Even in the best economic times, artists have found it difficult, if not impossible to support themselves on their artwork  alone.  Now add the failing global economy to the mix coupled with the vastly overcrowded internet marketplace and it’s a  wonder how any artists are able to not only survive… but prosper.

But somehow, they do.  In fact, some artists have become extremely affluent just from the sale of their artwork and art  merchandise.  Do you think they were just lucky?  You know… in the right place at the right time?

If you have only just started Internet Marketing you might not have any customers yet, or not enough to analyse, but it’s important you have an idea of who they are. If you have a vision in your mind of your typical customer you will be able to communicate with them effectively.

When writing a sales letter or web-page you need to empathise with the prospective customer, and to do this you need to know who they are. Often they are someone very similar to you. Like attracts like.

The late Jack Kirby is an artist and writer who  has been associated with some of the best comics in the superhero genre, primarily with Marvel.

He was a loyal, and more importantly prolific, lieutenant to Marvel’s editor Stan Lee. Sometimes his artistic quality slipped when he was simply drawing too many comics, but he was always a superb draughtsman and had an excellent eye for dramatic action sequences.
 

When Kirby had the time he could come up with some stunning visuals. One of my favourite comic covers is Fantastic Four # 72 which introduces a new character ‘The Silver Surfer’ .

As if in answer to my last post about Blogs, I have just sold my first painting to a bloke in Los Angeles.

One slight problem is that I no longer have it! Mandy Allen has it in her Art Gallery. I didn’t realise Internet Marketing could be so powerful, and just assumed that hardly anyone was looking at the website. I have now taken all the Paypal buttons off www.popartoilpaintings.com

Changing the website instantly brings me back nicely to another blog post of mine….Web Design Made Easy. X-Site Pro has really transformed my business prospects. I can’t recommend it highly enough, it’s the best £150 I have spent in the whole field of Internet Marketing, (and I have spent around £7,000)!

Having enrolled on John Thornhill’s Masterclass course, one of the first instructions was to write a blog, with regular and frequent posts. I realised quite soon that if I had to write regularly, then it had better be about something I’m interested in.

I wrote a list of categories of subjects I’m interested in: Beer, Comics, Music, Films, Running, Books, Astronomy, Painting…..Internet Marketing was way down the list, but it was Internet marketing that made me create a blog, and I’m really grateful!

I’ve ended up pursuing two interests; Painting and Running  that I really enjoy by creating two new websites: www.popartoilpaintings.com and www.personaltrainerleamingtonspa.co.uk.

Finally, 40 years after first having the idea, I have completed a painting of John Lennon based on the psychedelic poster issued in 1967.

It’s only thanks to Google Images that I have been able to fulfil this ambition, as  the posters sold out on the day of issue, and I didn’t have anything for reference.  However I was able to download a jpeg photo via Google, and used this as the basis for my canvas.

John Lennon is my favourite Beatle and because of that I was actually quite scared to commit any paint to canvas. If I was going to paint Lennon it had to be good, and I wasn’t sure how it woud turn out.

The Beatles evolved and changed with every album they issued. I prefer the second half of their career starting from the Revolver album. However there are some lovely tracks on Help, despite the heavy workload that the Beatles were operating under. Help was issued on 8th June 1965, and was both the soundtrack to the film and their 5th album in three years of intense activity.

The title track ‘Help’,was also a No.1 single of course. This was not a ‘churn it out’ pop song but a genuine plea from the heart. Lennon really was feeling stressed by his pressure-cooker Beatle existence…”When I was younger….I never needed any help in any way. Now those days are gone, I’m not so self assured….HELP I need somebody.”

My first completed painting is an opening scene from the film Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick. Alex and his ‘Droogs’ are out looking for trouble, and unfortunately find a tramp sleeping in the subway. I won’t describe what happens next, but those of you who have seen the film know. 

I’ve always thought this to be a powerful image, with Kubrick filming from inside the subway looking out. This produces the extended shadows and contrast between dark and light.

The Silver Surfer had religious overtones when it was first published. The alien Norrin Radd had offered himself as a sacrifice to save his planet Zenn-La from Galactus – ‘the devourer of worlds’.

Galactus needed to consume living planets in order to survive.  However he transformed Norrin Radd into the Silver Surfer to become his herald, finding suitable alternative planets throughout the universe.

1967 was the ’summer of love’, the Beatles had released Sgt. Pepper and had a number one hit that encapsulated the spirit of the times, with “all you need is love”.

I was a 13 year old teenager completely immersed in the music and psychedelia of the time, so when I heard that the Beatles were going to release psychedelic posters of themselves, I couldn’t wait to get hold of them.

The day the posters were released I went into my local branch of WH Smith Newsagents, and found them – trouble is they were expensive; 10/6 (or 52.5p in new money). No problem, I would save up my newspaper round money and get them later.