Social media marketing can help artists get their name out there, get their foot in the door, and can even help in improving their own work. Looking at a few artists in different visual fields we can see how use of social media can help to expand your audience and improve your careers.
Image Source: androidjones.com
Andrew (Android) Jones
I initially became aware of Android’s work through the Metroid Prime game and then more so his ambitious self portrait a day thread on the Concept Art forum . It was incredible and inspiring for many artists to see so many self portraits in so many different styles and color schemes. He created 1000 portraits of himself between May 2002 and February 2005. His online popularity quickly grew within the 3D and concept art community, and was idolized by many up and coming art students. Android’s popularity seemed to grow even further when creating concepts and painting live at the Massive Black Concept Art Workshops.
Image Source: fusionfactory.or
Image Source: oddwiring.com
Now Andrew Jones is on a world digital art tour. He just finished a tour of India where he created digital art in front of audiences, and judging by his comment on his facebook page his travels had an impact on him.
“Today I leave India
But India will never leave me.I could never have imagined a place like this ever existed, and now my imagination is changed forever… “
Image Source: androidjones.com
Andrew Jones seems to do most of his social media outreach through a facebook account for his art where he has over 37 thousand “likes”.
Through Android’s numerous posts on Concept Art and process time-lapse videos of how he created some of his paintings and portraits he was able to create a crucial interactive relationship with his audience and fan base that helped grow his stature as a digital artist.
Charmaine Olivia
(some images may not be appropriate for all viewers)
Now let us look at an artist who is very impressive with her use of social media to market and grow her self as a brand. Charmaine Olivia has had some kind of social media outlet, from what I can tell, at least since August of 2009 when she started a blog. Now, not only did Charmaine start the blog in 2009 but more importantly she continued to update it all the way until September of 2011. She had a high of 129 posts in 2010 which equates to almost 3 updates per week. The frequency and length of time she blogged enabled her to establish a fan base that has now migrated to her other social media platforms. With over 48 thousand “likes” on her facebook page, almost seven thousand followers on twitter, and a whopping 142,476 followers on Instagram (at time of publishing). She also has a presence on Tumblr and deviant art.
Image Source: twitter.com
Through the use of social media, Charmaine has created a fan base that retweets, reposts, and “likes” her images expanding her exposure to an even larger audience. Charmaine has done this through consistently updating her social media, and engaging with those that engage with her and her work. Not only does she post pictures of her work, but also of the work in progress, allowing people to see and freely comment what they think creates a sense of inclusion in the viewers. Being included is a good feeling, and it keeps people coming back for more of her art, and bringing others with them next time they do. As another blogger put it…
“I love how unafraid she is to share so much of her process, of the tiny details that make up the whole”… “It’s been a while since I’ve come across a true artist in every sense of the word, and I’m honored to be part of her journey.”
Image Source: charmaineolivia.com
With how long Charmaine Olvia has been posting and sharing her thoughts and work online, not only has her fanbase come to know her, but they have also been observers to her growth as an artist. It is always good to be able to see growth, and progress in what we are achieving, and like a sketch book, social media helps record the progress while also allowing others to enjoy and feel included.