POD site comparisons

Basically this is just my opinion of some of the POD sites out there.. its certainly not a comprehensive list. I've left question marks where I don't know the answer

Imagekind a complete independent store for Premium members £100 per annum. 100 images uploaded and available for POD at no additional charge ? Multiple image uploads. Print Quality high.. not many sales unless you drive them there.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Image Security ?
Responsiveness ?
Artist rating 8

Zenfolio $100 per annum similar to Imagekind but primarily geared towards photographers. Hosting and gallery template service. Few POD sales unless you drive them there.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Image Security ?
Responsiveness ?
Artist rating 7

The Untappedsource 100 images uploaded and available for no additional charge ? Selective about works stops the site from being overloaded.. as yet ! New kid on the block.. work in progress. One to watch. Print quality high. Multiple image uploads.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness : Good
Artist rating 6

Zazzle.. no additional charges and they work to bring in sales as a result and it shows. Best POD site out there in my opinion. Print Quality.. good if not exceptional. Multiple image uploads.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Don't know never had any real problem
Artist rating 9


FineArtAmerica... $30 per annum to allow POD sales at higher/similar/lower cost than rival sites ? Print Quality ? Single image uploads only. Jpegs only.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Average
Artist rating 7

Red Bubble.. unlimited images.. no additional set up or POD charges. Site is rammed full of artists and images but still manages to deliver some sales. Limited Print options. Great community aspects.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Generally Good
Artist rating 8 mainly due to lack of print options


Artist Rising/Art.com/allposters.. simply not worth the bother unless you are already established and selling on the site.
Basic POD cost for A4 print ?
Responsiveness ? Sporadic and problems left unresolved
Artist rating 3
Comment : Poor reporting of sales,




My Red Bubble - Art Prints
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

 city drawings abstract drawings abstract digital art architecture digital art architecture drawings graffiti drawings

Au Revoir Damien

The art of excess for an age of an excess..
A superficial art that shocks for a superficially shocking age.
I think it captured the spirit of that age perfectly.. but now the world has come down to earth with a bump... Tracey is leaving the country to avoid paying 50% tax and Damien now wants to be a painter. I think we can safely say its the end of an era.

Duchamp declared "ideas" art.. and this became "art is anything I/we decide it to be.. and if you aren't one of us and we don't like your art then it isn't art"
I suspect even Duchamp would have grown weary of his joke by now..

I've got in mind a new piece of conceptual art.. its called "Damien's New Paint Shirt". Its got to be great art.. because its about Hirst. I wonder if the era of oiled filled rooms.. soiled bedsheets and half pickled cows as art will be remembered ?

My feeling is it will be the embarrassing art of an embarrassing era.
I think the death knell sounded for Hirst as stock markets crumbled and the world as we knew it fell apart.. while his bejewelled skull became the most expensive art work in the world.

Banksy has stolen Damien's shirt.. the art dealing elite have donned their designer skater outfits and gone all "street".. man !

"Behind this wheely bin is Banksy's tour de force..not since Da Vinci has an artist captured the true essence of.. "

Oh dear "Damien the unconvincing Classicist" is born... I think the Independent article gets the tone just about right.

Its a bit like the Queen piercing her navel and posing with belly exposed.. not what you'd expect.. somewhat disconcerting..(I will resist saying "shocking"). and not likely to be overly appreciated by either admirers and detractors.

I predict Damien will become a recluse and retire to the Bahama's with his millions.. and mumble to anyone willing to listen for the next 30 years about his ignored genius. The cow and the shark will secretly be buried.. or quietly replaced with plastic replica's.

Au Revoir Damien

http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk






My Red Bubble - Art Prints
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc

Digital Art ?

I hear a lot of argument about digital art. Personally I think most artists are working digitally to a greater extent these days. If they photograph their conventional artwork it becomes a digital copy of the original work, and if they then start modifying the digital photograph, the image becomes progessively more digital and distinct from the original. So whats the problem ?

Personally I enjoy the process of taking a conventional work and then producing digital works based on the original. I can't really see any problem artistically with that. I define myself as an artist who incorporates digital methods.. I make this distinction because some artists are 100% digital.. i.e. the work is never anything other than 100% digital content. This content can be generated entirely from within a computer as is the case with fractals and mathematically based digital art. Some artists create digital art using digital photographs or imagery created via a tablet. In my case my art is produced using a mix of conventional and digital methods.

(Hope your still with me ?)

The digital revolution is here.. in fact it really is the mainstream now. Like music art is being digitized in a big way. Artists can either embrace these new processes or not.. but they are here to stay.

How many of us only know an artists work because of digital versions shown on websites and reproduced in magazines, even artists who never saw a computer in their lifes have had their work digitized ?

(This is all very interesting but is it fun.. but dear reader you must keep going ?)

The only thing the buyer of digital art needs to think about is that it is simply art produced digitally.. which can be good or bad like every other form of art.

But there certainly are distinct characteristic's of digitally produced art.

One of the characteristics I like about using digital methods to create art is that you can easily start using a dark colour or even "black", most conventional art works start with a white page or canvas and the artist builds tonality and shade from this white base. Its not all that common or easy to go the other way and start with a very dark canvas and then lighten it. So this is just one of the attributes that makes digital art different.

I don't think any art buyer should worry that digital art is somehow of less value than conventionally produced art, for me thats only a matter of time. Eventually collectors will fully understand that early and good digital works also have value.. what do they say about any investment buy while the value is low because as "sure as eggs is eggs" values will go up.

(Look you've come this far so don't stop now.. you're getting close to the fun part