I'm Writing an article need help

[zanbarrage]

Hi Everyone, I am writing an article about ACEO and would love it if I can quote a few of you. Here is what I need to know: 1) How did you start doing ACEO? Did you start with ATCs? What was your experience there? 2) How much of your art time is devoted to ACEOs. What other format do you paint if any and do you sell that format on ebay or elsewhere? 3) What medium/media do you use most? 4) Words of wisdom about ACEOs 5) Words of wisdom about ACEOs on eBay 6) If you had to start it over again, what would you do differently? I want to thank everyone who responds. I will try to include eBay handles when quoting.

[artistesque]

Hi, ok here's my answers :) 1) I started painting ACEOs without realising it at first! It was my way to plan out a larger painting, playing around with colours, textures and composition. When I found out about them as collectable ACEOs I continued making them regularly and got quite addicted. 2)It varies, I'd guess about 30 mins-1.5 hours a day once i finish my commissions or longer if I plan to lay out a new larger painting that evening. 3)Watercolours most, sometimes pencil, occasionally oils. 4) Fascinating wonderful 'carpet samples' of artists work and miniature masterpieces! collectable and fun! 5)eBay, fun place for buyers to shop through all the great art, discover artists and build a collection. Sellers sharing mini masterpieces and aceos are a good marketing tool too! 6) umm.. started selling on eBay sooner :) Coffee break over so back to work for me.. happy painting Jen

[kazeseka]

Good Morning....here's my A's for your Q's...Carol 1) How did you start doing ACEO? Did you start with ATCs? What was your experience there? Accidently found ACEO's on ebay from an acquaintance who was selling them, was curious what the acronym meant. So when I clicked on her auction, I was amazed that such a beautifully detailed piece of art could be so small! I had to try it and totally got hooked! 2) How much of your art time is devoted to ACEOs. What other format do you paint if any and do you sell that format on ebay or elsewhere? I had not been painting for quite some time. So when I started ACEO's, it was the only size I painted! Was frightened to go to a larger size 🙂 But my husband encouraged me to go larger and I did, but it is still in small format art. But I'd say 80% of my time is devoted to painting these delightful little miniatures! Both ACEO's and my other SFA's are sold on ebay and other online stores. 3) What medium/media do you use most? Acrylics are my medium of choice. But I dabble in pastels, colored pencils, etc. 4) Words of wisdom about ACEOs When painting ACEO's...enjoy. When collecting ACEO's...enjoy. 5) Words of wisdom about ACEOs on eBay When selling, don't be discouraged when they don't sell and please don't take it personally. It's hard not to feel that way. Could be timing, or revising of the listing. Review other auctions and find out what's working best. When buying, the sky is the limit! There is every subject matter imaginable and every style available. When buying or selling ACEO's have fun! 6) If you had to start it over again, what would you do differently? I would have started selling my originals. In the beginning, I couldn't quite let go of them (they were apart of me). Ah, but to love is to let go 🙂

[kazeseka]

Oops, Q2...misread question...I work on them a few times a week. Anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. The time seems to go by fast and unnoticed!

[artistjillian]

1) I kept hearing about ACEOs in the miniature forums on wetcanvas dot com, and suddenly realised it was an 'ebay' thing. I immediately came to ebay, and joined the ACEO group headed up by bone*diva. At that time there were 400 members. That was April 2005. Unbeknown to me, I had already bought an ACEO at the beginning of that year. I did not start with ATCs, I didn't realise what ATCs were about, either. Though started doing ATCs at the same time, only to run into harassment over me also doing ACEOs even though I didn't make it generally known.

[artistjillian]

2) Close on 100% of my art time is devoted to ACEOs. I sometimes sell other size art, miniatures being my bigger sellers outside of ACEOs.

[artistjillian]

3) Watercolor is my most used medium. But I have used collage, altered art, graphic art, acrylics, gouache, mixed media, pen, pencil, pen & wash, oils, photography.

[artistjillian]

I'll have to put on my 'wisdom' hat to answer the next 3.

[art-by-darla-h]

LOL that last comment is why I haven't answered this cause I am not the wisdom kind of gal lol but I will attempt. 1) How did you start doing ACEO? Did you start with ATCs? What was your experience there? I started ACEOs when I was browsing ebay art and artists board and they were chatting about them. No I didn't know what ATCs where until I started doing ACEOs 2) How much of your art time is devoted to ACEOs. What other format do you paint if any and do you sell that format on ebay or elsewhere? I would say about 70% of my art time is ACEOs. I also do Fabric painting and larger paper and canvas art As well as Wood and other items. Yes I sell the other items on ebay as well as private sales. 3) What medium/media do you use most? I use Acrylic mostly for ACEOs, Sometimes Pastel, color pencil, Scratchart, Watercolor pencil, and Graphite pencil. 4) Words of wisdom about ACEOs. ACEOs are a great way to collect art without breaking the bank. You have more versatility with ACEOs. 5) Words of wisdom about ACEOs on eBay. As far as creating ACEOs Create what you love and don't get discouraged if your art doesn't sell. As far as Collecting ACEOs just have fun there are alot of ACEOs on ebay and if you have time take the time to check them all out through the ebay gallery and you will be amazed at the beauty and unique art you will find. I have made a point to once every so often when I have extra time to check out all the ACEOs it takes a while but it is worth it WOW. 6) If you had to start it over again, what would you do differently? Nothing Darlene

[mreas]

1) How did you start doing ACEO? Did you start with ATCs? What was your experience there? I was showing someone that a lot of art was "for sale" on ebay, but not a lot of art was "selling" on ebay. Found a few successful people, drilled down through feedback to see previous sales and discovered the ACEO term. I've always done small work as a counter to my large work and had some ideas and directions I'd been wanting to try, but they wouldn't fit in with my "serious" work. Decided to do it as long as it was still fun. 2) How much of your art time is devoted to ACEOs. What other format do you paint if any and do you sell that format on ebay or elsewhere? Varies from 20 to 50% of my art time spent on ACEOs. I paint and illustrate in a variety of formats, generally not offered on ebay. 3) What medium/media do you use most? Aceo: Gouache, Watercolor. 4) Words of wisdom about ACEOs Because of the low price and high volume people are tempted to find a way to make them fast and cheap. That's OK with me, but I'd rather they find a way to make them good and original. Motel paintings done small are still Motel paintings. 5) Words of wisdom about ACEOs on eBay Making ACEOs and selling ACEOs are two different things. If you browse the listings and say "I could make one of those." You're probably right, but it doesn't mean yours will sell, or sell for the same price as the one you saw. 6) If you had to start it over again, what would you do differently? I Never would have made eye contact with HarmoniousJosh, and would have started raising my prices sooner.

[artistjillian]

😄

[sunshinesketches]

If I'd have known there was going to be a test, I'd have studied. In the mean time here are my off-the-cuff answers. 1) How did you start doing ACEO? Did you start with ATCs? What was your experience there? A neighbour of mine was doing them, trading and selling on eBay. She suggested that I try them too. I had my own business doing clothing design, so artwork was kind of part of what I did, but it was mostly sketching clothing for customers. It was helpful to know how to draw (and how to make my customers look taller and thinner, El Greco and Modigliani would have been proud). 2) How much of your art time is devoted to ACEOs. What other format do you paint if any and do you sell that format on ebay or elsewhere? About 50% of my art time is ACEOs. I don't just paint, I also make sewn stuff and jewelry the rest of the time. I also do commissions that are larger, but still considered Small Format Art. 3) What medium/media do you use most? For ACEOs, 45% colour pencil, 45% watercolour, 10% other (collage, sewn etc) 4) Words of wisdom about ACEOs Don't be afraid to try new things, new media. It's a small format, and although small can still be time-consuming, this is a great way to take risks. 5) Words of wisdom about ACEOs on eBay Don't get discouraged if your first few don't sell or don't sell well. Every once in a while, someone will come along who will get a high price for their first work, but not the majority of people. Keep in mind rules of marketing. Produced the best quality you possibly can, and service the living daylights out of your customers. A happy customer is a often a repeat customer. It doesn't hurt to have good presentation (on your listing as well as how you send it to your customer). Promote yourself. Always carry around samples/prints of your work (much easier to explain to strangers if you can show them). Make and carry around your business card, with ALL of your relevant info on it: eBay id, web site address are very important. 6) If you had to start it over again, what would you do differently? I would have started much, much sooner! /Karen

[drawdog5]

1. I started creating ACEOs in late 2006. I learned about them on eBay - I came across an auction earlier in the year, wondered “what the heck is an ACEO??”, did a little research and decided “this sounds like fun!!”. Never dabbled in the ATC part. 2. Lately, since this is still relatively new, I’m devoting more time than I should to ACEOs!!!! As everyone has said – they’re addicting. Not only that, but after you create one, you have to scan it and list it and post it in assorted discussion groups and post it on your blog and, and . . . That takes up quite a bit of time! The majority of my work is pet portraits (and I really need to get caught up on ‘em) but I also do some other illustration projects and web design, not to mention the occasional art to enter in a show. So once I get things sorted out, I’m guessing the numbers would be like this: 75% pet portraits/art for shows, 10% illustration projects, 8% web design, 7% ACEOs. BUT, I probably only spend 60% of my time actually creating!!! The other 40% consists of marketing (updating my own web sites, blog, etc.), making cards & prints, taking photos for projects, networking, etc. I do sell some reproductions of my art on eBay and have tried to sell some SFA originals, but no bites on the originals yet. Have sold a few prints and earrings of my art. I also have my work in a local co-op gallery (where things DO sell) and many items are available on my own web site (not many sales there). 3. So far, I’ve used watercolor with color pencil (or watercolor pencil) or scratchboard. But I want to try some gouache and graphite ACEOs also. For me it’s the subject matter – I’ll use whatever medium works best for the subject I decide to render. 4. Love ‘em – they’re a great way to try out a new color scheme or design idea. They’re small, so they don’t take as much time to do. I’m a detail freak, so when I’m working on something that’s this small, I have to rein myself in a bit – which is good!! I also want to encourage folks to keep doing what they enjoy doing – don’t second-guess yourself or your art just because a certain trend, style or image is hot at the moment and your work isn’t selling. There’s no way we can predict what buyers want. Paint, draw, collage, etc. what YOU like and love and that joy will eventually find its way to someone else’s heart. 5. Don’t have a lot of experience here yet, but it seems that eBay is THE place to find ACEOs. I certainly think eBay has the best selection. And I absolutely love the camaraderie found in the eBay discussion groups. 6. Would’ve started sooner, but realistically, things happened in the time frame I had, so I couldn’t have started any sooner!!! -Ann

[cricketdiane]

When did you first start creating aceos? I had a one-person show in 1985 and I was supposed to offer posters of my art which I could sign at the show. At the time, I didn't have $2300 for a poster run nor the time to devote to finding the right printer, etc. I had put all my money into the pieces I created for the show and simply ran out of money for business cards or anything beyond the invitations and refreshments. I took a partial deck of playing cards and some business card blanks and hand-painted them, signed them and gave them away at the show. Every so often after that, I created the playing card size cards or painted on the backs of old sets - as a way of promoting my paintings. I still have a few of them. I also hand-painted postcards and small boxes and almost all of them - in enamels. The last set I did was in 2000, or 2001. Then, I did a painting about two years ago, a large portrait in oils that the people decided against buying - I said I wouldn't ever show my work again, until some new friends insisted on seeing my work. They bought several pieces among them - then talked me into trying to get it on the internet or Ebay - to a bigger audience. When I found the aceos selling on Ebay - it really inspired me to do the playing card size paintings - aceos that I'm doing now. I've struggled with them - they aren't in oils that I understand pretty well, they are in watercolors and acrylics - a few in colored pencils. All mediums that are frustrating in their own ways. Mostly, when and if I sell something - other than Aceos - it is because someone buys several pieces from me and then someone sees them and wants one. Shows have been break even, at best and usually I pay more out than comes in from them. I'm glad to have become involved in the movement of creating aceos - and Ebay. I was tired of creating in a void without being able to see if anything I created was any good until weeks, months or years after doing it. On Ebay - there is interaction almost immediately on a piece. Maybe not a sale, but I can see that someone in the world is seeing it and that influences me to keep painting, to keep trying to get better at it. My wisdom about all of it - creating art and aceos - is this: There isn't any wisdom to it. Creating is and arting is. For those of us who can, we do create because it is in us to do. Aceos are a fun part of that which let more people get involved with living artists in a positive way. I like that about them. They aren't artist "samples" as they were in the tradition of the Renaissance studios. These are individual works of art and collectibles. -Cricket Diane C. Phillips

[artistjillian]

I also want to add, that even before ACEOs, I did miniatures. ACEOs made sense to me mainly as they were one size, fitted into albums and store-bought frames, with miniatures I was finding it really difficult to collect/store/display. ACEOs made all this just SO simple.