Who knew protective face masks would become a thing? Experts are increasingly suggesting that masks may need to be worn for at least a year or two, or three, until the virus abates or a treatment becomes available. And trend forecasters are predicting that, as a result, they may become a fact of daily life, donned by all of us with the same unthinking passivity as a coat and sunglasses when we leave the house. But does that mean they should also become, like a coat and sunglasses, an individual fashion statement? Well I, for one, think they do! According to Edited, the digital retail tracking service, there has been an almost 40 percent increase in the number of masks offered by companies in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the end of 2019. In a blog post earlier this month, Josh Silverman, the chief executive of Etsy, reported that in a single weekend, buyers searched for face masks on the site an average of nine times per second, and the number of face mask sellers had grown five times, to almost 20,000. As artists, we are crazy not to jump on that bandwagon! Designing masks with our artwork and surface pattern designs should be second nature and using POD sites needs to become as effortless as any other task in our daily workflows. The thing about POD sites is that they can be confusing, and working between Photoshop or another software and the POD site interface can be super cumbersome and a downright time sucker. Naturally, to make it a success of it, you will have to put plenty of effort in, especially at the beginning! It may seem like a daunting task, and the income wont happen overnight, but I am bringing you this class to walk you through a few of my POD favorites! In this new class, POD Masks and Fashion Accessories, we will be using the Adobe Extension, Design to Print, in Photoshop, and we will connect effortlessly to the Zazzle site! You wont believe how seamless it is! You can do anything you want in constructing your design in Photoshop, as you always do, with layers and filters and anything else Photoshop has to offer! The just hit Publish and you will be transported straight into the Zazzle site to post your product for sale!I will share my personal experience, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the DTP Extension, and go into detail about preparing your art. We will also explore the Zazzle interface. I will explain the advantage of my workflow in creating the largest layout file possible. I explain artwork proportions that can be adapted infinitely for all the other shapes, proportions and sizes of POD products. Amidst the pandemic, it may sound frivolous to talk about something as trivial as fashion, but with so many people struggling, these beautiful personal items may well be the most positive part of their days. We, as artists, can use art and colour to shape their experiences and deliver specific emotions, even for a moment, whether that is to calm, or to inspire and bring joy. I know pretty things always make me happy! Are you an artist who would love to transition into selling in your personal retail store, your e-commerce site and on the POD sites and marketplaces? Wouldnt you just LOVE to produce items like masks, scarves, shoes, socks and even watch-faces? Then this is another class for you! I cant wait to see what you will produce. The key concepts I will include: Review of the Adobe Textile Designer plug-in An overview of the Zazzle interface Specific instructions for numerous products including masks, scarves, shoes, socks and watch-faces Approaches you can take in your creative work moving forward Many ideas and workflow considerations to streamline the production of many, many itemsThis is a relevant course for you to take no matter what your purpose for the artwork you create to publish on POD sites. Lets get started, so you can be benefitting from your new skills now for adding another revenue stream!
