Celebrating Color

The latest news from Carol McIntyre's studio...

What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part Two

By

In my recent blog post: What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part One   I introduced you to these five phases of publishing a book and discussed phases one through three:

  1. Incubating and Conceiving the Idea
  2. Writing
  3. Producing
  4. Marketing
  5. Distributing and Shippingcolor mixing book, book publishing, color theory

In this post, I will discuss the last two phases – 4. Marketing and 5. Distributing and Shipping. Although the five listed steps imply a linear progression, the journey is never quite straight and/or sequential, as in any creative process. For example, in the book publishing process, marketing activities underly all of the stages, because it actually starts when the first viable draft of the manuscript has been written. This surprises most new authors.

Marketing is the most important and the most complex phase. It is a long and arduous process that is not unlike having a child. I say this because the book needs constant and consistent attention over a long period of time, particularly if your content is evergreen.

[Disclaimer:  This article describes my author experience of independently publishing a non-fiction art instruction book to be sold internationally. Off-set printing was used because color is on every page and it is a hard back so that it is durable, lays flat for better usability, and is marketable to a variety of venues, including libraries. Every book carries its unique goals.]

Phase 4: Marketing

What is marketing? It is the business process of creating relationships with and satisfying customers. With its focus on the customer, marketing is one of the premier components of business management.

Given the above definition, to write and sell a book, the author must understand that he/she is starting a book publishing business. Most authors do not fully comprehend this phenomenon, which can cause angst and frustration. I arrived in my book publishing journey having taken classes in marketing and I worked in a marketing department within a medium-sized corporation many years ago. Hence, the principles were and are not difficult for me to grasp. If you do not have similar knowledge, I recommend that you take a basic Marketing 101 course BEFORE taking advantage of the many books and online resources available on the subject of marketing books.

It is important to know who will be reading your book and whether they represent a viable market. Along this line of thinking, knowing the problem(s) your book will solve and providing solutions to this problem is also critical. If these are not completely thought out then your book will not sell. [Read more…]

Let’s Mix Green! Workshop

By

Do greens ever frustrate you?

Or would you like to efficiently mix natural-looking greens with just a couple of tubes of paint?

Or do you get overwhelmed with all of those yellows and blues, and then wonder which to use to mix your green?

My next Let’s Mix Green! Workshop will be held in Colorado Springs, CO.mix green, art instruction, painting

Eliminate the angst and learn the joy of mixing the greens you want in this 1-day workshop. Stop using those acid-looking tube greens and learn to mix natural-looking greens with an easy-to-use approach.

During this workshop, you will learn:

  • The color bias of your yellows and blues and why this is critical when mixing color
  • Which yellows and blues you want for your working palette
  • How to mix bright and dull natural-looking greens
  • Why tube greens are not necessary
  • If you are a plein air painter, which few tubes you need to achieve the greens you want
  • How to mix greens for all four seasons

Carol will demonstrate throughout the day to assure the information is processed to everyone’s satisfaction. If time allows, we will paint a “greens only” painting.

This workshop is for: Advanced beginners* of all tube-based media (i.e., watercolor, oil, acrylic, water mixable oils) who work in any style.

Upon registration, you will receive a supply list and how to order lunch if you choose not to brown bag.

Questions? Contact Carol McIntyre at: 719-510-0006 or carol@mcintyrfineart.com

Carol is the recent author of “I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want!” and she has worked in all major media and styles. To view her painting portfolios and learn more about her book, click on the tabs above.

Signed copies of “I Just Want to Paint!” will be available.

Join us for this fun and exploratory workshop.

Date: Friday, May 17th

Time: 9am – 4pm

Location: LSJ Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs.

Cost: $85.00. Only 8 spaces available.

Register via this Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/402211357284219/

*Advanced beginner is a painter who has completed a minimum of 15 unsuccessful and/or successful paintings.

 

What Are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book? | Part One

By

“Carol, you have written and published a book! Congratulations! How did you do it?”

Writing I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want! has, as many of you know, consumed much of my time and energy the past two years. As I depart the launch phase, I have been reflecting upon the process and I thought I’d share it with you. Some of you might like to hear one author’s insight to becoming an independent book publisher. The latter is sometimes referred to as “Indie.”

Readers of my blog and my book, know that clarity is foremost in my mind when explaining a concept or skill. I believe clarity is key to understanding or learning something new. I also think it is a skill I have worked at developing. Here is my attempt at explaining a complex and time-consuming process.

What are the 5 Phases of Publishing a Book?

Caveat:  I write this article solely from my perspective. I am not a book publishing coach or consultant. I have never seen the process described in phases as I have identified. My book publishing story is about writing a non-fiction book — a how-to art instruction book. I outline the phases I have experienced though many nuances and details of book publishing are skimmed, so consider this an overview.

The Phases are:

  1. Incubating and Conceiving the Idea
  2. Writing
  3. Producing
  4. Marketing
  5. Distributing and Shipping

Even though I have portrayed them as a sequence, publishing a book, like any creative endeavor, is not linear and be a bit mushy with lots of overlap. However, I think these five phases represent a model and provide a good framework to take an aerial view of the  process.color mixing, book publishing, self-publisher

Phase 1: Incubating and Conceiving the Idea

[Read more…]

Seeing Colors as Values

By

Learning to see colors as values is not easy. In fact, I believe it is a trained skill. It is also something many of us, myself included, resist doing because it takes time and concentration. However, the use of values is one of the most important elements in creating effective paintings. Some artists will state, and you have probably heard this, that values are more important than color.

Oh, but we LOVE color! Yet, if you don’t know your values, then your colors will not carry the visual message you want to communicate. Value is defined as: the lightness or darkness of colors.seeing colors as values, color theory

Why is Seeing Colors as Values Difficult?

[Read more…]

Which Colors Are the Most Controversial?

By

Are some colors more controversial than others? What do I mean by controversial colors?

I am referring to the colors that cause different, if not opposing, emotional and intellectual responses. Controversial colors evoke both positive and negative reactions either separately or simultaneously.

Which color is the one that comes to mind first when considering its positive and negative impact on viewers?

Most likely the first controversial color to come up is the color red.

Psychologically, red can symbolize love, sensuality, passion, energy and romance, whereas it can also convey hate, war, danger and fear.  For some of us, it is a color of agitation and for others is is more calming and not scary at all. The shape of the color can also have an impact. Hence, a color cannot be isolated when analyzing your perception of it, but needs to be considered within a context. Our life experiences also add to our different perceptions of color.

Fore example, in my painting Crimson Fusion, some viewers would perceive the red as drips of blood, whereas others, like myself, see it as energy breaking through to the next level — as if it is being set free. (I think I need to change the title of this painting, don’t you?)

color theory, controversial colors

The interpretations of this painting have been quite varied and I believe it is because of my use of red. Feel free to look within my portfolio of paintings to see my diverse colors schemes and explore your reactions to them based on the colors used.

The other color I believe is highly controversial is yellow. This may surprise some of you. Yellow is often considered the color of happiness, fun, warmth, the sun and child-like activities. Yet, it is also the color of caution — think of road signs — as well as illness. We love seeing yellow out in nature, but it is the least liked color within our homes and fashion. It can be a jarring color and is not considered calming. (I am referring to the more saturated yellows.) I have been told be gallery owners, that paintings with a lot of yellow in them do not sell as well as paintings with a small amount of yellow or no yellow at all.

What are your thoughts and reactions to the color yellow? What other color do you think is controversial? Orange perhaps? What are the possible positive and negative reactions to orange?

On the flip side of this discussion, which colors are the least controversial? I my opinion these would be blue, green and most purples. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please write them in the comment box below.

If you found this post interesting, please share it with others.

Colorfully and gratefully yours,

Carol

color mixing guide, color theory, color expert