Bubbles Macro photography on Redbubble, Pixels, and TeePublic

Since I started making custom digital art pet portraits over ten years ago using my iPad, many of the designs and portraits were also used to populate my storefront websites. Those websites include Redbubble, Pixels, and TeePublic. For the last three years or so I started to participate in the weekly 52Frames photo challenge. I have learned a lot since I am not really a photographer. I just love to take pictures. And each week the challenge is different. This week is complementary colors. Usually I just try to find objects or scenes that meet the requirement. But this time I thought I would try something different. I learned about taking macro photos of oil and water. But I would paint the complementary colors first on my iPad and use those designs as the backdrop to create the bubble images. And also photos that were taken that have those colors could also be used as backdrops. The end result was really interesting - to me. There are so many lovely abstract images that emerged - too many to even figure out which one I want to use this week for the challenge. And because I like them so much I am also starting to upload them on to the websites. You can create so many different products using these colors - red/green, purple/yellow, and orange/blue. It can be very time consuming but fun at the same time. I don’t expect a whole lot of response, but it makes me feel good to know that I learned something new and the outcome is pretty. 

Fine Art America/Pixels Sale

I started a Fine Art America Shop about eleven years ago. It includes all of my custom digital art pet portraits and photos of Capitol Hill and from our trips to Iran, Denmark, England, and France. About three years ago I started participating in a weekly photo challenge called 52Frames and have met a lot of people from all over the world. I started to add the photos that have been taken for this weekly challenge to the Fine Art America/Pixels website. There has been traffic to this website over the years and it’s always exciting to receive an email that someone has bought an image of something I painted or something I took a photo of. That happened yesterday! A person from Pennsylvania got a photo of the Old Town Alexandria tunnel matted and framed. I was just so tickled! Then I was reminded that I also had another sale earlier in the year for a print of the carousel on the National Mall. The buyer was from another city in Pennsylvania. All told I’ve sold 58 items on this site since 2013. It has been a fun experience to not only start these websites but also keep them up to date with the latest work. And if someone likes it well enough to buy makes it all the more worth it. 

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. 

Fine Art America/Pixels Custom Pet Portrait Sales

I’ve been painting custom pet portraits for over ten years. My interest in painting was reignited when the iPad came out in 2010 and the rest is history. I wrote and illustrated three children’s books and self published them on Amazon. Then I opened my first shop on Etsy after first practicing with friends and colleagues. Then after each portrait was completed I used the images to populate my Fine Art America/Pixels website, as well as my LITDigitalpaintings Redbubble, zazzle and Amazon Merch shops. So it is always a treat to get a notice from any of these shops when there is a sale or a custom order. The custom orders require that I need to get to work. The sales are just lovely reminders that someone likes my work enough to buy it. It’s especially more meaningful now when there is so much stuff out there compared to ten years ago. So to get noticed is remarkable. And that was the case last week when someone from Pittsburg purchased an 11x14 matte paper portrait of the black cockapoo and also had it framed. In February someone from Brick, NJ bought an 11x14 glossy canvas of an eskie. I certainly couldn’t make s living on this hobby but it’s a fun past time. Aside from maintaining these shops they are marketed on social media - instagram, Facebook, twitter, Pinterest. It does keep one busy. I also appreciate staying in touch with technology and keeping my brain functioning. I really need to be grateful that I had to use technology as a clinician, nurse administrator, operations expert, and civil servant. It’s been so helpful and I try to stay as up to date as possible. So digital painting and keeping up have really helped. It still tickles me when someone notices my work. 

Oxford Beer Kegs and Cats

Whenever we travel - which has been nonexistent in the last two years - I love taking photos and then posting them on my Fine Art America/ Pixels website. Most of the uploads lately have been from our weekly visits to town and the DC area. Aside from the photos my digital art work is also uploaded. So a lot of the images that were taken when we visited friends in England are available. There are many photos from Iran, Denmark, and France too. I also have artwork and photos posted on Redbubble and Zazzle, and custom pet portraits on Amazon Merch. It’s always a hoot when someone likes one of these images so much to purchase it! When I received a notice from FAA that someone bought my five cats eating art, I was thrilled. None of these transactions amount to much, but nevertheless inspire me to continue painting and taking photos. When the photo of the framed Oxford beer kegs sold I was really tickled. I try to imagine who would have been interested to like something that much. Was it a gift? Where would it be placed? The internet gives artists like me a great opportunity to showcase my work. It’s a great hobby - even if nothing was sold. 

Zazzle, Redbubble, FAA/Pixels, Amazon Merch Sales

Pet portraits are my favorite digital art projects. This time of the year is usually the busiest for me as they make for wonderful holiday gifts. I am working on three this week! When the portraits are completed, I post them on my other websites - Zazzle, Redbubble, FAA/Pixels and Amazon Merch. Getting orders for portraits is a lot more time consuming than selling products - but the gratification is equal. It’s so wonderful to get notices when items sell, but also from all over the world - United Kingdom, Canada, and everywhere in the US. A boxer mug, pooch T-shirt and Supreme Court face mask were sold on Zazzle; Birman cat mug and iPhone case, sheltie zipper pouch, husky sticker and yorkie socks were sold on Redbubble; two black German Shepherd tshirts on Amazon Merch; and Fine Art America/pixels sold two Cairn Terrier masks. I am so thrilled that people notice my work. The commissions are tiny on any of these products but I am so tickled when I get a notice. So thank you all for requesting portraits of your favorite pets. Without them I couldn’t upload the lovely images other customers like enough to purchase. It is amazing how far and wide the digitalart travels. 

Pixels Fine Art America LITDigitalart Products

The iPad became my inspiration to start painting again. I’ve been at it since 2010 and creating custom pet portraits for the past eight years. Once the portraits are completed, the images are uploaded to several websites to showcase my art. One of the first sites I started to use was Fine Art America - now called Pixels. I have a specific FAA website, and on it are many products that can be created from the images I provide. There are a variety of sections aside from the digitalart that include photos that I have taken of Washington DC and Capitol Hill where we lived for thirteen years; England, France, Denmark and Iran; and baseball autographs from my brother’s collection. As is with everything else these days, face masks are a new product now offered. When I was promoting my art yesterday I noticed that at the bottom of the page is a display of all the products each image is on. It looks quite impressive! Most of these websites do a really nice job putting the products in a gallery where one can try a single image on many different products. I also use Redbubble, Zazzle, and Amazon Merch. It’s fun to get notification that something has sold. Out of all the millions of options out there it’s nice to get noticed. It’s all a lot to keep updated and promoted, but it’s a fun hobby. And as long as I get requests for custom portraits, it’s a never ending cycle. Thanks for the requests and thanks for checking out my work. 

Redbubble, Zazzle and Pixels LITDigitalart Face Masks

None of them have arrived yet. Not the ones from China, or anywhere else. After searching for nondescript cloth face masks, we are still waiting for them to show up. Since I no longer own a sewing machine, nor have the material to make one, ordering for us made sense. Yes, I’ve made several masks out of coffee filters, rubber bands, staples and paper clips. But if and when we venture outside we would prefer cloth. Both my husband and I wore masks when we worked in health care. Having to wear one now is very strange. Nevertheless, all of my Digitalart websites are getting in to the business. That means that designs that I already have on Zazzle, Redbubble, and Pixels can be used as images on masks. But it all needs to be done one by one, which is time consuming.... but that’s not a big deal. So yesterday I updated a few images that now include face masks, and am thinking about adding more. Personally I prefer an understated and plain color compared to a bright or bold image. If this becomes a requirement to wear forever I’m sure everyone will adopt a personal style. It hardly matters if the mask isn’t worn correctly - covering the nose and mouth is necessary to do any good. All I know is that I didn’t care to wear a mask for work, and I really don’t want to wear one now. But we really don’t have a choice in the matter - for everyone’s sake. 

Can’t Post to Instagram from Pinterest

Updating to the newest Apple IOS operating system has caused several problems on two iPads. One of them belonged to my mom who passed away last month. Ever since then, neither one works in spite of every trick. The last suggestion was to bring it in for the technicians to figure out. That won’t be happening for awhile. On the devices that do work, I can no longer post items from my Pinterest boards to Instagram. It first started on my iPhone when the IOS system was upgraded. Then the same thing happened on my iPad Pro yesterday. It’s not essential, but annoying. As with every one else, but on a much lower scale, my digital art business no longer exists. Luckily I don’t rely on it for steady income, but I can only imagine if I did - like so many other businesses folks out there struggling right now. So rather than cause myself getting a headache any more I found a workaround. My Pixels/Fine Art America website has an Instagram link. So I use that instead to connect to Instagram. It looks nice and still serves the purpose. We are so fortunate that our lifestyle hasn’t changed so much because we are retired. We spend our days at home and pick up the mail at midnight to avoid contact with any of the condo residents. So during the day I spend time maintaining my websites and writing this blog. The hardest thing now is to come up with some interesting topics since I’m not taking photos either - we aren’t going anywhere. At least this digital work keeps me busy and we are content. Just hoping everything turns a corner soon. 

Pixels/Fine Art America Mat and Frames My Art

I’ve been working on them for quite a while. We didn’t have any photos of our loved ones in plain sight. So I went about painting a sort of “family tree” that had images of my husband’s family and my family. Aside from that painting, I wanted something that showed all the homes we lived in. So I collected some old photos and went to work on that. Then to complete the grouping, I sketched out a bunch of images of my husband and me over the years - since 1979 or so. It looks sort of like Where’s Waldo, but not exactly. We have the perfect wall for this gallery collection, and the colors match the lighter vibe of the living space. So I ordered up a set of matted and framed prints through Pixels/Fine Art America last week. I happen to have a shop on that website that showcases all my digital art as well as photographs. The hardest decision was whether to use black or white frames and I tested the options using my procreate app. White double matting was no issue, but the size of the mats took a bit longer to figure out. The paintings arrived yesterday and they really turned out nice. I had three configurations in mind, and ended up not using the one I liked best. All I can say is these pieces are definitely one of a kind. It’s a lot different than a pet portrait, but it sure is distinctive and personal.