That’s right. I’m having a giveaway on Instagram! It’s my way of saying, Thank you. Thank you to everyone following me and taking the time to support my art. One lucky winner will receive the 4×5 inch watercolor painting shown in the image above. To enter, be sure you’re following me here:
http://www.instagram.com/amandamakepeace
Then, follow the directions in this post:
The deadline to enter is July 15th!
You were with me till I mentioned bugs, right? Hear me out! These are three fun art challenges happening in June. Like #mermay and #inktober, artists will be sketching/drawing/painting daily based on one or a combination of these themes. You’ll be able to follow these hashtags on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook:
#JuneFae – All things Fae: Fairies, Pixies, Brownies, Hobgoblins, etc.
#Junicorn – That’s right, a month full of unicorns!
#JuneBug – Bugs!!! Bugs aren’t your thing? Are you sure… The insect world is full of beautiful creatures like moths and butterflies.
These daily art challenges are open to everyone and it’s up to you whether you post daily or maybe weekly. Tag your posts with one or all of the challenge hashtags. Invite others to join in! Art challenges are a great way to explore new mediums, improve upon a skill or break out of a creative funk.
I’m going to use the challenge as part meditation and part art experiment. Much of my art tends to be detailed and leans more toward realism. For #JuneFae I’ll be creating spontaneous little tree sprite doodles with Walnut Ink (and occasionally with a little gold pigment added). These mini paint sketches will be a fun departure from my usual work! Below is a test sprite I doodled this week in preparation.
Here are some of my artist friends who will be participating too.
On Friday’s throughout June, be sure to also tag your #junefae art with #fairyfriday. Meredith Dillman will be sharing posts to her @FairyFriday Twitter account!
Instagram has become one of my favorite social media outlets. I love following my favorite artists (and art directors) for a peek into their lives and studio adventures. Photos from exhibitions and conventions I can’t attend are a special treat. I even follow a few authors too! Instagram’s unobtrusiveness is what attracts me most. There’s a lot to see, but it’s not being thrown in your face. There are no obligations to like everything that scrolls across your dashboard, nor to write a monologue. For someone as visual as I am, posting a photo with only a few words is perfect and it keeps the introvert in me happy. Instagram is also a great marketing tool. Sharing works in progress and sketches are popular posts, plus the app is able to share to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr all at the same time. Perfect.
Below is a taste of the types of images I post. I usually tell people I post photos of art, trees and cats.
http://instagram.com/amandamakepeace/
1. Hashtags are your friend. This is a hashtag –> #art #catsofinstagram #dragoncon. Posting a few, as they relate to your photo, help others find your posts. If I want to see who else is posting photos from Dragon Con I can click on the hashtag in the app and see all the photos being posted with that tag.
2. If someone comments on your photo be sure to respond by placing a @ in front of their username (ex. @amandamakepeace), otherwise they won’t see your response.
3. Fill out your profile completely and don’t forget to add a link to your website or shop!
4. If someone leaves you a spam comment you can block them. Go to their profile and click on the rectangular icon with the arrow (top right corner in the iOS app) and choose to block or report.
5. Building a following takes time. Be consistent with your posts, don’t over post, and interact by leaving comments on photos your love.
