Archival Arts Impressions

The majority of our artists/clients have a limited, working knowledge of  Adobe Photoshop . However, it is essential now that artists who are entering competitions join the digital age. 35mm slides have become 20th century artifacts. We have written several entries on this blog about creating files for juried shows. There are specific stipulations for preparing your images for services such as Zapplication or Juried Art Services .  Today we write to share with you that CaFE™  is now offering a service to resize your images for free on their site. We think this is all well and good. But artists should not become complacent about their digital images simply because they don't have to be concerned about negotiating the software. Making the entry process easier for uploading is a step in the right direction but this also increases the number of applicants. More than ever having excellent image quality will increase your chances of being invited to the show. So don't compr...

Probably right now your email in-box is overflowing with announcements from art show jury systems with names like Zapplication , Juried Art Services , Entrythingy and others. Digital files are now the preferred way for art competitions to present your work to the jury. In the long run this streamlined method makes it easier for all parties. Unfortunately, many artists don’t understand the technical language used in the requirements for the shows. The best advice we can offer is, if you don’t understand the digital media specs, but want to be involved in the process, have a professional photograph your art first and provide you with a TIff file. Then invest in Photoshop Elements , (about $70) so you can begin learning about resizing and manipulating digital images. Once you feel comfortable with handling the image files, you will probably know if you want to photograph your art on your own. When choosing a professional, make sure you have someone who does copy work or is familiar w...