1. Start a Blog, and update it daily if possible.

Starting a blog is the best way to begin building your online community. Setting up a blog can be as easy as signing up for a free account at www.wordpress.com; and if you want, for around 7 dollars you can buy a personal domain through a registration company such as www.godaddy.com. *Put your URL on your business card, flyers, and on the back of any art that you sell. Remember to pick a good name, and stick by it forever.

2. Sign up for a Twitter account, and start following 50 of your favorite artists.

Be sure to tell them how their artwork has inspired your own. Building an online relationship takes time; you must befriend your followers before you start promoting your own art.

3. Join and participate in a Facebook ‘artist’ group.

So you might have a Facebook account, but are you participating in any Facebook groups? Becoming part of Facebook group will allow you to meet other like-minded artists, and help create a community around your art. Find a group that you like using the Facebook search, and immerse yourself in the conversation.

4. Put all of your art on Flikr

Flikr is a great way to store and tag your artwork for archiving and retrieval purposes. Uploading your artwork to Flikr allows you to use those photos in the future on whatever social-mediums/websites you wish (this gets rid of having to upload the same image multiple times to show across a spectrum of sites).

5. Etsy.com

Etsy.com is a social website that allows artists to sell their artwork online. You should start by signing-up for an account and putting a set of art up for sale (Remember to start out small, selling works of art that cost less then $20). Big paintings rarely are sold online unless the artist is well known. To build an audience of supporters and raise awareness of your art you should also be sure to complement other Etsy.com artists on their own work.

These are just a few ways you can utilize social media to help promote your artwork. The key things to remember when setting up your online art community, is to be creative, polite, and respectful.