Jun 20 2009
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve added any new designs to my Zazzle store. I took a break for a bit, but I’m back and I’m working on some new kaleidoscopes and other designs this weekend and should have them in my store over the next week or so. Many thanks to all of my fans and to everyone who has purchased products with my designs!
Mary
Jan 16 2009
What’s that you say? What’s Squidoo? I found out about Squidoo through the forums at Zazzle. At Squidoo you can build pages called lenses. These lenses can be about just about any subject you can think of. Many of us Zazzlers build lenses to help promote our galleries, among other things. They’re good for more than just promoting your gallery, though. I’ve done 3 so far, one for my Zazzle gallery, one as an “About Me” page and a third about diabetes.
Squidoo is actually pretty fun to use, and it’s easy to build the lenses. Squidoo is great if you’ve ever wanted do web pages on a particular subject, but don’t have the time, ability or inclination to do an entire website. The lenses are broken up into modules, and there all kinds of modules you can add. They include modules such as:
And the list goes on. The subjects that people have made lenses about are countless! People have done lenses about Zazzle, health related lenses, sports lenses, television, crafts, art, etc. There are even lenses on how to make great lenses! With a few exceptions, if you can think of a topic you can make a lens about it.
Another feature that’s nice is that there is actually the potential to make some money with your lenses. They use Google ads, Amazon modules and the like. You can also designate all or part of any money you make to go to charity, either the Squidoo Charity Fund or one of your choosing from a list. Keep in mind that you won’t make a fortune right off the bat, it will take time to build your lenses traffic enough to make it profitable. I look at it as a bonus, rather than a main focus.
They’ve also teamed up with Twitter for a neat feature called TwttrStrm. You can start a debate amongst your Twitter followers! Ask a question and your followers can respond with their take on your question through Twitter, which is then posted to the TwttrStrm page.
So, head on over and check it out. Whether you want to promote something, or just write about something you love, Squidoo is a great place to do it!
Mary
Jan 12 2009
I’m still on my fractal kick now that I’ve figured out how to get some usable fractals. I still don’t understand fractal mathematics, and probably never will, but the images generated are fascinating! There’s debate on whether or not it’s true art, but frankly I’m not very interested in taking sides. I’m interested in the wonderful images they make. Beauty can be found in many places and if a mathematical formula can produce something beautiful, then I say save the argument and enjoy the results!
In addition to the Fractal Forge program I’ve been using, I also came across another free program called Sterling2. It’s also very easy to use, and generates some gorgeous fractals. Sterling2 is a modification of the original Sterling program by Stephen C. Ferguson, that was done with permission by a gentleman named Tad. I contacted Stephen and Tad both, about any licensing regarding the images generated and was told that there are no restrictions on selling the images. There was no mention of attributing the program, but I am anyway. As with Fractal Forge, I feel it’s a very small price to pay for the use of these great programs.
Mary
Jan 09 2009
And a very nice and fair review it was, too. Thank you, Shunkashuutuo and The Zazzle Reviewer!
If you haven’t seen the Zazzle reviewer, it’s a new blog that reviews Zazzle galleries. Gallery owners send in links to their galleries for a chance to be reviewed. It’s free, and is a great way for some extra exposure for your gallery. Shoppers will be able to visit The Zazzle Reviewer to see reviews and get the links to some great galleries!
If you’d like the chance to get your gallery reviewed, you will need to visit The Zazzle Reviewer and send in the following:
Here is a link to the full post with information and complete rules: The Zazzle Reviewer: Welcome to the Zazzle Reviewer
So what are you waiting for? Head on over and check it out!
Mary
Jan 03 2009
As you can tell from my gallery, I love kaleidoscopes. As much as I love them, I still don’t want to limit myself as an artist. Fractal imagry is another thing that facinates me, and I’ve been trying to learn how to make them. Frankly, the few programs I’ve tried have been confusing to me and I know zero about the formulas for making fractals. Let’s just say that I’m not mathmatically inclined and leave it at that.
I kept trying though, and finally found a program I think I will like. It’s a freeware fractal generator called Fractal Forge. It’s free to download and use the program (free is good!), but they do require that you acknowledge Fractal Forge for any images you use that were generated by the program. A very small and extremely reasonable price to pay, in my opinion!
I’m still confused about the formulas and haven’t explored much of the program yet, but I was able to come up with a great fractal in just a few minutes of feeling my way around. Not being able to leave well enough alone, I then used Paint Shop Pro 7 to tweak the colors and add some effects. Yes, I can see I’m gonna have some fun with making fractals!
Blue Fern Fractal Poster
Dec 31 2008
For this article, I will be speaking on copyrights in generalities only, mainly in how they pertain to visual art/images. I am not an expert, and the following should not be taken as expert advice, rather it is a guideline to how copyright works as I understand it.
Copyright infringement is the bane of honest and hardworking artists everywhere. While I still like to believe that most people are basically honest, we all still must face the fact that there are people out there who are perfectly willing to steal the hard work of others, and have no qualms about profiting from stolen work. And that’s what copyright infringement is… stealing. Plain and simple.
Now, there are also people out there that truly don’t realize that they can’t use the work of others, or just don’t stop to think about it. They don’t know that it could land them in court, and are quite grateful to be told they can’t use copyrighted material. Personally, I made sure I understood the basics about copyright before getting into selling my own work because I want to be protected from copyright theft myself. As I stated previously, I’m certainly not an expert, but one thing I do know… a little common sense can go a LONG way in keeping you out of trouble.
Generally, assume most of what you see is copyrighted, because it probably is. Anything that is branded or trademarked cannot be used without the copyright holder’s permission. You can’t sell a t-shirt with Mickey Mouse or a hat with the Twilight logo, for instance. You’d have to be licensed by the respective copyright holder. Most celebrities/famous people will fall into basically the same category. You can’t use their likenesses, names, etc., without proper permission/licensing. The way I understand it, political figures fall into a different category(public domain) and can be used, just make sure they are truly a political figure. Do your research!
Now, copyrights can still retained even if someone says “Hey, you can use my photo for free!” There may be conditions, and those conditions should be adhered to. As an example, I have another blog where I do offer some of my kaleidoscopic art for free use, but I have conditions. I allow personal or commercial use for decoration of websites, newsletters, school projects, brochures and the like. However, just because I offer the free use, it doesn’t mean that someone can use my images however they wish. I don’t allow for anyone to use my images as logos or to put on merchandise to sell, to name a couple of the limits I’ve set. I still retain the copyright while allowing others to use my work within my limits. With the widespread use of the internet, and the ease of exchanging information there is sometimes a mistaken belief that if something is posted on the internet, it can be used freely. That’s just not true.
Public domain images and works are a different story, but it can be difficult to know what you can freely use. Unless the original artist, photographer, writer, etc., specifically states in no uncertain terms that they are placing something in the public domain and are placing no conditions on the use of their work, then you shouldn’t assume that you can use it. If it’s not the original creator saying something is public domain, then it’s entirely possible that a work may be mistakenly thought to be public domain, or outright stolen.
Royalty-free and copyright-free works can be bought, but even then you need to make sure of any restrictions on how the works can be used. Always make sure your source is reputable. I can’t personally give any specific recommendations, as I’m currently using only my own original works. The only thing I can say on that is, again, do your research!
There is quite a lot I haven’t touched on here; I’ll have to save that for another article. This is really just an overview of the basics. The bottom line is, if your aren’t absolutely, 100% sure if you can use something, then don’t use it! It could save you a lot of trouble in the long run.
Some links you may find useful:
Mary
Dec 26 2008
First, I’d like to thank WordPress and BillH of Zazzlers United for this ZBlog! It’s wonderful of them to provide us Zazzlers with the ZBlogs, and I certainly appreciate their offering the opportunity! If you are a Zazzle contributor and haven’t heard of Zazzlers United, it’s an online community for Zazzle contributors and offers forums, promotion opportunities, resources and, of course, ZBlogs!
My intent for this blog will include promoting my digital art and my Zazzle gallery. For those that don’t know my work, my focus is kaleidoscopic art. It’s something I have a passion for and really enjoy creating! Kaleidoscopes and kaleidoscopic images are fascinating to me, and to be able to create the images myself is incredibly satisfying! I’m relatively new to digital art and have only been with Zazzle for a short time, and I look forward to growing as a digital artist and Zazzle contributor. Eventually, I will look to branch out to other forms of digital art.
Other things that I plan for this blog will be to include useful resources, tips and possibly tutorials sometime in the future. I also will be adding links to the galleries of other talented artists at Zazzle, and most likely will be doing a “Featured Artist Gallery” in some form.
I hope you’ll take the time to stop back often to see what’s new! Happy Zazzling!
Mary, aka Kalos Eidos
Kalos Eidos: A Kaleidoscope of Digital Art
