Brainstorm and make rough sketches of what you'd like your site to look like. It may be helpful for you to look through the websites of a couple of different artists to see how they set up their websites. You'll use the information from this session to help guide you visually as you go about setting up your site. (See Resources for examples of artist websites.)
Set up a file on your computer for your digital and text files related to your website project.
Write descriptions of your work or the statement behind the creation of those works. Additionally, write your artist's statement, a biography and your artist's resume. Finally, collect any information about you and your work that has been in the news for your news and announcements section.
Collect the photos of your artwork; these can be actual photographs if you're a photographer or photos of illustration, fine art or graphic design if you work in those media.
Scan the photos of your work according to the instructions that came with your flatbed scanner. Save these photos in your file folder.
Take any additional photos that you need with your digital camera. This could include your picture, pictures of events you attended and newer photos of your artwork. Upload them onto your computer following the instructions that came with the digital camera. Save these in your file folder as well.
Create an account with a free or inexpensive website builder and hosting company. Many exist online that allow you to build and host websites inexpensively or even for free. Most of these also offer website templates as well to get you started, and a few allow you to add your own HTML to their site to customize your site even further. (See Resources for a list of several free or cheap hosting sites.)
Set up your website. Consider the sketches you made in your brainstorming session and select a template that supports that design or make your own using HTML; Weebly, for example, allows you to add your own HTML to their templates. However, each site builder is different, so you'll want to follow the instructions on the site for setup. Additionally, you may want to set up an artist's blog, a forum for fans and a shopping cart so that people can buy your work at this time.
Upload your photos once you've created the basic template for your website. Once the photos are uploaded, add your text. Finally, publish your site to the web.