Posting Artwork on Plein Eire

One of the best aspects of Plein Eire site is the ability to post artwork easily.  Amateur and professional artists are equally welcome to do so. However, we know that commercial galleries visit this site regularly to view the artwork. Therefore, it is important that all the paintings are well-presented and the site maintains an orderly, professional appearance. To ensure this, it is essential to follow some simple housekeeping rules.

•     RULES
  

• Only artwork which is genuinely plein air may be posted.

 This is a plein air site, so please respect that ethos. There is nothing wrong with still-lifes, portraits or landscapes painted in the studio - but they do not belong here.
There are many other sites where you can post whatever you wish.

• 'Plein Air Artwork' may only feature artwork - not photographs of anything else.

 You may post  photos of Paint-outs, easels and equipment or the scene you were painting in a Blog or a   Forum thread. Photographs may be posted as a slide-show or video - but not under 'Artwork'.

• Artwork must be photographed presentably and cropped to exclude the  frame.

This means the artwork should be photographed in focus, with minimal glare, no flash used and square-on ie. not tapering along the sides . See the discussion thread  'Photographing Paintings' for some helpful tips on how to take shots of your paintings with a basic digital camera.

As the site matures, Plein Eire's admin team will be increasingly rigorous in deleting items which contravene these criteria.

•  TIPS

• Use 'My Albums' to organise your artwork by theme, by year, by event, painting holiday etc.

• Under each uploaded artwork is an instant  link to share it directly to your Facebook page.

• Add 'tags' - or keywords - to help you find an item later, when uploading or editing your artwork photos.

• Add some basic information about your paintings: eg. title, size, medium and support.

• Adding an anecdote or a comment about your posted artwork may make it more interesting to fellow Plein Eire members.

• At your discretion, you may invite criticism or advice about a painting which is unresolved.

• When commenting on others' artwork, rather than only to say 'very nice'. try to be as specific as possible.  - A community site such as this is all about the quality of the dialogue. So, rather than patting one another on the back, ask yourself what aspect you like, or perhaps aspect you can constructively criticise.