Fine Art America/ Pixels Greeting Card

I have been painting digital art for over ten years. When the iPad was introduced in 2010 I knew it would be a game changer, but I had no idea it would reignite my interest in painting. So I started an Etsy shop - LITDigital Paintings - and have been doing primarily custom pet portraits. When the projects are done the images are uploaded to my other shops on Zazzle, Amazon Merch, Redbubble and Fine Art America. I have also always had an interest in photography and have uploaded many of my favorite images to these sites - so technically there are custom paintings and photos that can be used to create a myriad of products. For the last couple of years I have been participating in a weekly photo challenge called 52Frames. A friend of ours suggested it and it was a great diversion during the pandemic. It also forced me to sharpen my photography skills since I was never really trained or took classes in any of this. And since my camera is my phone there are certain limitations. One of the challenge subjects was “point of focus.” So we went to the Smithsonian American history museum to see the First Ladies gowns. One of them was Dolly Madison. So I took a few photos of it and one of the images was uploaded to Fine Art America/Pixels. It’s always thrilling to get a notice when any of my work is recognized out of the millions of options that are out there. Someone from Arlington, Washington bought a greeting card with this image on it. I certainly couldn’t make a living on these sales, but it’s the idea of it all that tickles me the most. Painting and photography kind of go hand in hand. I never would have thought people from all over the world would notice. 

Zazzle Holiday Card

I just sold two holiday greeting cards on Zazzle to someone in California. The image is of a pooch portrait I painted on my iPad a couple of years ago. I’ve been painting custom pet portraits for the last six years and get commissions from all over the world. I first started with an Etsy shop. Then I opened a shop on Fine Art America/Pixels. It not only has my custom portraits, but many photographs from DC and our travels to Iran, France, Denmark and England. We are lucky to have friends and family living in all those countries so visiting them is a special treat. Then I opened my Zazzle shop. Last year Redbubble and Amazon Merch were added. Then of course I use Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Business Page, LinkedIn, my blog and my personal website (Lois Tavaf.com) to promote my work. It takes a lot of time, but luckily I’m retired and do what I like when I feel like it. All of my work is virtual so I don’t have to deal with shipping and mailing anything. What’s fun about having my products in all these virtual stores is that someone notices an image I created out of the millions out there, likes it enough to purchase it, and then keeps it for themselves or present it as a gift. My royalty is peanuts but it’s such a wonderful feeling to get an email telling me I’ve made a sale. That feeling has no price tag. 

Zazzle Black Lab T-shirt, Cat Canvas & Goofy Dog Card - Sold!

I’ve been painting digitalart since the iPad came out in 2010. My first shop on the internet was on Etsy where I primarily do custom order pet portraits. Once the images are completed, I use them to populate my other website shops - Pixels/Fine Art America, Redbubble, Amazon Merch and Zazzle. I also have my own website that links all of them together called LIT Digitalart And Such. On top of that, I spend a lot of time showcasing them all on Instagram, my Facebook business page, Tumblr and Twitter. It’s a full time job! And then of course I do this blog every day! Yesterday I got a notice from Zazzle that I sold a stretched canvas print of my barn cat to someone in Kansas - one of the first images I drew. I also sold a greeting card to someone in New Jersey with my goofy dog portrait. A couple of weeks ago a black lab T shirt was sold to someone from Minnesota in the most interesting color combination. I definitely could not make a living on these tiny commissions, but am thrilled every time a sale is made. That means someone out there liked something I painted enough to want to purchase it for themself or for someone they care about. It’s nice to get custom portrait orders, but it’s more fun to get noticed just for something I painted. I always liked drawing. Who would have guessed it would take this course? 

https://www.zazzle.com/litdigitalart

Redbubble Supreme Court and Cherry Blossoms Greeting Card

It’s always a treat to get a notice from one of my digitalart vendor websites that a sale was made. What I find most curious is the image that was selected as well as the product it will be made in to. German Shepherd ties have been purchased from Zazzle; Iranian scenes from Fine Art America/Pixels; bulldog and black lab images on T-shirt’s from Amazon Merch; custom orders from Etsy for pet memorial portraits; and American Eskie stickers from Redbubble. And people from all over the world are customers! This time the notice came from Redbubble for a Supreme Court and cherry blossoms image that I painted a few years ago. The images can be made to order on a variety of products from T-shirt’s to coffee mugs. But this time it was for a greeting card. Then I wonder who purchased it, why, and where it will be sent? But more importantly it always humbles me to think someone likes something I made - out of literally millions of images available - enough to purchase it. I can tell you the profit on these items is pennies, but the positive vibe I get is worth so much more! So to the person who bought this greeting card? Thank you so much for noticing! 

Amazon Merch, Redbubble, and Zazzle Sales

I started painting again when the iPad was introduced in 2010. I opened an Etsy shop and continue to do a lot of custom pet portraits. I’ve used a lot of those images to open Zazzle, Redbubble, and Amazon Merch Shops. Getting an order for a custom portrait means I need to set aside time to actually paint the image and communicate with the customer throughout the process. What’s fun about having sales on the other sites is that I don’t need to do anything. I’m certainly glad I don’t have to make a living doing what I love, but it’s a great hobby in retirement. This month a parakeet pillow was sold to someone in California and a St. Bernard coffee mug was sold to someone in Australia on Redbubble; a set of German Shepherd greeting cards was sold to someone in Finland on Zazzle; and an Australian Shepherd T-shirt was sold on Amazon - they don’t share where the buyer comes from. All I can say is that it’s amazing to me that out of all the millions of images and products that are available on line, someone likes my artwork enough to purchase it. And it’s comes from all over the world! Thanks so much for noticing. I really appreciate the huge audience out there.