Hi Everyone! Below is a progress update with some fun bits of info regarding how The Untapped Source is coming along…Remember to use our suggestion box in the Artist Access Center and give us your thoughts or suggestions regarding the blog or any improvements you’d like to see regarding The Untapped Source.

Per usual, I’ve highlighted the main points in orange if you’re just a skimmer of text…

BELOW YOU WILL FIND GRAPHICS THAT ILLUSTRATE WHAT WE’RE UP TO!

1.) Viewing the Artwork Update

2.) HTML in BIO Section

3.) New FREE Color Paper Samples!

4.) Tutorial Program

5.) Big Things Still in the works

6.) The Little Things

7.) PROMOTE YOUR WORK TO THE FULLEST With Our Help!

8.) Artist Buy Program doing very well!

1.) In keeping with our goals to update the viewing experience of the gallery, we’ve decided to change things up a bit in the way artwork is viewed. We’re working on a method that will be friendlier to viewing the artwork and with multiple views in mind. We are working toward a method where you will be able to show off the print image, as well as multiple CLOSE UP images so you can REALLY SHOW YOUR WORK OFF and let viewers/customers know what it’s really all about! It will all be in a very simple, clean format as well. This is something being worked on and incorporated into the automation process. Look out for this, it’s really gonna turn out to be a powerful tool.

2.) You will soon be able to use HTML in your Bio section. You will be allowed to format text and add limited images to your page as well. This is the first preliminary step to personalizing your page. More additions such as this are coming along well and will be available in the future. Bio’s will still come through our admin for verification, but in the future will of course be automatic when automation is complete. We’re still working out a few kinks with your personal pages to keep the formatting clean, but it should be up and running very soon.

HTML in Bio

3.) Order your FREE PAPER SAMPLES…NOW WITH COLOR GRAPHICS to show off the ins and outs of each paper type! The order form is located in the Artist Access Center under “Artist Buy Pricing”. We’ll send the samples out within 48 hours of your request! Here’s what the graphic printed on each sample looks like:

4.) We’ve just finished working on a few tutorials and are working on many more. Check out the tutorial tab now available in the Artist Access Center. If anyone has any tutorials they would like to submit, you can submit a link or send an email regarding the tutorial to tutorials@theuntappedsource.com.

5.) We’re still plugging away at the Automation of the site, and getting VERY CLOSE to finishing up the Artist Cart System which is going to be very cool and very useful. You’ll be able to buy prints that are currently available in your gallery at The Untapped Source…and you’ll also have the ability to upload files and get prints at ANY SIZE…IE, 5×35” inches if you like!

6.) The little things…really do mean a lot! Here are a few little things we’ve updated and added to make things better.- Portraits and Character Portraits now re-classified as “Portraits > People” and “Portraits > Characters“…we’ve also added the size 22×28″ to our list of sizes, so resubmit images you feel better fit that size, and make sure to make a note of it in the “notes” section…and just plain old keep the size in mind for the future!

- Crop/Border and Optimal Sizing Boxes in Artist Access Center

-In the Artist Access Center, when you add new artwork, you are now asked to state whether you would like us to Crop or Border your work if necessary, as well as what you feel might be the optimal size for printing that work. You can choose to border in grey, white or black if you chose border as your option. If your work is sized in the proper format (ratio) it will of course be left alone regardless of your crop/border choice

-We’ve removed photorag bright white from our paper type offerings. It’s much too similar to our premium matte paper offering. We’re looking into some satin papers at the moment to add to our listings.
-Groups/Studios page will be removed for the time being until we revamp the program

7.) Last But Not Least:
IMPORTANT: Remember to use your artist banners that we provide in the Artist Access Center in the FAQ tab for advertising your work at The Untapped Source. Those making the most sales and drawing the most users are advertising. The banners are great looking and come in all kinds of sizes! Here’s 1 example (there are 7 different sizes and designs to choose from):

Here’s the reference code:

<a href=”http://www.theuntappedsource.com” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://www.theuntappedsource.com/link/artist-468×60.jpg” alt=”Buy my Fine Art Prints at The Untapped Source” style=”border:1px solid #cccccc;” /></a>

NOTE: you can replace http://www.theuntappedsource.com in the first line of the code with your direct link or subdomain to go directly to you page.

8.) Thanks to all the artists using the ARTIST BUY PROGRAM to purchase your own prints! It’s been a resounding success and a big reason we get to keep putting money back into making the design and services The Untapped Source provides EVEN BETTER! You can view the Artist Buy Pricing in the Artist Access Center to check out the great prices on the best printing materials available anywhere.

Drew

Artist/Admin/Founder

The Untapped Source

Hi fellow Untapped Artists. It’s your friendly admin and fellow Untapped Artist Drew back with another Newsletter to let you all know how we’re progressing with the site, and what were doing in general to further our goals to become the best Artist Resource Site on the web. Please read on for details.

NOTE: For those with a tight schedule, I’ve taken the time to make the highlights pretty obvious:)

Topics For Discussion This  Month:

1.) Esquire.com 2008 Gift Guide
2.) Artist Buy Program Price Now Up In Artist Access Center
3.) New Banners With Updated Code
4.) Added New Categories And Category Definitions
5.) Cropping Overlay And Gimp Tutorial Link
6.) Projects In Development

1.) We’ve been told by an associate editor at Esquire.com that they are going to be recommending The Untapped Source as a great place to buy high quality artwork in their 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. This  is something that will begin on October 15th of this year, and I assume will run through the holidays. I’m not sure much more needs to be said on this…Esquire is a HUGE publication circulated worldwide by Hearst Publications, and being on their .com will be a very good thing for bringing in viewers.

2.) We have added a new tab, titled “Artist Buy Pricing” in the Artist Access Center especially for our artists to have as a resource for buying your own prints at a discounted price directly from us for your Limited Edition purposes and what not.  It consists of a price sheet as well as the papers we offer exclusively to the artists which are not available on the site for general purpose. Please log into your account and check out the great prices, extra sizes, and extra paper types we are now offering for purchase.  This is still an email order based system where you will let us know what you wish to order, we send you an invoice, you pay the discounted printing rate via paypal, and we send out the order promptly.

Regarding the Artist Cart System, we’ve finished the basic cart, which basically does the same thing as what I’ve explained, except it eliminates the need for email communication and will be credit card/paypal ready at the time of purchase. In addition, we are creating a custom option which we think is actually pretty damn cool:) In short, you will be able to get upload prints that you don’t offer on the site, and have them printed at the sizes you wish. You will also be able to get ANY SIZE YOU WANT to the inch!…meaning, you can get a print that is 2×24, 6×31, 14×32, etc…it’s a VERY FLEXIBLE system that calculates by the dimensions you input in the width and height fields. It will all be a little clearer when we’re finished with this custom option and finally go live with it, but we think it’s going to be a very useful resource for everyone involved with The Untapped Source.

NOTE: This will not replace ordering by email, it is a supplement method. We are a resource site, and we want to remain as personal and not mechanical as possible.

3.) We have added new banners for linking purposes in the Artist Access Center, separate from those we offer on the regular site in the FAQ section, that signify you as an Official Untapped Source Artist! This is also part of our Search Engine Optimization effort in order to make us more accessible to those who search through Google, MSN, Yahoo, and the like. The new code is available in the Artist Access Center as well. Please log in, and use these new banners and the new code for linking…it will make your work easier to find for possible customers and will promote the site collective as a whole.

4.) We have added 4 New Categories to the site:

-Childrens
-Nautical
-Collage
-Rural

We have gone through your galleries and have tried to populate these as best we can.

As a benefit to artists on the site as well as general browsers and customers, we’ve also taken the time add coherent, objective definitions of each of the categories on the site. These are available in the Artist Access Center and will soon be available on the general site as well.

5.) We’ve added a Cropping Overlay Tool to the Artist Access Center. It’s a very simple .psd overlay file that will aid you in cropping your files to meet certain sizes. It’s basically a transparency that is adjustable in size that you can drag over another image to determine size with the look of the image in mind.  We think it’s a very useful tool.

Regarding the GIMP image editing tool link we have provided in the Artist Access Center, we’ve taken the time to add a link to GIMP TUTORIALS as well to aid you in using the software. It’s really a quite powerful, free piece of software for image editing.

6.) Major Projects in Develpment:

-Automation: for immediate uploads, immediate bio updates, gallery structurizing, and immediate, on the fly price changes and size/paper offerings -Estimated Time Of completion: Quarter 2, 2009

-Artist Cart System w/ Custom Features: explained above -Estimated Time Of Completion: Oct/Nov 2008

All in all, things are moving along well, and a lot of the projects we’ve been working on for a LONG TIME are coming into focus. Please let us know with any thoughts, questions, or suggestions as usual, and expect a lot of little changes over the next few months which were not explained above.

Best Regards,

Drew Grundfor
ADMIN/ARTIST/FOUNDER
THE UNTAPPED SOURCE