Getting Started with FCA Toronto (for new members only)
When you join FCA Toronto, you will be sent a welcome email with some instructions on how to get started with us. A copy of those instructions is presented in the sections below.
Every FCA Toronto artist is listed in our artist directory, which links to a public profile page created for them that includes a profile photo, a cover photo, biographical information with links to websites and social media accounts, a portfolio of artwork.
Every new artist will also be formally introduced via our Instagram account, where we share our work with the world, as well as on our public Facebook page.
Profile Information
Please prepare some biographical information that can be shared online in this format:
- A Short Bio — please limit this to two sentences or a maximum of 30 words. Think of this as your elevator pitch to a prospective collector.
- A Full Bio — this is the normal CV you would present in your applications or what you’d post in the About page of your website. Please email us the text for your bio so we can cut and paste the information directly.
- Any links to your website and social media accounts that you may not have entered on the application form.
You will be able to edit any of this information at a later date on your own when we give you account details for managing your profile on our website. Only share what you feel comfortable sharing as an artist.
Profile Images
- A Showcase Image — this is a single image we can use to introduce your work on our public Instagram and Facebook accounts. If there’s one piece of art that best sums up the kind of artist you are and exemplifies your best work of all time, this is it!
- Your Profile Photo — a clear image of you, the artist If you can edit the image yourself, crop it in a square.
- Cover Image for your profile — This cover image will appear at the top of the profile page in the Artists Directory. A long, narrow horizontal image would be ideal. If you don’t have one, you can send us a larger image that I will crop to make fit. (Sometimes a closeup or detailed view of a painting can work wonders if you don’t paint in landscape format).
- Twelve images for your gallery. We will prepare a gallery for your profile page. For starters, please up to 12 images for that gallery. When you’re ready to manage your own profile, you will be able to upload up to 25 images that you can organize into albums if you wish.
Image Captions
For every image of your artwork, we will need the following details to build a caption or to write up a post: Title, Medium, Dimensions (height x width in inches), Availability for Sale. If you want us to include the price, we can do that too. Furthermore, a brief description in a sentence or two would be helpful.
If you regularly post on places like Instagram and Facebook, you may have your own favourite set of hashtags that you’d like us to add to the post (e.g., #portraitdrawing, #oilonpanel, #art_empire, etc.). Send them along too.
Tips for Preparing Images
- When photographing your artwork, be sure to include only the artwork. Crop out any mats and frames.
- Images must be in .jpg or .jpeg formats only
- All image files should be less than 1MB in size
- You profile image should be greater than 200 pixels wide. The ideal width is 400 pixels wide.
- The ideal width for a showcase image is 1080 pixels. (Used on Instagram)
- The ideal width for the cover profile image is 1200.
- Artwork images should be 1500px wide or less.
You can reduce the file sizes of your images by changing the JPG quality from 100% to 80% (without impacting how they look online)
The FCA’s website has a terrific guide on how best to photograph and prepare your work for submission. Please have a look at it.
Instructions for Sending Your Profile Information and Images
We have created an online form for you to use to forward your material. Note: if you find you have trouble submitting the form from this page, please go to the form directly instead: https://form.jotform.com/201196014203036