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David Dehner

3 Years Ago

New Members - Start Here

I Just Joined Fine Art America / Pixels Now What Do I Do?



OK – you have some great photographs or you have been painting and have a bit of an inventory that can make you some money.
So you joined FAA and you are ready to sell your original paintings and/or prints of your photographs and/or paintings and great products featuring your images.


Great move on your part, FAA is the perfect place to do all that, but how do you get started?


You could just start posting your images and filling in the info required and hit the submit button – There, that was easy, now just wait for the sales to roll in. Right?



Not quite that easy - Although some members do just that and actually make some sales. If that is what your intent is you can stop reading and go for it.

If you are serious and want to have the best chance at success then let’s do it the right way.





1. Profile Image

Uploading a profile image is very important for your success. You can use any image you want. (G Rated Only). Some members think the wackier the image the more attention it will get. That is entirely up to you.

My feeling is post an image that will instill confidence in your potential customers. A nice portrait of yourself is a good choice (close up) not so far away that you cannot be seen.

One of your best paintings or photographs can also be a fine choice – but do pick an image and complete your Profile Image. If you do not place a profile image you will not be found on FAA/Pixels.



2. Enter Your Biography

I would suggest before you go any further you should enter your Biography. Here is where you tell your story.

Author Martin Stellar said.

Even if your story is in itself not all that unique or remarkable, you need to tell it and I'm about to explain why. This is important: Don't think for one moment that your story isn't important or remarkable enough. Your story is important. It is remarkable.

Not because of what that story is, but – and this is the crux of the whole idea – because your story makes you more human. Telling your story makes it easier for people to identify with you. You become more relatable to others when you have a story, any story (as long as it's true of course). People will be more endeared to you; people will like you more because of your story.

And that is the great importance of it all: People need to know, like and trust before they decide to buy something. Your story largely takes care of that liking part. Trust me. Even if you feel that your story isn't spectacular or doesn't matter. It's your story.

It matters. It helps people like you more; it helps build trust and engagement. Your story helps you sell your art.

Tell your story.

Just a few things that should not be in your story. Do not say things like.

“I am an amateur”. “Please buy my images, I need the money”. “I just purchased a camera and started shooting”. “Last week I bought my first canvas and found I love to paint”.

If any of these things are true – you don’t need to lie – Just don’t add them to your Biography.





3. Default Settings

Now is a great time to fill in all your markups – this is the amount of profit you get for each sale.

Go to Settings and then GENERAL click on the DEFAULT SETTINGS. Take your time and fill in all your markups. When you are finished do not forget to click the SAVE CHANGES button.

If there are items you do not wish to sell - just leave the mark-up blank - no -0 no - dash - just blank.

Now when you upload images all your markups will automatically fill with the amounts you selected in the DEFAULT SETTINGS.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE?

That is entirely up to you – no one can tell you what to charge for your work. If you’re unsure you can search the site and see what other artist are charging for their work.



4. Create Your First Product

You’re ready to upload your first image

Make sure your presentation is impeccable. When your artwork is poorly photographed, it says you don't value it. Take a look at your photos or scans and be honest with yourself about this. Is your work treated and shown as if it has great value? Give your work the treatment and presentation it deserves.

Just above your profile image - Click Upload Image.

TITLE – Give it a short but descriptive title – “A Beautiful Scene” will not tell perceptive buyers that your image is actually a Butterfly on wildflowers in Central Park.

The site will automatically populate keywords and descriptions, Plus, you have the flexibility to supplement or modify the autogenerated metadata according to your preferences. Whether you want to add additional keywords or fine-tune the descriptions, the choice is yours.

KEYWORDS – Very important for internal search – you can use up to 500 characters, use them all if you can. Note: they must relate to the image. Do not use words or phrases that have nothing to do with the image you are uploading.

DESCRIPTION - Just like your biography when you're uploading art into your gallery, use the "Description" field to tell the story behind the art. Google loves a good story and that can help you in searches. Tell what it is, where it is, why you created it or photographed it.

Pick your Artwork Category and fill in your medium,


Now scroll down and adjust your image on the products you wish to sell. Taking a few moments now to adjust the images will let your potential buyers see them in the best viewpoint.

Don’t forget to hit the SUBMIT button when you are done.

Now you have your first image posted, Very little will happen until you have at least 10 images posted. 100, 200 or 1000 is even better.


Once you get started on any POD site - It is up to you to drive customers to your work. The site will advertise the general site but it is not their job to drive customers to your specific work - that is your job. Use social media, blogs, business cards, art shows, anything that will drive folks to see your work on your sales page.


5. Getting Paid

You followed all the suggestions above and you’re ready for your 1st sale but you need to do the following to get paid your markup.

Go to Settings and then Accounting open Payment Information and enter your PayPal email address. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can set one up for free by visiting http://paypal.com.

If you live in the USA before leaving Accounting open Tax Information and fill out all the information.

Remember – you won’t get paid until you complete this section.


6. Settings

Take a tour of Settings, open all the links and take your time reading all the great things you can do with your new membership. There is a wealth of information at your fingertips.

If you still have questions go to the Main Discussion board and open the “Sticky” posts. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage because there is a great deal of helpful information there.


Still have questions? Search for your question on the main discussion board - Not There? - Post your question on the main discussion board – There are a lot of friendly and knowledgeable members ready to assist.

Note: do not post private information on the discussion board it is a public forum.


Still scratching your head about an unanswered question? Get to the bottom of any page and open the Contact Us button.

Customer Service (For Orders Only)

Technical Support is for members with technical questions about using the site.


Good Luck, Welcome and Enjoy

David Dehner

Reply Order

Post Reply
 

David, I reactivated this so people could ask for help direct. I hope you do not mind

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

I was surprised to see it here - But No - I do not mind at all.

 

Monisha Singh

3 Years Ago

Thank you, this post was very informative because I just joined today.

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Your welcome Monisha - glad it was helpful

 

Stefani Ivanova

3 Years Ago

This was really helpful thanks!

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Your welcome Stefani - Remember to rotate your profile picture so we can see you better : )

 

Sally Stone

3 Years Ago

Thanks for reposting this, Abbie. This was very helpful in getting me started.
I have a question about submitting art:

I'd like to submit a .png that's used only for t-shirts.
I'd like to submit a separate .jpg with my own background for other artwork.

If I do NOT want the .png to be used for other artwork, do I simply delete the pricing? Please advise.

***
I have a second question about image collections and galleries.
Does the art I upload automatically populate my image collections? If not, how do I set up galleries and image collections?

Thanks for your support as I figure out the workflow here!javascript: document.replyForm.submit();

Sally

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Sally,

When you are uploading an image each product (Apparel, Puzzles, Tote Bags, etc.) will have a "Customize Product" Button, select that button and that will allow you to size the image and upload other images such as PNG images.

So you can upload a JPG for the main image and also upload a PNG for select products.



Collections:

On your main page - click on "Collections" just below your profile image >

Top Center of page click on "Create New Collection" >

Fill in the collection Name and Description > Don't forget to hit the submit button >

Now - While you are uploading an image and customizing products you will see your collections and you can chose to add that image to any of your collections.



I would suggest you go ahead and hit the "Upload Image" button just above your Profile Picture and run though a practice upload - you can back out anytime before you hit submit and this will help you get used to the upload tool.


Same with the rest of the site - just visit all the areas of the site to see what everything does.

 

Tony RIGGINS

3 Years Ago

Im having trouble submitting my artwork due to the file format and I have tried several acceptable formats could someone be kind enough to instruct me the proper way so I don't pull what little hair I have left out.

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Tony,

This can happen when you have just uploaded from an SD card version or are using a mobile device. Their updates stopped images saving as jpg and are now saving as HEIC or HEIF

You can go into your settings on your mobile devise and change it to not do that.



This can also happen to any image.

You may need to open your photo editor and open the image and then RE-SAVE AS jpg or png

 

Lyne LM Seguin

3 Years Ago

Hi My name is showing Lyne Seguin, but I wish for my art for my profile, that LM Séguin would show no accent is ok
can you help me please thank you

if I want a shower curtain with one of my paintings for surprise, how could I proceed, thank you, i would buy it myself. Thank you

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Lyne,

If you only want your name changed next to your Profile Image you can follow the instructions below.

But if you want your URL changed you will need to contact Tech Support by scrolling to the footer of this page and using the Contact Us button.

To only change the name next to your profile image:
Hover over your name (Upper Right Corner) then - on the drop down menu
Click (Settings > Scroll down and hit (Contact Information) > Change your name and don’t forget to hit (Save Changes)
Remember – doing this will only make changes to the name on the screen – it will not change your URL


To purchase a Shower Curtain:

Go to your Pixels Store - https://pixels.com/profiles/lyne-seguin?tab=artwork

Sign in with your normal sign in information

Select the image you want > Click Home Décor > Shower Curtain and make your purchase.

The price you see on the screen is your price without your mark-up

 

Kathleen McCoy

3 Years Ago

Thank you for this information. I've been hopefully doing this correctly all this time, but I'm going back over things to make certain now.
I find it hard sharing information about myself, but if needs must then I will. I will try and make it more interesting to potential (hopefully) customers.

 

Ashley Pruitt

3 Years Ago

Will you get paid using the PayPal linked to the email the account is setup with or will it ask for you preferred PayPal when the time comes?

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Kathleen, I often go over my site to see what needs to be cleaned up or changed - Thanks for dropping by and reading my post. Glad you found some helpful information.



Hi Ashley, Welcome to FAA / Pixels glad you joined - - Have Fun creating and I wish you luck. - You just need to add the PayPal email you used to open your PP account.

 

Sally Stone

3 Years Ago

Hi David,

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try them out in the next couple of days. I don't mind experimenting, but having a few guideposts along the way is extremely helpful.

I'm also enjoying everyone else's questions and your answers. Very helpful.

Thanks,
Sally

 

Santosh Khadgaha

3 Years Ago

Great information shared for beginners on FAA. i just joined & thank you for the help extended.

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

I look forward to seeing some of your work Sally.


Welcome to FAA / Pixels Santosh - Good luck with your new endeavor.

 

Ann Pimblott

3 Years Ago

Thank you so much this was helpful. I have a question, I uploaded my bio on the fine Art America site but when I go to my personal pixel site my bio says coming soon. How do I add my bio to my personal website?
Thanks
Ann

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Ann,

I see your Bio on your Fine Art America and your Pixels sites.

When it comes to your Premium Pixels site you will need to enter your Bio again - the Bio does not auto fill in the premium site.


Open your Premium Pixels site > Sign In > Click Edit (Upper right) > Click Homepage (Left Menu) > Click About > Fill in your info and don't forget to hit Save Changes when your done.

 

Ann Pimblott

3 Years Ago

Thank you so much David I have updated it now. I know where to come with my questions now. 🙂

 

Ann Pimblott

3 Years Ago

Actually I just thought of another question. I have had one of my paintings featured in a group and I want to post a picture of it and thank them. How do I upload the picture to the message?
Thanks
Ann

 

David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Ann,

Just open the image in question >

Scroll down the right hand side until you see EMBED >

Under Embed - copy the code >

Paste that code in the discussion post >


NOTE: you will only see the code until you hit "Post Reply" - then the image will show

 

Leslie Brasher

3 Years Ago

David, this is such helpful information. Thank you!!! I have been trying to figure out if there is a way to have one of my images only visible to people I give a link to. I'm in a group of artists, and we want to upload the group logo so that members can order items with the logo. But we don't want people who are NOT members to be able to purchase items with the logo on them. Is this possible?

Thank you!

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David Dehner

3 Years Ago

Hi Leslie,

Yes there is a great way to do just that.

With a private collection - I see you already have three collections so this will be easy for you.



Making A Private Collection

You can make a private collection where only you or someone you give the password to can view the images in that collection.

Sign-In to your account

Open “Collections” Just under your Profile Image

Near the top of the page (Center) open “Create New Collection”

Name the Collection and just under Collection Description open the drop-down menu on Password Protected and select yes – Enter Password and don’t forget to hit “Submit” before closing.

Note: when you are signed-in you will be able to see the password protected images – But visitors cannot see them without the password.


If you want to keep those images private do not put them in any collection except that private collection.

You can have more than one private collection if you need to.

Now - give your group the password and you can all see them. - But no one else can.

 

David Dehner

2 Months Ago

Hi Dream Stuff,

You seem to be doing just fine in most searches –

When I search under Artist “Dream Stuff” you come right up –

When I search any of your image titles they come right up –

However, your Tags / Keywords are very basic (the ones that I can see)


vintage portrait vibrant modern fashion makeup style glamour digital abstract sunset whimsical flower summer rustic impressionism timeless reflection minimalist


These tags – If you search under “Keywords” will bring hundreds or thousands of results and the internal search will show maybe 25 pages – you being new may be on the 110th page.

You could try adding keywords that are more closely related to the image – locations are often a suitable keyword for instance Italy and maybe even the town name to drill it down further –

The more specific you are with keywords that match items, places and people in the image the better chances you have to be on those first 25 pages of results.



FAA / Pixels search takes into consideration many different factors when determining the sort order of the images.

It takes into consideration:

1. The relevance of your image keywords
2. The number of times an image has been sold
3. The number of times an image has been favorited
4. The number of times an image has been commented on
5. How long an image has been on the site
6. The number of times an image has been featured in a group
etc...

There are more than 25 different criteria that the search engine evaluates.

 

Dream Stuff

2 Months Ago

Hi David,
Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions! I really appreciate the time you took to share these insights. I'll definitely adjust my tags as you recommended, making them more specific to each image. I’m sure this will improve my visibility, and I’m excited to see the results!

 

Sarah Syed

2 Months Ago

Thank you for the post. I am reading it as I am setting up my shop.

 

Michelle Sarasin

2 Months Ago

Thank you for the great info!

 

Zxia Vonel

2 Months Ago

Thank you

 

Art Amor

2 Months Ago

Hi everyone I’m new here and I want to sell my hand painted work !! I invite all members to visit my gallery!! Waiting for comments!! 😁

 

Adrienne Wartts

2 Months Ago

Thank you!

 

Abigayle Melton

2 Months Ago

Hello I just signed up and I found this information very helpful

 

David Dehner

2 Months Ago

All new members,

Welcome to FAA / Pixels, so glad you joined us.

If you haven’t done so already a great place to gain understanding of how everything functions is to open the links in the FAQ thread.

https://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=4839599

When you’re done with the FAQ’s take a tour of Settings,
(Hover over your name – upper right corner – click on Settings in the drop-down-menu).
Open all the links and take your time browsing all the great things you can do with your new membership.

After Settings a wealth of information is in the Footer of this page – Grab a favorite beverage – Lots of info down there.

If you still have questions. Complete a search for the answer on the main discussion board - Not There? Post your question on the main discussion board – There are a lot of friendly and knowledgeable members ready to assist.

Have fun creating and best of luck.

 

Jessica Smith

2 Months Ago

Thanks for consolidating all of this useful info into one place!

 

Bella Hardy

2 Months Ago

I just joined today and I’m incredibly thankful I came across this discussion, it helped me get a much clearer understanding of how to use this platform. Thank you for putting the time in to make this post!

 

Sergio Iakov

2 Months Ago

Thanks for the detailed explanation, it helped me a lot

 

Timothy Wood

2 Months Ago

How does one get to the front of the line here? Over a million artists or works of art- and some of it is just snarky text "layouts" c'mon.

 

Alen Domancic

1 Month Ago

Grazie mille, sono iscritto da pochissimo e ora sto esplorando FAA, i vostri consigli mi saranno utilissimi.Grazie ancora

 

David Dehner

1 Month Ago

Hi Timothy,

Welcome to Fine Art America / Pixels.

In order to get to the front of the line here – one must work very hard to get their work in front of postlesional buyers.


Before we get to that – lets talk about the forum rules –

https://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=260080


Please note the three rules below -

7 No Rudeness or Personal Attacks: Treat fellow forum members with respect and refrain from engaging in personal attacks, insults, or derogatory remarks.

13 No Trolling: Refrain from posting inflammatory or provocative messages with the intention of disrupting discussions or provoking emotional responses from other members.

21. Refrain from disparaging or belittling artists based on their chosen medium, whether photography, traditional, digital, or AI-generated. All forms of art are valid expressions of creativity, and no member should be made to feel that their work is less valuable. Constructive criticism is welcome, but disrespectful comments, including suggestions that AI artists "have no talent," will not be tolerated. Repeated violations of this rule may result in suspension or banning from the forum.



Three are reasons and a place for Text Art other than prints (And they do sell prints) they are also great on t-shirts, tote bags, carry all’s, yoga mats, towels, coffee mugs, etc. and some members make great profits with text art.




Now lets get to how you can move toward the front of the line -


Here are your “Tips To Increase Sales”

https://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=7721696


In order to get in the front line on the internal search – keep in mind –

FAA / Pixels search takes into consideration many different factors when determining the sort order of the images.

It takes into consideration:

1. The relevance of your image keywords
2. The number of times an image has been sold
3. The number of times an image has been favorited
4. The number of times an image has been commented on
5. How long an image has been on the site
6. The number of times an image has been featured in a group
etc...

There are more than 25 different criteria that the search engine evaluates.

 

Richard Miles

1 Month Ago

I'm new. I have a premium subscription.

I can't see how to upload more than one image at a time. The only video I've see shows 3 options at the top of a profile page, but my profile page only allows me to create a new collection.

I've created a collection, but can't edit the icon.

The lack of help files is a problem. The lack of a support via chat or something is also a problem.

 

David Dehner

1 Month Ago

Hi Richard,

First let’s talk about the FAA / Pixel sites –

Your Fine Art America site will show all substrates of prints and Home Décor only.
Fineartamerica.com

Your Pixels site will show all substrates of prints and ALL other products.
Pixels.com
This is where you want to send your potential customers if you have not upgraded to premium.

If you have upgraded to Premium your Pixels Premium site will show all substrates of prints and ALL other products.
This will be the site you want to send your potential customers – They will see mostly only your art work with very few distractions or links to other artist’s work.


Your Artist sign-in and password is the same for all three sites.


You can also license your images on http://licensing.pixels.com as royalty-free and/or rights-managed licenses. If you choose to do so under settings.



All that being said – Your Pixels Premium site is where you want to send potential buyers – But – your reg Pixels site is the best place to upload on your sites – everything you upload to your pixels site uploads to all of your sites.

Your pixels site address is –

https://pixels.com/profiles/4-richard-miles/shop

Go to the page linked above and just above your profile image use the Upload Image button to upload one at a time or use the Upload Multiple Images button to upload five at a time. There are times when the multiple uploader has issues and you will need to use the single uploader.


To change image order in a Collection,

Click 'Collections from the Images / Collections / Shop menu, under your profile image
Then click Edit under the collection
You will then see the options to change the order of images,
Scroll down and change the order of your images
When completed, don’t forget to click the 'Submit' button to save your changes.

While in the edit mode – pick the image you wish to use as the logo image and hit the Use As Logo button all the way to your right.

 

Joan Blackwell

27 Days Ago

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I saved it and it will be read today. Love your site!

 

Patrick Kerwin

19 Days Ago

I'm just getting started - what size photographs should I upload?

Your info is very helpful, but is there another place where beginners can learn how to get started?

 

David Dehner

18 Days Ago

Hi Patrick, welcome to FAA / Pixels -


First of all, don't worry about PPI (pixels per inch) or DPI (dots per inch)... at all. Those parameters are irrelevant. All that matters is that actual size of your image in pixels (e.g. 5,000 pixels x 4,000 pixels).

You want to capture your images with the highest resolution camera that you have access to. A 10 megapixel camera is better than a 5 megapixel camera. A 20 megapixel camera is better than a 10 megapixel camera.

Your camera is going to capture an image, and the image is going to be a certain size (e.g. 5,000 pixels x 4,000 pixels). You want to take that image, clean it up if necessary (e.g. adjusting lighting, cropping, etc.), and then upload it to Fine Art America.

DO NOT ENLARGE YOUR IMAGE IN PHOTOSHOP.

If the image comes out of your camera at 5,000 pixels x 4,000 pixels... then that's it. You can't make it any larger. If you try to enlarge it in Photoshop, your image will instantly become blurry, blocky, and unprintable. If someone places an order for your image and your image has been enlarged in Photoshop, the order will be rejected.

If you want a larger version of the image, then you need to buy a higher-resolution camera. That's the only way to increase the size of your images.


Just upload the largest image your camera or scanner can produce - as long a s it is under 25 MB.


To learn more about the site - Open the sticky posts at the top of the discussion forum - Go to Settings and check out everything behind the scenes - Check out all the information in the footer of this page - including the FAQ

 

Patrick Kerwin

18 Days Ago

Thank you for the reply David, very informative. I didn't frame my question with enough detail though, sorry.

All of my SmugMug images that I'll be bringing over here are 24" (7,200 px) x 36" (10,800 px), the largest size I sell there, and some are over the FAA limit of 25 MB. If I decrease the MB size of an image, it will drop below the 24" x 36" size I want to sell.

 

David Dehner

18 Days Ago

Patrick,

The only limits we have are that one of your dimensions is going to be forced to fit the following list:

8″
10″
12″
14″
16″
20″
24″
32″
36″
48″

The other dimension will be scaled proportionally to maintain the aspect ratio of your image. Our largest print is 48" x 108" so if a square, for instance, you could only have a print made 48" x 48" - that would require your image to be 4800 x 4800 px

FAA goes by pixels - so our largest print of 48" x 108" would need to be 4800 px x 10800 px.

If you only want to sell up to 24" x 36" your image only needs to be 2400 px x 3600 px


If your images are over the 25MB - you can use photoshop to scale them down by moving the slide bar from 12 to 11 or even 10 without loosing sharpness or your pixel size.


When it comes to size of prints - I would suggest you price and sell the largest prints you can - FAA customers are known to purchase very large prints

 

Patrick Kerwin

18 Days Ago

Got it, thank you David.

 

Patrick Kerwin

15 Days Ago

Hello David

I am uploading my first photos - wondering why my images are "discounted" from retail price? I don't see that on other members images.

Patrick

 

David Dehner

15 Days Ago

Hi Patrick,

If you are Logged-in you will see the price that you would pay for your works -

If you look at your works while logged-out you will see the price your buyers will pay.

 

Patrick Kerwin

15 Days Ago

Ah, I should have known that, thank you David!

 

Kylie L

20 Hours Ago

Thank you David for explaining everything so thorough , It made such a difference as I just joined and this helped me tremendously.

 

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