ArtSites Updates

This week, I wanted to share a great FREE (!) online image design and editing tool that I discovered and have been using a LOT! ;-)

(BTW, this is NOT a paid ad, I've just "fallen in love" with this really easy-to-use graphic design tool & wanted to pass it along to you! ;-)

Canva.com makes editing your images or creating beautiful posters / cards, as well as other online / social media images amazingly simple!

They offer a simple drag-and-drop design tool with a library of more than 1 million stock photographs, graphic elements and fonts!

Give it a try and I'm sure you'll be happy you did! (I know I'm glad I did!)

And, just to get you started, here's a nice overview / tutorial of Canva.com:

One of the services we (or rather, Geoff ;-) provides is managing and maintaining YOUR domain name(s), renewals, etc.

Well, poor Geoff has been inundated this week with the latest domain name scam (because he's the point of contact for almost 600 (yikes!) domain names).

I won't go into great detail.

But, needless to say, if you are managing your own domain name and receive a notice like the one below, please do ignore and delete it!

It is a scam and as you'll see in the red box below, there is absolutely no reason for you to reply or pay anything!

As always, we simply want to keep you informed (as well as, to let you know what we're doing to minimize your spam / stress around managing your domain name ;-)

And, if you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask! :-)

Here's the email you may receive if you're managing your own domain name yourself ...

Yes, Geoff's been "tinkering" again! ;-)

As a result, we've now expanded our image enlargement features to allow an additional option that lets your images fill the ENTIRE screen (without scrolling)!

Previously, our enlargement feature was a popup that filled ~80% of your screen.

Well, with this latest feature, we can now enlarge your images "full-screen"!
(FYI - if the images you've uploaded are not hi-res, they may not fill the screen!)

(And, just as before, if you've also selected the "Disable Right-Click Menu" option, your images are protected from users downloading / copying them by right-clicking!)

Here are the instructions on How to Setup the Full-Screen Enlargement feature:

1. Go to your Advanced tab
2. Scroll down to the Image Enlargement section (see below)
   
   (click to enlarge)
   
3. You now can select either the existing "Popup" option or "Fullscreen" or no enlargement at all ("Disable").
4. Click one of the radio buttons (you can only select one option).
5. Scroll to the top or bottom of the page and click the "Update Advanced Settings" button to save your changes!

As always, if you have any issues or questions, please just let us know!

Now, go and make your images "fill the screen"! ;-)

Many, many thanks to our ArtSites artist, Bart Maloan, who shared with us that the Art Gallery of Golden is looking to hire a Gallery Coordinator! Woohoo!

If you're interested or know of someone who might be, please read or pass along this Gallery Coordinator Job Description!

As you know, word-of-mouth referrals are the best!

So, let's make sure we get the right person coordinating and supporting those talented artists in the Golden, BC area! :-D

Thanks for spreading the word!! :-)

Well, Geoff's been at it again! :-D

Over the years, many of you have asked "how do I logout"?

This often comes up when you're at a computer that's not your own.

Until now, you could only log out if you closed your web browser.

However, Geoff has now updated everyone to a new login system that also has a logout option!

With the new system, if you don't logout and leave your web browser running but not actively working on your website for 1 week, it will log you out.

It will also log you out if you shut down your web browser.
(FYI - we have seen some issues with Firefox that may prevent this.)

BUT NOW, you can force a logout by clicking on the red "Logout" link in the upper right-hand corner of your Admin Panel.

(If you don't see a Logout link, you are still using the old system probably because you've told your browser to save your password, which is fine!)

We've also added a new login option to the top right-hand corner on our ArtSites website!

So, if you forget how to login from your website, just go to ArtSites and login there! :-)

And, if you've forgotten your password, you can reset it there with either your username OR email address! :-)

As with all new features, please let us know if you have any issues!

Thanks in advance for all your support and feedback! :-)

'Tis the season ... to be scamming! Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la :-(

Given that it's the Holiday Season and you may get more "unsolicited inquiries" than normal, we wanted to warn you about a few new names we've heard about over the past few weeks.

• b.santos59@lycos.com
• Daniel Alvaro: d.alvaro59@yahoo.com

In both of these cases, the requests were for shipping items internationally via their own shipping services (this should always be a HUGE red flag! ;-)

And, while it IS possible to have international collectors, we recommend you be quite suspicious whenever you get these kinds of inquiries.

I won't go into all the details, but I just wanted to send you a "gentle reminder" to be careful during this Holiday Season! ;-)

And, while we're at it, you may also want to revisit some of our earlier posts about art scams:

• How to Check if An Inquiry is Legitimate
• Red Flags When Doing Business Online
• Important Details about the Anita Turner Online Art Scam
• The Latest "Order Inquiry" by "Rebecca Shawn"
• The Latest "James Duckworth" Art Scam
• Other Art Scam "Sender Names" to Avoid
• Stop Art Scams Blog & Facebook Page
  (list of common Art Scams)
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Agency

We simply want to make sure you don't get scammed!

We'll do our best to keep you informed, but do be cautious! :-)

This week, I received the following truly touching story from our artist, Malcolm Armstrong!

What I love about this story is that it's stories like these that make your artwork come to life, especially when viewing it online!

So, instead of just describing your artwork by size, colour, etc., think about a story that will give it life and make the reader fall in LOVE with it! :-D

Here's Malcolm's story, as told by Malcolm ...

I often get inspirations for a painting from true stories that I read. In the early 1900s a British sailing ship (Dalgonar) in very heavy weather off the west coast of South America was in danger of sinking because ballast shifted in the hold and the ship developed a huge list which could not be corrected. It was impossible to move the ballast and the ship became unmanageable. There was no radio communication between ships in those days but Dalgonar sent up rocket flares in the hope of being spotted.

A large four masted French barque (Loire) was in the vicinity, saw the flares and sailed towards the stricken ship. The sea conditions were far too rough for the launching of a boat, but the French barque stayed in sight of Dalgonar for four days until conditions improved sufficiently to send a boat across to rescue the crew of the British ship. This was an amazing feat of seamanship and a wonderful example of the tradition of the sea to help other mariners who are in distress.

Throughout this event, Loire flew the International Code two flag signal "AI" which meant "I will not abandon you". Of course, I gave my painting the title "I Will Not Abandon You".

The two flag signal flown by Dalgonar is "NC" which means "I am in distress and need assistance". Being a seaman myself, I have always been touched by this story and I have painted the event three times; always slightly differently, of course, because the relative positions of the two ships.

I recently sold the third one of these paintings to a couple who have become friends over recent years because they have other paintings of mine. A few days after I delivered the painting to a home in Mount Vernon, the wife suffered a serious stroke. I am pleased to say that she is recovering but I want to quote an excerpt from a letter the husband sent to me a few days ago; it brought tears to my eyes:

I do want to mention your painting "I will not abandon you". When you paint as you do, you paint a picture that is really a story or emotion or possibly a feeling - it is this feeling that touches people that is sent out to the world. You send this picture out into the world but do not know what impact it will have on the person seeing it. In this painting, I see hope, love and faith. It is an inspiration and a true reason for faith. It has also been a symbol of my wife's recovery for both her and me. This painting is a true companion in this time. I also talk to my wife about this painting and the meaning that is in it. I can tell you that it has been a true companion in this time of trouble. Thank you for painting this wonderful painting as it has helped both of us get through this time."

Many, many thanks, Malcolm, for sharing this truly inspired and touching story with all of us! :-)

Recently, I received and email from one of our artists who was concerned about what would happen to their website after they pass away.

And, I realized that Geoff and I have never explicitly shared with you our "Legacy Policy"!

As I've said many times before, Geoff and I strongly believe the world needs more art! :-D

So, in honour of your talents and your artistic contributions to our ArtSites family, we promise to continue to host your website for free!

This ensures that future generations and fellow artists can continue to enjoy and be inspired your work!

That said, there is one thing that we ask you to do ...

Please let your family members, executor, etc. know to contact us!

There are two reasons for this ...

1. If our renewal notices go unanswered or we simply don't hear back from you, we will assume you no longer want us to host your website and we will suspend it.
   
   
2. In the past, when we've found out that one of our artists has passed away, it has given us the opportunity to create a "Tribute" that provides a way for our entire ArtSites family to honour, celebrate, and cherish your talents. Here's an example of Our Tribute to Ken Hopper.

And, just as a gentle reminder, here are our thoughts on The Impact You AND Your Art Have on Us and the Wonderful Legacies You're Creating!

Many, many thanks for all your contributions to our world of art! :-)

Well, Geoff's been at it again! :-D

For quite some time, we've been allowing you to customize the fonts on your website.

However, doing this required some "behind-the-scenes" coding by us.

Well, Geoff has now exposed this functionality to YOU! Woohoo!

You now have access to over 650 brand new fonts for your website!

Here's how you can install new fonts:

1. Go to the Fonts tab in your Admin Panel
2. When you get there, you will see all the built-in fonts on the left side and the newer fonts on right side. Once here, you can:
   
3. Enter some text in the "Sample Text" field. (Please note that this will be initially pre-filled with the "Title" of your website. - see red box above)
4. Install as many fonts as you want, by just clicking on "install" (see red arrow above)
5. Scroll through the MANY pages, by clicking the Next Page or Last Page at the bottom of the Font list on the right side. (see red box above)

Once you have installed your fonts, you can:

1. Change the Default Font for Your ENTIRE Website
   Just follow the steps in this Change Your Website Font Tutorial.
   
   Or,
2. Change the Fonts for your Title and/or Tagline
   Here's how:
   1. Go to your Layout tab in your Admin Panel
   2. Scroll down to the "Website Header" section
      
   3. Select the Font, Size, Colour, Bold, Italic, and Shadow Option.
      You'll note that the text will automatically update as you select each option.
   4. When you are done, be sure to click the "Update Website Layout and Header" button to save your choices!

(When you have decided which fonts you want to use, we recommend that you remove any other newly installed ones that you're NOT using because unnecessary fonts can impact the performance of your website.)

So, go and try out some new fonts! :-)

And, if you have any further questions or issues, please just let us know!