From the makers of the Global Pick-up Artist and Global Insult Translator applications comes Artbook, an interactive, digital picture book app featuring original artwork. HD Interactive opens their submission process today for artists to submit their work to be published in Artbook.

HD Interactive is a Tampa Bay software development company specializing in websites, interactive museum kiosks, touch-screen walls, 3-D projection, and mobile app and video game development. The agency also specializes in Flash, Flex, Adobe AIR and augmented reality solutions.

“The purpose of Artbook Tampa Bay is to use the latest technology to promote the art community in a way that is cutting edge and, most importantly, accessible on a global scale,” according to the Artbook Tampa Bay website.

Artbook will originally be released via iTunes for iPad in March 2012. The deadline for submissions will be roughly early March.

Each chosen participant’s art will be displayed on a full-screen, high-definition page of the book, along with the artist’s biography, e-mail address, website and other contact information. Artists are guaranteed global exposure by being in the iTunes store for life.

The release of Artbook Tampa Bay marks the venture into a new type of media for HD Interactive; this is their first book app. Artbook was the brainchild of HD Interactive’s Kevin Hohl and Sean Carey because they wanted to have the experience, as a company, of publishing a book.

Hohl is the chief strategy officer for HD Interactive and the project manager and head of all production for Artbook. He said that after testing to make sure they could build the technology, they began a brainstorming process to consider what kind of book to develop. They tossed around ideas for a comic book, children’s book, Christmas song book and others. They thought about a photography book, with pictures from photographers they know, and the idea of art came up.

“Then we thought: ‘Why stop there? Let’s invite other artists we know,’” Hohl said. “Then we thought: ‘Why stop there? Let’s invite all the artists in St. Petersburg to participate!’ Then we thought: ‘Why stop there? Let’s call it Artbook Tampa Bay and have artists from the whole region submit. We’ll make it free for everyone to participate and give the whole Tampa Bay art scene a presence on a global level.’”

The first marketing step will be for HD Interactive to notify local media about the submission process. The second step will be launching the book. “Once Artbook is for sale, we will notify all the technology wires, app review sites and bloggers, iBook reviews, etc.,” Hohl said. “We have already received a tremendous response from the local media, and we look forward to their support when we launch, as well.”

Not knowing how many submissions they will receive, HD Interactive staff is leaving the possibility open to multiple Artbooks being created. Their original intention is to open the project to the Tampa Bay area, but if they receive enough submissions from St. Petersburg, they may have an Artbook St. Petersburg to publish.

The submission process is free but does not guarantee publication. “We will be asking the local art community for help and will assemble a ‘jury’ of volunteers to help us in the selection process,” Hohl said.

Museums and galleries are also welcome to present original artwork. They can call 727-420-9881 for submission details.

For more information on Artbook or to submit digital images, visit http://www.hdinteractive.com/artbooktampabay.