Hi guys! Today I am sharing with you 6 different zentangle inspired drawings I have done over the past few years.
Zentangle is basically the practice of creating art from intricate doodle-like patterns. The repetitive motion is said to help with anxiety and focus. The practice of Zentangle is similar to creating mandalas for therapeutic reasons.
Most of these art pieces combine elements of doodle art drawing with collage from women’s magazines. They were all done in my sketchbook using Sharpie markers.
This could be a fun project for adults or kids in art class!
Several of these designs are available as prints and on other products in my Redbubble storeand other shops.
This first one was inspired by Easter and the flowers of Spring.
I finally bought a dress from Redbubble! Since I started uploading my designs there I’ve been curious about how their A-Line dresses would look, fit, and feel. I had a hard time finding any detailed reviews of Redbubble dresses online, so I decided to write my own!
After I published my Tropical Monstera Pattern and saw how nice it looked, I had to order one for myself, figuring it would be perfect to wear for summer or a tropical vacation.
I must say I am pleased with the dress. I ordered an XS after reviewing the size chart, and it fits quite nicely. (I’m 5’0″ by the way and usually wear size S)
It took a few weeks to arrive, because I’m in Canada and it got stuck at the border for about a week (due to Customs).
Aside from a photoshoot at English Bay beach, I’ve also worn this dress to work paired with a belt and black cardigan. I even received some compliments from my co-workers!
Redbubble A-Line Dress Review
It is loose and flowy, non clingy, silky feeling, and doesn’t wrinkle easily.
It is comfortable to wear.
The print is vibrant and shows off my artwork nicely.
The light and thin fabric is not see through at all.
It would be a great garment for hot summer days or a tropical vacation.
I quite like the dress with a belt for my figure, as seen in the photo above. But, I think this dress is probably flattering for most body-types, especially with the option of a belt or no belt.
While this dress is great for hot summer days or tropical vacations, it could also be paired with a light cardigan and heels for a cute evening look.
More details about the dress from Redbubble‘s website:
97% Polyester / 3% Elastane woven dress fabric
Made in the U.S.A.
Print covers entire front and back panel
Loose swing shape for an easy, flowy fit.
Let me know what you think about this Redbubble dress review, or any other Redbubble products you’ve purchased by leaving a comment below!
Hey there coloring enthusiasts! Today I am sharing with you this beautiful butterfly coloring page freebie!
This is an older piece I drew a few years ago. I hadn’t gotten around to coloring it myself so I’ve decided to offer it up to all of you to have some fun with!
Hello fellow artists! Today I’m sharing some info about how to sell your art onRedbubble, a well known Print on Demand website.
In this post I will be giving a review of my experiences with Redbubblewhere I have been selling my art for a few years now.
Read on to learn more abouthow to sell your art on Redbubble!
You can also watch this video I created about the pros and cons of selling your art on Redbubble and other Print on Demand websites.
Store Front
My first impressions of Rebubble is that they are artist focused, cater to a young and trendy audience and have a sense of humour.
Their website layout is sleek and easy to navigate. On the home page there are rotating featured artists and art works that are updated daily.
You can easily customize yourstore front with a header, profile photo, bio, collections and a featured collection which shows at the top. Your art is displayed on a variety of products in order of the most popular or most recently purchased.
You can also “like” other people’s designs and “follow” other artists, and leave comments on their work.
Products
In terms of products, the range is similar to Society6,which includes apparel, various electronics cases, and home décor items. The prices are about the same as other POD’s and they often offer 20% off or other promotions.
I love this scarf, the print turned out beautiful and the fabric is and soft and silky. I find it is well made.
I’ve also purchased a hoody, t-shirt and stickers with my own designs. All are good quality and I’ve had no issues, however I did find the t-shirt ran a bit large.
One really popular product on Redbubble are stickers. I usually sell a few of these daily. So optimizing your designs for stickers is a great way to sell your art on Redbubble. Below is a picture of several of my sticker designs. They are super cute, and affordable too!
I also created a Youtube video showing all of the products I’ve bought from Redbubble over the years, if you want to see them in real life:
Ease of Upload
Redbubble’s uploading tool is by far my favouriteout of all the POD sites I’ve tried.
I find it efficient because you can upload one image of your main design and adjust it straight in the browser for each product. There are also tiling options, or you can replace the image entirely if neither of those options work.
You can also change the background colour which can be very handy when working with transparent designs.
You can also copy existing settings from another design, making uploading similar designs a breeze!
Earnings and Payment
It took about a month after opening my store before I saw any sales, but since then I have been gettingconsistent earnings every month. (I should note here that I was lucky enough to have a design featured on the front page which boosted my sales a lot.)
It’s not going to replace my day job any time soon, but any amount of extra cash is always welcome!
You can adjust the markup for individual products (in Account Settings), but it is automatically set to 20%.
Earnings are paid out automatically around the 15th of every month (to Paypal, or direct deposit), and there is a $20 minimum threshold.
Marketing
Redbubble has their own marketing team who are pros at driving traffic to their website, so it’s just a matter of getting your own designs on the website and seen by then.
If you’re lucky and get featured on their front page, then you’re good to go for a long time. You can also find some nice promotional tools on the Redbubble blog. For example, fun marketing templates like this one:
Shipping
Redbubble has headquarters located in San Francisco (U.S.) and Melbourne (Australia). Products are shipped from suppliers in one of those areas depending on your location.
I have found they offer reasonable shipping costs to Canada, and even more reasonable within the U.S. The shipping is generally pretty quick, and you can choose a faster shipping method if required.
Also, you get a free sticker with every purchase!
Summary of How to Sell your Art on Redbubble
In sum, I highly recommend Redbubble for selling your art online!
I hope you’ve found some useful information here about how to sell your art on Redbubble. If you have any questions, or want to share your own experiences with Redbubble, feel free to leave a comment below! Also check out the Artists Resources section of this website for even more print on demand tips.
Are you an artist trying to figure out how to market yourself on social media? I was too, just a few years ago! In this post I’m sharing some of my top social media tips for artists.
Please note: I’m not an expert on this matter, but I have managed to triple my stats on a few key social networks over the past year, and slowly but surely grown my online presence since creating the Julie Erin Designs brand.
As you may also do, I work a full time job and have many other life commitments outside of my art business, so I can only dedicate a few hours per week to creating and marketing my designs on social media.
This leads me into my first tip which is:
Dedicate just 5-10 minutes a day to social media
Start by taking on just one task per day on one of your social accounts.
Some examples include: Tweet an image of your latest work (don’t forget to include relevant hashtags). Like and/or follow some new users on Instagram.
Don’t get overwhelmed. You should be able to do this during your coffee or lunch break, on the way home from work on the bus, after dinner, or whenever you have an idle moment.
Focus on a few key social media platforms
Try out different platforms but then hone it down to just a few, and then focus on content and growing your followers there. My top 3 at the moment are Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. I dabble on others but I get the most engagement for my time on those 3.
Set up a social media calendar
Don’t overwhelm yourself with an over-loaded calendar. Start with just one task per day that can be completed within a few minutes.
Create a visual calendar using your computer, a planner, or you can find lots of downloadable worksheets online. I also have a Notion template with a social media calendar included.
Do what works for you and your schedule.
Learn the etiquette for your chosen social media app. On Twitter you can share multiple times per day, but on Facebook you may only want to share something every few days.
Posting schedule example: Example: Monday: Tweet about your latest design, tweet 2 sold items. Tuesday: Share a new design on Instagram. Wednesday: Blog post about new design, and post to Facebook page. Friday: Tweet new blog post
Start a blog
Use it to showcase your art work, items for sale, share art tips, supplies you use, your sketchbook, whatever you can think of. You can even sell your art directly through your website.
Connect with other art bloggers. Follow/like/comment on their posts.
Pro tip: Don’t forget to link to your blog from your social media profiles.
Use apps to make your life easier
Scheduling apps:Buffer or Hootsuite. Use one of these apps (or something similar) to schedule a few posts to your social media accounts for the day. This could even be your one task of the day, if that’s all you have time for.
Follower tracking apps:Crowdfire or similar apps which help you track followers and unfollowers. You can also search for people who follow similar accounts and then like/follow them.
Photo editing apps such as Canva and Photogrid. There are several out there, so find one that you like. Use it to create and edit images of your designs and products right on your phone. While you could also just make these images in Photoshop on your PC, being able to make promo images on the go makes it so much easier to get it done when you have a spare moment.
Instagram post example created with the Photogrid app.
Keep a list of content ideas
Keep a list on your phone or somewhere else, so you never run out of ideas for fresh content!
Examples: Sold items, new designs, WIP’s and sketchbook shots.
Make use of hashtags and SEO (search engine optimization)
Use relevant hashtags so that people can find your work.
Don’t overdo it. Figure out what works on which platforms.
Monitor those hashtags and like/follow others who are posting to that hashtag.
Add key words in your description and add alt tags to your posts when possible.
Make use of tagging
Sometimes, when appropriate, you may want to actually tag another user (such as Zazzle or Redbubble for example) on Twitter or Instagram, if you are showcasing their product. You may get lucky and they might even re-tweet or feature your product!
Go through their tagged feeds to find similar users to like and follow.
Engage with similar users
Connect with other bloggers, and other artists on your chosen social media platforms.
I sell my art work on POD websites such as Zazzle, Redbubble and Society6, so I try to engage with others who sell on those sites as well. I do this by either liking their work directly on those sites, on social media, through forums or Facebook groups.
To learn more about selling your art through print on demand websites, check out my Skillshare class!
Post to shopping websites
If this is appropriate to your style of art work, you may consider posting your products on shopping websites such as Pinterestand Wanelo.
Additional Resources
If you have the opportunity to do so, it can be really helpful to take a social media marketing course at your local college or university. Or even online. I took a short course which was very informative and turned me on to some new apps and strategies. Think of it as an investment in your business.
Also check out the Artist Resources section of my website and blog for even more social media tips for artists.
Happy day my friends! I’m channelling my inner Millennial today with this beautiful, hand-drawn, FREE coloring page featuring the words “Live Laugh Love”.
All you have to do is click on the link below, download and print the PDF file. Then you can color it to your heart’s delight!
You can print and colour this page as many times as you want! Keep in mind that it works best if printed on card stock and coloured using good quality markers or pencil crayons.
I hope you will have some fun with this coloring page. Feel free to post your colored versions here or tag me @julieerindesigns on Instagram!
Quick disclaimer: Please do not claim this artwork as your own, and do not sell for profit. If you want to share this colouring page please link back to my blog and credit me as the original creator. That’s it!
I got a little bit crafty this weekend and made these super fun and pretty Ojos De Dio (aka God’s Eye) ornaments, which are basically 3D yarn mandala weavings!
They are really easy, making them a great DIY project which can even involve your kids! Making them can be a nice relaxing activity to do while watching TV, sitting on your patio, enjoying a hot cup of tea, etc. You get the picture.
Supplies needed:
2 – 4 Sticks of any length (I used kabob skewers from the dollar store, and cut off the pointy ends)
Ruler
Pen
Glue Gun
Various colours of yarn (scraps can be used)
Scissors
Simply measure your sticks with a ruler and mark them in the centre, then use your glue gun to glue the 2 sticks together in a cross shape. Let the glue dry completely before starting your weaving.
Step-by-step tutorial for the diamond style God’s Eye.
The easiest style of God’s Eye is a 4 sided, diamond shape design using only the 2 sticks, like the one above.
Step by step tutorial for an 8 sided God’s Eye yarn mandala.
For a more complicated design, use 2 sets of sticks, creating an octagonal shape. Don’t glue the 2 sets together, as you will attach them together using yarn.
These 8 sided yarn mandalas are still pretty easy to make, and once you get the hang of them you can easily create your own patterns! I love how mine turned out.
These ornaments are really versatile. You can make them from something as small as toothpicks, or even sticks you find outside and you can make them as big or as small as you want!
You can use them to decorate your walls, give as gifts, use as Christmas tree ornaments and more! Feel free to post other ways you use these in the comments section below!
Make sure you followmy blog for more creative inspiration, and to see more of my art and design projects in the future.
So, you’re an artist (or some sort of creative), and you want to start selling your work online. Where do you start? Do you already have a website but struggle to get traffic to it? What do you do now? Well I think the answer is… blogging for your art business!
Why start blogging for your art business?
Why shouldn’t you? What’s the worst that can happen? It’s one of the easiest ways to get your artwork out there and seen by potential fans and buyers.
I’m not the most popular blogger ever, but way more people have seen my artwork now than if I had never started blogging. Now that I have a few years of experience, I can share that experience with you!
Why should you blog for your art business? To build a community of supporters and like-minded individuals. I think this is the main point of starting a blog for your art business (or any business), besides just getting your images out there and seen by as many people as possible.
As time goes by and people start following your blog you will find fans of your work. You will also connect with other bloggers to create a supportive community for your art business! Not only does this drive traffic to your blog but it will boost your confidence and allow you to blossom into the creative entrepreneur you want to be!
Show your artwork to the world on your blog!
How to start blogging for your art business?
First of all you need to choose a platform that works for you. I like WordPress because it comes with a built-in audience. If you tag your post with the word “art” then it will show up on anyone’s reader feed who follows the “art” tag.
Since art blogs are not as popular as blogs about, say, blogging, recipes, or health/beauty for example, I think it’s important to take advantage of this potential readership.
You could also consider blogging on Tumblr, Blogger, or another blogging platform of your choice. You can even self-host your site if you have the knowledge and funds to set it up.
Since you are showing off your artwork, when you are writing your posts you want to usepictures, NICE pictures. Art is a visual communication and, especially if your work is a hand made drawing or painting, you want the image to reflect your work as truly as possible. Try to make it true to colour, and as clear as possible. Show off your best work!
Write a little bit about your art – what inspired this particular piece? How did you make it? What materials did you use? What exactly is it? You don’t have to write a super long essay since you want the main focus to be your art, but just a couple of paragraphs will do.
Use alt tags when uploading your images – keywords describing your art piece – so it will show up on Google image search! This is very important and could be a key driver of traffic to your art blog. When you add an image to your post there should be a section to add alt tags. Search for “how to add alt tags on (your blogging platform here)” if you are having trouble finding it.
Connect with other bloggers. Follow the “art” tab and other tabs that interest you and start liking, following and reading other blogs! Eventually some of them will come check out yours too. You might even find other artists to collaborate with on future projects!
Share Your Blog Posts to Social Media
Now that you’ve written a blog post about your art, what do you do next? Share it! If you don’t already have a business Facebook page,Twitter, and/or Instagram account, start one now! Share your art and blog posts to each of these, and any others you enjoy using.
Pinterest– Pinterest is an image-based sharing website, which is great for artists, and can be a big driver of traffic to your blog. Pin to your own boards and try to join group boards for even more potential readers.
Add your social media and blog addresses to your social media profiles, and any other websites where you post your art.
Monetize your Blog: Sell your artwork online!
If you’re an artist then one of yours goals is probably to sell your artwork. Get started by checking out my post Selling Art Online for Beginners. Then you can show off all your products on your sparkly new blog!
I currently sell my work on the following Print on Demand websites:
Start with the sites listed above and see what works for you. There are also other ways to make money from your artwork and you can use your blog to promote these endeavors! Take a look at the Artist Resources section of my website for even more tips on how to monetize your art online.
Also, don’t sleep on collecting e-mail addresses. Encourage people to sign up to your e-mail list for first dips on your new art, products, and latest blog posts.
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has convinced you of the benefits of starting a blog for your art business, and given you some tips to get started!
Feel free to add any other benefits of blogging for your business that I might have missed. You can also ask any questions or post any comments in the section below.
On Zazzle you will get paid once your balance clears $50. You can request a payout to Paypal, or reach $100 to request a cheque.
Society6 pays automatically to Paypal, any balance on the 1st of the month following the 30 day clearance period. I am not sure if any other payment methods are available from them.
As you can see, I have ordered a few items for myself from both stores. Overall, I have been happy with my purchases from Zazzle and Society6.
It’s hard to compare the quality of items since I’ve purchased different types of items from each store. However, I think the products on Society6 look slightly nicer.
Society6 carries American Apparel brand, so their apparel is consistent quality but not *the best* in my opinion (shirts are a little thin). The cell phone case I purchased from them was OK, but didn’t provide much in the way of protection for my phone. The design looked quite nice and crisp however.
I ordered a biker tank from Society6 which has a nice image, but is very large (granted, it was unisex).
Zazzle’st-shirts are nice quality but the print fades after awhile (after several washes), which is to be expected. Some mugs I received looked OK but the image was little fuzzy. This may have been my fault due to not uploading high enough quality images).
Another point about Zazzle is that there are A LOT ofproducts to choose from, andnew items are added on a regular basis. This can be a little overwhelming. But, since there are so many options you can create niche stores for things like just t-shirts or baked goods or only home decor products for example. Personally, I am a little haphazard in my store and just make whatever my designs look the best on!
Society6 has a more refined list of products available in their store but they do add new products quite often. Their recently added throw blankets look really nice and cozy.
Leggings from Society6
Marketing of Products
Zazzle takes the cake in this regard, for having the simplest marketing options available. They have an easy “sharing” section on the product page where you can copy and paste different links, share to social media, or select a nicely laid out clickable product image with options for both HTML or BBCode. You don’t need to know any coding or even have an image editing software in order to advertise your products.
Under Zazzle‘s Affiliates section you will find various sized banners which you can use to generate referral traffic. If someone makes a purchase through those links you will receive referral income. Keep in mind — you can also received referral income on your own products ON TOP of your regular royalty!
Society6 has a curator link (similar to an affiliate link) on each product page. You can receive royalty on your own products or anyone else’s using this link.
One marketing initiative that Society6 does well is they will send an email before a big sale, such as Black Friday for example. In this email they provide you with templates overlays to help you create ads for your store so they look nice and consistent.
Shipping Costs
Unfortunately the shipping costs to Canada on Zazzle can be pretty high. If you are in the U.S. however, then their shipping rates are more affordable. They even have free shipping promotions (only one time in a year did I see this promotion though).
Society6, on the other hand, often has FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE promotions. Sometimes the promotion is site-wide, while other times they give you a special link for just your friends and customers. However, not ALL products qualify for free shipping, like the framed prints. They do a promotion like this just about once a month though which is awesome.
I think that is something you have to decide for yourself! There are a lot of factors to take into consideration such as your art style, how comfortable you are with HTML coding, and how much time you have to put the work in for designing and advertising your products.
In my opinion, if you’re trying to sell prints of your fine art then Society6 might be better for you. If you like design and making text-based graphic t-shirts and invitations then Zazzle will be your thing. Try both and see what works for you!
For me, having stores on both websites is great for maximizing exposure. I also sell on a few other websites like Redbubble, Teepublic and Amazon Merch.
I hope you have found this guide detailing the differences between Zazzle vs Society6 useful. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below, and follow my blog if you like what you’ve seen here!
