Do you have any tips for a young artist trying to get their art out there? I find it hard, especially when I'm not use to this Tumblr yet. (Finding the right tags to use and things like that.) (P.S. I also say young as in 19.)
My biggest advice is to post art as often as you make it, and as often as you can and stay active on your blog. ALSO! have multiple blogs - have one that is your artwork ONLY. Have two art blogs: one for sfw material and nsfw material (if you do any nsfw). Itβs just more professional to do so (unless you plan on doing exclusively nsfw material.) If youβre only doing sfw (or nsfw) material, just have 1 art blog. Also, have another Tumblr for reblogging other peopleβs work and images (use it for inspiration and/or memes.) Divide your Tumblr experience by work//play - your art blogs are for work only and your βpersonalβ Tumblr is for everything else - donβt mix the two - it confuses your audience, specially if theyβre there to look at your art. (I personally get a little miffed if Iβm trying to look at someones original artwork and itβs all broken up by reblogs, fan submissions and shitposts..) It should be effortless to find your art.Β Post polished, finished pieces as well as sketches and progress images! The more posts you make in general, the more visibility youβll have. But donβt post willy-nilly! Keep it interesting and organized. If youβre particularly pleased with a sketch you have in your sketchbook, scan it and share. Iβve noticed people really enjoyΒ βbehind the scenesβ content as well as the finished results. It gives a sense of artistic transparency. Be really open and honest with people and interact with them.Β When it comes to tags, just tag your work in any category you may find relevant to your image - content, subject matter, medium etc. Look at the tags for images similar to your own work to see what tags other artists are using. The more tags you can add, the greater your changes of visibility. Tag accurately and always correctly tag nsfw/mature content!
Tumblr is a strange place. I donβt even fully understand Tumblr, or its people, tbh lol.. Itβs a beautiful, strange, at times aggravating as fuck internet space (no matter how many βTumblr peopleβ jokes and memes there are out there, every Tumblr user is VERY different. Itβs important to find your audience, but thankfully they come to you naturally, based on your content and interests.
My experiences with Tumblr have been mostly positive and my audience is lovely and supportive. But there is plenty of toxicity lurking around the site. Stay out of arguments, stay out of drama, avoid political or sensitive subject matter, donβt question peopleβs morals/beliefs and/or their opinions - Let them have their say, itβs fine to disagree, but you donβt owe them a response. Donβt engage arguments on your art blog, youβre here to share artwork, not debate. Ignore negativity, donβt respond to it, and if you do: make a joke out of it. ;)
One more thing that really helps bring in an audience (whether we like it or not lol) is to make some fan art, if youβre willing! (and tag it!) I was always kind of βmehβ about fan art.. (drawing it myself) but I did one night and it brought in SO MANY people who otherwise would not have ever found me, and they stayed with me because they liked my original content! Those fan art posts still bring in new followers, even years later. If thereβs any popular fandom youβre into, do some fan art (once in a while, not all the time) - it does really help bring in new people. :)Basically, just keep posting artwork. I was about 21 when I started Tumblr myself. I just posted what I was making for college assignments (if I liked the result enough) and things were pretty slow. Iβve been on Tumblr for a little over 5 years now and Iβm just now gaining a larger audience - and thatβs after 5 years of slow, irregular posting. Since I started posting regularly (multiple times a week, at least, sometimes daily) my follower count sky-rocketed. Youβre still young, you have a lot of room to grow, develop and learn - itβs an exciting time in your life, enjoy it, be easy on yourself, be kind to yourself, and absorb as much artwork, imagery and information as you can! Be patient, itβs a slow trickle, not a flood. Donβt get discouraged by viewer/follower inactivity, keep posting like you have a large audience, even if you donβt yet. Remember that your art will always get better, never worse, and keep working at it and sharing. Shit, Iβve already said A LOT - Iβm so fucking wordyβ¦(I could probably keep going tbh) lolβ¦ maybe Iβll make a YouTube video about this topic? Anyway, I hope something I said helps you! :βD Good luck! Β
