More ways to submit your artwork to an online show

In Part 1 of "Be Ready for Online Shows,"  we showed you how to use your smartphone to photograph your artwork and prepare it for submission. Here,are a few other ways to get your art into digital form:

1. Scan it yourself. If you have a scanner, one of the best ways to digitize your artwork is to scan it. (And if you don’t have a scanner, they cost much less than they used to, and they can be a great addition to your studio arsenal.) Always scan at full size (100%) at a high resolution (300 dpi is perfect). This will give you a full-size, high-resolution digital copy of your artwork that can even be used to create prints. If your artwork is too large to fit the scanner bed, you will need to scan it in segments, and create a single image from the scans using software such as Photoshop Elements or PhotoScape X.

2. Have it scanned. If you don’t own a scanner, there are plenty of places that will do the scans for you. They will either email a link to the scan or provide it to you on a disk or flash drive. Fine art photographers, digital copy centers and large office supply stores offer this service.

3. Call in the cavalry. That’s right. When all else fails, get the kids or grandkids to help. Seriously, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Lots of people digitize their artwork and you can, too. Friendly tech support can be found among your friends, relatives, Facebook groups and artist groups. 

Good luck with your online show submissions this year!