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Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Over The Couch

I have started a new group for wide and wonderful accents to room decor!
You are welcome to view, join and participate.

https://fineartamerica.com/groups/over-the-couch.html

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Tibor Tivadar Kui

2 Years Ago

That strict imposed 3:1 ratio is a big inconvenient. I make my panos in natural aspects...and many photographers do so. So thanks, I'll pass.
Besides that the 25MB limit is a technical impediment, it is very difficult to squeeze a good panorama into 25MB. And panos are mostly limited to art prints.

 

Susan Rissi Tregoning

2 Years Ago

I just read this again and deleted my original post.

As an interior designer who was also the accessory and art buyer for a large furniture store, I can't say I ever purchase images in a 3:1 ratio.

3:2 and 16:9 are much more common for over a sofa.

It sounds like this is actually a panorama group.

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

I was browsing your group and many images are not a 3:1 ratio. (landscape / wide) While maybe not an absolute requirement, it says that is "preferred."

I have several that are 2:1 that I think would look good over a couch though.

@Susan R - without going through every image in the group, it sure appears many are closer to the ratios you're describing.

Also, the requirement that the image must be featured in at least 3 other groups and those features must be listed in the image description.

I have images that have been featured at least 3 times elsewhere, but I don't normally go back in and edit to add that to my image descriptions. Features (and dates) are automatically shown under the image, why do I need to re-list those in my image description? Is there some advantage to that?

 

L A Feldstein

2 Years Ago

I have the same question as David. Why do every group and feature need to be listed?

 

Jessica Jenney

2 Years Ago

Too many rules are a turn off. I will pass.

 

Rudi Prott

2 Years Ago

featured in other groups ???

That sounds like a new version of the hen and egg problem.
Who was first ?

 

Donna Mibus

2 Years Ago

Rudi, I know, right?
I had the same reaction as you.

I'll pass.

 

Floyd Snyder

2 Years Ago

For what it is worth.

For all the years I was in the picture framing business the two most popular sizes for over the sofa were 24x36 1.5:1 and 24x48 2:1.

The other rule of thumb by some decorators of the day was 2/3 the length of the couch and whatever you prefer for the height. This brings panos into play.

 

Susan Maxwell Schmidt

2 Years Ago

I used to put my features in my descriptions but I don't anymore, it's just too much work when you go through prolific periods. I also rarely do panoramas because I don't like how they render on the site, but I do only submit stuff to the group that has a landscape aspect. All that being said, I know that Barbie (who is a very good group admin, btw), has featured a couplefew of my images (not why I think she's a very good admin), so I don't know if those are strict rules or more of a "preference." Mebbe she'll come back and enlighten us.

 

Susan Rissi Tregoning

2 Years Ago

"24x36 1.5:1 and 24x48 2:1"

I agree with, Floyd...not 3:1

 

Bill Swartwout

2 Years Ago

Over "my" couch are a pair of 36"x24" canvases. I could have any size and proportion but this is what we choose to display. The ratio is 3:2 (1.5:1), certainly not 3:1

BTW, these have both been featured in three groups and have been sold multiple times.

artwork-over-couch-usp-080022.jpg

The image on the left is also available as a panorama in a 5:2 ratio, has been featured in three groups and has sold multiple times. But I have nothing in a 3:1 ratio

 

Rudi Prott

2 Years Ago

Thank You Floyd for the insight information.

I have some nice panos (3:1 and more) but rarely use groups.

 

Tibor Tivadar Kui

2 Years Ago

"Your own good description about the particular image is a must.Cut and paste (from Wikipedia or elsewhere) is plagiarism;"....plagiarism has a completely other definition...sorry, but this criteria is non-sense.

Then here comes something weird:
" No celebrity images, no pets, no religious images, no nude/ erotica or demeaning images,"...all these categories are largely preferred for wall decor.

 

Mike Savad

2 Years Ago

i don't make many pano's because they look terrible on this site, especially on products, i still don't know why it doesn't make a clean image. and a forced aspect ratio would be impossible to maintain.

the thing about groups with a 1000 rules are - i won't remember any of them a day from now, so i usually skip or ignore them.

5. No celebrity images, no pets, no religious images, no nude/ erotica or demeaning images, nothing disturbing. NO violence, hate, death, politics, creepy, bloody or gory images.
6. No superimposed text, no greeting cards, no shots of vintage paper goods or graffiti, no reproductions, screen shots or plagiarism. No public domain.


this eliminates so many things. if you wanted landscape - then just say that.

proper spelling is a problem for those that don't speak the language. forcing people to have a good description should not be a part of a group. not everything has one, and if they don't want to be found, then too bad. the point of a group is to be found there.

i will NEVER EVER list features, they look ugly, unprofessional, create that verbal spamming you just mentioned above that rule. the don't help the buyer, they don't care about that, and it just looks ugly, no one should ever do that, and groups should never require it. i don't pay attention if something was featured or not, i could have 100's of features, it would look really silly.

I won't feature poor quality work. I may reject any photo that could be an ordinary vacation snapshot or a photo or painting that could be taken as an advertisement.

i don't even know what that means. can't be a snap shot in your eyes, but if the image is way too good, it can't go up either?

i joined the group assuming its a normal group of putting work over couches, i didn't bother reading any of these rules. there is little point in entering anything in here because nothing anyone has will ever really be good enough.


----Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

Of the features on the group's front page, the majority are not 3:1.

Also, I thought graffiti wasn't allowed. There is one.

Etc.

Here we go with that reverse psychology phenomena, where the group administrator has posted about their group on the general discussion board and ends up getting (negative) attention over it's rules and requirements, that apparently don't matter anyway because they are obviously not being adhered to or enforced.

On the other side of the coin, once in a while we see threads about contest or group administrators complaining about entrants who don't follow the rules......well..... We've yet to see any response to this from this group's administrator.

I originally thought the group was a fun and great idea (keyword - fun), but it hasn't taken long for me to change my mind. Maybe that's the point. To weed "us" out.

And, like many things, make it so tedious to qualify that only those willing to put in the effort to jump through all the hoops (or whatever) will be chosen.

 

Jessica Jenney

2 Years Ago

I see featured images that are not listing their features, and at least one image that is rather square being featured. Maybe the rules don't really apply?

 

Val Arie

2 Years Ago

I quit too - I didn't read that right. Good luck with group Barbie.

 

Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Sorry for the confusion, everybody!

If you are doing it right, whether 3:2 and 16:9 or 24x36 1.5:1 and 24x48 2:1. or panoramas, you are always more than welcome!!!

Those ratio suggestions are now removed. They were put up there to get a message through to the people who have been submitting squares and verticals or images which are too small to print!!!!!

Also note I am being criticized for a limit of 25MB!!??? I NEVER mentioned anything of the sort!

 

Abbie Shores

2 Years Ago

Wow. I go away for a few hours ...

Barbie, Tibor did not have a go at you about the file size. He said that if he had to put up the size you were asking for at the beginning, he's going to need to load bigger than 25mb as our limit is stifling... Basically.

Group admin have every right to make whatever rules they wish and members abide by them, or don't join. Don't just not read them because they're too long and then ignore them. Step away from the group. You know who I'm talking to!

Everyone else. Thank you for stating your cases and questioning with respect. We all know there are way too many people out there joining groups and adding anything they wish whatever the front page says. It can put admins on high alert.

Barbie. Keep the rules short. Sweet. To the point. Then just remove things that don't fit.

 

Jessica Jenney

2 Years Ago

I still don't understand why we have to list all our features in the description as long as the image has 3 features.

I don't do that because it means nothing to the buyer. Buyers don't even see the group featured icons under the images.

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

I concur with Jessica about listing group features in the image description. I questioned it early in this thread and wondered why it was required and / or what advantage it serves. Seems tedious and potentially always subject to change.

And it appears like bragging, which really has nothing to do with "describing" your artwork.

Do you think it impresses or encourages potential buyers?

 

Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Replying to the questions about listing group features:

As you know, only 3 icons show at a time and if one of them is an icon from the "Polish Sculpture Club" honoring a Texas photographer, it is not valid as getting a thumbs up from a fellow artist. (Believe me, I've seen stuff like that happen! It's one of many indications of a spam submission and an administrator who does not look and make choices.) Also if a group name is changed to CLOSED for Vacation, It is hard for me to judge if an icon represents a wonderful accolade.

Why add that to image descriptions? 1) So you can be given credit for 3 legit features even if 2 are as screwy as my examples above.
2) As with many rules and suggestions I offer to my groups, this is intended to be to the artists' benefit. It helps you get keywords into your description that you otherwise would not be able to work in easily.

People want to join exclusive clubs and buy best sellers. Since buyers do not see icons, a factual list of features will tell a potential buyer that your work has the approval of fellow artists without you bragging.

Thanks to those who discussed legit questions. This was intended to be a gracious invitation to join a new group that I hope to make worthwhile for all! (not a gripe fest for bored people.)

 

Tibor Tivadar Kui

2 Years Ago

I am still curious what is the meaning of this rule:
"11. If safe filter is on and I can't see it, it will be automatically removed."

I know what is the safe filter..(at least I think so) and all my images have it on. So how can that impede the admin of seeing the image???

 

Mike Savad

2 Years Ago

the feature listing is always a turn off. not only does it sound like a lot of bragging, but it adds clutter and again, customer do not care. people don't care about clubs or best sellers. because my best sellers are not a fav for all. its like i don't want to see the top grossing movie, it made money but that doesn't mean i like that kind of movie.

groups often have really stupid sounding names, which doesn't add credibility to my image, not to mention they change their names often, or vanish. and when it wins awards in 2011, and its 2021, it makes the image seem old and not popular even if it still sells. and not everyone has groups, they may only belong to yours. or they may have left those other groups. there are many reasons why i wouldn't list it in there, but mostly its messy. i don't like awards either.

listing awards is like looking at the back of the grocery store and seeing which bag boy got bagger of the month. i don't care, just fill the bag.


----Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

 

Abbie Shores

2 Years Ago

Barbie

You have seen this page? https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/barbara-corbett?tab=groups&showartwork=true Many people are happy with that and do not want to see features on their images.

I am NOT saying you have to change your rule. It is your group. I am simply pointing out that we now have a dedicated page and the description area is not necessary for features.

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

@Abbie - I commented in the June suggestions thread:

https://pixels.com/showmessages.php?messageid=6512027

asking if we can sort images by the most group features with a complete list. Is that possible?

 

Abbie Shores

2 Years Ago

Nope. I am not sure he will add anything else or change anything right now. It took me 9 years to get this page as it is not at all necessary to sales

 

Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Abbie, Thank you for that.

Tibor, regarding the safe filter. Three of my groups ( All Stars, The 200 Club and Over The Couch) are very labor intensive to help insure for buyers and sellers that items are saleable without returns. If someone adds a safe filter it takes even more of my time and if it requires a safe filter it is probably not acceptable anyway.

 

Yuri Tomashevi

2 Years Ago

Probably it also makes sense to allow to upload not only the intended image but also the picture of how this image looks on a wall over the sofa.
For example, I could add this image,

Buy Art Online

and this one.

Wall Art

Just a suggestion :-)

 

Tibor Tivadar Kui

2 Years Ago

Well, I've always considered bad idea to place a picture above the sofa anyway...those who are sitting on the couch cannot see it.

 

Jessica Jenney

2 Years Ago

Tibor! My mistake! It should be turned on! Sorry!

 

Tibor Tivadar Kui

2 Years Ago

Lemme check...it's another headache...


so whenever you upload an image there is this "Work Safe" on/off option...which says "Is this image safe for viewing at work? Please respect the other artists and visitors to Fine Art America and filter your own images. Nudity is allowed on Fine Art America and nude images are generally considered "work safe" as long as they are not too graphic. Please just use good judgment."...I have this all the time ON, because I'm not in the pornographic business..however I still don't get an exact understanding what "too graphic" means.

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

Ok, I'll bite. Let's see what happens...

If anything, it gives me motivation to go back and update some of my artworks.

 

Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Yuri, that would be great for our discussion threads!

 

Barbie Corbett-Newmin

2 Years Ago

Tibor, have a nice day today.

 

Jessica Jenney

2 Years Ago

Tibor, I was mistaken! It should be turned on not off! Sorry! It's on auto so I never even look at it.

 

Floyd Snyder

2 Years Ago

I have no horse in this race and think as Abbie says, people that run groups should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as it is within the rules of FAA.

Regarding the page that shows everyone their featured images Abbie also said: " It took me 9 years to get this page as it is not at all necessary to sales".

I totally agree that in and of itself, it has no value towards sales. However, if you use having been featured in groups in your OUTSIDE FAA marketing, this page is a great resource. And I thank you very much Abbie for helping this along. I have used it several times already since I discovered it in another thread.

 

David Manlove

2 Years Ago

An update:

I was a nay-sayer in the beginning of this thread but making the effort to comply with the group requirements isn't so bad and I edited some of my artworks accordingly so I could participate. And why not? Whatever I can do to make my work more presentable is never a waste.

 

Helen George

2 Years Ago

I must admit I don't do the group's any more on here, it's all too convoluted,
confusing and most I just don't get!! Why can't it be easy, like Flickr for instance!
But it could just be me!!

 

Steven Ralser

2 Years Ago

Just read this thread, and regards to panoramas, my best selling image (combining both color and B&W versions ), both here and at art fairs has been a panorama with a 3:1 ratio.

 

Susan Maxwell Schmidt

2 Years Ago

I know that Abbie is taking over the group, and Barbie thankfully didn't require panoramas as long as the art was in landscape aspect. Still waiting to hear what Abbie's rules are gonna be, I don't do many panos.

 

Abbie Shores

2 Years Ago

I am not looking for pano's although obviously they are preferable. I am happy also with horizontal/landscape format images

 

Susan Maxwell Schmidt

2 Years Ago

Spiffage!

 

This discussion is closed.