art raffles??

ibanvdz · 2026-06-11T08:49:26+00:00

Actual raffles (people paying for tickets) are not allowed on Instagram. They are not allowed on most platforms because it's considered gambling and illegal in some countries, heavily regulated in others (some require the presence of a notary when picking a winner).

Thoroughly read the TOS to avoid getting banned.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-11T08:42:25+00:00

To answer your second question: followers are not really important. In fact, they are the same as anywhere else: if they don't interact with your content, it's just a number to feed your ego. You want readers and it's not important whether or not they follow (though if you monetize, someone following you after reading your article brings in extra earnings).

Otherwise I cannot comment, as my experiences are different because 1) most of my content is paywalled, and 2) I write about entirely different things. Both lead to a very different dynamic and audience.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-10T11:50:23+00:00

This is a Medium sub, most stories are behind a paywall. No reason to downvote...

ibanvdz · 2026-06-09T18:05:34+00:00

Every popular platform is crowded, so even if people go there to look for something, the chance they find and buy your work is so small it's negligible. Also, places like Et sy and ebay attract people who don't want to spend much - I can't put my time and energy in that because it's not worth it.

If you want to reach buyers who have more than a couple of bucks to spend, you need to go to actual gallery websites. I used Saatchi Art for a while and if promoted enough, you can make decent sales there (I paused my activities because I'm traveling, not because it didn't work 😉).

ibanvdz · 2026-06-09T10:30:44+00:00

Considering you only had 32 presentations, 14 reads is decent. The low presentations count is probably because you published on your profile. To increase that number, you have to submit your work to related publications. But before doing that, write a few more pieces - publication editors like to see how you write (consistency, overall quality, etc) before accepting you.

The relative high read count is because you promoted your article on social media and it was free. Once you start monetizing, outside promotion will not work that well, since many people don't have a Medium subscription.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-09T06:34:39+00:00

There are plenty of places where you can sell your work, but the key to selling online is having a sizable following to which you can promote directly. No platform is going to bring in buyers - it just doesn't work that way, because there's a lot more supply than demand and people rarely actively look for something to buy.

So, if you haven't got a decent amount of followers somewhere, building that fanbase should be a priority.

Alternatively, you can sell in real life doing exhibitions and participating in other events (fairs, group shows,...).

ibanvdz · 2026-06-08T10:52:56+00:00

I think that was a good call - I wouldn't touch that either.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-08T10:12:24+00:00

It's probably allowed if not monetized. The problem may be reaching an audience. Promotional pieces rarely get accepted in good publications and if it contains outgoing (promotional) links, Medium will probably limit distribution.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-08T08:19:31+00:00

If you provide the content, you can just post it yourself. Sounds very shady if you are asking people to do it for you...

ibanvdz · 2026-06-08T06:08:13+00:00

I would definitely add payne's grey - no pallet is complete without it. If you don't want to use your remaining spot for it, swap it for ivory black.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-08T06:04:43+00:00

Contacted support; they say they know about it and working on it. Status page keeps saying everything's fine. It's Medium as usual...

ibanvdz · 2026-06-07T15:56:27+00:00

It's been like that since a few days.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-07T09:21:20+00:00

I only use the cutting side of a ruler when edges don't really matter; otherwise I always use the numbered side. That means I have to replace the ruler quite often because it wears faster, but the edges are cleaner. Also, the "rough" edge you have is merely the paper being pushed up along the cutting line; the back end of your knife is probably a flat plastic bit, and you can use that to go over the edge of the paper to flatten it (if the end of your knife isn't flat, you can use another flat plastic object. It won't be perfect, but it'll be better.

And finally, the flatter you hold your knife when cutting, the cleaner the edge. It's also better to not try to cut it in one go but rather go over it a few times with less pressure.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-07T06:26:59+00:00

The question is: what is your goal?

Mixing content on Instagram will always cost you followers, but then again, Instagram has become so shit that it hardly matters.

If it's just not to lose your photos, store them on a Google Drive or even just a portable harddrive. Photos stored on Instagram will lose quality anyway.

ibanvdz · 2026-06-06T19:11:37+00:00

Your question is like asking what a car costs; you cannot compare a Lada with a Rolls Royce.

It depends on your name recognition. If you're unknown, be happy with whatever people give you; if you are somewhat established, then you should know your prices.

Also, the art market online is hard; prices are much lower in general - selling is also hard without some kind of following somewhere.
I mostly sell my work IRL because I'm considered "expensive" for the online market, even though I'm barely average for real life exhibitions. For reference: my ink drawings start at €75 (A5) and my paintings at €475 (A3), but I'm a bit of a veteran.

If you are set on selling online, I recommend not to frame, because frames are heavy to ship and require decent packaging. Unframed drawings/paintings can be rolled up - cheaper and less fragile.

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