Artists need a good website to get maximum exposure. Here are 18 super tips from Uncle Arthur - the artist’s friend - on how to make that website a pleasure to visit. This goes beyond a bio, artist statement and recent resume.

Sometimes I feel like Vincent Van Gogh, don’t you? Vincent would have had a website, you can count on that. And Uncle Arthur would be right there looking in to give Vincent some tips too.

1. Keep your color scheme simple. Don’t blind your viewers. Bright colors can be difficult to look at on a screen and detract from your artwork’s impact. (Just because Vincent liked yellow is no reason to do the whole site in yellow, right? So choose a good template!)

2. Keep your website simple. Don’t try and put every piece of information about your career or display every single piece of artwork you ever created. (You should save something for a conversation with an excited buyer.)

3. Keep file sizes low. People viewing your site don’t all have a high speed connection to the internet and too many images or too many large files can slow a site down.

4. Make navigation simple. Do not try and have too many categories or too many layers in your navigation system. Keep the placement of the navigation buttons consistent: if you choose to have your links on the left side, keep them there throughout the site and don’t scramble the order of your buttons from page to page! (Even Mondrian wouldn’t do that!!!)

5. Have your own domain name. Impress galleries and collectors, make sure they know you take your art seriously. Registering a domain has become quite affordable: typically between $10 and $15 a year with hosting costs between $5 and $15 a month. (You don’t have to be Toulouse-Lautrec to afford that. And check out the beautifully designed webpage templates for any type website here! )

6. No under construction page. If you are not done building a page, don’t link it to your site. (Uncle Arthur mentioned this kind of cheesy practice in earlier articles - so don’t forget it this time.)

7. Prominent contact info. Your site is too sell or at least connect with interested viewers (Duhhhhhhh!!!) Collectors and galleries need to know how to contact you.

8. Label all artwork. Labeling your work with price can be valuable if your aim is to sell online. (Uncle Arthur reminds you to price realitstically - not $5 for one and a million for another - that’s New York stuff.)

9. Include a brief art statement and your resume. A few paragraphs for an art statement, and a 1 page resume. (Even Picasso could whittle it down to the main points.)

10. Keep the texts simple. Sans serif fonts such as Arial are easier to read on the screen. Don’t overuse bold and italics which make text harder to read and can get confusing. (An art site doesn’t need all that drama - it should express an air of serious art!)

11. Avoid underlined text - this should be reserved links.

12. Do not use a background image. They slow down the website and can ruin the look of your texts and other images.

13. Avoid music. It could sound good but your viewers might not share your preferences in music and music files are large. (Even if you play the violin - save it for your music website!)

14. No stupid mouse animation or idiot smiles in navigation. This would bother your visitors! (Uncle Arthur tries to be patient, but if you do this I will pass out.)

15. Refrain from using frames and Flash. Both of these coding methods tend to be search engines unfriendly.

16. Make sure your site is looks good in all browsers. Different browsers can display the same code in slightly different ways. Adjust code accordingly. (That’s right, it’s not all just nudes and lunch on the grass, you need to consider technical matters!)

17. Check each of your links. Visitors don’t like dead links and neither do the search engines. (Would Vincent have a lot of dead meat links on his site?)

18. Open external links to a new window - in a new browser window - better looking and more convenient.

Uncle Arthur has done his best to simplify this process for you artists out there. Now don’t make us both look foolish with a sloppy portfolio. Paint your heart out!!!!!

I want a large sofa painting in blues and mauves for my living room,
Arthur “Artistic” Browning