Use Pixlr to enhance your promotional materials and social media postings. Pixlr is a free app that I downloaded to my Android device. There's an online version too. It’s become a main go-to for a variety of applications. I use it creatively to generate new ideas for artwork. But for this post, I'm going to show how it can be used to create eye-catching images for both print and online use.

It was possible to create very nice postcards with Pixlr photos using MOO for the printing. This is pretty great ‘cause it saves lots of steps and time not having to take high res photos with a dslr camera for print purposes!! Not to mention that it is a fun app to use.

On the right are a few screen shots from my device and some photos to show a bit of the process.

For this example I used the Collage feature in the app. You can choose several photos from any Album on your device.
I chose four recent works on paper paintings from the Camera Roll. The app pops them into an arrangement that can be easily changed. It’s fun to see all of the variations that are possible.
I increased the space between images and made the corners rounded.
Once you have settled on a configuration that you like, click DONE. Then save the image to your Albums or share with Facebook, Instagram and more. When posting to Instagram I often use it to show a variety of images or views. Super simple and fast!
Below are some arrangements I tried with work from my new website before settling on one that would be printed onto a postcard.

Here’s the final version that I had printed on a postcard by MOO. Represented are 1-2 paintings from each of the Collections on my website: Marvels and Mysteries, Ebb and Flow, Energy and Movement, Earthy, and Circles. https://christinesauerstudio.space

©Christine Sauer  Postcard Back,PS.  If you’d like one of these sweet little post cards, shoot me an email with your address. csauerarts@yahoo.com — ©Christine Sauer Postcard Back,
PS. If you’d like one of these sweet little post cards, shoot me an email with your address. csauerarts@yahoo.com

Instagram is currently one of my favorite social media sites as an artist. After joining I was wondering why I resisted for so long! I enjoy scrolling through and seeing art from all over the world and connecting with people through comments that I wouldn't have a chance to meet so easily. Seeing artists' special projects develop and videos from their art and lives has been fascinating. As artists, we often work in isolation so interacting on Instagram is a little escape. I also love the focus of just one image at a time. Getting feedback on my own work has been rewarding too.

I was honored when arts writer Ann Landi , who I connected with via Instagram, Facebook and by joining her Vasari21.com site, interviewed me by phone recently. She was writing an article for Vasari 21 about artists using Instagram. Vasari 21 is a fabulous resource for artists offering career advice, informative articles about art collectors, interviews with artists, podcasts and much more. Ann's writing is engaging and humorous. And no artspeak on the site, yay! Below is the image from my feed, @christinesauerstudio, included with article.

Christine Sauer  "Vessel (petite)"  8x8"  acrylic, mixed media on canvas — Christine Sauer "Vessel (petite)" 8x8" acrylic, mixed media on canvas

Notes from the Studio

Honored to be part of "Instagram for Artists" on Vasari 21 by arts writer Ann Landi