30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 24

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"Take Me Out"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to view and purchase.

Many of us spend a lot of time on Facebook. I will admit that I am pretty addicted. For me Facebook is a wonderful way to share "current events" about my art, that is ...  what's happening right now. 

But have you ever wondered how well Facebook is working for you? There are two very cool sites that you can visit to get an idea as to how well your pages are doing compared to other pages similar to yours. And of course they are free.

I will warn you though. As well as I thought I was doing posting on Facebook it appears I still have a lot of work to do! Now, I know that about 90% of my posts are on my Profile Page and those aren't reflected in this study. But don't be dismayed with the results. Instead, look at the recommendations and learn from the feedback. It's awesome information!

So the Day Twenty-Four Challenge is to use at least one of these links to see how your Facebook Fan Page is doing. Please note, these only work for Pages, not your Timeline or Profile Page.

#1 - Compare your Fan Page with AgoraPulse Barometer
#2 - Score your page with LikeAlyzer

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 23

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"Another Lazy Day"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to view and purchase.

Today is the day we are going to get more people to like you. That's right. I am hoping that by the end of the day you will have a LOT MORE FRIENDS.

First off, you might want to create a photo badge similar to the one I created in ipiccy for my Facebook Fan Page. I am referring to the Profile Picture on my fan page that says "LIKE MY PAGE" with the big red arrow. I am pretty straightforward in my approach but it has worked really well! 
It is pictured below. 

As you may have guessed, the Day 23 Challenge is to create a badge like this (or something creative ... just make sure it is as obvious as mine). Secondly, you need to also post on ALL of your Facebook pages that you would like everyone to like your page. Why?

Asking people to like a post on Facebook works — it results in twice as many likes and comments as not making that simple request.

Momentus Media has found that asking for a like gets a 216 percent higher interaction rate than otherwise.

Also, Facebook’s own statistics have shown that users click on the like button more than they post comments, share content or do anything else on the site. So asking for likes jibes with what people are most inclined to do.

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 22

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"Early Morning Sun"

Oil, 24" x 18" framed.

Click here to preview and purchase.

I mentioned on yesterday's post a few of the the APPS that I use for my business. My list goes on and on ... but in my studio I love accuview and pandora. Accuview has a great grid and value finder program and it's probably the most popular one with my students. Pandora is my favorite station to play music. O-snap is what I use to record my demos. I put my iphone on a tripod and set the camera to snap a photo every minute. Then I just paint and don't worry about remembering to record my video!
I use picstitch on my iphone to create collages right on my phone. It's a great way to post a collage of photos on the go.

For my art business I am hugely addicted to invoice2go. It's is the basis for all of my financials and I love that I can create an invoice for a client on my iphone or ipad. Automatically all of the data is  synced to my computer. You can just email an invoice and the client can pay you via paypal. It's simple and the reports are amazing ... sales by quarter or month or year ... sales by clients ... basically you can track and review any reports you will ever need for your business. Finally, I use both Square and Paypal Here to accept credit cards. I use Paypal Here almost exclusively as now I like the ease of having the money deposited only in to my paypal account.

The Day Twenty-two Challenge is to incorporate a few of these (or other) applications in to your art business. If you don't have a smart phone there are many that you can use on your computer. They are great tools and will make your life a lot easier, I promise!

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 21

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The Day Tweny-one Marketing Challenge is to make sure you are caught up on all of the great APPS for your smartphone and tablet (ipad) that you can use for your business. Many of them are free but some cost money. I don't think many of them cost more than a few dollars and they are worth it!
Here is the first day of  "my" list. Please note that I have an iphone and ipad so I am going to speak to these devices. But please note that most of them are readily available for other smartphones and tablets.

1.  The first thing you need to do is add a link to your website and blog to your phone and ipad. It looks like all of the other apps on your phone and is a great shortcut to your own websites. It's really easy. Open up your website on your phone. Then click on the symbol that has an arrow inside a rectangle. Then click on the "Add to Home Screen" button.

That will take you to the screen below. Just name the APP for your phone. I named mine saetastudio. Once you are done it will appear just like an app on your phone. You should do the same for your blog.

2.  Evernote. If you don't know about this app then you need to. It's amazing and I use it to mark and file websites and all good ideas I find on the internet.

3.  Podcasts. This cool app lets you listen to all 155 Artists Helping Artists radio shows from your phone. Download the free app and then type in the AHA show. All of the new and old shows will be available for listening and it keeps all of the shows updated.

More apps will be in tomorrow's post!

 If you have any great apps that you would like to share then please leave the information in the comments below!

Leslie

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 20

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"Sunset Reflections"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel. 

Click here to view or purchase.

Believe it or not, we are two thirds of the way done with the 30 in 30 Challenge. Crazy to think isn't it? 

I just spent the entire day at the Balboa Artwalk which meant eleven hours in the sun but it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. Sales were wonderful and it was great to not only meet new clients but also a lot of fellow artists!

The Day Twenty Marketing Challenge is to write six goals for your art business. We have six months left in the year so plan on trying to accomplish one per month. Make sure the goals are realistic, attainable and measurable. 

Here is my attempt at coming up with six goals. (They are in no particular order).

1.  Finish my Palette Knife Painting Book

2.  Complete 30 paintings in 30 days during my September Challenge.

3. Schedule the AHA shows one month in advance (vs. two days in advance).

4.  Finalize and publish my 2014 workshop schedule by July 1, 2013.

5. Catch up on my financials monthly instead of semi-annually.

6. Slow down a bit. Relax and enjoy life.

So give it some thought. And write down six goals you would like to complete over the next six months.

Leslie

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 19

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"Here and There"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel

Click here to view or purchase. 

Adding videos on your website and blog can really attract new followers. I use to have a hard time adding videos to my blog as the size of the video never seemed to fit on my blog. So my blog post often showed only 2/3 of the video!

The Day 19 Challenge is to watch this video. It's a great resource that explains how to resize videos to fit on your blog. 

Then if you are really inspired, resize one of the videos you have already completed and post it on your blog. 

If you live near the Newport Beach, CA area be sure and visit the Balboa Artwalk on sunday, May 19th. My booth will be at South Bayfront and Ruby Street. Stop by and say hello!

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 18

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"Hanging With Friends"

Oil, 12" x 12" framed.

Click here to view and purchase.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted on her Facebook page that she was thrilled to have been selected as a Featured Artist on Jerry's Artarama Facebook page. When I clicked the link I thought it was pretty cool and I decided to enter my own art. Sure enough, two weeks later I was selected as the weekly Featured Artist and my art was on the cover of their Facebook page. 

If you aren't familiar with Jerry's Artarama they are a great art supply store. Although I haven't ever actually visited one of their stores in person (I don't think they have any in California) I have ordered from them online. In fact one year they offered a groupon discount that was almost 50% off a $150 purchase. I was so excited about the deal that I posted it on Facebook. A ton of my artist friends took advantage of the special. It was awesome!

Anyway, I ended up selling a painting as a direct result of being a Jerry's Artarama featured artist. So can you guess what today's challenge is?

Go to Jerry's Artarama Facebook page. It's pretty entertaining as last week they ran a "sloppy studio contest". You might want to check out the photos. Pretty scary. But hilarious.

Right below their Timeline photo you will see four photos. The last one says "Call for Artists ... Enter Fan Gallery". Click that link and fill out the form. Be sure to attach photos of your best paintings. Each week they pick 20 artists to be part of the Fan Gallery and one is selected as the Featured Artist. You can enter every week if you want. It's free to enter and you never know what might happen. 

Give it a try! This challenge should take you about five minutes ...

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 17

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"A Beautiful Day"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel

Click here to view and purchase painting. 

A social media "call to action" is an often overlooked element of an effective social media campaign. Social media sites (such as Facebook) get prospects, customers and the public primed to want to find out more about your art or to engage with you further. However, you always need to remember to lead them to the next step in your sales process.

Regardless of the platform—blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.—posts will receive better success rates if they contain calls to action, compared to ones without them. So, all the more reason to use them! On Facebook, posts that include the call to action to “share” one of your posts receive more shares, comments and likes. 

The Day 17 Challenge is to write a new post on Facebook, your blog or Twitter, but include a call to action. Ask them to "share your post". Or ask them to "leave a comment below". (Or why not ask a question to all of your readers about what you should paint tomorrow?) Sometimes just the act of inviting someone to share your post will be the encouragement a fan needs to take your suggestion. Once they share the post, it will travel on further to their colleagues, friends and family, thus expanding your reach. This is truly one of greatest benefits of social media!

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 16

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"Bright Reflections"

Oil, 6" x 6" with display easel.

Click here to view and purchase.

Most of us who have a blog have been offering our visitors the chance to "follow our blog". When someone becomas a "follower" they automatically receive an email notification when a new post is published. Most blog authors aren't aware there is a way you can access all of these email addresses of your blog followers. So, the Day 16 Challenge is to send an email to all of these followers to see if you can add them to your newsletter mailing list.

Of course, first you need to figure out where to find the list. This website does a great job showing you how to find and download a copy of all of the email addresses. Just follow the link and simple instructions.

If you haven't already added the opotion on your blog go to Layout, then Add a Gadget and insert the widget called Follow By Email. It's very simpe and a great way to build your followers.

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed as you don't yet have a blog or newsletter, then you might want to sign up for my webinARTs 101 course. In a month you will learn how to create an art website, a blog, sell your art on Facebook and send out a newsletter. The classes are all self paced and online so you can take as long as you want to finish the class. It' not too late to start the May class. For more information or to register, go to the webinARTs website.

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 15

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"Hanging Around"

Oil, 12" x 12"

Click here to view and purchase.

Holy smokes. It's Day 15 which means we are half way through the Challenge. It's hard to believe. But you all deserve a huge congrats for making it this far! 

The Day Fifteen Challenge is fun. Today you need to give some thought about how you would like to package your art before it is shipped. I have always believed that opening the box should feel like Christmas to my buyers. Today I received a message from a new buyer that read "Hi Leslie, the painting arrived today and is absolutely beautiful! The ribbon is such a nice touch - it made me feel as though I were unwrapping a wonderful gift! Thank you so much for the beautiful note cards, as well! They're so pretty that I hate to send them away!" Now that is how I want every buyer to feel!

Here are some images of gift wrapping that I have used for my paintings:

So now it is your turn. Decide on how you want to "gift wrap your paintings". Shop the internet and get some inexpensive supplies. (You can try one of my favorites like Paper Mart). Be creative, have fun and make your buyers "unwrapping experience" feel like Christmas!

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 14

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"Catching the Light"

Oil, 11" x 14"

Click here to purchase.

The Challenge for Day 14 is to offer something free on your blog today. It can be anything ... a free download offering a studio tip, a helpful hint for collectors, a contest with a free prize (such as notecards, a calendar, etc.) ... anything. Share it on your blog and be sure to post it on facebook. Then add the link below so all of us can have a chance to win or get something free! 

Seriously though, you can create some excitement and interest on your sites by offering a free giveaway. But don't be shy about asking the potential winner to do something to be entered in the contest. You can ask them to sign up for your newsletter or just comment on your blog. Keep it simple and have fun!

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 13

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"One Fish, Two Fish"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase.

Day 13 of the Marketing Challenge is a good one. But this one is going to push you a bit out of your comfort zone. Today you need to get out of the studio and head in to town and talk to someone local about your art. Now I know you are wondering what I mean by "someone local". Ideally, you will go to a local store, restaurant, furniture store or interior designer. Grab a business card, your ipad and some photos of your art and just walk right on in. Tell them about your art and explain that you would like to sell your art at their business. Be prepared to pay them a commission (of course) so you will need to think about it first.

But don't think about it all day and then convince yourself that it's too late to head out in to town.

I know I am asking a lot. But this could be huge for your art. And if you have a story to share about this Challenge, please post a comment below!

Leslie

Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 12

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"True Love"

Oil, 6" x 16" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase this painting.

The Day Twelve Marketing Challenge is to keep you updated with the latest marketing ideas. I made a list of some of my favorite blogs that offer great tips on how to sell anything online. All you need to do is sign up to follow one, which means you will get an update in your email whenever there is a new post. (And it is okay if you choose another blog to follow because there might be one out there that you like but haven't officially signed up to receive daily updates!)

Here is my short list:
Artists Helping Artists (hopefully you are already following this blog!)
chrisbrogan.com
Flyte
Mashable
Entrepreneur.com
Social Media Examiner
likeable.com
Social Media Explorer

I am hoping this challenge takes you only about five minutes. Since it's Mother's Day, you deserve an easy one today! Enjoy this special day to hug your mother, children, sister, husband or friend. Being a mother is the best job in the world. Enjoy!
Leslie


Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 11

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"Sunlit Sunflowers"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel

Click here to purchase.

I recently came across a wonderful list titled 30+ Places to Promote Your Art. It's a list of more than thirty online sites where you can promote your art and many are free. It's a great resource and I think you might find some of these are a great place for you to get your art out there and seen!

There are at least ten websites listed that are free. So the Day Eleven Challenge is to select at least one of the free ones and add your art. You never know what can happen and the more places your art can be seen the more likely you are to sell! If they are free, I always ask, why not?

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 10

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"Along the Canal"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase.

Most artists would like to have their art sold in Art Galleries. We know that when people are looking for art they usually head to art galleries. But getting your art in an a Gallery is an entirely different story. 

The Day Ten Marketing Challenge task is to start researching potential galleries where you can sell your art. The last thing you want to do is contact a gallery before you are ready.

First off, you need to start a list of all of the galleries where you would like to show your art.  The database can be in the form of a list, notebook or spreadsheet, it doesn't matter.

Make sure the galleries have a history of showing your type of art and then create a database, which includes:

                        the name of each gallery,

                        a list of the artists they represent

                        the address,

                        the telephone number,

                        the email contact ,

                        a web page if they have one,

                        a contact name.

Next you need to peruse the websites of each gallery and read what their specific guidelines are for submitting artwork. Print out a copy and keep this information organized by gallery name. 

Did you know the best way to get your art seen by a gallery is from a referral of an artist currently showing in their gallery? Look at the galleries list of current artists. If you are lucky you might know a few of them. Visit their websites and learn as much as you can about the artists they already represent.

Of course you need to visit the galleries (if they are nearby) and get to know them. Study the art, prices, artists, styles, etc. 

Based on the gallery submission guidelines start a "to-do" list of all of the things you need to have before you approach the galleries. Do you need a resume, CD of images or a portfolio? Make the list and keep it in front of you so that you can make progress on all of the items you need to approach the galleries.

When you are ready, submit your information based on each of the gallery guidelines. One week after you have submitted your information follow up with a phone call to the gallery. This is a very important step so don't skip it!

I know what you are thinking ... wait, this takes more than 30 minutes! Of course it does. But today you should be able to start researching galleries and create a list of those you are interested in. Then create your database. And as time permits over the next month or so, continue to follow the rest of these steps. 

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 9

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"Heading on Down"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase. 

Day Nine of the Marketing Challenge is to pull out a camera and take a few demo photos while you are painting your next painting. You can use a nice camera or even your smart phone. Just make sure to crop the photos and post them on your blog and Facebook. They don't need to be fancy, just make sure they show how you painted the painting.

Posting demos of your painting process is very important. Most people love to watch the step by step creation of just about anything so posting demo photos can really help you draw in your audiences. It is important to take as many photos as you can while you are painting in your studio. Then post the photos on your blog and Facebook page with a photo of the completed painting (for sale, of course!).

After you have completed this task, post a photo of the completed painting below and include the link to your demo. I realize this may take you a few days so you can post on this blog post all week!

By the way, if you are taking this month's webinARTs 102 class, today you will learn how to use a new APP that will automatically take photos for you on your iphone or ipad, at the timing intervals set by you! It's not too late to sign up!


 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 8

Pin It Everybody likes to buy paintings from an artist that is selling. So it is time to start talking about your paintings when they sell.

The Day Eight Marketing Challenge is to clean up your website and blog by marking any sold paintings as SOLD. It's not too late to do this. Red dots work great on your website or the you can just add the word SOLD in red below each painting.

On your blog, you should add the word SOLD to the title of the blog post. That way when your blog post shows up on someone else's blog roll everyone will know it is sold.

Here is an example of this.

You also should post on Facebook when a painting sells. It's not bragging, rather you are just reporting really great news to your fans and collectors. It's easy to do as you can see below.

Have fun with this task. And remember, when you sell a painting it is okay to tell everyone it sold!

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 7

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"Under the Sun"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase. 

The Day Seven Challenge is to "spruce up" your Facebook Page. There are a lot of things you can do to achieve a "new look" on your Facebook pages. But the easiest one is to update your photos.
I have seen a lot of Facebook pages that have the wrong size photos which isn't surprising as the Facebook standard photo sizes aren't that easy to find.
I have found a wonderful photo cheat sheet that lists exactly the right sizes for all of the photos on your Facebook page. I have had a printed version of this hanging in my office for months. It's a great reference tool.

The first thing you might want to do is replace the Cover Photo on your timeline or Fan Page. This is the large horizontal photo that everyone sees when they come to your page. It defines you. If you select a photo and crop it to the exact size you need (851 x 315px) then it will look great.

Then start updating some of the other photos on the site. Just be sure to re-size them first so they will all look terrific!


 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes. Both the 101 and 102 webinARTs classes started Monday of this week but it's not too late to sign up!

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 6

Pin It The Day Six Challenge is to create a few photo badges for your website and blog. These are created almost exactly like yesterday's collage but are even easier to create!

Here are some samples of the badges I have created:

 

Instead of using words to link to a page on my website I use photo badges.  Statistics show that your visitors are 50% more likely to click on a photo link vs. a text link.

You can create the photo badge in ipiccy or picmonkey. All you have to do is upload a photo, add a frame and then add some text. Save the photo badge as a jpeg file and then add it to your website or blog or Facebook page. To add the badge to your blog, use the "add a gadget" option on the Layout page and select "Image". Be sure to include a link so that the badge will take your follower to a page on your website.

Once you have created your badge, post your favorite below and include a link to the appropriate place on your website or blog. Enjoy!




Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.

30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days - Day 5

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"Perfect Day"

Oil, 12" x 12" on canvas panel.

Click here to purchase.

The Day Five Challenge is to create a collage featuring some your paintings. If you follow my blog or Facebook page you know that I post collages all of the time. In fact the collage featured below was created as the banner for this Challenge. All of the pictures in this collage pertain to marketing but most of the collages I have created feature my paintings. 

To create a collage go to the website ipiccy and click on "collage". Your collage can include two pictures or 30, it's up to you! It is so easy and when you are done you just need to save the collage to your computer. You can add text as I have done here by adding a frame and adding space for a caption.  

Once you have finished creating your collage post it on Facebook and share it in a blog post. Also add the collage here on my blog and include a link to your website or blog. 

In case you are interested, I added numbers to the collage to clarify what each photo represents:

1.  Postcard promoting my paintings.

2.  Postcard that says "Thank You" on the front. I enclose it with my paintings and it offers a discount on future paintings.

3.  The logo I created on logotournament.com for he AHA show.

4.  Spiral notebooks from vistaprint.com that I use as giveaways.

5.  One of the pages (September_ from my yearly calendar.

6. Postcard featuring all of my workshops and dates.

7. The "January" page from my calendar.

8. The front of my business card.

9. The inside of the color three-fold brochure I made on vistaprint.com.

10. The on-line photo badge I created featuring the embroidered AHA aprons for sale. (If you don't have one you should get one!)

11. Postcard promoting Leslie Saeta Fine Art.

12. The outside of my color three-fold brochure.

13. The front page of my blog.

14.  Postcard promoting my on-line webinARTs classes.

15. The full color printed folders used for my workshop handouts.

16. A collage created to highlight some of my paintings.

17. The on-line photo badge created to promote my Cyber Sale event.

18. My Facebook Timeline page.

19. Keychains printed at vistaprint.com to use as giveaways.

20. The on-line photo badge to promote my webinarts classes.

21. The online photo badge used to promote my workshops.

22. The "august" page of my calendar.

23. The on-line photo badge to promote my Monday Open Studio.

24. The photo used to promote Day two of my annual "Twelve Days of Christmas" holiday giveaway.

25. My Facebook Fan Page.

26. The photo used to promote my Carriage House, my studio where most of my workshops are taught.

27. Mugs printed at vistaprint.com used during my workshops (I hate Styrofoam cups!!!).

28. A luggage tag used as a giveaway.

29. The home page on my website.

30. A photo (of me) to promote the AHA aprons.

 Check out my upcoming palette knife painting workshops and my webinARTs classes.