(by 6 people)
Who is PaintDog (aka Ann Ranlett) and what does she know about buying art online?
I'm an artist and illustrator specializing in pet/animal portraits and nature illustrations. I also do some graphic design and web design and maintain a number of my own web sites.
I've been offering my own art on my web site, CafePress and eBay for a couple of years now. Sales don't happen overnight and it takes a while to gain customers, but I think it's an important piece of the marketing puzzle. I'm fortunate to have a steady stream of pet portraits to keep me busy - most of the portrait work comes via word of mouth and local marketing. But I also think it's important to market my art in other ways to build my customer base. In addition to portraits and other original works, I reproduce my art on cards, magnets, earrings and as prints.
I have another Squidoo lens that contains most of the info you'll find here, but I wanted to consolidate the art buying stuff on one lens.
Buy Art Directly from the Artists Who Create It!
Self-Representing Artists Rule. . .
If you're looking for art online, a good place to start is to buy directly from the artists who create it. We want our art to go to a good home and we want our buyers to be satisfied with their purchases. eBay even has a "Direct From Artist" (formerly "Self-Representing Artists") category for art listings, so if you're shopping for art on eBay, that's a category to check out (I've added a link in the section below).
One of the types of art you'll run across are mini works of art known as ACEOs or ATCs. Check out the section below to find out more about these little gems. There are some other art acronyms you'll see (SFA, art2/Art Squared, OSWOA, etc.). I belong to some of the groups that use these acronyms, I've compiled a list of acronyms - see the sections below for more info.
One of the types of art you'll run across are mini works of art known as ACEOs or ATCs. Check out the section below to find out more about these little gems. There are some other art acronyms you'll see (SFA, art2/Art Squared, OSWOA, etc.). I belong to some of the groups that use these acronyms, I've compiled a list of acronyms - see the sections below for more info.
Buy Art from the Artists at These Sites
- My Web Store
- Buy cards, reproduction prints, photos, earrings and magnets directly from my store.
- My eBay Store
- In addition to auction listings, I have a store where items featuring my art are always available. You'll find earrings, matted prints, check book covers, original ACEOs and more.
- ArtCardsWanted
- A site just for ACEOs/ATCs
- Art by Us - Real Art. Real Artists
- A source for original art and limited edition reproductions - direct from the artists.
- Buy Art Direct from the Artists on eBay
- Buy art from the artists who make it!!
This will take you to all the art listings by the artists themselves. From there you can narrow your search. Formerly known as "Self-Representing Artists", eBay recently changed the category to "Direct from Artist".
Oh, and if you're browsing by category (drawing, painting, etc.), be sure to check out "other" since a lot of our work got placed in that category by default when eBay changed the category system. Many of us haven't had time to revise all our listings yet! - CafePress
- Lots of artists have set up their own shops featuring their art on merchandise such as mousepads, t-shirts, mugs, magnets, etc.
My shop is www.cafepress.com/annran - Etsy
- Another site where artists and crafters sell their own work.
My shop is annran.etsy.com - Zazzle
- Another site where you can find art on merchandise is Zazzle. Similar to CafePress, but it also has a community set-up. Sort of a hybrid between CafePress and MySpace.
My shop is www.zazzle.com/annran
I set up on Zazzle in order to offer square format magnets, something that CafePress doesn't yet offer.
Art for FieldHaven Feline Rescue (A4FH)
A Group of Cat-lovin' eBay Artists Helping Cats & Kittens
eBay artists often band together to run a bunch of auctions for a specific cause. I was part of such a group last year when we raised funds for a family of gorillas in the African Congo. See the section about that elsewhere in this lens.
When I learned that my favorite local cat rescue organization needs to raise $150,000 to remove their existing cat trailer and replace it with a new building, I thought "hey, the gorilla auction project raised a nice chunk of change, maybe I can spearhead a similar project for FieldHaven!" And that's just what I did. Our "Art for FieldHaven (A4FH)" auctions ran September 6 - 15, 2008.
I was honored to have over 20 talented and generous artists helping me with this project. We listed a wide variety of original and reproduction art, with anywhere from 10 - 100% of the final price from items sold going to FieldHaven. The final tally was nearly $600. A respectable contribution!
One of the items I listed didn't sell, so now it's in my Etsy shop, a pencil & color pencil ACEO (small format drawing 2.5" x 3.5"):
Click on the image to see the listing.
Visit the Art for FieldHaven Feline Rescue blog for additional information about the auctions, the artists and FieldHaven.
FieldHaven still needs help raising money for this project, you can visit FieldHaven to find out more. Thank you for your interest & support!
Art for Critters - Art Sales to Help Animals
"Fine artists united to help creatures in need"
This group deserves special mention. I'm now a proud member of "Art for Critters", a group of artists who sell their work on eBay and regularly donate a portion of the sales to various animal rescue & support organizations. It was an honor to be nominated for inclusion in the group and I'm very happy to be a part of this team of talented, supportive and charitable artists!
There are 2 ways to make donations from eBay sales - through their "Giving Works" program or by having a previous arrangement with a specific charity and posting a letter from that charity in the auction listing.
The Giving Works program is coordinated through MissionFish. When a seller lists an item on eBay, they can choose to select a charity from a list provided by MissionFish and then specify the percentage of the final sale to donate. Giving Works auctions have this symbol
next to the auction title.I have a selection of items in my eBay store and at auction that benefit animal charities either through MissionFish or A4C. By being a member of A4C, I can support additional animal charities approved by A4C and I have access to the required letters from these organizations.
My A4C auctions
All A4C auctions
Etsy for Animals (efa) - More Art Sales to Help Animals
buy handmade - help critters
Etsy.com is another site where you can find great art. All items are handmade by the artists who sell there. One of the many groups on Etsy is "Etsy for Animals" - a team of artists who donate a portion of the proceeds from their sales to animal charities.
I've listed a number of items in my Etsy shop to benefit animal charities. Click here to find them.
Visit the EFA shop where 100% of the sales benefit the designated charity of the month.
Find out more on the EFA web site
The Art Community on eBay - Part 1
Info and Links
eBay has groups for all manner of categories, including art. It's a community where we can share our ideas, ask questions, develop marketing ideas, etc.
Here are the eBay artists' groups to which I belong:
ACEO/ATC Enthusiasts - A number of artists offer ACEO listings - small original pieces measuring 2.5"x3.5" - also known as Art Trading Cards. An affordable and fun way to start collecting original art. ACEO stands for "Art Card Editions and Originals". When artists list these little gems, they put ACEO in the title, so it's easy to search eBay for them. There's a ACEO/ATC web site. And also an on-line ACEO magazine.
Small Format Art (SFA) - art that's no more than 14" on one side. To find art in this format, search listings for "SFA". Visit the SFA web site.
Art Squared/art2 - square format art up to 14". To find art in this format, search listings for "art squared" or "art2". Visit the Art Squared web site.
Often, a single piece of art will fit into a couple of different categories - for example I often paint small, square format pieces - so one of those could be categorized as SFA AND Art2. Technically, an ACEO is also an SFA, but ACEO suffices for listing purposes because there's a whole group of collectors looking specifically for ACEOs.
More community groups in the next section below:
Here are the eBay artists' groups to which I belong:
ACEO/ATC Enthusiasts - A number of artists offer ACEO listings - small original pieces measuring 2.5"x3.5" - also known as Art Trading Cards. An affordable and fun way to start collecting original art. ACEO stands for "Art Card Editions and Originals". When artists list these little gems, they put ACEO in the title, so it's easy to search eBay for them. There's a ACEO/ATC web site. And also an on-line ACEO magazine.
Small Format Art (SFA) - art that's no more than 14" on one side. To find art in this format, search listings for "SFA". Visit the SFA web site.
Art Squared/art2 - square format art up to 14". To find art in this format, search listings for "art squared" or "art2". Visit the Art Squared web site.
Often, a single piece of art will fit into a couple of different categories - for example I often paint small, square format pieces - so one of those could be categorized as SFA AND Art2. Technically, an ACEO is also an SFA, but ACEO suffices for listing purposes because there's a whole group of collectors looking specifically for ACEOs.
More community groups in the next section below:
The Art Community on eBay - Part 2
Info and Links
Scratchboard Artists (SBA) - a group of artists who work in scratchboard. Visit the SBA website
Color Pencil Artists (CPAC) - a group of artists who work in color pencil. CPAC stands for Color Pencil Artists & Collectors - an acronym just created that we'll start using in our color pencil listings Visit the CPAC website
K9 Dog Art Show - artists "creating Doggone Good art".
Art for Critters (A4C) - "fine artists united to help creatures in need". Visit the A4C web site
Color Pencil Artists (CPAC) - a group of artists who work in color pencil. CPAC stands for Color Pencil Artists & Collectors - an acronym just created that we'll start using in our color pencil listings Visit the CPAC website
K9 Dog Art Show - artists "creating Doggone Good art".
Art for Critters (A4C) - "fine artists united to help creatures in need". Visit the A4C web site
Art Acronyms
An Alphabet Soup of Art Terms
If you're looking for art on eBay and some other art web sites, you'll run across these acronyms. Artists generally include at least one of these acronyms in the title of their auction listings. I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.
2UND - 2 Under (always 2" or under on a side)
A4C - Art for Critters (artists donate a portion of sales to animal charities)
ACEO - Art Cards, Originals & Editions (always 2.5" x 3.5" or vice versa)
Art Squared/art2 - anything 14" or less on a side but square
ATC - Art Trading Card
BOHO - not sure yet (but I think it has to do with "Bohemian" style)
CaaT - Complimentary Art and Things
CPAC - Colored Pencil Artists and Collectors
EBSQ - a formal organization of self representing artists - with membership dues and everything!
OOAK - one of a kind
OSWOA - Original Small Work of Art (always 4"x 6" or vice versa)
PAAO - Professional Animal Artists Online
SBA - Scratchboard Artists
SFA - Small Format Art, anything 14" or less on a side
ZNE - from 3 letters in "variaZioNE" - includes mixed media, altered art and collage art
2UND - 2 Under (always 2" or under on a side)
A4C - Art for Critters (artists donate a portion of sales to animal charities)
ACEO - Art Cards, Originals & Editions (always 2.5" x 3.5" or vice versa)
Art Squared/art2 - anything 14" or less on a side but square
ATC - Art Trading Card
BOHO - not sure yet (but I think it has to do with "Bohemian" style)
CaaT - Complimentary Art and Things
CPAC - Colored Pencil Artists and Collectors
EBSQ - a formal organization of self representing artists - with membership dues and everything!
OOAK - one of a kind
OSWOA - Original Small Work of Art (always 4"x 6" or vice versa)
PAAO - Professional Animal Artists Online
SBA - Scratchboard Artists
SFA - Small Format Art, anything 14" or less on a side
ZNE - from 3 letters in "variaZioNE" - includes mixed media, altered art and collage art
ACEOs - Affordable, Collectible Mini Works of Art
ACEO = "Art Cards, Editions & Originals"
ACEOs are small original works of art (although reproduction prints are also acceptable) that are the size of a baseball trading card and are a great way to collect affordable art. The only "rule" is that they must measure 2.5" x 3.5" (or vice versa). ACEOs may be matted, framed, traded, given as a gift within a greeting card, etc. The ACEO movement started on eBay and has spread to a number of other internet sites. You may also read about ATCs (Art Trading Cards), these are the same thing, but they are meant to be traded, not sold.
I've created a video about my ACEOs that you can see on YouTube. Watch the video
I started creating ACEOs in late 2006 and as I was warned, I quickly discovered they're addicting. But they're small, so they don't take long to do and they allow me to try out some new ideas/images that might someday become a larger painting.
The ACEOs below are currently available on-line. Click on any image for more information.
This one, "Puppy Love#1", is an original in watercolor & color pencil.
This one, "GraphiCat" is an original graphite pencil drawing.
I've created a video about my ACEOs that you can see on YouTube. Watch the video
I started creating ACEOs in late 2006 and as I was warned, I quickly discovered they're addicting. But they're small, so they don't take long to do and they allow me to try out some new ideas/images that might someday become a larger painting.
The ACEOs below are currently available on-line. Click on any image for more information.
This one, "Puppy Love#1", is an original in watercolor & color pencil.
"The Last Musk Ox" is an original drawing on black scratchboard, with red color pencil over the background. It's small but it's a detailed scientific illustration of a musk ox skull.
This one, "GraphiCat" is an original graphite pencil drawing.
"Western Skink" is a photograph (limited to a printing of 36) of a young skink I found in my garden.
I list my ACEOs (both originals and reproductions) on eBay and Etsy
I also have some ACEOs on ArtCardsWanted.com
Generally, I list new, original ACEOs on eBay first and if they don't sell, I either move them to my eBay Store or to my Etsy Shop. I post my latest ACEOs on my blog, so if you want to know when something new is available you can subscribe to receive e-mail from my blog or just grab the feed.
My Art on eBay
where I'm "drawdog5"
I list ACEOs, originals, earrings, cards and reproduction prints.
My current auctions are listed below. Click on any one of them to see the auction; from there you can find a link to all my current listings (including items in my eBay store).
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
My Art on CafePress Merchandise
T-shirts, Mousepads, Mugs, Magnets, etc. - Great Gifts!
Want to put your own art or ideas on fun stuff? Click here to get started!
Pug Dog T-Shirt
Price: 19.99 
Calico Cat Keepsake Box
Price: 23.99
Bunny #2 Rectangle Magnet
Price: 5.00
Cockatiel Mousepad
Price: 13.99
Greyhound Bumper Sticker
Price: 5.00
My Blog
Find out when I've created a new ACEO and read about some of my other projects.
Find out about my latest works! You can subscribe to the blog to receive e-mail updates or set up your own RSS feed - there's a subscription box in the sidebar. Or if you'd rather, just visit the blog on occasion.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byArt Helping Mountain Gorillas
eBay Artists - Sold Art, Helped Gorillas!
Our big eBay auction that ran from Sept 8 - 18, 2007 is over and we raised $2180 for the gorillas! Over 30 artists participated and we had well over 100 items listed. Sales were not as brisk as we'd hoped, but we are quite happy with the final $$ tally.
The purpose of this auction was to raise funds to help protect a family of mountain gorillas in the DR Congo in Africa. Artists donated from 10 - 100% of the final price of items sold to benefit the gorillas. The money went to Wildlife Direct, the organization which is coordinating the donations.
This is one of my items that sold: a graphite pencil ACEO (small format drawing 2.5" x 3.5"):
The original sold, but ACEO-sized reproduction prints and magnets are available.
The Sacramento Bee also picked up our story and I was featured in an article. Click here to read it.
Visit the Art Helping Mountain Gorillas web site for additional information about the gorillas' plight, Wildlife Direct, and to find out what other projects we have in the works.
If you'd like to help the gorillas, who are still in danger, please visit Wildlife Direct to find out more. Thank you for your interest & support!
YouTube Videos About Art
Check out these YouTube channels that feature art videos
Videos that show:
Artwork in progress (also known as WIP - work in progress)
Samples of art from individual artists
Samples of work from groups of artists
Artwork in progress (also known as WIP - work in progress)
Samples of art from individual artists
Samples of work from groups of artists
- My Channel
- here you'll find a number of WIP videos and a couple of videos that feature samples of my work
- DebCo Art's Channel
- Deb makes lots of great videos featuring art & artists. She's fantastic at promoting eBay artists and we thank her for that!!
- The Aerial Armadillo - Africa Series
- African art - lovely, vibrant work
- Where Darkness Lurks & Insanity Grows
- C. Deery's description - not mine! But it's cool art
- Art & Videos by Melanie
- Videos of her work and collections of others artists' work
- zJayne's Art
- zJayne makes copper and altered art ACEOs
Got Comments? Leave 'em here - thanks!
Lensmaster
H Wheeler wrote
I enjoyed your post. I believe one of the reason that I began to collect African Art was because the carvings of animals took me to natural the settings on that continent. Thanks,
Herman
www.theafricanartwheel.com
Posted March 06, 2008
d-artist wrote...
great lens Ann! love your art...thanks for being part of painting a panel for the Mural "Glory of Horses"
5* for you
Posted February 23, 2008
Ms_Appleseed wrote...
What a great lens! I really appreciate learning the glossary. I've been viewing the ACEO sites and works without a clue what they were. Thanks! I also really like your artwork! smalltownbiz
Posted October 03, 2007
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