MBPGrafix.com

YAY!! Houston we have lift-off!

After more tweaking than I thought would be needed I finally have a website I can call my own.
You can access it at http://www.mbpgrafix.com/

I also added a nifty little clicky box to the right of this blog that gives you instant access to the website.  

I do post this disclaimer. It's not totally, completely finished, but it's good enough to let everyone know that I am out there. There's a couple of fixes that need to be done on the Gallery page. I have information that is to come on a couple of the pieces listed. The Commission page might eventually need some revision as the images don't display in their entirety as I would prefer. However, when  you click on them, you do get the full image as it should look.

I want feedback, please!

As the heading suggests, I would appreciate any comments, observations, criticisms regarding the way the website looks and how easy (or not so easy) it is to move around.

Some explanations are in order:

 My palette -- so much more fun than my array of pencils

1) I have linked all purchases to my Etsy site instead of to a credit card procedure. I believe the fees on Etsy will be less expensive than the credit card fees. If an interested person does not have an Etsy account, they can still contact me directly. Good idea or bad idea?

2) PayPal may be something that I will add later. I actually prefer to use PayPay personally as it is more secure for financial transactions than internet credit card purchases. Nonetheless, if someone requests a Commission, then I can still send an invoice via PayPal.

3) My Bio page tab also has a pull-down menu that lists awards, achievements and so forth. Is that too obscure or not easily seen to access? I'm not big on artist's statements. I think most of them come across as being hokey. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I do enjoy telling and listening to stories and that's the only message I truly want to convey.

4) Blog Tab is pretty self-explanatory. If you are reading this blog, then you know where that blog tab will take you!

5) Clicky buttons along the bottom. I registered for a Pinterest account earlier this week, but I don't have it set up yet. Not sure if that link works yet or not because of that.

5) Website Design tab was a last-minute addition. After lengthy discussion with my Webmaster, Stephen Schauer of NKY Bluegrass Computers, we realized that with my design and writing skills and his technical savvy, we could produce solid web pages for businesses and individuals at relatively low cost. It's clearly an area that I will be investing more time in this coming year. If you are interested in talking with us or know someone who might be interested in developing a website, then please remember us for your referral!

Let me know what you think of the (Nearly) Final Product! 

Art-ing

 

I haven't neglected the real reason I have this blog and put together the website -- my artwork.

I have produced a couple of oil paintings since the last posting in mid-December. 

Cardinal 1

Blue Jay 1

Both of these will eventually be listed on the Gallery page. I am not thrilled with the photographic image of the Cardinal. Every time I took a photo of the painting I kept getting a feedback glare. The colors on the bird are not as harsh as it looks on the image shown here. I may have to get the image shot professionally. Or at least by someone who is more skilled than I am.

NEXT BLOG PREVIEW: I will discuss how to price artwork. What goes into my thought process in setting a fee. This is always a great cause of angst among artists. If you charge too much, do you scare away a potential client? If you charge too little, does a potential client think you don't have respect for your own work? For the non-artists among you, this may not seem like much of a dilemma, but it truly is a topic of much discussion among artists.