#berraart

Within the past month and a bit berraart has grown into a page with a following of likely minded creatives. I have experimented with many ways to present the content on the page and learned ways to adapt to and break away from Instagrams format. I have learned to interact with online artists like myself and others from different disciplines.

I have also added a highlighted row of stories that gave people a visual listing of materials used and in progress shots of upcoming/current projects.

update on the 6 grid formatted artworks:

they have definitely attracted more profile visits and followers! With 15+ profile visits from past weeks. 

What went well:

targeted audience 

geotags

hashtags

interesting formatting to attract more profile visits

in progress timelapse

exploring content themes

what could improve:

more content that could spark interactions between audiences and me

more likes and shares on my part

I first created berrart with an intent to document my process in art revolving around Canberra. However, to be able to connect with my audience I felt like my Instagram needed more of a personal approach, where at the same time I get to know my audience they have the right to get to know me too. Thus, I created a piece of work that spoke more about me and my background as a Chinese - Australian. The piece depicted an old temple in my hometown Xi’an that I have often seen throughout my childhood, I have also included a geotag to broaden the horizon of an international audience.

This format of puzzle posts also increased the number of profile visits on my Instagram and more interactions on the method behind these posts.

I have experimented many ways to dissect artworks into 6 grids through photoshop and illustrator but they were hard to format and required a computer to achieve the desired effect. In the end, I discovered an app called Planoly that allowed me to not only edit my artwork but also plan out the overall format on my phone! So I can edit and post on the go.

Technical details of the sketches:

•Medium: 125gsm cartridge paper

•Lines: Sharpie 0.5 fine liner

For the past week I have been posting large scaled portrait studies which have improved the interactions between the audience and berraart. This also presented the audience with a professional approach to the art page. However, as a revisit to what berraart is about (art revolving Canberra) I have revisited the on the go bus ride sketches. 

This time in a completely different atmosphere, it was RAINING! The rain brought a different colour scheme to my sketches that are different to the somewhat vibrant colour palette that I normally use. Since its raining, not a lot of people were on the bus so I had a chance to focus on the interior instead. I tried to capture the intricate construction of the bus and the sheer ‘loneliness’ the bus felt like during these wet weather rides. This allowed me to explore the other quite side of Canberra.

Technical details of the sketches:

•Medium: 125gsm cartridge paper

•Lines: Sharpie 0.5 fine liner

Quality over quantity!

Over the past week I have been experimenting with a large quantity of work to build a stable image of Berraart where the audience can easily recongnise my work/style. However, this might cause unnecessary visual tiredness. I have decided to switch up the content and style of my artwork to create a more diverse profile. I have also made the decision to create more polished work that take much longer to complete but would have more of a professional look. Quality over quantity it is! I have uploaded time lapse videos of these bigger works to show a glimpse of the process.

The video above shows the complete time lapse video for the second portrait that I posted on Instagram (@berraart). I have realised a more formal representation of the work gets noticed more often, and people comment on time lapse, where the how-tos are shown, way more than completed works.

This process allowed me to learn how to export and upload and edit a video to fit the Instagram video format, where the border is square and the video length is limited to around 1 minute.

Technical details:

Medium: IPad 2018 gen, Apple Pencil