Most my followers are pretty sharp, but it’s never a bad thing to review the basics. Artchipel wants to help your time here to be constructive, so they compiled a new FAQ section that covers tips on blog usage for a visual artist.

artchipel:

With artist/curator Jacob van Loon’s help, we’ve centralized questions frequently asked by visual Artists who choose Tumblr as their platform to share work. Read below to see if any question you have can be answered:

How do I find Art blogs that promote Artists?
Tumblr aggregates influential blogs in their Spotlight section. Blogs gain a certain status if their owners post consistent, well-received material. Some areas of the Spotlight we have found useful are:
   Art
   Artists
   Comics 
   Curators
   Design
   Illustrators 
   Photography
   Typography

What are “tags”? What do they do?
Like other blogging platforms, Tumblr allows any user to tag their posts. Tags show up abbreviated by #hashtags at the bottom of every entry in your feed, and in varying places on the front end of the blog depending on your layout.

Using tags makes your posts searchable. This allows others to find your work. Tumblr also aggregates the most popular tags used on the entire website, and puts them in one place for you. These featured tags are moderated by tag editors*, who have the ability to feature work in this section daily. We have found the following tags to be a good resource for visual Artists:
   Art
   Black and White
   Comics
   Crafts
   Design
   Illustration
   Landscape
   Portrait
   Typography
   Artists on Tumblr**

*What is a tag editor?
Read the full explanation for the editing position here.

**What is “Artists on Tumblr”? If I’m an Artist, how does this benefit me?
Artists on Tumblr is a featured tag designed for just that – Artists that post their work on Tumblr. Adding this tag to entries that contain your own original artwork allows tag editors* to search directly for you. By using this tag, you better your chances of being featured as an Artist on Tumblr, which is beneficial for your networking purposes.

What blogs should I follow?
We recommend following ARTchipel, and browsing this page titled Tumblr Art Blogs To Follow.

How to find some really awesome Artists on Tumblr?
Take some time to look through Tumblr Spotlight Artists and Illustrators sections, track the feature tag Artists on Tumblr**. You can also browse directory-blogs such as Artists on Tumblr and Artist Directory, discover artists with ARTchipel’s monthly Tumblr artists discovery list, or learn more about artists that ARTchipel has featured on Tumblr Artist page.

Why do you post the work of other Artists?
ARTchipel is a curatorial blog, which acts as a reservoir for content that we finds aesthetically and culturally valuable. With full compliance, we share the work of many Artists from a centralized location, which acts as a resource for Artists, and patrons alike. Sharing the Artwork we choose in an online format presents the opportunity to share ideas that not everyone has the opportunity to see or hear in person. ARTchipel also integrates itself directly with the art community on Tumblr, by inviting curators to share some of their favorite contemporary Artists, every Monday.

What else can I do to distinguish myself on Tumblr?
Featured tags are the most popular tags that Tumblr users implement, meaning that on a daily basis; they can house high volumes of content. Tagging your posts with your name, or handle, automatically individualizes your posts, and makes your entries searchable by your own name.
• Consistency is key. Posting as frequently as possible will allow others more chance to see your work. Tumblr moves quickly, keeping pace with it takes some thought. Streamlining your other social media sites with your blog is also a good idea.
• Vagueness doesn’t improve your chances. Consider what you see when you walk into most Art galleries. Pieces are labeled with a name, a title, a date, and a medium where relevant. Your posts should reflect this structure.
• Give credit where credit is due. If you are posting your own work, make sure Tumblr knows it. If you are posting the work of others with curatorial intent, make sure Tumblr knows it. Protecting the integrity of Artists is at the core of ARTchipel’s interest, and it will benefit you to do the same.
• Provide some information about yourself, and your work on your page.
• Introduce yourself. Most users on Tumblr enable the ask box, which allows users to submit content and/or questions to other users. That function can be found in varying places on a Tumblr page, depending on the layout. Once you have established a network of blogs to follow, say hello. Introducing your work and giving a little information about yourself is beneficial. Letting another user know what you think of their work is also a good way to establish communication.

What are other ways to gain more exposure?
Some curatorial blogs accept submissions from Artists who work in certain genres, such as:
   Artist Directory – Fine Art
   Designers of Tumblr – Design  
   Drawing Architecture – Architectural Drawing
   Eat Sleep Draw – Illustration, Drawing
   Fuck Yeah Girly Art – Gender-specific Illustration
   Fuck Yeah Illustrations – Illustration
   Fuck Yeah Moleskines – Sketchbooks
   Ilustrativo – Illustrations
   PhotographersDirectory – Photography
   The Only Magic Left is Art – Fine Art
   Tumblr Open Arts – Fine Art

N.B. If you have some tips to provide for visual Artists, please contact us

Designs by Jacob van Loon

Ben van Loon, Managing Editor at Anobium Literary, shares the story of his Publication company, which is currently planning it’s fourth release. Anobium saw a strong first year, and recently launched it’s online section, already boasting some great interviews and commentary. I often design for the publication, and we have decided to list a special offer for those interested in reading more. See the end of the post. 

“In January of 2011, I started my own publishing business — Anobium Books. I was fed up with the morass of so-called literary journals staffed by editors and writers who have somehow made a business of catering to mediocrity. The books and journals produced by some of the more notable American independent publishers are often crammed with self-aggrandizing prose, irrelevant poetics, and plagued by cheap, over-the-counter looks. I believe books should be judged by their covers, and if the title is written in Papyrus, it’s not going to be a book worth reading. Who wants to read poems about crab apples, anyway?

I had $100 to start my business, so I bought a domain name, posted an ad on Craigslist, and started assembling a team of like-minded people. I wanted to publish books with unique, experimental content and compulsively intelligent design. I wanted to publish books that I myself would want to buy. Finding good writing is a unique challenge, but once you get the writing, the real challenge is finding a way to arrange the whole piece into a cohesive, aesthetically-conscious whole.

I’ve always been the writer and my brother has always been the artist. We’ve always shared similar sensibilities when it came to music, art, and film, so I decided to ask my brother to work with me on the design for Anobium, as well. I knew he would ‘get it’ without much need for conferencing or convincing. Immediately, he started getting to work and now, over a year later, Anobium is humming to a rhythm all its own. It has a distinct character, attitude, and appeal, and much of this would not be possible without Jacob’s artistic influence. He has designed the covers for all three releases thus far and he is obsessively scrutinous with maintaining our continued aesthetic standards. I’m doing everything I can to facilitate the publication of Good Books, and he’s doing everything he can to make sure the books look good. It’s a strong system.

Printing books in a digital age is a strange pursuit. We are currently working on creating digital counterparts to our physical releases, though ultimately, we believe in the artifactual importance of printed literature. This is why we so strongly emphasize the aesthetic importance of our books. We treat our books as more than just words on a page. We treat them like handheld works of art.”

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We have provided exclusive discount purchase links below. Normal price for Anobium releases are $12 ($10 + $2 for shipping). If you purchase through this post, you can buy the releases for $10 flat. Shipping is on us. All money goes to support future Anobium projects.

Anobium: Volume 1 (5”x7”, 84pp., perfect bound, laminated matte cover, 55lb. b&w stock.)

This was our first real publishing project, and it came together surprisingly well. It’s 84 pages, features 19 writers, and includes an interview and never-before-published short story by Chicago great, Joe Meno (author of Hairstyles of the Damned, Demons in the Spring, Boy Detective Fails, and more). There is a definite dark mood in Volume 1, but on the other hand, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. NewPages.com said of it: “Anobium embraces and celebrates the strange and surreal. […] [And] should satisfy those readers that enjoy plumbing the outer limits of literature.”

$10 w/ free shipping - Purchase Here

Anobium: Volume 2 (5″x7″, 104pp., perfect bound, laminated gloss cover, 60lb. b&w stock.)

This is our third and most-recent release. Volume 2 features an essay by a newly-licensed mortician, a primer and two selections from outsider-artist Blaster “Al” Ackerman, and stories and interviews with Chicago-based novelists Patrick Somerville (author of The Universe in Miniature in Miniature, and more) and Jesse Ball (author of The Way Through Doors, and more). Two writers from V1, Jonathan Greenhause and Grahman Tugwell, also make appearances here. This piece also features nine, full-page b&w paintings by Parisian artist Ivan de Monbrison. 

$10 w/ free shipping - Purchase Here

Sebastian’s Relativity by Jonathan Greenhause (8”x8”, 42pp.)

This was our second release and first single-author release. Greenhause is a New Jersey-based writer who creates strange, surreal, and often-comical prose-poems. Plastic dogs, Siamese-twin sisters, and philosophizing burritos make frequent appearances. Only 100 of these books were printed, and we have less than 10 left. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. And they’ll definitely be missed.

SOLD OUT

More information at Anobiumlit.com. Follow Anobium on Tumblr.