Your Questions Answered

Each week Laura & Peter will answer one of your questions posted on social media or via this website. If you have a questions for us, click here.

Q12) What is the optimum distance at which to set up the camera from the artwork? I have tried both close up, with the image filling the frame as much as possible, and at a distance (say 1m or 2m) and using the zoom to fill the frame. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes, but I suspect it also has an impact on file size.

The talented Mr B says, “Your question is not an entirely straight forward one. Ideally you should do some tests, a zoom lens will have an optimum focal length. It is usually somewhere in the middle of the range, all other focal lengths will have required some degree of compromise. This does not mean that the lens is unusable, only that at the optimum focal length it will be at its best. The quality fall off will mostly relate to geometry, with the edges of the frame curving slightly inwards or slightly outwards from the centre (called ‘pin cushion and barrel distortion respectively). in normal use these don’t show, but if you photograph a painting square on then the edge of the picture will be parallel with the image edge and it may be quite obvious. At the optimum focal length this distortion will be at a minimum. It is also probable that the pictures will be sharper and less subject to other forms of optical error like chromatic aberration (where light of different wavelengths is focussed at slightly different points giving a slight fringe of colour around your subject)”

“File size: You are wrong here, if the lens is an optical zoom then you are using the same sensor to record the data and the file size should be similar. If you have found that the file sizes differ it will be more to do with the fact that a compressed file (.jpg) will be bigger for a more detailed scene, because they do not compress as much so they will vary. the perfect scenario is that you find the best focal length for your lens and then you move the camera closer or further in order to frame the picture as close to filling the frame as you can.”

Q11) I paint in oil and have difficulty lighting work that has been varnished, to avoid reflections. Photographing before varnishing is not always an option as the varnish is needed to revitalise the colour, which can sink (Peter will know of this problem too). I have tried a polarising filter but that seems to change the colour slightly.

The talented Mr B says, “Photographing oil paintings is hard! Especially if the paint is thickly applied, it will pick up reflections. Polarising filters may help a little, though having a polarising filter over the lights and another over the camera gives the best control, but these are very expensive. Your best bet is to use a thoroughly diffused light on either side of the painting and to light the painting from the side, not quite straight across the painting, but very near. If you want to have another go at using the polariser you should try combining using it with using the custom white balance function on the camera. Theoretically a polariser should not change the colour, but some polarisers are not as neutral as they ought to be, though with digital cameras it is so easy to fix that it doesn’t matter!

Q10) Teaching is part of my art practice and I like the idea of sharing my student’s work on social media, but worry that the work will be mistaken for mine and confuse my followers.

Laura & Peter say, “Sharing student work on social media is a very effective way of drawing attention to the classes you teach. For the students featured, a mini ‘exhibition’ on social media gives them a positive way to see their work among peers, but always ask for permission before you publish anyone’s artwork on social media. We do this for most of our classes and we are very clear in the captions that the work is by our students. In our experience, people follow artists because they engage with their style, techniques and individuality so are very capable of distinguishing between the artist and their students. A simple solution if you are concerned is to always publish student work as a group, not solo images. The variety of the group in the one post will give everyone a clear heads up that it isn’t your work.”

Q9) As an Aussie artist, how would you suggest I go about getting representation in the UK?

Peter & Laura say, “We suggest you begin by deciding whether you want your presence in the UK to be physical with works in a gallery or on-line with works dispatched by you to the UK when ordered.

For on-line sales, the simplest way to start is by working on building your presence on social media and engaging with your audience through sharing your work and practice. Since your audience will be worldwide, overseas sales are likely to be a part of any selling you do through your own followers. A more specific option is to go for a ‘shop window’ approach and find a website where you can place your art for sale to a UK audience with you still shipping on demand. As always, be thorough in your research with the latter option as online galleries vary hugely. Make sure you factor in packing and shipping, the time it will take you to upload and maintain your work on the site, plus the commission any site will take for the work, when you are balancing costs.

The other option is to supply work to a gallery in the UK, shipping a selection of works for the gallery to sell. For this approach you need to build a gallery/artist relationship just as you would for an Australian gallery. Have a listen to the advice we give in our gallery podcasts and follow it since it applies equally well to establishing contact overseas.”

Q8) I was wondering if you have some strategies you can share on making time around a day job to keep your art practise going. As well as ideas on keeping yourself motivated after a long day at work.

Laura & Peter say “Discipline isn’t always a welcome word, but it’s a very necessary trait for artists and certainly one you need to balance your art with a full time job. The trick is to forget inspiration and being in the mood. Get into the habit of setting yourself a timetable and an art project to complete instead. Make a formal space for your art too, even if it is just the end of the kitchen table. By approaching your artwork in this way, you won’t have to rely on feeling motivated or spend time on hunting for materials and a space to work and then waste time wondering what to make. Most professional artists work like this with deadlines to meet and it is good practice, day job or not. Family members are also much more likely to accept your practice and take it seriously if it is an absolutely regular part of your week.

As for working again after a long day at work, it is tough and takes real effort, but see it as seriously good training. It’ll put you way ahead of people debating between their artwork and watching a box set every evening.”

Q7) I’m a full-time architect and now full-time mom. I’d love an artistic career, but need to keep my day job. Is it possible to be an artist, or at least make a start, with a full time job? Do you know any artist that did both for a while?

Laura and Peter say: “We’re very impressed with your ambition and here are a couple of examples to inspire you. Writer Toni Morrison, author of ‘Beloved’, managed to write in spite of a full time editing job at Random House and coping as a single mum to several small children. Her secret was a dawn start before the children woke, though we’d suggest evenings after bedtime if your children are early risers like Peter’s… Laura’s friend, mum to small twins, juggled her full time admin job with printmaking. Her secret was to make small prints on the high kitchen counter after dinner with the kids playing around her ankles. She’s now a full time artist and the children well-adjusted adults!

It can be done, but don’t put yourself under too much pressure at first. We’d suggest beginning by setting a small ‘art’ goal to make a certain amount of work over a realistic time period. If you wanted to add a little jeopardy, maybe sign up to a local art show or table at an art fair at the end of the project. This will give you a set task and time period to focus on, plus an end goal. This brief will challenge you to find ways to shoehorn art into your day. At the end of the project make an honest assessment: did you love or hate the challenge, were your family supportive, what sort of work have you made and are you happy with your efforts? You’ll be in a much better position after this project to see ways to integrate art into your life and if it’s something you’ll enjoy doing.”

Q6) I’ve never sold my art, but my hobby is expensive to maintain. Friends suggest I could sell work. Is there a low key, part time approach I could take to selling given that I don’t want a serious income?

Laura and Peter say: “We both started low key and local and there’s no reason to leave that niche to rush towards the full-on business of being a working artist if you don’t want the lifestyle. Do what we did and start with a a local show, or perhaps take part in an open studios event if there’s one in your area. There’s no need for a massive business plan, social media following or huge stock of work. Just try a couple of small events and see how you go. That way you can gauge your taste for selling and decide if it’s something you wish to pursue. We’d advise this as the easiest way to start. Setting up sales on social media or through web-based markets like Etsy may seem a less scary approach than facing the public, but will take a lot more time and effort than a Saturday or two selling at a show and that effort will need to be ongoing rather than something you can dip in and out of at will. You mention that your hobby is expensive. If you make something specialist, then another approach would be to look for events based around your specialism. Focus your effort on selling at these and you’ll have an audience of enthusiasts. We know a quilt maker who sells through two specialist quilting shows a year and finds they bring in enough money to subsidise her hobby without the pressure to do more.

Q5) Does it help to have a ‘brand’ ie. Colour, logo or font that helps to identify the artist?

Laura and Peter say: “Having a recognisable visual identity or ‘brand’ is important across all your visuals, website, marketing mails, printed leaflets and signage etc. It fixes you in the mind of your audience and sets the mood of your style and approach. It is a much more professional and polished approach than scattering a confetti of colour and fonts wherever you go. Adopting a visual uniform will also save you from endless design decisions along the way.

There’s a lot of responsibility resting on your choice so think hard and choose wisely. Your branding needs to resonate beautifully with your work and be true to you as the artist. And when you have the perfect match, don’t forget to update it from time to time to keep things relevant and fresh.”

Q4) My art is site specific, does that make a difference?

Laura and Peter say: “Site specific work will always resonate most with people that have a direct connection to the place you depict. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and many artists forge careers on local scenes, some becoming successful to the point where people happily embrace the location as just a part and parcel of the artist’s identity. That said, it pays to take stock and to think about your likely market. Are there good opportunities to show and sell where the work is based? Is it an area that attracts visitors and tourists as well as local art buyers, does it have historic or other significance that will appeal? The more connections you can access, the better sales are likely to be.

If you want to broaden your appeal a little, tweaking your titles to something non-site specific can make a surprising difference. Laura’s landscapes rarely have titles that credit the location for this very reason. She also widens the focus of her prints from locality to include more universal themes of weather, light and season. Broadening both the scope of the subject and its title will give you a bit of extra ‘wiggle room’ when it comes selling and could provide you with an interesting new twist for working in your familiar location.”

Q3) A friend wants me to make the table decorations for her wedding and has offered to pay. I’m excited to make them, but I feel really awkward about charging. What should I do?

Laura and Peter say: “Artists are often handed jobs like this by loved ones and it is greatly to this bride’s credit that she has offered to pay. There are two ways you could go with this and we suggest that you present both to the bride and let her choose which route she prefers. The first option is to give the decorations to her as your wedding gift and the second is to treat them as a paid job. Explain that if they are to be a gift, you will be guided by her colour scheme and the general theme of the wedding, but she will have to trust you and let you create whatever loveliness you feel best celebrates your friendship and her special day. On the other hand, you can work together as client and artist with her paying for the table decorations as she will the flowers and photographer. If she chooses this option, she gets to call all the shots and your job is to accommodate her wishes and come up with the table decorations of her dreams, not yours. Of course you’ll also be giving her a proper present that has nothing to do with the table decorations! By giving her the two options, you’ll avoid the awkward half ground where you could find yourself trapped with a demanding client while charging pathetically low ‘mates rates.”

Q2) Should I stick to one kind of medium or is it OK to work in lots of different ways?

Laura and Peter say: “It is important as an artist to have your own individual voice: the thing that identifies you and makes your work recognizably your own. It doesn’t matter whether you work with one technique or five if you can be sure your skills in each are equally strong and your individual style is always apparent.

Problems come if you spread yourself too thin by trying lots of techniques and mastering none or, just the opposite, become repetitive and predictable because you feel restricted by one technique. Work on having enough variety to constantly challenge yourself and to keep work fresh, butbalance that by enough time to really learn the skills needed for the medium. Lastly, do bear in mind it can be trickier to establish yourself with art buyers and galleries if you have multiple techniques, as opposed to an easily identifiable few.”

Q1) I’m doing my first Christmas fair soon, should I have a credit card machine?

Laura and Peter say: “People these days expect to pay by card and may lose interest in buying if it means a walk to a cashpoint. A credit card machine makes you look professional and often bumps up sales with people happier to impulse buy when popping purchases on a card. While a card machine isn’t worth investing in for a one-off event, it will take very few fairs to pay off the initial outlay and the cost of the transaction fees is small compared to the loss of sales to people unable to use their cards. In the UK it is possible to buy a terminal that works using an app on your phone for under £30 and you will pay about 1.7% commission on every sale. But do remember you’ll need a phone signal or wifi to make your terminal work, so always check with the show’s organiser that credit card machines will work on site and always take a cash float along as well!”