Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Build-A-Sign Art Print Review and Giveaway

24"x36" Art Print from Buildasign.com -
this print was made from a 5.5"x8.5"
scanned image!
Want to win a really amazing Art Print? Check out my print and see details on how you can win one at the bottom of this blog post!

I was recently invited to try some products by the company Build-A-Sign. I was really excited about the opportunity because that means I get to share with my doodlers! When I checked out their website, I noticed that they offered Art Prints and KNEW that was the perfect item to share with my fellow artists, illustrators, and designers.

Having recently completed the ArtHouse Coop's Sketchbook Project, I had a couple of sketches in my book that I really loved and made sure to scan then in before I sent them off. I was really excited about the opportunity to see a drawing that was originally 5.5"x8.5" blown up to 2 feet by 3 feet! Especially since the original art was done in Prismacolor colored pencils - the texture blown up that large would be very interesting to see.

About Build-A-Sign Art Prints
Build-A-Sign offers Art Prints in several different sizes at a very reasonable cost! They are printed on light-weight polystyrene which makes them extremely durable. The material is thin so you'll be able to frame your art without worrying about bulky materials.

These are extremely easy to order! You can upload ANY image to be made into a print. Fine art, Photography, Digital art - if it can be put into digital format, it can be printed. Here is a list of the standard sizes available.
  • 8.5" x 11"
  • 11" x 17"
  • 18" x 24"
  • 22" x 28"
  • 24" x 36"
  • 24" x 60"
  • 36" x 48"
  • 36" x 60"
Custom sizes may be available as well - just contact the company - they were a breeze to work with and answered all my questions and then some. I found Build-A-Sign really easy to work with and the turn-around time from upload to PDF proof to delivery was very fast. The print arrived in excellent condition!

It looks great without a frame!
Why I love my Build-A-Sign Art Print
The quality is truly amazing! I would never want to print any art print on paper or canvas again! Why do that when you can have this durable lightweight material? You can see every detail of my original drawing and many people who have commented thought it was an original piece of art. One thing I absolutely love is the fact that the material has a matte finish and you can hang it on your wall without glare interfering with the art. The print quality maintains it's integrity when you look at it up-close as well. It looks great without a frame. It's just BEAUTIFUL. The colors are just as bold and brilliant as they appeared in my digital file. I have my art hanging in my office and it has gotten rave reviews. Everyone asks what it's printed on! Another great thing about the materials that Build-A-Sign uses, is that it's perfect for art that you might want to display in a bathroom or kitchen - the polystyrene (plastic) would be easily wiped off and you wouldn't have to worry about damaging the art in a humid environment. The prices for their prints are VERY reasonable and they offer some outstanding price breaks on multiple items – so, if you were looking to stock an online store with some awesome products, you might want to check this company out! Ordering 10 18x24 prints gives you a price break of almost 50% per item - that's a great deal!

Other Build-A-Sign items
This print has great detail and texture up-close!
The good folks over at Build-A-Sign also gave me some free 4x4 stickers! They offer all kinds of different products including banners, bumper stickers, magnetic signs, magnetic bumper signs, flags, and window clings. Want to know more about Build-A-Sign? Check out their website or contact the incredibly helpful Megan Edgeller.


How can you WIN a FREE 18"x24" Art Print?
This is the best part! I love my print so much and I get to share with you guys. Build-A-Sign is sponsoring a Doodle Swap Giveaway! They will ship an Art Print of YOUR ART directly to the winner! You're going to want to win this! :)

What are the Rules?
There are only three rules, but they are all important:
  1. You must have a mailing address within the continental USA to win the grand prize Art Print! (So sorry to my international doodlers, but unfortunately, they cannot ship outside of the USA) However, to give international doodlers a chance to have some fun, you can enter to win one of the "honorable mention" prize packs from me!
  2. You must have participated in at least one Doodle Swap (1-9).
  3. All entries must have been created as part of one of the Doodle Swap Project's swaps and conform to the guidelines of a regular swap in size. However, art created for round 9 is eligible and since round 9 has yet begun, you can have a fresh chance at something masterful!

How do you enter?
  1. Select 1 to 3 of your favorite doodles that you have swapped during your experience with The Doodle Swap Project's swaps 1-9 (this gives you up to 3 chances to win!).  This CAN include a doodle from the current swap #9, so you can create your doodles for the theme Under The Sea, with the contest in mind.
  2. Submit these doodles to doodleswap@gmail.com in JPG format. 
  3. Deadline to enter is April 30th, 2011 at Midnight EST - Winner will be announced May 3rd, 2011 at noon EST.

How is the winner chosen?
The winner will be determined by myself and a panel of judges that I put together (folks who are ineligible to win). We will be looking for the following criteria:
  • Artistic merit
  • Conceptual creativity
  • How interesting your doodle would look blown up from 2.5"x3.5" to 18"x24".

What will you win?
The grand prize winner (U.S. resident only) will receive a 18"x24" Art Print made from your own art shipped directly to your door. Your print does not have to be made from the winning doodle, but it would be really cool if it was. I know that many of you do not scan in doodles at a high enough resolution to have prints made from them. Therefore, I decided that the Art you choose to have made into a print can be anything that you would like. However, the art does need to belong to you so that you retain the right to have the print made. Along with the Art Print winner, some "honorable mention" artists (open to my international pals!) will receive some very special goody packs from The Doodle Swap Project!

If you have ANY questions about the way the contest will work or your eligibility to participate, please email me at doodleswap@gmail.com!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

February's Doodle Swap Featured Artist - Kim Morris

Our February Doodle Swap featured Artist is Kim Morris. Kim has participated in several swaps and we are very happy to have her share with us! Please check our her interview on the Featured Artist page. Don't forget to check out Kim's other websites for more insight on our fantastic featured artist of the month!

If you'd like to be featured, please email me for more details!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

January's Doodle Swap Featured Artist - Jose Gonzalez

Our January Doodle Swap featured Artist is Jose Gonzalez. Check out his interview on our featured artist tab or by clicking here. Each month we hope to have another artist featured and archived on the site! Make sure you visit the artist's blogs and websites as well!

Monday, January 10, 2011

A New Year of Doodling! 2011 Giveaway!

Welcome to a new year of doodling! I hope all of you have plenty of drawing, sketching, and other creative endeavors on your "To Do" list for 2011. In order to help you all get into the creative spirit of 2011, I'm giving away a copy of Kaleidoscope: Ideas+Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis. For a closer look at this awesome book, check it out on Google books.

You have 4 ways to enter:
If you've already done any of the following previously, there are still several ways to enter to win!

1. Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me what your favorite thing is to doodle.
2. Follow the Doodle Swap blog then leave another comment that you have followed me
3. "Like" the Doodle Swap blog on Facebook at facebook.com/doodleswap then leave me another message here.
4. Leave a message on Facebook under the giveaway announcement thread and tell me what your strategy for making 2011 the most creative year ever!

I will also be giving away TWO Doodleswap Goody Gift Packs to two random people who enter. The Gift Pack includes two magnets, 2 postcards and 4 notecards.

Contest ends January 23rd at Midnight. Winner will be announced and notified January 24th! Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you!

Good luck everyone!

Monday, October 18, 2010

It's all about the Presentation!

I wanted to share these photos of Kristy Talbot's Doodle Swap submissions for swap #7. Kristy designed these awesome little "Doodle Portfolios" for her group! They are cloth, ribbon, and what looks to be like a card-holder sleeve similar to what you get in a new wallet. Kristy's group will have a unique doodle swap holder to hold all the doodles from this round. Great job. Thanks for all the extra effort, Kristy! You can find more information about her doodles in her blog post about doodle swap #7.

You can visit Kristy's blog at applesandink.blogspot.com!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Theme Submissions • 2010 Schedule

Theme Submissions
The Doodle Swap Project is now taking submissions for theme ideas for the 2010 swap schedule. Two of 2010's four swaps will be themed, while the other two swaps will remain un-themed as they have been in the past. Please send an email to doodleswap@gmail.com by December 31st, 2009 with theme ideas. Themes will be voted on early in 2010.

The 2010 Doodle Swap Schedule
(note: Swap #4 sign-ups take place in November 2009, Mail-out date is 01/22/2010)

Winter 2010 (#4)
Sign-Ups: November 2-9, 2009
Drop out: November 23, 2009
Mail-out: January 22, 2010

Spring 2010 (#5)
THEME: Hand-Drawn Typography
Sign-Ups: February 8-18, 2010
Drop out: March 1, 2010
Mail-out: April 23, 2010

Summer 2010 (#6)
Sign-Ups: May 10-17, 2010
Drop out: May 31, 2010
Mail-out: July 23, 2010

Fall 2010 (#7)
THEME: TBA
Sign-Ups: August 9-16, 2010
Drop out: August 30, 2010
Mail-out: October 22, 2010