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A. There is no such thing as the stereotypical "artistic temperament." I've worked with many creative people in my life, and they come in all types of personalities and temperaments. Some people just use that negative stereotype as an excuse for not doing anything about their unpleasant dispositions or personality inadequacies.

Q. I have just started collecting art and I want to buy a painting I really like from a local artist. It is a large abstract (it's almost four feet wide and about six feet high) and it will be the first painting he has ever sold. He is asking $2,000. I can afford it, but how do I determine whether this is a fair price?

A. Depending on how much work went into it -- and even abstracts can have an enormous amount of effort put into them -- the artist could have easily put 20 or more hours into it. That would mean he would make about $100 per hour, and that hourly rate would have to include the price of the canvas, which he probably had to also build himself at that size -- more hours -- and an awful lot of paint and other mediums, including varnish. So to answer your question, that's how you determine whether it is a fair price, and it sounds more than fair to me. But the real reason to buy should always be based on what it is worth to you. You said you really like it and you can afford it, so give the guy a break and buy it.

A. I will assume that you are skilled at your craft, because I know a lot of good artists who are far more talented than I am who are always struggling. The way I see it is this: I spend a lot of time marketing my work. I send out postcards, update my website regularly, and in general just do whatever I can to make people notice me. It's not my favorite stuff to do, but you don't get noticed any other way. My rule of thumb is spend at least one-fifth of my time marketing. Why? Because sales is always a numbers game; the more contacts you make the more sales you ultimately close.

Q. I want to frame two old charcoal drawings that my grandfather made in the 1920s. Should I use a spray fixative on them, or should I just make sure the mats are thick enough to keep the charcoal from contacting the glass?

A. If the paper is not showing any signs of foxing (brown spots) or other damage, then you can probably safely use a fixative. Keep the charcoal off the glass either way.

Q. What causes paint to droop and exhibit signs of dripping on canvas? I don't think my brush is overloaded.

A. Your paint could be too thin, or you could be painting in a location that is either too cold or where the humidity is too high. All of these can cause the drooping/dripping effect you describe.

Q. I found a little landscape at a second-hand store, and I want to reframe it, but when I tried to remove the old frame, the paint was sticking to it. Can I fix this myself or is it a job for a restoration expert?

A. I would not tackle this myself if the painting is of any value at all. I'd take it to an expert, maybe a framer first, and then to a restorer if the framer can't safely remove it from the frame.

Q. I am somewhat confused about how to properly frame a painting on canvas, or if I have to frame it at all. I kind of like that "raw" look that goes with an unframed canvas that shows the drips and the staples or tacks along the edges, but at the same time, I want it to look good alongside my furnishings. Is there a right or wrong to this framing question?

A. No right or wrong at all. How you frame a painting is a matter of how the painting can best be displayed within a frame that matches, at least to some degree, your personal tastes. If you can't hang it raw, then find a frame that complements both the painting and your décor.

Q. My sable brushes are getting very old and I'd like to start replacing them, but I love animals and don't want to contribute to their slaughter. What is your opinion of brushes made of synthetic materials?

A. If you decide to try synthetics, you'll have to experiment until you find a brand that you like. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, I recently was told that you can use pet fur to make brushes by trimming a small amount of fur from a cat or dog. Since pet hair varies considerably in texture, this is probably not an exact science, but if the pet is willing, it might be worth a try.

Q. Several years ago I inherited a small oil painting created by my chain-smoking grandmother. Is there a way to clean it to get rid of the yellow stains and the smell?

A. To remove the yellow stains, mix two cups of distilled water with one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide. Dip a cotton swab in the mix and don't let it drip. Work in a very tiny area of the painting -- about 1" square -- and very gently wipe the swab over the area. Do not rub or press hard as this may ruin the paint. I don't know about removing the smell, but it might go away when you clean the painting.

Q. I have done a lot of graphic design work for e-zines and I constantly have trouble getting paid, even though they use my work. How can I avoid this problem?

A. When you are working with Internet businesses, it is best to work on retainer if you can make that happen. Also, try to work only with well-known, legitimate publishers. You will find they pay better and they deliver the funds.

Q. About 20 years ago, I was given some beautiful 100% rag, ivory-colored stationery with a very smooth finish. I'd like to use it for drawing since I don't write letters. How do I determine if it is archival?

A. Rag paper is traditionally good art paper, but it all depends on who made it and how it was made. The fact that it has a smooth finish means it is probably hot-pressed, and that is definitely good for ink drawing, possibly for pencil as well. If the manufacturer's name is on the package or in a watermark, you can try to find them on the Internet and ask them about that paper's archival qualities.

Q. I am relatively new to Web design, and I have a problem finding colors that are Web safe and that exactly match existing logos or other graphics provided by my clients. Any suggestions?

A. I don't think it is necessary or realistic to try to exactly match a color to an existing image. In fact, I would be more likely to alter the color of the image to match the Web safe color closest to it. The average Web shopper is unlikely to notice the difference, and if they did, I doubt it would matter.

Q. This will probably sound like a stupid question, but is there a correct place to sign a painting, and should you paint the signature or write it in ink?

A. Artists over the years have signed in different places on their works, so you should select a place that looks appropriate for each painting. I paint my signature on canvas, use ink on my watercolors, and sign in charcoal or ink on my drawings. No rules. Just do what you think is best, but try to make it legible so that in years to come you can be identified as the artist.

Q. A high-end, trendy coffee shop has expressed an interest in letting me display some of my paintings there for an indefinite period of time. Can I sell my paintings directly to anyone who expresses an interest or do I pay the coffee shop a commission? Also, what happens if a painting is stolen or damaged?

A. You can accept payment directly or pay the coffee shop a commission. That is between the two of you to decide. As for what happens if a painting is stolen or damaged, that should be covered by the shop's insurance. This should be part of your written agreement with the shop's owner.

Q. I love the look of hand-tinted photos and would like to give it a try, but not digitally. What kind of media is best for hand-tinting?

A. Over the years, photographers and artists have used chalks, paints, inks, colored pencils, and dyes. The kind of result you achieve is dependent on both the media you use and the paper on which the photo is printed, so you should definitely do a lot of experimenting. I have hand-tinted ordinary black-and-white photographs with oils, inks, and fabric dyes. The outcome with each is very different, and I personally prefer the inks and dyes to the oils, but it all depends on the desired effect.

Q. Are there any rules about the types of brushes to use with different paint types? I have difficulty with rounds and watercolor.

A. There are probably guidelines, but I don't know what they are. I have tons of brushes that I use interchangeably with ink, watercolor, and acrylic. I keep some stiffer brushes for oils only. With watercolors, I rarely use rounds at all, as I prefer soft filberts and other flats. You should really just experiment with different brushes to find the ones that work best for you and your style of painting.

Q. I want to apply multiple layers of paint in my watercolors, but they always turn out muddy. What don't I know?

A. What you are referring to is called glazing. To glaze correctly, always start by purchasing the most transparent or "staining" pigments. Apply the lighter colors first, working up to darker ones. Wait for a layer to dry completely before applying additional color on top of it. Don't rub the paint in with your brush when you apply paint over a previously painted area, even if that area is fully dry, because the paint gets remoistened when you paint over it and that can cause smearing, hence the muddy look. To get a layer to dry faster so that you can apply another one right away, use a hand-held hair dryer.

Q. Can you explain what provenance is when I buy a painting and why it is so important?

A. Provenance is a French word that translates roughly as "origination." In art, it refers to the history of a work of art and any other documentation about that art or artist, as well as the materials that make up the art itself. For example, the back of a painting may have sales receipts for previous owners or exhibition stamps attached to it, or there may be a newspaper clipping showing the artist painting it or standing in front of it at an exhibition. There may be an artist's bio or references to catalogues of his/her works. The frame itself may also be significant if it is the original or if it was handmade by the artist and is representative of his/her style. The more provenance the better, as it can greatly increase the painting's value.

Q. I work for a public relations firm and I am thinking of leaving to freelance. Can I take samples of my work from the PR firm to show to prospective clients?

A. Yes, but you may wish to note that they were done for that particular firm, since they own the copyrights for works done for hire (while you were employed by them).

Q. How do you keep a watercolor from buckling? Mine are always rumpled and I have to cover them with books to flatten them out.

A. If you are painting on a watercolor block, let the painting dry out completely before you detach it from the block. If you are painting on sheets of watercolor paper, tape them to a painting surface, such as a table or a board used for that purpose, then paint your picture. As the painting dries, the tape will hold it in place and minimize the buckling.

Q. Is it okay to paint a canvas flat as opposed to standing it on an easel? I read that canvas can sag, but it seems it would sag in either direction.

A. Sagging is a result of too much paint on the wrong weight canvas. Canvas comes in cotton or linen, in different weights, with linen being the sturdier and more archival fabric. If you use the correct weight canvas, you should not have problems with sagging. For example, if your artistic style dictates that you apply heavy layers of paint, you should use a heavier canvas, such as "duck" or even "double fill," to help prevent sagging. And, you should also be using a stretcher frame that has corner keys so that you can tighten the canvas if it does begin to sag.

Q. I bought a painting that I damaged when I was hanging it. A small area got badly scuffed. I am an artist and I would like to fix it myself. Should I do it?

A. Depends on how good you are at restoring. It is not the same as painting, per se. If you invested heavily in the painting, I would not tinker around with it. If it is just a small area, it might not be that expensive to repair. Check around with local museums and see if they can assist you.

Q. Is there a formula for calculating how big a mat should be for a painting? I always think the ones you buy in the store look too narrow.

A. They probably are too narrow. You'd do better having your mats custom cut if you don't have your own mat cutter. There isn't really any exact formula. Just go by how each painting looks in different mat sizes. I personally like a mat to be at least half as wide as the painting, but this can be very unrealistic when you get into larger sizes. It also doesn't work as well with oils/acrylics on canvas as it does for ink, watercolor, or prints on paper.

Q. Who is responsible for the cost of framing art when an artist is represented by a gallery?

A. Usually the gallery, unless the artist creates their own frames or wants to exercise full creative control over the way in which their art is displayed.

Q. I am new to collecting art and hanging it in my house. Should I paint my walls white? I really don't want white walls, but I'm not sure what is best.

A. You can paint your walls any color you like. You just need to make sure that whatever color you pick does not clash or detract from the art. A lot of the art I have collected, along with my own art, is set against dark green and medium beige walls where it looks just fine.

Q. When I purchase tube watercolors, I sometimes buy "student grade" because it is so much more affordable. But I am concerned about how it will hold up over the years. Am I making a mistake by not spending more for my paints?

A. Student grade paints have less pigment in them, but they are still far superior in quality to the paints that were made by artists themselves many years ago. With less pigment, the color can be less brilliant or vivid, and some colors might not look exactly like those same colors in one of the more expensive brands. But, that said, they should hold up just as well, and aesthetically you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'd notice the difference -- including yourself.

Q. For the past six years I have been creating assemblages, similar to the boxes of Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), but with a more abstract and modernistic theme. I'm having trouble photographing them because the glass is part of the work and can't be removed, and I get reflections or glare in my slides. How can I avoid this?

A. Photographing art is an art in itself. I personally think that unless you are skilled as a photographer it is probably better to find someone who is and have them shoot for you. But, you can read my article about How to Photograph Your Art, and perhaps that will help you.

Q. I read somewhere that if I collect contemporary art I should be thinking video and digitally edited photography. I don't like either very much.  What about paintings?

A. You are probably referring to the art critic at the Washington Post who said words to the effect that painting was long dead and that an artist who wanted to be taken seriously should be doing video or computer enhanced photography. That doesn't mean you should ignore paintings or that they are of lesser value. I love looking at good paintings in any genre, and if you do too, that's what you should collect.

Q. My husband and I live in a very small apartment, but we like to collect art, mostly small pieces, and our tastes are quite eclectic. We are running out of room, and I'd like to start stacking the art on the walls. My husband doesn't like the idea of having a lot of unrelated things hanging altogether like that. Is there a way we can make this work?

A. I think stacking looks great, especially with small pieces, and regardless of their artistic styles. The biggest problem with stacking is that it can make a room look overly cluttered if you already have a lot of stuff going on in the way of patterns and colors in your drapes, rugs, and furniture, or if you collect other things and have them displayed too. I recommend that if you stack your art, that you do so against a subtle interior design theme that draws the eye to the art.

Q. I am trying to find information on the artist who painted a piece I bought several years ago in Florida. The signature on the painting is "R.R. Monera" and it is tropical subject matter. The painting looks old (maybe 1950s or earlier). I cannot find out anything about this person in books or on the Internet. What do you suggest?

A. You should probably try contacting some galleries, libraries, and historical societies in the area where you bought the work and if you come up dry there, expand your search to other surrounding areas and to the entire state. And don't forget to search Cuba, Mexico, or Puerto Rico, if Florida is not the place. But also remember that not every painting was produced by an artist who is known outside his or her circle of family and friends.

Q. Can you recommend a good place to buy my canvases?

A. I don't make product or vendor recommendations. Visit your local art stores and search online until you find the best canvases you can afford for the type of paintings you produce.

Q. Is there a taboo with regard to painting from photographs? I don't like painting out in public (en plein air) but I don't mind shooting a lot of photos and then painting from them. A fellow artist said this might affect the sale of my works.

A. People buy art for a lot of reasons. I'm sure someone out there buys art, all the while envisioning the artist painting outdoors and not from a photo. But I'm sure most buyers do not care and will only be interested in the final product. So don't worry about it. Just paint the way you like to paint.

Q. I inherited over a dozen small watercolor paintings that are over 100 years old. I really love them, but they are in very badly damaged old frames with no mats and the backs are sealed with brown paper. Can I safely remove these paintings from their frames, then mat and reframe them myself without damaging them?

A. Probably. But, if you are uncertain as to their condition in these frames or you can't tell how to take them apart yourself, then I recommend that you have the unframing, matting, and reframing done by a professional.

Q. Is it all right to let the canvas show through in places in a painting? I know it's okay to let paper show through with watercolors but I'm not so sure about canvas.

A. I personally don't mind seeing a bit of canvas if it is very lightly covered with paint and if it is intentional and adds something to or is part of the artwork. I don't like to see an entire painting on canvas in which the paint layer is so thin that you can see all of the canvas throughout.

Q. My husband purchased a painting for me as a gift. I like the painting a lot but the canvas has staples on the edges and I like this type of painting hung without a frame. Can I remove the staples from the sides?

A. I would not recommend removing the staples, but you can put a very thin strip of plain wood molding over the sides to cover them. You can paint or stain the wood first. That creates a frame of sort, but one that would come closer to giving you the cleaner and unfinished look that you prefer.

Q. I would like to try painting with a palette knife instead of a brush. Can you please tell me what kind of palette knife I should buy? They all look so different and some are pretty expensive.

A. Palette or painting knives do come in a variety of shapes that help you create different effects. You will have to try out a few to see how each works with your personal painting style. As for price, you can start with something cheap but, in the end, if you decide to continue painting with a knife, you will want to own good knives that are well-made, have a good spring to them, and have a sturdy, bent handle to keep your knuckles away from the canvas.

Q. I have recently retired and I took up drawing again as a hobby. I like to draw in India ink, but the final look is not as shiny as I remember it being back in the 1960s or so. What has changed?

A. I have noticed this too and I think it is probably because some of the older inks had (more) shellac added to them. Also, I notice that some of the water-soluble inks today dry to a matte finish and also are not waterproof as they do not allow me to paint a color wash over them without making my black lines bleed, even after they are long dry. There must be some brand(s) of ink that has the qualities of the inks from the 1960s. I suggest you shop around online and see if you can find it. And if any readers know of a source, please write to this column.

Q. For two years I've been selling my watercolors at craft shows. I've also done a few canvases in oil but I prefer the watercolors. My oils sell more quickly and for a lot more money than the watercolors. I don't spend much more time on my oils than I do on my watercolors, and I just wonder why I can't sell my watercolors for more?

A. I believe there is a perceived value in oils that isn't there with watercolors. First, many buyers see the longevity of the oils on canvas as superior to the "fragility" of watercolor on paper -- even though this is not entirely true these days with far better quality paper and watercolor paints. Second, some buyers do not know how much time goes into a work and can't even guess how long it takes for something to be painted in watercolors versus oils. They assume that watercolor is always done quickly and oils are always done slowly and over a longer period of time. So it appears to them that more effort or talent has gone into the oils than the watercolor.

Q. I purchased two "old" paintings at a yard sale because I fell in love with them. The sellers did not know anything about the artist. I only paid $50 for the two of them, so I'm not heavily invested in the works, but I can't find out anything about the artist and I'm very curious.

A. You might want to go to the Web sites for the Antiques Roadshow or Sotheby's or some other auctioneers and see if any of their appraisers can direct you. There are artist directories and books about artists, but unless this artist's works have been catalogued at one time, it may be a fairly lengthy search to find out who he/she is.

Q. I am a 44-year-old amateur artist. I would like to go to college next year and fulfill my dream of being a professional artist. I can afford a four-year college or an art school, and both are nearby, but I don't know how to evaluate which will give me the best career opportunities after I graduate.

A. You should select the school that has the best instructors and that has the best reputation in the community. Since I don't know anything about the schools in your area, I would ask around at your local art galleries and advertising agencies, etc., to see what they have to say about the two schools. Also see if you can find out who has graduated from these schools and what they have to say.

Q. I bought an old oil painting for $25 at a yard sale. It is probably not worth much, but I like it a lot and it goes with my dining room colors. However, it has a few spots where the paint has scratched off. Can I just paint over those spots?

A. You can. But before you do, I would research the painting to make sure it is not valuable. Even though you only paid $50, you should try to find out something about the artist before you do your own restoration and possibly damage a valuable work of art.

Q. I am a freelance graphic artist and I design ads for a newspaper. In some, but not all of the B&W ads, the photos come out looking blurry in print. The newspaper says it's my fault, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Can you help?

A. The first thing that comes to mind when you mention a blurry photo is the photo itself. You should be using a photo that is scanned at 300 dpi. Photos taken by digital cameras may or may not be blurry depending on how the photo was taken and the size of the file. Also, a color photo used in a B&W ad will not come out crisp or clear when you make the ad into a B&W PDF or TIF. You should instead use your photo editing software to convert the photo to grayscale and then adjust its contrast and sharpen the image before inserting it into the ad. Then make your B&W PDF or TIF.

Q. Is there a proper way to store rolled canvas? I want to be sure it does not become damaged.

A. Store your canvas in the same envrionment in which you would be comfortable -- not too cold or hot, not too damp or dry, and out of direct sunlight. Rolled canvas should be stored hanging rather than on its end to prevent stretching and wrinkling. Most artists just hang the roll on a metal dowel or on a piece of PVC pipe.

Q. I am confused about the terms used in reference to "abstract" art. To me anything that I can't recognize is abstract. I'm new to collecting, so could you briefly explain the difference between works referred to as "expressionism" or "nonrepresentational," etc.

A. This is really a question that is far too long for this column, so I recommend that you go to the library or bookstore and read up on abstract art in depth if you're serious about collecting it. But, in general, any art that depicts subject matter that deviates to any degree from the normal or natural appearance of the subject matter is considered to be abstract. The additional terms applied to abstract refer to the manner in which the person or thing has been altered or abstracted. For example, "expressionism" is a term used to describe art that is created from an emotional center in the artist and usually has nothing recognizable in it and may never have had a tangible subject to begin with. It's just color, shape, texture, etc. The term "nonrepresentational" is also called "nonobjective," and it is used to describe abstract art that does not have any recognizable person or object in it. Other terms, such as "cubism," refer to the squared and angular abstraction of the subject.

Q. Can I paint with tempera on thick paper, or will it crack?

A. I wouldn't, but if anyone has any experience with real tempera (not gouache or modern poster paints) on paper, please contact me and I'll update this question. Original tempera paint required an absorbent ground with a lower oil content than the tempera binder that was used in making the paint. This is where the term "fat over thin" came about in reference to tempera. These paints were traditionally applied to rigid surfaces such as wood panels, and I would recommend that you do the same, but possibly making use of today's panels made of things such as untempered masonite.

Q. Are the hand-colored photographs and illustrations that are glued into old books worth anything?

A. It depends on the book itself and who did the artwork. There are two issues involved when it comes to art in books, and that is that sometimes the art is worth more when it is left inside the book, and in other cases the art is worth more than the book. You should check with an antiquarian book dealer to find out the value of the book, and then find yourself a good auction house or art appraiser to assess the value of the photos and art as separate entities.

Q. My website has samples of my illustrations on it, but I am sometimes asked to bring my "book" to interviews. I usually just bring a CD, but now I'm thinking I need to make a real portfolio. What is acceptable these days?

A. Most people still want to hold a book in their hands and look at the samples that way. Just like art galleries still prefer slides. A lot of this is just that technology hasn't yet found its way into every kind of business. Galleries want slides because they can project images up to their true size. Yes, they could do it with a computer too, but they may lack the skill or knowledge to do so. Eventually, as more and more people become far more computer literate, technology will overtake the older methods. For now, bring a book, just in case.

Q. I sent a letter and some color photocopies of my work to a mailing list of publishers that I thought would like my illustrations, but I didn't get a single reply. Why?

A. A lot of success in marketing is more a result of just having your letter and samples cross the right desk at the right time. Not an easy thing to do! You should try to keep up with what publisher is signing who and for what project, and then if you think there might be a match, write them a letter and tell them so and enclose more samples. I say it all the time -- marketing is a numbers game. You have to keep your name in front of everyone all the time and make sure you always present yourself as a professional, even if you're a newcomer.

Q. I used to do most of my ad design in Illustrator, but now I don't have that program and I work at home. I have Photoshop and would like to know if ads created in Photoshop are acceptable?

A. There should not be any difference between ads created in these two programs as your final output is most likely going to be the same: a PDF, TIFF, GIF, or JPEG.

Q. A few years ago I bought some old-fashioned framed prints at a flea market because I liked them. They are not numbered. Does this mean they are one-of-a-kind or more valuable?

A. Not necessarily. You should probably take them to be examined by a professional who can attest to their authenticity, to the reputation of the artist, and to their value.

Q. About ten years ago, I purchased some tube watercolor at a yard sale. I never used it, but now I want to, and it looks fine, but is it still fresh enough to use?

A. If it comes out of the tube looking fine and blends with water well, it is probably fine. I have tube watercolor in colors I rarely use that is a lot older than ten years and it works just fine.

Q. I am an amateur artist. How do I enter art contests? Are some better than others?

A. Pick up a copy of an art magazine such as "The Artist's Magazine" or "American Artist" and look in the back pages in the classifieds. Also look online for art competitions. There are not really any contests or competitions that are specifically "better," but you will need to find out which ones you are qualified to enter.

Q. When I go to estate sales or garage sales I often see posters and prints that I like. How can I tell whether they are worth anything?

A. You won't be able to tell at the sales unless you become an expert on the subject, which you can certainly do by studying. But, in general, whether it's dirt cheap or moderately priced, if you really like it, that's what you should buy, regardless of whether it ever appreciates in value. When you collect you should only collect what you love and what you will enjoy while it's hanging on your walls.

Q. I had five years of private art lessons from a well-known artist. I am now entering college and plan to get a degree in art, but there are so many classes I have to take that are just repeats of what I have already studied.

A. Most colleges will let you challenge a certain number of units -- sometimes as many as 30 -- to show your skills, knowledge, and overall proficiency in a subject. I recommend that you contact the art department and find out what their policy is in this regard. They may give you assignments to fulfill or they may just require a portfolio, which you can assemble of some of the works you have done to date. But, you will still have to take more college art courses to obtain your degree.

Q. I recently purchased two great antique prints on eBay. But they have some brown spots (foxing) and they are extremely brittle. Is there anything I can do to remove the spots and make the paper less brittle?

A. There are things that can be done by professional restorers who own and know how to operate such equipment as humidity chambers, and who have all the right kinds of fungicides and other chemicals and procedures for salvaging your prints. This is not something that anyone other than an experienced professional should ever attempt to do.

Q. Most of my paintings are very large, so I photograph them with my digital camera and then put them up on my website. But my work is highly textured and it always ends up looking flat. I tried scanning some of my smaller works in segments and then pasting them together in Photoshop and editing them, but they still lack that dimensional quality.

A. If you were not able to bring out the texture by using Photoshop to edit the photos of your paintings, it is probably because the lighting is not correct, the camera lens is simply not up to the challenge, or you are scanning at too low a resolution to achieve the amount of detail needed. To achieve texture, you need your lighting to come a little from the side and not directly overhead. There are services that scan large works of art and they do an excellent job.

Q. My 13-year-old daughter is very artistic and I have been sending her to private art classes. The instructor is a well-known artist in our community, but I am concerned about his methods. A lot of her work seems to be copying works by other artists. Is this a common practice?

A. With some art instructors it is. It is also one of the older time-honored traditions of training the hand and eye to make shapes and colors by duplicating the works of known artists. I was taught that way and was also taught to draw from life. But you should ask the art instructor about anything you don't understand or about which you are unsure.

Q. Can I create a painting from someone else's photograph without asking their permission?

A. You should always ask permission first. They will probably give it freely, and it is better to ask than to use their copyrighted image illegally.

Q. I am new to the business of publishing. Can you give me an idea of what it might cost for me to hire an illustrator part-time?

A. It would depend on your area and what the prevailing salaries are for similar jobs. In general, I would say that if you are in a large metropolitan area, you should probably be looking at around $18 to $22/hr starting wage.

Q. My paintbrushes never last more than a few months. I am tired of replacing them in order to keep on painting. Any advice?

A. First, always buy the best brushes you can possibly afford. They will usually last considerably longer under normal wear and tear. Second, maintain your brushes very carefully. Clean them thoroughly after each use and do not let them dry brush end up as this can damage the ferule, the metal part that secures the bristles. Third, if you are rather vigorous in your use of a brush, be prepared to replace them more frequently. Nothing lasts forever under harsh treatment.

Q. If an artist dies, does the value of their work automatically go up? I have some original 30-year old oils by a woman who was well-known in my area, and I just found out that she died two months ago.

A. Sometimes the value goes up, but not always. Art is, in many ways, like any other commodity. It is driven by the laws of supply and demand. If this artist was highly skilled and much sought after, then there is a good possibility that her works may now become more valuable. To know for sure, find the gallery or agent that represented her and get their input.

A. You can use a colored paper and a spot color ink. For example, your headlines and logo could be in a deep shade of red, your text black, and your paper a very soft, pale gray.

A. Paintings are priced according to the demand for the work as well as the quality of the work and the amount of effort that went into creating it. If you purchase it directly from the artist it should be considerably less than if you purchase it from a gallery. But some artists never make it into galleries owned by others, so when they sell their own work it is priced comparably to art that might appear in any other art gallery. In the end, what constitutes a fair price largely depends on how much you want to own the piece.

Q. Which is better, a very small display ad or a boxed classified?

A. Depends on what you are selling. If the classified section has a specific category for your product or service, then the classified box could be a better choice. But, a small display ad in a “marketplace” could be an equally good option, depending on what else is being sold in that section.

Q. I have always been an artist, but my parents have me in nursing school and will not send me to art school. I feel like I have nothing to look forward to in my future. Can I still be an artist somehow?

A. Of course. You can use your nursing career to fund an art education or an art career. Or, you can start looking for a way to go to art school without relying on your parents for financial assistance. When you are meant to be or do a certain thing in life, it is pretty much impossible to deny it, to live any other way. Who you are and what you are is at the very core of your being. It is your fate, your destiny, and somehow it will be fulfilled, because you will ultimately find ways to make it happen. In fact, when you are meant to do something, you just can't help doing it.

Q. I have submitted sample illustrations to several publishers over the past few years, and most of the time they don't use my services and they don't return my samples. What am I doing wrong?

A. If you want your samples back, you need to send a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough and with sufficient postage for them to return them to you. If you do that and they don't return the samples, perhaps they keep them in a file or they are just irresponsible. Hard to tell. As for not using your services, publishers select the kind of work that best suits their needs, and if your style is not what they want at the moment, or if your style is so unique that it is not adaptable to the needs of the average publisher, you will get less work. You can live with that, or you can present other styles as well to increase your odds of getting more work.

Q. I had an ad designed for me and it looks great. But no one is calling. What could be wrong?

A. Could be the headline. That is the most common problem when there is no response. Try a more captivating headline, one that asks a question or intrigues the reader. Make it a promise you can deliver, possibly offering a discount or a reward for responding, such as “Buy One, Get One Free” or “We Stand On Our Floors - Guaranteed!”

Q. I want to run a 1/6 page display ad, but I am having trouble fitting everything into it. What stays, what goes?

A. Headline stays and it should be a great one. Use three selling points as subheads. Contact info is a must. A photo is good, maybe one that covers the entire ad and fades behind the text.

Q. Whenever I paint a picture the colors come out looking kind of cartoonish. How can I make a landscape or other subject matter look more natural?

A. This is really something you should probably learn from a book on color theory, but bascially, you can  look at a painting as having an underlying color, such as blue or yellow or some other color of your choice or an underlying color that you can visually detect by looking at the subject matter and the quality of the light surrounding it. By adding that underlying color to the other colors in your palette -- in varying quantities from just a tiny speck to 50% -- you should be able to achieve a more natural effect.

Q. How much study do I need to do to start collecting art? Can't I just buy what I like and hang it on the wall?

A. You absolutely can buy what you like. In fact, that is just what you should buy. Even if you are purchasing art as an investment, you should buy what you like. Not everything that's "hot" now will necessarily be as popular in ten or twenty years, and you will have to look at it every day in the meantime. Buying art as an investment can be "iffy" at best, unless you've got deep pockets and you can afford to pick up a Kandinsky to brighten up the spare bedroom! As your collection grows, you will notice that your aesthetic tastes and your budget will dictate the type of art you buy, and you should probably do your homework on that type of work to better understand where it comes from, how it fits in with other art of its genre, etc.

Q. I have started to provide design services and I am having problems with the pricing of my services. Any advice?

A. Figure out how many billable hours you can potentially work in a week (keep in mind that you don't get paid when you're doing your bookkeeping, researching something, running errands, or marketing your business). Multiply those billable hours times 50 (for 50 weeks in a year, allowing two weeks for vacation). The number you get is the total billable hours per year. Now figure out how much you want and need to make each year and divide that amount by the total billable hours, and that should give you a pretty good guideline for what to charge your clients hourly.

A. If it isn't, it should be. An artist needs to have a lot of ideas and works in progress all the time. Just because you don't finish something in a single day doesn't mean that it wasn't a good idea or that it will never be finished. Maybe its time has just not arrived -- yet! I have literally hundreds of ideas for my art and for my writing, and I just keep them all in an "ideas" folder on the computer and in a bunch of sketchbooks. I look through them all from time to time to see if anything grabs my attention. You never know when you'll look and see something in a new way and be inspired to complete it.

Q. I would like to find a gallery to represent me. What should I look for?

A. You want a gallery that will do everything for you short of creating the art itself. You want a gallery that showcases art that is similar or complementary to your own, so that your work will be presented to buyers of your kind of art. You want a gallery that has good exposure, that takes out ads in major art magazines where collectors will see it. You want a gallery that is not so big that it can't give you personalized attention, but not so small that no one knows it's there.

Q. I'm kind of old-fashioned, I guess. I don't work in Illustrator; I still use a brush. How can I assure a publisher that I can do an illustration job just as well without a computer program?

A. You can scan your own hand-done work or have it scanned. I scan mine all the time. It does put some limits on size when it comes to the cost of scanning, because if your illustrations exceed the size of a basic flat bed scanner's scanning bed, which is about 9" x 12", you will have to find a service to do the scanning, or you may have to scan your work in segments and piece them together in a program like Photoshop. Another option for a large size work is to photograph it, but that will likely have to be done by a professional in order to ensure that it is sufficiently high quality for reproduction.

Q. While looking for representation, I was asked for a brief bio. What should that include?

A. It should include one or two paragraphs that state your general artistic credentials or other expertise that would make you attractive to the representative. For example, you should include how long you have been painting, what you paint, what you've sold, any awards you've received, your educational background, and any professional organizations to which you belong.

Q. I often get kind of depressed because I work alone. Is this a common problem with artists?

A. Isolation happens to everyone. Even people who are working with other people can feel isolated at times. Art is a job like any other. If you lack friends, it is not because you are working in a solitary profession as an artist. I suggest you do two things: 1) seek professional help, even if it is just a few one-hour chats with a local psychologist, and 2) develop some hobbies and interests and go out and make friends with people who share those interests. Art is not the only game in town.

Q. I want to draw and paint, but I get so stuck and I end up being unable to finish a project, to just sit down and do it. How do ordinary working people like me ever become professional artists?

A. Artists are ordinary working people. They have just made room in their lives for creating their art, made it a greater priority, found the necessary discipline, etc., to do it. I know it is shameless to plug my own books, but I strongly recommend that you get a copy of Unblocked: How to Expand Your Creativity by Overcoming & Preventing Creative Blocks, as this book contains all of the information you could possibly want that would help you achieve your creative goals.

Q. I have written a children's book that I plan to illustrate. Is there anything I need to know about how the art should be created or submitted for printing so that I get it right and don't have to re-do anything later?

A. You can create your art in any media you choose. The larger the original artwork, the better it will look when reduced to the anticipated size of the printed page. I would make your artwork at least double that size. However, that said, you should really query right now and query with your sketches and maybe a printout of one finished piece of art. The query process for the book can take awhile, and it may be to your advantage to start doing so sooner than later. In addition, without knowing what size page the publisher will envision for your book, you might want to hold off a bit on completing all of the artwork until you have a publisher.