Yesterday I brought my work to be displayed  for member showcase in the Mills Pond Gallery. The gallery director, Mrs. Alison, always welcomes me, as an immigration painter, with kindness. She has worked for a company selling paintings in Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. That is why she has a deep understanding and insight into Asian culture and artwork. Most of all, as you know, if you attend an exhibition, it's common for artists to place a picture on a table and sign a list . But Mrs. Alison is different , and she must show deep affection and interest in the paintings that the painters bring. I learn from seeing her professional attitude. 

​ So I'm going to  make even a little label to create it more professional. First, I looked for a template to print a tag. And I found a label template that was great to use for free. Information on making label paper is well documented on an artist consultant, Alissa sexton's blog on a page titled EXHIBITION LABELS MADE SIMPLE.

If you go to the download site below, there are various types of templates that can be printed out on label paper. In my case, I chose the Photoshop version. (Click on the homepage below to go to the site)

Free artworks label template

 Below is the screen when clicking on Photoshop. (It's 2 x 4 inches and uses Avery template 8923)

Label template for Photoshop

In my case, I inserted flowcode that can read all the information simply by scanning at the far right. In addition to the picture information, I have included my email and website information.When a customer is interested in my drawing and wants to contact you, you can tap this code with your mobile phone and it will be automatically sent to you via email.

Flowcode uses the latest in QR technology to bring you fast, reliable, and direct connections. Flowcodes have a 9% higher scan rate than generic QR codes. They also allow for unlimited scans and never expire. Additionally, It is a secure Way to use QR Codes. There is no app needed to scan a Flowcode! Anyone can scan a Flowcode using just the camera on their smartphone. ​

Flowcode site

Suppose you look at the blog post How To Label Artwork in an Exhibition, a well-organized professional article on labeling works for exhibition preparation. In that case, it is good to refer to the following : 

The artist’s name
The title of the work
The medium of the work
The size of the work
The price of the work (if applicable)

Here is an example:
Myungja Anna Koh
White table, 2021
Digital Art
73.7 cm × 92.1 cm (29 in × 36¼ in)

If you visit the blog above, you will find detailed information on what material labels are more professional, how to stick them, and more. (See this article's reference)

Write information about the picture in Photoshop, adjust the font size, etc.

Then go to the layer flatten image and compress the file.
And for output, you can export a file, select a file type that suits you, such as jpg, png, and print it.

Output

It's a minor but essential thing to online picture marketing. Most painters take pictures of their paintings and sell them online. In my case, I am currently posting and selling works in Artflakes, Fine Art America, and Etsy, etc. Except for Etsy, most of the sites below allow customers to estimate what product they will receive after purchasing. 

However, recently, when you upload your logo, font, design, etc., the site has developed as POD(Print-On-Demand), in which the company prints it and sells it to customers. For this type of sale, it is necessary first to show the results of the product to customers and promote it. This task is called Mockups. It's a term that anyone who works in the design world knows well.

Mockups examples

A full-sized structural model built to scale chiefly for study, testing, or display. 2: a working sample (as of a magazine) for reviewing format, layout, or content. The dictionary meaning of the mockup is as follows.
(Merriam Webster dictionary)

Artists often use Mockups that simulate your work before turning it into a product to create portfolios.
There are many mockup sites on the Internet that anyone can use conveniently. But, of course, if you use a paid site, the visual effect will be more excellent. Also, instead of making a mockup using an editing frame such as Photoshop, you can easily make it by simply pressing a button with a simple app or program installation. However, here I show you how to create a mockup using a free mockup file by Photoshop. So, first of all, I'll show you one of my works in a frame.

Below is one mockup site I use.

https://www.ls.graphics/free-mockups

 In addition to frames, there are many types of mockups such as tapes, beverage bottles, bags, iPhone cases, etc.

I chose a free mockup that I like. (Click the blow screen, if you want to get the same)

Artists need a lot of frame mockups like this.

If you download the zip file and run it, you can check the PSD file as follows. I am a very grateful site designer. When I use a site like this, I should do free sharing, so I work hard.

After running the zip.file

When you open the Photoshop file, you can see the following screen.

Take out the square frame from the left menu and draw a square to fit the stay home screen.

After then, you go to right side, layer panel, and click the right on the layer .
You click "the Convert to Smart Object". 

This will open a new file with the square original. (I named it, New Square screen)

New square screen

It’s almost over now. Cheer up !!!
Now load the picture to be framed. ( Ctrl + O, Cmd + O) 

Press the Ctrl +  T or  Cmd + T key to resize. 
​I will only stretch the right part, so hold down the shift key and pull it out

After then , you saved it with Ctrl + S or Cmd + S, and return to the first step like the below. ​

The final screen

Frame mockup sample, picture by Myungja Anna Koh