sizing

I've been putting options with a start size of 11x14 image size, and I think that was wrong.   I did that because basically, I was selling 11x14 frame size pictures when I was selling prints.  But the image size in those frames varied from 5x7 to maybe 7x9.
An 11x14 image size is basically a large size print. For me and the sepia style of prints.

selling the 20x20 and larger image size prints is inaccurate.

they would more accurately be

7x9 in 11x14 frames $250

11x14
up to 11x14 (10x13) in 16x20 frames ~400
16x20 (14x18) in 20x24 frames ~$500

When I think of image size, I'm thinking of traditional photography paper sizes. Wherein the paper would go on the easel and be held in place

Now I'm wondering about paper.  Should I have multiple paper options for the same print?  It seems as though I'm putting off the decision making, and risking turning it into a.  Offering stretched canvas, I can do that, but there's different frames, etc. I would have to have the frames separate from regular frames.  It's doable, but confusing. Just two types, paper, and metal. Maybe it should just be paper.
Ok, after checking, I do believe it should be just paper.  If I want to sell it as a metal print, it'd be easier to sell it as another product.

Putting work up

The more I work on the pictures, the less I'm worried about price.  It may be not the right price, but they look expensive, they take a long time to finish,  and I've sold them at this price before, so I'm sticking with the 300 level.  Which is not a lot, after framing, in some cases, I won't be seeing much.  But at least I want to see what i used to see on the street.

I still need to get finished putting work up.  Just need to get started.  cook, then do some more.

Live Art staging sites vs staged example

The thing about a wall staging app.  It means that the customer can upload a picture of their wall, to see what it would look like.  But you'd still have to upload the examples of what it would look like on any wall.  So for each variation, you'd have to have the picture already on the site.  So for example, if they wanted to see what an 11x14 print would look like in a natural frame, on a wall setting, you'd have to have the print in the frame, and the wall setting already there.  The drop ship sites have this engine built in, where you'd upload your image, and it can frame it virtually, you'd print that, and upload it to your site.

selling at a lower price

Another of my concerns is that etsy, for instance, caters to the below 50 dollar market.   I would like a service that caters to 200 and above market.

Most of the sites I look at are touting their 15 dollar offerings.  50 bucks.  What's the problem with 50 bucks?  If I'm not printing the images?

For shits and giggles, say we price our offerings at 110-300 or so.  We can open more shops.  At more outlets.

 

Print pricing

I spent some time looking at the photos on the Amazon fine art page.  My work is considerably better than many, if not most.  By my estimate, I should be selling it, as museum grade archival prints, for at least $1800.  All of it.  It's possible that the quand meme series would go for more.  The work should be for $1800 to $5000.  I shouldn't drop ship the prints. I should print them myself as such.

However, that limits what they can be.  I can't have the metal prints... I don't think.  Or I could have whatever I want.  Okay, so if I sell them for 300- 400-500, and drop ship the prints, will I sell more? That's the only question.  I can always lower the price.

Or I could sell two different versions? Not sure about that.

I'll want to check some forums to see the experience of others.  And what about shopify?  My thought are that shopify doesn't cater to that audience.  In fact I'm not sure.  I do want to check around though.

You also have options like doordash, to get money quickly.  1,800

Would I be better off selling 1000 of them for 100? Having it drop shipped, etc?

I could sell the sepias for 1000+ and the derives for 50-100, drop shipped.

For Amazon, to get any deeper info, such as the requirements for handmade

So, I set up on Shopify, a website, I use one of the drop ship printers, someone with metal, acrylic and regular framed prints, I connect to Etsy, and I connect to Amazon.

Website, Photo sampler wizard template

right now, I'm researching print, and drop shippers.  Pixels, Finerworks, are what i'm looking at.

I'd like to have a wizard that, when I upload my pictures to the website, they are automatically transferred to a 'what it would look like' format, without me having to go through and build/the photoshoots, and website data to do it.

I'd like to have a template.

So I'm starting out with just the ten pictures, then brancing out from there.

I'd like to upload those ten pics to a page, and for people to see what it would look like on their wall, and in comparison to their furnishing.  With the different options popping up.  With Pixels, this is an advantage.

In some, the printer directly takes the order, and ships it out, with others, the order is placed with the drop shipper.

Some of the things, how do I calculate costs of the various prints?  This info is provided in the

In addition, I'd like to set up both an etsy and amazon store.

I am extremely tempted to do my own printing and framing.  However, that is not this business.  I am also tempted to wait until I have a bunch more work.  That's not necessary.  At the onset, I'm a small company, off the side of the road, with only ten or so products for sale.

Finerworks doesn't have the web template, but the process is straightforward.  In fact, with finerworks, with the exception of this, I can get started.  How important is the template though?

There are several options for drop shipping.  I'm wondering why I would pay 29 a month for shopify though.   Why don't I just have a website, along with the domain?  If shopify doesn't market... If I'm largely using it as an integration platform, it seems like I could just use amazon.  I'm selling on Amazon, and I'd still have to pay for amazon, etsy, etc.

It's also appearing as though shopify would be of particular value, if you already cultivate a strong online presence, in places like facebook, instagram, etc.  and you could have your 'followers' see what it is your selling, and direct them to your site.

Amazon and etsy, and ebay are marketplaces. Seems like they do the marketing.  People go there to shop.  Look for shit.  Of course, having integration with the social sharing sites make it more valuable, but if you don't have those, and want to sell, an established marketplace may be the best option.

The integration with these marketplaces is what shopify does.

Now I need to tackle the web wizard thing.

Do i need an sku, and upc code for these photos?

For amazon, i'll need to apply for Fine Art, or Brand Registry.  Fine art requires limited editions of 200 or less, which wouldn't be a problem, but I don't already have the prints ready.  Brand registry also doesn't require upc codes if one manufactures the items oneself, but you it seems you have to start by paying the 39.99 plan.  It doesn't seem as though one can get it oneself.

Drop, shipping, amazon

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/201808410

There is a slight possibility that it would be better to sell my work, chair on the front portch, chapel... in the fine art category, then other work, on shopify.
I could possibly sell several items on amazon, and have my shop linked to , where I sell other stuff

I'm seeing where you can buy upc codes on ebay, typically delivered within 15 minutes.

I can also apply for a gtin exemption, from amazon, check that too

Test Printing images

I'm going to go ahead and begin scanning to enlarge, and printing these images, to see the largest size I can print them.  I do have a feeling that the image can be enlarged by the printer, but I want to see how it would come out first.   I'll have to read the email that pixel sent me, in order to price the images.  Which is another thing I've been avoiding.


Test Prints

For fishing boat,  i set up the print in gimp, then previewed it in preview, then set the lightness to -10, with the printer on high quality
   
results,
printing through gimp, i got a large corner of the photo, although the gimp preview indicated the picture would be centered.

Previewing in preview, I got the picture centered on half a sheet of 13*19.  I also lightened it by 10, and it looks ok.  I should also try it in Iphoto.  I do believe iphoto compresses the photo though.  This print however looks good enough to get a higher resolution for uploading

Truth be told however, I'm not getting accurate color reproduction.  I've got the resolution up, but it looks green.  I just tried relative colorimetric, and going to try absolute colorimetric.  I'm using a brother scanning app.

ok, so the scan of the sepia sucks.  I'm going to have to use the computer generated sepia.  Basically reprint it.  I'll test the Iphoto sepia, and the gimp.

In Iphoto, just white balanced the pic, using the paper border, and the sepia came back.  I'll try printing a large version, to see what it looks like.

Since the iphoto seemed to crop the t...

The printer wasn't taking the paper.  Now it's night...

Then, of course the print quality was very dark, with no details in the shadows... .  I switched to high q.  Now  I'm printing from the iphoto application

I used the iphoto sepia.  and Shit.  Actually, if I was going to do that, I could have just used the gimp b/w to sepia.  Anyway,  or fixed

'l'enchanteresse du reve' tarot

I pulled some new mosaics from the 'last night drive' tape deck.  These are of a different type than the mosaics I have.  They are light and dark based, using the headlights of cars and stores.  I put one together, 'l'enchanteresse du reve' or just l'enchanteresse.  It gave me an idea of using the tarot.  I could build a based on a deck or several decks, using photoderivé.  Most of the time, tarot decks are built using collage, or illustrative art.  There have been contemporary photography based decks as well, but combining the mosaics lends it another magical air altogether. That things can be seen in the randomness at different times, from different perspective or lighting, also gives it a sense of fate.

I can of course use original art, as well as the plethora of public domain work that exists.  Complying with fair use gives me even more room

counterbalance and balance

I was also debating whether to put nudes behind the, in in the midst of the images.  Concerned that they would distract the quand memes, which is exactly what I didn't want to do.  However, I can do this.  The reason is, for one thing, I can practice dispelling purist tendencies in my art, which tend to hold me back, take up time, and limit my creativity.

I did a paper for my anthropology degree on learned movements

Also, if they are light, and are not the main focus, with the girl not looking, they may still provide relaxation, and ease of heart, which subtly flipping a switch,

-also a certain triste works well for this

Of course, other things in the back, can still limit distraction.  slow shutter leaves provide great texture.

also, with these, one's mind attaches meaning to the vague imagery, and pieces a story, which grows, and resolves, or not, in accordance with one's own experience

photo-derivé is important.  It is important to know that, like magician's fingers, the movements of femininity are far too compacted, compressed ephemeral and elusive to be understood, and processed in real time.  By slowing down the movement to 3 or 4 frames per second, one may grasp thousands of years of evolution, in the wave of a hand.  This is taught, observed, practiced, perfected, incorporated, and forgotten.

Moreover, it is rarely, if ever completed in just one movement.  It is blank over a series of movements, which, when combined, create

Another thing, I can use the density in the pieces, there outline created by the shadow, the color of a garment, or even against a dark backdrop of a canape or other piece of furniture to make pieces of another work of art in the forms against the mosaic.

These densities, placed against the backdrop of the mosaic create counterbalance and balance of abstract forms

asymmetrical balance of contropposto, 

Notes:

   To get the face of languid girl, I used retinex, then alpha to color, then made adjustments with the curves.  With the alpha to color, I pressed the color bar, then toggled the dials to get that brown silvery look.

Untitled 4

 untitled 4

Although these were meant to be easier, they are difficult.  However, I am developing a discipline of trying and choosing.  Of drafting.

These are designed to limit distraction, by limiting focus.  Since there is not much to focus on.  However, this particular one is busier.

I got to this one, by desaturating the original, color to alpha the white, then a grain merge on this layer, placing a solid pink layer beneath, with a normal layer mode, and another pink layer on top, at 68% opacity, with a color layer mode.

After I flattened the image, I did a subtle sharpen.  I'm just not sure how these are going to turn out enlarged.

I printed it at 12 dpi.  I really need the canon printing center, but for now, I'm setting the print settings in gimp, then previewing in preview, and printing from there.  Printing straight from gimp is not printing, but pulling the sheet straight through the printer.