Creating a Fine Art Series
Brooke Shaden
Lesson Info
7. Niche BrandingLessons
Class Introduction
07:25 2Overview of Brooke’s Journey
20:13 3Your Timeline is Nonlinear
05:37 4Using Curiosity and Intention to Build Your Career
03:26 5What Factors Dictate Growth
08:24 6Organic Growth vs. Forced Growth
05:18 7Niche Branding
04:57 8Brooke’s Artistic Evolution and Timeline
24:27How Can You Get Ahead if You Feel Behind?
10:02 10Ideation and Conceptualization to Identify Meaning in Your Art
05:54 11Idea Fluency
10:33 12How to Represent an Idea
07:01 13How to Innovate an Idea
07:07 14Creating a Dialogue With Your Art
05:48 15Conceptualization For a Series vs. a Single Image
03:43 16Transforming a Single Image Into a Series
03:12 17How to Tell a Story in a Series
03:28 18How to Create Costumes From Fabric
07:20 19Brooke’s Most Useful Costumes
02:19 20Using Paint and Clay as Texture in an Image
02:56 21Create Physical Elements in an Image
10:22 22Shooting for a Fine Art Series
05:45 23Conceptualization: Flowery Fish Bowl in the Desert
04:08 24Wardrobe and Texture
04:54 25Posing for the Story
05:32 26Choosing an Image
01:23 27Conceptualization: Rainy Plexiglass
11:34 28Posing for the Story
04:17 29Creating Backlight
02:37 30Photo Shoot #1 - Creating a Simple Composite
17:51 31Photo Shoot #2 - Creating a Dynamic Composite
06:31 32Photo Shoot #3 - Creating a Storytelling Composite
07:40 33Shooting the Background Images
06:14 34Editing Samsara Shoot #1 - Working With Backgrounds
24:35 35Editing Samsara Shoot #1 - Retouching the Subject
04:20 36Editing Samsara Shoot #1 - Color Grading
02:45 37Editing Samsara Shoot #1 - Floor Replacement Texture
15:24 38Editing Samsara Shoot #1 - Final Adjustments
03:21 39Editing Samsara Shoot #2 - Cropping and Editing Backgrounds
05:25 40Editing Samsara Shoot #2 - Selective Adjustments
03:55 41Editing Samsara Shoot #2 - Adding Texture + Fine Tuning
03:21 42Editing Composite Shoot #1 - Compositing Models
06:58 43Editing Composite Shoot #1 - Expanding Rooms
02:17 44Editing Composite Shoot #1 - Selective Color
02:47 45Editing Composite Shoot #1 - Selective Exposure
04:04 46Editing Composite Shoot #2- Masking Into Backgrounds
10:45 47Editing Composite Shoot #2- Creating Rooms in Photoshop
06:11 48Editing Composite Shoot #2- Compositing Hair
05:07 49Editing Composite Shoot #2- Global Adjustments
04:49 50Editing Composite Shoot #3- Blending Composite Elements
05:00 51Editing Composite Shoot #3- Advanced Compositing
08:46 52Editing Composite Shoot #3- Cleanup
03:34 53Materials for Alternative Processes
06:20 54Oil Painting on Prints
05:41 55Encaustic Wax on Prints
03:09 56Failure vs. Sell Out
05:14 57Create Art You Love and Bring an Audience To You
03:35 58Branding Yourself Into a Story
05:40 59The Artistic Narrative
05:26 60Get People to Care About Your Story
03:36 61Get People to Buy Your Story
11:36 62Getting Galleries and Publishers to Take Notice
03:41 63Pricing For Commissions
06:43 64Original Prints vs. Limited Edition Prints vs. Open Edition Prints
02:11 65Class Outro
01:00 66Live Premiere
16:14 67Live Premiere: Layers of Depth 1
04:41 68Live Premiere: Layers of Depth 2
07:12 69Live Premiere: Q&A
16:10 70Live Premiere: Photo Critique
47:33Lesson Info
Niche Branding
this leads me to a very weird pivot point, which I think is very important, which is about niche branding. And I bring this up as a pivot point because we're talking about growth we're talking about, you know, setting intentions for ourselves and for our art. And that might lead us naturally to a conversation about branding. Well, you might think what I'm saying to you. Pick a style, pick a voice, pick a technique pick a medium that you love, you know, and and let all of that come together under your inspiration, which could lead you to a brand. And a brand is very often a singular thing that you focus on so that you can create money around what you dio. But people often think of branding as niche branding like you pick one thing that you're going to do and then you do that thing. I don't particularly agree with that, and the reason why I don't agree is because branding is too often labeled as the thing that you produce, and how can you create a story around that? I think that if you b...
rand yourself around an idea rather than a thing than you are going to find more success at being able to rebrand and change what you dio and maintain support from your audience. I am very interested in this because I have been a photographer for 11.5 years. I have done ah lot of images. I have created a lot of work and a lot of it has looked very similar because I have a very consistent style and I remember coming up on a point where I felt bored by my own work. I felt bored by what I was doing time and time again, and I was worried that if I changed what I did, I would lose people. People would say, See, I'm not interested. Um, I really like this other thing that you did and now you're doing something different and I don't appreciate it, and that is a fear that is valid. People will leave when you change what you do, people are going to go. So what? First of all, your creativity and your inspiration is not dependent on other people. Second of all, if you brand yourself around an idea and not a particular thing, people will follow you for you and not for the thing that you're putting out. And that is what I have done over the past decade is to brand myself into an idea, an idea of passion, of innovation, of curiosity and because I have branded myself into an idea. It doesn't matter if I change what I dio. There are still people who will follow me for the idea and not for the thing, not for the product. And I have put this to test. Recently, I started doing mixed media. I started doing sculpture. I started painting on my prince. I started doing a lot more writing, and I still have people saying, No matter what you dio, I will be here to support you because I'm supporting the ideas that you stand for, not the art that you make. That is a revolutionary idea in branding because you will watch 100 classes that tell you you have to brand into a specific thing. You have to have this amazing product, and I'm not saying that they're wrong. But those ideas of branding don't consider longevity and the fact that you are a human being with different versions of yourself waiting inside ready to get out. So if you think that right now the thing that you're doing is what you're still gonna want to do in or 20 years, you might be wrong. You may be so sure. And when I started photography, I was so sure. I said, this is the only thing I will ever want to do in my whole life. I love it and it's not, and I don't love it all the time. And that's okay. It's okay. Toe walk outside of the zone that you've created for yourself, the box that you have put yourself in and trust that other people will follow if you tell them. Thio, if you're smart about how you brand yourself, branding can be about legacy. And if you worry less about your product changing and you worry more about the legacy that you're leaving and how you can bring people into your fold, then you're gonna be okay. It's gonna be fine all of that to say we will talk about branding more later in the class. So we're gonna go into more depth about how to do what I just said, since that was sort of a conceptual overview. But all of this comes together in your artistic timeline because timelines very often go like this. You have an interest. That interest turns into a passion. That passion turns into a main manic hobby that you just can't stop doing. And then after that, it turns into a career, and at some point you're going to feel burnout. You're going toe, find milestones that are important and others that you thought were gonna be great. That turned out horrible. You're going to find all these different points on your timeline that serve you that don't serve you. And I want to share my timeline with you in depth.
Class Description
AFTER THIS CLASS YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:
- Beat “creator's block” by practicing exercises to help you overcome it
- Conceptualize a series that nails story, emotion, and connection
- Execute a low-budget, high-impact photoshoot for your series
- Edit your images for series cohesion and seamless compositing
- Brand yourself and your art into a story that others can connect with
ABOUT BROOKE'S CLASS:
Creating a fine art body of work can be daunting when you consider that a great series has innovative ideas, cohesive editing, and an undeniable connection to an audience. During this class, Brooke will walk through the entire process of creating a fine art series, from conceptualization, shooting, and editing to branding and pricing. The success of a body of work comes from the artist’s ability to go beyond the connection to an audience; it must land in the heart of the viewer and then instill a call to action within them. Brooke will lead you through not only how to make your work relatable, but how to take that extra step to become unforgettable, and ultimately, sellable.
WHO THIS CLASS IS FOR:
- Intermediate creators who want to focus on personal work and find a deeper level of creating.
- Creators who not only want to tighten the cohesion of their work but ensure that the full depth of meaning is communicated.
- Artists who want to learn simple yet effective ways of creating a body of personal work.
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Photoshop 2020 (v21.2.4) and Adobe Bridge CC 2020 (v10.1.1)
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear. Being the creator and the actor, Brooke controls her darkness and confronts those fears.
After studying films for years in college, she realized her love of storytelling was universal. She started photography then in 2008, excited to create in solitude and take on character roles herself. Brooke works from a place of theme, often gravitating toward death and rebirth or beauty and decay.
Ultimately, her process is more discovery than creation. She follows her curiosity into the unknown to see who her characters might become. Brooke believes the greatest gift an artist has is the ability to channel fears, hopes, and experience into a representation of one's potential.
While her images come from a personal place of exploration, the goal in creating is not only to satisfy herself; her greatest wish is to show others a part of themselves. Art is a mirror for the creator and the observer.
Brooke's passion is storytelling, and her life is engulfed in it. From creating self-portraits and writing to international adventures and motivational speeches, she wants to live a thousand lives in one. She keeps her curiosity burning to live a truly interesting story.
*This course contains artistic nudity.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Worksheets.pdf
Student Practice Images (large 1.9gb zip file)
Ratings and Reviews
Student Work
Related Classes
Reviews
a Creativelive Student
Brooke never fails to deliver. I found this course superb from start to finish. From exercising your creative 'muscle', demystifying taking self portraits, and showing that they don't have to be perfect before you begin editing, to walking you through her editing process and how to price your work. Brooke's enthusiastic personality and excitement about the work shines through it all. Definitely recommended!
Søren Nielsen
Thank for fantastic motivating an very inspiring. The story telling and selling module was very helpful - thanks from Denmark
Rebecca Potter
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Brooke for this amazing class. Inspired and so full of practical knowledge, this is the best class I've ever watched. You have given me the confidence to pursue what I've always been afraid to do. Watch this space!