Project Summary
I had the opportunity to work with Bing Roberts, a local artist looking to promote his artwork online. Before now, Bing’s Paintings were only discoverable through word of mouth.
I had two main goals for my project:
- Create an online presence for Bing to display and sell his artwork online.
- Provide Bing and his wife, Diane, the tools necessary to maintain his website on their own.
Some objectives for this project involved creating a user-friendly website and recording instructional videos for Bing and his wife to refer to as needed.
I started off by researching the most user-friendly website platforms. The top two platforms for beginners were Wix and Squarespace, but ultimately Squarespace won. In my experience, this platform has had the perfect balance of user-friendliness and creative capabilities. My website for Bing includes original pieces to purchase, a previous commissions gallery, an “About the Artist” page, a contact form, and a shopping cart.
After setting up the bones of the website, I went to Bing’s studio to photograph his current pieces for sale, which was roughly 30 paintings. Using Adobe Lightroom, I corrected any lighting issues and adjusted the geometry of the photos to best align the paintings for the website. I then used the app Smartist to create images that showcased what the artwork would look like in a home setting.
The final aspect of my project was the keystone that holds it all together: creating video tutorials for Bing and Diane to refer to as they add and maintain inventory to the website. Without these videos, it would be like telling someone catch a fish, but then withholding the fishing pole from them. It isn’t an impossible task to accomplish, but having the correct tools definitely saves some time and frustration!
This project allowed me to not only work with a lovely couple and become Bing’s newest art fan, but to simultaneously showcase the skills I’ve learned in my time here at BYU-Idaho.
Video Presentation
The Website
