Pinterest Art - Online Pinboarding

 

I recently joined Pinterest after receiving an invite. I get invitations from social networks all the time, so usually pay no attention to most of them. But, I am so glad I took the time to actually explore the site to discover the incredible networking and art promotional possibilities Pinterest holds for me and my art.

You may be saying “Not another social network!” It’s kind of difficult to be active in all of them. But I think Pinterest may be especially useful for artists, especially when used in conjunction with Google+ and Facebook.

 

Why should artists be excited about joining a new online pinboard website such as Pinterest?

The sheer graphical nature is what attracts most. Simply do a search, and the resulting page is literally filled to the brink with images from Pinterest members representing pins and collections.

Without the users, which this virtual pinboard website does not lack, Pinterest would be a barren wasteland. The only graphics here is the user generated content, and there is plenty of it.  The emphasis certainly is imagery, whereas the focus on other networking sites is often a mix of text, links, graphics, and sometimes video.

There are many reasons for artists to be very excited about Pinterest, besides what I have already mentioned, and I will list them below.

 

The Benefits of Pinterest for Artists

 

 

1. Pinterest is FUN
   The great thing about Pinterest is that it is actually FUN to explore and check out other pins. This site is literally filled with artists and others from all walks of life. Browsing the thousands of pinboards can be a very rewarding and inspiring experience for artists. It is certainly a great place to find inspiration for artworks and projects. Pinterest is basically the best the web has to offer. If suffering from creative block, I don’t think you will be for long by spending some time here.
   
   
2. The photos at Pinterest are large and optimally displayed
   Images of art are large and displayed in a very attractive way, surrounded by a neutral light gray color. The focus is the photograph, and not image and text as in Facebook and Google+.
   
   
3. Art Collections
   Pinterest allows artists to create full collections of artworks. A short message may be included at the bottom, along with a website link.
   
   To add a pin on the site, click the Add+ button. This brings up a box which includes options for creating a new board, uploading a photo from your computer, or inserting a web address or photo link.
   
   
4. Fill in the pin description
   Include a brief summary. A url may be included here, and also within individual post descriptions. Try to do it discreetly, as Pinterest frowns on shameless self-promotion.
   
   If you pin your own websites and profiles, a link is included back. When others share your pin, the link is included as well. This is actually a very effective link building strategy to help your art site achieve higher ranking.
   
   
5. Variety
   A pinboard can be created based on virtually anything. They may be a collection of artworks, recipes, interesting websites, design ideas, bookmarks, etc. Basically, whatever one may think of can be collected and shared. If inspiration is needed, Pinterest is certainly the place to find it!
   
   I am planning on a few pinboard collections, and you may use the same ideas if you want:
   
   Facebook pages – artists that I am inspired by on Facebook
   Google+ posts – a collection of my favorite postings there
   Web designing sites – some of my main sources for learning html, css, and general webpage design
   Favourite Youtube videos – Tutorials for video slideshows, art studio tours, and more
   Photoshop tutorials – I am always interested to learning new ways of utilizing Photoshop for web designing and optimizing images of artworks.
   Artist Spotlite Websites – A collection of the websites of artists featured at Artpromotivate!
   
   
6. Sharing Pins
   The pins can be easily shared by liking and repinning.
   The liked images appear under the likes section in the Pinterest profile. Repins are added to a collection, and can be continually repinned, with the source link always remaining intact.
   
   Suggest a pin to another member by including @ in front of their name. Other users can be mentioned in comments or descriptions. They will also be notified when doing so.
   
   Others may contribute to a board. Find the edit button on a pin-board, and select “Me + Contributors”.
   
   Then enter the name of any of your followed members, so that they can add their own contributions to the pinboard.
   
   
7. Pin and Follow Buttons
   These can be added to any website, and are included on the Goodies page. A “Pin it” bookmarklet is available for Google Chrome, for instant pinning directly from a web browser.
   
   
8. Artworks can be priced!
   The $ or £ symbols can be placed right before the artwork price. This allows for artists to sell their art directly from Pinterest.

 

Request a Pinterest Invitation

For now, Pinterest is by invitation only. Invites can be requested at the Pinterest site, but this often takes anywhere from a couple days to weeks. I can send you an invite, but because of the sheer volume of Pinterest requests, I have to limit sending invites to subscribers only. 

Subscribers:  Include your name and email below (in the format "gmatthews9 at gmail dot com” to prevent a spam bot from snatching it)

Non-subscribers: Please subscribe first, then follow the above instructions.

I have more artworks to add to my Pinterest pinboard now.

 

To follow me on Pinterest , please go here:

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