My little man turns 1 tomorrow. Here’s a look back at the last year:
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Happy Birthday Greyor. Mommy loves you so much!
Here is one of my current commissions, a portrait of two huskies.
Most of the work is done here, just have to finish up the lower portion of the canvas, the bush and some of the grass, as well as some detail work on the dogs.
Fur is always a challenge! I wish I had a good brush to really get the texture down. I am somewhat limited, not only by my tools, but also by my skill. No matter how linear I try to get my line work to be (to create the fur), it always seems to end up looking flat and muddling up the colors. I end up with less detail than I had when I started.
I am very proud of how this painting is coming along though! As you can see from the photo below, I am working directly from a photograph and the painting itself is looking pretty darn representative. I can’t wait to show it off!
Introducing Deal-vember’s biggest event:
The Group Deal!
Spend $3 and you won’t pay markup on HY Studios fine art prints.
What it is:
This group deal is an offer that allows me to give you all an amazing discount on your purchase of fine art prints at HY Studios, but only if 25 people accept and purchase it.
How it works:
Pricing on my fine art prints is made up of two components: the materials and printing costs that Fine Art America charges, and my markup. Markups on my fine art prints range from $5, $10, or $15 depending on size, but purchase this deal and my markup on each print will be $0. You only pay Fine Art America’s printing and materials costs.
The Details:
- The group deal will be available to purchase on 11/11/2011 at 10am Eastern through 11/24/2011 at 10pm Eastern on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/hystudios.
- Upon purchase of this deal, I’ll send you a discount code valid for up to $75 off markup on fine art prints. That will give you either $5, $10, or $15 off each print in your order, depending on what sizes they are, up to the $75 cap. (Once discount cap is reached, regular markup will be charged.) This discount code doesn’t expire until 2/2/2012.
- Save up to 80%! If you order one print, by paying $3 up front, you will save either 40%, 70%, or 80% depending on which size print you order. Order more than one, and that savings is exponential!
- For the deal to activate, 25 people must purchase it, so spreading the word is key. Tell all of your friends and family!
Read the terms, conditions, and FAQ here.
Feel free to contact me at holly.york@live.com with any questions concerning this deal.
TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND FAQ
By accepting this deal you are agreeing to pay Holly York a one-time markup for your purchase on her fine art prints from HY Studios in the amount of US $3.00. This promotional offer is made contingent on a “group discount” model where the promotional markup is guaranteed to be activated only after a total of 25 people also accept the deal within the offer window. The group deal will be available to purchase on 11/11/2011 at 10am Eastern through 11/24/2011 at 10pm Eastern. The US $3.00 promotional markup will not be available after that date. In the event that the group discount minimum is not met, the promotional deal may still be activated at the sole discretion of HY Studios, however, activation of the promotional deal is guaranteed only after the minimum number of people accept the offer.
By accepting, you agree to participate in this deal if the minimum amount of people accept the offer. Accepting the deal constitutes signing up to “Buy Now” and submitting your payment information through PayPal. Your account is charged at the end of the campaign only if the minimum amount of people also accept the deal. If the minimum quota is not met, your card will not be charged and an order will not be placed.
No refunds, in any amount, will be given for this deal. However, this does not apply to print purchases at HY Studios. Review the 30 day money back guarantee here: http://hystudios.artistwebsites.com/moneybackguarantee.html.
This offer is only available for a limited time. Along with the specific end date of 11/24/2011 at 10pm Eastern that will be included in all advertisements and terms, I will also be limiting the amount of people who can opt into this deal to 100 people. The promotion will run until either the end date is reached, or the number of people to purchase the deal reaches the maximum amount of 100; whichever event occurs first.
HY Studios reserves the right to make changes to this promotion. However, this does not include the deal amount of US $3.00 or the minimum amount of 25 purchasers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you don’t get 25 sign-ups, can I still get the deal?
This deal is only guaranteed if a minimum of 25 people accept the offer. If this minimum number is not reached the deal may or may not be activated at the sole discretion of HY Studios.
If I accept the offer, when will my credit card be charged?
Your card will only be charged when and if the deal is activated.
In the simplest terms possible can you tell me what I’m agreeing to?
By accepting the offer you agree to pay US $3.00 as a one-time markup for your purchase on fine art prints at www.hystudios.artistwebsites.com. Basically, you pay me $3 and I’ll give you a discount code that will eliminate my regular markup on prints in your shopping cart during checkout. This discount is not guaranteed and is contingent upon the total number of people who also take the offer. In the event that the deal is not activated, your credit card will not be charged and your credit card information will not be stored.
What if I want to cancel before my credit card is charged?
Unfortunately, in order to combat fraudulent signups (people inflating the sign-up counter to try and make the offer hit the minimum number of members required) I cannot cancel an accepted offer. You are in no way required to make a purchase at HY Studios once this deal is activated, so even if you decide you don’t want to buy, you’ll only be out $3.
I don’t want to wait until the end of the promotion; I want to purchase your prints now.
Not an actual question but I’ll answer it anyway! If you would like to purchase prints prior to the promotional deal being activated you are free to do so, by all means! However, any purchases made at the regular price cannot be fully or partially refunded, even if you purchase this deal.
How long do I have to make a purchase?
This shouldn’t be an impulse buy. Be sure the prints you order are the ones you want. Your discount code is valid until 2/2/2012, so take your time.
Why are you discounting the price of your prints so much?
I have a number of reasons for discounting my prints, but the biggest reason is that I am hoping this will give everyone a chance to take advantage and own or gift quality artwork at an incredibly affordable price.
For more info on this group deal, click here. If you still have questions, feel free to contact me at holly.york@live.com.
Holiday shopping has already begun, and HY Studios doesn’t want to miss out on the fun! (Please forgive the rhyming. It’s the holidays, I tend to rhyme more often.)
I have been racking my brain for the last month trying to decide what to do for a promotion during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Well, ladies and gents, I’ve got it!
Today, I introduce to you: Deal-vember. (Which will actually run through December, but I really liked the name, so I’m sticking with it.)
Instead of just one promotion during the weekend after Thanksgiving, I’m going to run a whole slew of them from now until Christmas. It’s going to be AWESOME!
I can’t tell you much about these deals just yet, but one thing you should know is that I plan to announce one of them exclusively to my newsletter subscribers. This means that if you haven’t already subscribed, you’d better jump on the bandwagon, quick! (And I mean quick!) Subscribe here:
I can also tell you when to look out for these promotions. The first will be announced tomorrow! Be sure to check my facebook page. I’ll have it posted there. The next will be announced about a week from now. The rest are TBA!
Have a fantastic weekend. Stay awesome.
-Holly
Finally, I get to announce the exciting news!
This November 26 is a big day for HY Studios. By now you’ve probably already heard that it is the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday®. I wrote a blog post about it almost a month ago. If you haven’t heard of it, catch up here, then head on over to the Small Business Saturday facebook page and pledge to Shop Small.
So here it is, the news you’ve all been waiting for: Make a purchase at the HY Studios website of $25 or more with your registered American Express® card, you will receive a one-time $25 statement credit!
Yes! Anyone who makes a purchase of $25 or more at a small business on this day will receive a one-time $25 statement credit
when you register an eligible American Express® Card.
Just go here to register your AMEX.
I’ve known about this for a while, but wanted to contact American Express to make sure this statement credit would apply to purchases made through Fine Art America. They have assured me (twice) that it will most definitely apply.
So what are you waiting for? Shop Small! Shop HY Studios.
- learn to surf.
- earn a master’s degree.
- open an art supply and gallery.
- speak fluent Spanish.
- own a boat.
- really take the time to write out everything I want to do.
Have you ever heard of Candy Chang? Probably not. Have you heard of the “Before I die…” wall? Probably not. Until a couple weeks ago, I hadn’t heard of them either.
Chang is an artist who lives in New Orleans. She started the first Before I die project this past February. Basically, she enlisted the help of her NOLA community to paint the side of an old abandoned house in her neighborhood into a giant chalkboard. There, fellow residents could write their dreams and aspirations down to share with everyone.
- Part of the wall in New Orleans.
Since then, in less than a year, the Before I Die wall has turned into an interactive public art project that has been replicated in many communities around the world. Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Portsmouth, NH, Mexico, Portugal, and San Diego, CA are just a few of the places one can be found.
Querétaro, Mexico
Lisbon, Portugal
Yesterday, our very own Redux Contemporary Art Studio here in Charleston unveiled a brand new Before I die wall. Check out their exhibit info here: http://reduxstudios.org/exhibits/before-i-die/.
I was lucky enough to be there for the unveiling and got to write my own aspiration:
Can you guess which one is mine, amigos?
I wanted to write about a dozen more, but figured I should save room for others. 
Here’s a view of the whole wall at Redux:
Oh, and guess what? If you want to create your own wall in your community, you can! Just go here http://beforeidie.cc/more/ to get your toolkit and how-to guide. How cool is that?
So tell me, what do you want to do before you die?
So here I am, perusing my twitter feed, when I stumble upon a tweet by the American Express OPENForum that catches my attention:
“Business owners, have you registered for $100 in Free @Facebook ads yet? Get your business noticed for #SmallBizSat! http://aexp.co/Q9I“
I just used facebook ads for the first time a couple weeks ago. I had a few different ads run over about 3 days and spent a total of $12.87. I got quite a few click-throughs and even some new “Likes”, so I consider paying that small amount well worth it. As I read that tweet by OPENForum, I was immediately drawn in. $100? Free??
They weren’t kidding! $100 in facebook ads is just one of the free tools they offer to small businesses to help them prepare for Small Business Saturday. This is where you say, “HEY! Hold the phone… What the heck is Small Business Saturday?”
Well…
Check it out here.
Basically, Small Business Saturday is a day to support small businesses on the busiest shopping weekend of the year, right smack in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This is simply amazing, and might just be one of the coolest ideas ever. Forget waking up before the crack of dawn to fight the crowds at major retailers. Forget sitting on your tush in front of your computer screen clicking around for the best deals. Go support your local businesses on Small Business Saturday!
Now that we have that cleared up…
Remember that I mentioned facebook ads as being just one of the free tools American Express is offering? Along with getting my own HY Studios facebook ad set up, I also printed up some signage, downloaded badges for my site, and have pre-written text to help market the whole shin-dig. All free!
This is where you come in:
- If you’re a consumer, make sure you get out there on Saturday, November 26th to do your holiday shopping at your local small businesses.
- If you’re a small business owner, take advantage of this! This is completely geared towards helping you boost your sales, may as well take advantage of it.
Visit the Small Business Saturday official facebook page to use the marketing tools. Also, check out this OPENforum article, which will tell you ALL you need to know!
I am very excited to be a part of this. I have been tossing around ideas for Black Friday for a while now, but I think I might have to scrap them in favor of doing something for Small Business Saturday. Stay tuned for what I come up with!
Talkatcha later,
Holly
Have you ever wondered what exactly commissioning me for a painting involves? Here’s the lowdown:
- This process first begins as soon as I am contacted with an inquiry, usually in person, by phone, or in an e-mail. Clients sometimes have an exact idea of how they want their finished piece to look, while others just have a vague idea or theme in mind. Either is just fine! A quick e-mail conveying interest in a commission, with an approximate size and idea of what you want is a great place to start.
- I will get back to you ASAP, probably with a pricing list. This is when you’ll decide which size, and corresponding price, you prefer. (Note: You are perfectly welcome to change your mind about this decision any time up until painting begins!) This list is only meant to give you a general idea of pricing, and I reserve the right to adjust the price depending on the amount of work involved with the piece.
- Along with pricing, I will also inform you of the current state of my wait list. Normally, it is a bit lengthy, with projects lined up from just a few months to over a year out. If the list extends over a year, time permitting, I might offer you the chance to move up the list approximately 6 months with a nonrefundable rush order fee of 25% of the commission price (or a minimum of $20).
- Once you are placed on the wait list, it may be weeks before you hear from me again, but don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you! I will contact you again 2-4 weeks before I plan to continue the commission process.
- This is when I will talk to you about whether you are still interested in commissioning me, and if you want to make any changes to your original idea or theme. If you’ll still have me, I will send you a sketch within a week or so. This is trial and error, and may take many sketches before you’re satisfied. Don’t be afraid to be picky!
- Once we’ve got the final sketch, I’ll send you a commission agreement via Docusign, which is an online company that allows you to sign documents electronically. Super fast and easy. Basically, this agreement just states the details of the commission, how much it will cost, etc.
- Upon signing the commission agreement, a nonrefundable deposit, with a minimum of $40, is required before work commences. Amount of the deposit depends on marketability of artwork should you refuse purchase. I accept cash, check, Paypal, and all major credit cards.
- After I receive the signed commission agreement and the deposit, painting begins! I will update you periodically, as well as post pictures of the progress on my blog and on my facebook page. If at any time you are unhappy with what you see, please let me know!
- Commissions usually take me anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months. I try to give you a completion estimate, and I try even harder to stick to it, but sometimes I just don’t make the deadline. Please bare with me, because you can’t rush a masterpiece!
- I ship via USPS or Fedex, with insurance and tracking. Upon shipment, I will let you know the shipping total. This will be added to the outstanding commission price, along with a sales tax of 6%. Payment in full is due upon receipt of artwork.
- Once you receive your artwork, I will follow up with you to make sure it arrived safely and you are happy with your purchase. Assuming everything is peachy, all that’s left to do is enjoy your new painting! (If you have any feedback after the process is over, you’re welcome to leave a review at my facebook page.)
And that’s that.
This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Susan May on her new print!
That’s right, all you need to do is subscribe to my monthly newsletter and you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a free 10″x14″ print of your choosing from www.hystudios.artistwebsites.com. Receive specials meant specifically for subscribers, as well as news, sales, and events regarding HY Studios… You can unsubscribe at any time, but why would you want to?!
Just enter your full name and e-mail at the Sign Up tab at www.facebook.com/hystudios.
Here’s the breakdown:
- There is no purchase necessary.
- Entrants must be 18 or older and reside within one of the 48 contiguous United States to participate.
- Full name and a valid e-mail are required (winner is required to provide physical address solely for shipment of prize).
- Entry to giveaway ends September 26th, 2011 at 10pm Eastern.
- Each entry will be assigned a number, then a number drawn at random using www.random.org will be the winning entry.
- Winner will be contacted via e-mail, then announced October 4th, 2011 on www.facebook.com/hystudios.
- Prize: Winner will choose one 10″x14″ (or equivalent) standard print from www.hystudios.artistwebsites.com.
- A minimum of twenty entries is required for the giveaway to take place.
- Sponsored by Holly York, of HY Studios. Questions? Contact me by e-mail: holly.york@live.com
There you have it. Spread the word!
