - since someone had mentioned they could use some children’s books for their grandchildren. I don’t know if anyone will actually take them and read them, but since I had the extra copies I thought I would put them to better use. My husband really loves the fish story. I like them all equally well because they all have a different storyline appropriate for a young child - a tiny fish in need of help; promises to keep; and an exciting trip to Washington DC. I still can’t believe I created them! 

YModern and Zinamhu Digital Art Ripoffs

I’ve been painting digital art pet portraits for almost ten years. It all started when the iPad came along and my interest in art was reignited. I have my own website and an Etsy site, and upload completed portraits to Zazzle, Redbubble, Pixels/Fine Art America and Amazon Merch. I also have three children’s books that I wrote and illustrated and were self published on Amazon. Every once in a while I check out those websites - and others - to see if any one is abusing my copyright on all those images. I have reported infringements on Amazon - where someone was selling products with my paintings - and Amazon usually removed the abusers. The other day I found and keep finding several websites created by the same person using my images to sell products. The images are taken right off of my Etsy site. I looked to see how to contact them. There is an email address, but it doesn’t automatically take you to email. You have to cut and paste the address. It didn’t matter, because even after sending a cease snd desist letter, I’m still finding my images on several websites. Of course I never received an answer. That’s the problem with digital art. It’s upsetting, but there’s not much that can be done. It won’t stop me from continuing to do what I love, but it couldn’t get any more annoying.