Greeting Cards

Mola Butterfly

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

We went to Burlington County's Arts in the Park event Sunday and although it drizzled a little in the morning, the rain cleared up for the rest of the afternoon. As we left, just after 5:00, heavy rain clouds with pronounced lightning rolled toward us, so we were really lucky.

I'm happy to say that I sold 10 greeting cards, showing that my pricing is acceptable and there may be a market for my work. This is good news as we are going to try selling them from the BCC Gallery Art Store as soon as the display arrives. Now I have to work on the business end of the cards and decide on printing and marketing materials.

Taking Stock on Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Abstract Spiral

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

I'm holding my own in the Shutterstock marathon around 9th place. I am increasingly concerned that even with massive uploads, I am unable to boost or even maintain my sales. I'm disappointed, of course, but I know that everything changes in time and nothing is for certain. I still enjoy making and working with my images so maybe one day I'll reap more financial benefits.

Since change is inevitable, my list of things to learn has expanded. Not only do I want to get the Graphic Design Degree at BCC, but also learn HDR (High Dynamic Range imaging) which produces the most extraordinarily vivid photos, 3D rendering, animation, cartooning, website design and more about digital photography. I'm sure there's more I want to learn but I don't even know what I don't know yet! :)

Accepted into Alamy

Angel Wings

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

I now have a (very small) portfolio at Alamy. They require much larger images than the microstock sites do, so I have been working on re-rendering some of my fractal images to comply with their standards. Although it might take awhile, maybe years, to catch up with my Shutterstock portfolio, I will work on it when I have the time. It's another venue and may pay off at some time in the future. In any case, it's fun to revisit some of my older images.

Taking Stock on Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Colorful Kaleidoscope

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

After much deliberation, I've decided to give midstock a try. I've uploaded the required 4 images as a test to Alamy and am now awaiting a response. Alamy can take up to 25 days to process the images which is a lot longer than the microstock sites. But if I am accepted, it seems the reward is greater, even if I stick with the royalty-free portfolio. I'll have to study it more before I decide on other licensing agreements. I want to make sure I understand it all before jumping in. It will also be useful to see if my images are mid-stock worthy in the first place.

Taking Stock on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008

Ladybugs and Leaves

copyright (c) Joan Kerrigan

Although it still feels like summer, fall is on its way. I love the autumn season and look forward to the holidays and crisp cool days and nights.

But this fall, I'm really busy. I was right about my uploads suffering because of work and classes. To be frank, my income from microstock isn't increasing in proportion to my portfolio size. I'm sure there are many reasons for this, including market conditions and my questionable skill as an illustrator, so I'll continue to upload as I'm able. But the income from my job and the prospect of getting the AAS degree and a better job in the field have to take precedence right now.

I will be teaming up with the art gallery to attend an art show later this month. It is called "Art in the Park". It should be interesting and may provide an additional outlet for my printed works. The next show at the gallery is called Fall Frenzy and I will enter one or two works into that as well.