Advice

A couple weekends ago I participated in my first trade show. It was a smaller trade show of approximately 30 vendors and was targeted at ‘mompreneurs’. I have always thought about the idea of showcasing my art in a trade show but have been put off in the past by the expensive price tag on the tables alone! The show I participated in was put on by two amazing organizers that did it all non-profit. This allowed for a very reasonable table cost and therefore allowed me to test the waters of trade showing!

I was one of the last vendors to sign up only a couple weeks before the show, so I had to scramble to get my presentation together. I decided to hold a contest for 2 framed prints and also sell a selection of my ready-to-frame art prints at the table. I also brought along some wholesale documents for any retail stores interested in carrying my prints.

Some things I did that were useful:
1. By holding a competition, I was able to attract people to my table and give them the option to sign up to email updates. This allowed me to make new contacts and add people to my email list.
2. I added a ‘Buy 2, Get 1 Free’ coupon in each customer’s goody bag in order to attract them to my site for a potential purchase.
3. I brought LOTS of business cards and offered them to anyone who visited my table.

What I would do next time:
1. I should have printed more quantity of my most popular prints. I sold my three bestsellers right at the beginning of the show and therefore no one else was able to see them.
2. I should have brought a printed list of my full catalog of prints available so customers can see all available designs.
3. I also should have printed a large banner for my table! I thought very carefully of how I would set up the surface of the table, but forgot about the front side.
4. Nex time, I should bring a lunch! The restaurant didn’t serve lunch until 1:30pm and I was HUNGRY!

SUMMARY
Overall the show went well but I’m not sure I’d do another one at this point in my life. If I had unlimited time, I might not mind but being away from my work for a whole day on the weekend is quite costly in terms of production. With a toddler at home, the evenings and weekends are my prime time to work so unless the show is amazingly successful and I sell a ton of prints and make a ton of contacts, it may not be worth it at this point. I also highly recommend choosing trade shows that would attract the kind of audience interested in your products. I got a lot of great feedback from attendees but a lot of people had no one to buy the prints for! If I were to do another trade show, it’d make sense to do one targeted at moms with babies or small children. I am happy with my overall experience, and was actually awarded one of the top three booths at the show, but will hold off on any other shows for the time being. I enjoy working on my freelance illustration and selling a few prints online here and there from my Etsy store.

If you have any specific questions about trade shows, please feel free to ask in the comments and I’d be happy to try to help!

Being an artist and a business person isn’t always easy. I love being an artist but the only way I am able to do this as a career is to access my ‘business’ side. I have to say that a lot of this comes naturally to me but I know a lot of artists have a hard time turning their art into a career. They don’t know how to price their work, how to advertise it, how get ‘out there’. A lot of artists are introverts and would rather not be ‘out there’! But if you want to make money doing what you love, sometimes you have to push your boundaries. This is a quick tutorial on how to sell your art online. This is one of the first steps you can take in order to monetize your masterpieces!

Third Party Vendors: CafePress & ImageKind

There are various vendors online that will do all the work for you! If you are just starting out and are unsure of how well your art will sell, this might be a good place to start. I started with both of these vendors (CafePress and ImageKind) and found them to be a helpful place to get my feet wet and see the interest for my work. Both of these vendors will allow you to upload digital files to their website and they will print, package, and send the artwork to anyone who purchases it. You can sign up for free for either of these sites but there are also upgraded packages that require monthly costs. The catch with these sites is that they take a small percentage of your sales. This isn’t necessarily so bad since you aren’t dealing with the time involved in printing, shipping, customer service, etc. The other benefit of using one of these sites is the automatic advertising you’ll receive by being on their site. Both vendors feature artists on a regular basis, and you will also come up in search results for customers looking to buy similar artwork.

Do It Yourself!
If you’ve already used third party vendors or would just rather do everything yourself, then the rest of this info is for you! I decided to remove my work from both of these sites as I was ready to take the whole process into my own hands. I wanted my customers to feel like they are supporting me as an artist and that they are getting something lovingly made by myself! I’ve designed special packaging for each print and hand signed all my artwork. I also like to communicate with my customers and deal directly with them. Another benefit to doing it all yourself, there is potentially more money to be made. So if you have the time and are ready to take the plunge, please continue to read below!

Printers
The first thing you’ll need is a printer. From my research, most artists are using either the Epson R1900 or Epson R2880. Of course, there are a thousand printers out there and there is no one stopping you from researching other brands! The Epsons are the standard in the industry and both these printers work well with specialty papers and use archival inks. Archival inks are important if you want your prints to stand the test of time. This is a big selling feature for buyers as well. I personally own the Epson R1900. The main difference between this one and the next model up is that the Epson R2880 is very good at printing in black and white. It has a range of blacks and is specially made for black and white photography. The R2880 is also better at handling very thick art papers so this is something to keep in mind when deciding which model is best for you.

Paper
You’ll want to decide what kind of paper will best display your work. If you create watercolours or other fine art, you can purchase beautifully textured, thick papers that will make your prints look almost like the original. I print on Epson Ultra Premium Presentation paper which is a bright white, non-glare paper with a luxurious weight and feel. It is a smooth paper which I think works best for my illustrations. The best bet in order to decide which paper would work best for your work, is to visit your local printer/photographic supplier and examine the samples. You can also buy sample packs to bring home and create test prints in order to decide more accurately. You’ll want to consider the cost per sheet for your prints when you’re later deciding on pricing your art.

Print Sizing
When starting out, it’ll be easiest to work with one paper size. This way, all your packaging, shipping rates, etc will be the same. A very standard size for a print is 8.5×11. If you want to offer a larger size, you can move up to 11×13. If your artwork is square, you can also consider offering a square size within these dimensions. I would stick to one (or two at most) sizes to start in order to keep things manageable.

Packaging and Shipping
You’ll need to take special care to package and ship your prints so that they aren’t damaged en route to their new home. I use a stiff cardboard mailer with ‘Do Not Bend’ stickers on it in order to keep each print safe and sound. You’ll also want to package your print in a plastic sleeve in order to protect in from getting soiled. You should also consider adding a sticker or cardboard label somewhere on your packaging with your logo, contact info, etc. This will allow for your print to look professional.

Pricing
If you are working with a typical 8.5×11 print, pricing can range anywhere from $10-$30 on average for a relatively unknown artist. This is average and you can of course, charge as much or as little as you want! Before deciding on a price, you’ll want to determine the cost of each print. Once you know this cost, you’ll also want to consider the idea that one day you may want to sell your prints wholesale (which is usually 50% of the retail price). You’ll want to give yourself a big enough margin to still make a decent profit if you decide to also sell wholesale.

Resources to Sell Online
There are various ways to sell your art online, including creating your own online store. The one way I highly recommend is through the popular site Etsy. Etsy is a large community where artists can sell their work online. They are a beautifully designed and functionally sound site that allows you to take the headache out of designing and programming a site yourself (not to mention the cost!). There are many benefits to using Etsy, but one of the biggest ones is the exposure you’ll get to new customers. They don’t charge a monthly fee but they do charge $0.20 per item you post and take 4% off each sale. This is relatively low considering the benefits. I am still relatively new to Etsy but so far, I am happy with its success.

This is a very basic run through of how to get started. I know that this info would have been invaluable to me when I started out so I hope some of it is helpful to you. If you have any resources to add (other online vendors or tips/tricks), please feel free to add them in the comments!

In order to be successful in the competitive illustration market, you really need to stand out. There are so many talented artists out there, all chasing after the same opportunities. If you want the art director to notice YOU, you have to be unique.

I still consider myself fairly ‘new’ to the children’s illustration market but I do feel as though I’m becoming more established every day. I receive work on a regular basis and feel fairly confident in my style. I’ve received quite a few emails asking me how I developed my illustration style. This is a tough question but I’d like to try to tackle it for those illustrators wondering where to start. I may not know everything, but I’ll share with you what I’ve learned along the way!

1. Practice, Practice, Practice!
The more you draw, the better you’ll get. It’s important to draw A LOT in order to become successful at any style. Before worrying about what makes you unique from other illustrators, just practice your art and perfect it. Draw in a lot of styles. See what you like and don’t like. Try lots of different media: acrylics, watercolours, pen and ink, digital, and more! Try not to refer to other artists too much and create from your own imagination. You don’t want to subconsciously start copying another artist’s style. You won’t be doing yourself any favors by copying another style as that artist is already out there and they are likely to already be established in that style. No need for two of the same artist!

2. Choose Your Medium.
Review all your work. What medium appealed to you most? What was most fun? If you love what you’re doing, you’ll do it the best! If you notice you had a great knack with watercolours and enjoyed that the most, then maybe that is the best route for you. Digital art is becoming increasingly popular but you shouldn’t pick that route simply for that reason. You MUST pick what you love most. This is the key to doing the best art possible.

3. Identify and Emphasize.
Once you’ve chosen your preferred medium, you need to make yourself stand out in that medium. For example, observe all your watercolour work and try to notice elements about your work that occur in each illustration. Do you draw with very loose, free lines or are you really rigid? Do you like to use a lot of pastel colours or strong, bold colours? Do you like to draw your characters very abstract or do you tend to make over-emphasize features? Take notes about these trends. I would then advise to emphasise them. Play around with them and see where you can take them.

4. Do Your Research. Know Your Market.
After getting a bit of a sense of your favorite medium and your personal trending as an artist, you need to place yourself in the market. What kind of work are you looking for as an artist? Are you looking for work in publishing? If you’d like to become a children’s illustrator, research other children’s illustrators that are working in the same medium as you. How is your work different? Make it stand out from others that are doing a similar thing. You may choose to alter your style a bit after doing this research in order to keep yourself fresh and unique. But remember, to stick with what you love!

5. Find a Mentor.
Is there an artist you look up to? Someone who truly inspires you and is working in a similar market? Try emailing them for advice! I know when I started out, I received invaluable advice from other artists that helped form the illustrator I am today. Some artists may not reply as they may not have the time but if you’re lucky enough to get a reply, listen to their advice. It may be good or bad advice, but at least take it in and reflect on it. Experienced illustrators who have been working in the field for a while can offer amazing tips to strengthen your style and make sure it is unique to you!

6. Develop A Portfolio.
Once you’re more sure of your style and direction, you should develop a portfolio of a least 10 images. I highly recommend having an online portfolio displaying this work.

7. Be Consistent.
Although your style doesn’t have to be set in stone (artists do like to experiment!), it’s important to have a set of images in a similar style to show that you are able to be consistent with your work and  it’ll help you stand out as an experienced artist. This is another reason it’s important to love the medium and style you choose; you will be using the style for a while to come!

I know these points are fairly short and sweet but they basically describe my route to success. I am still journeying through the illustration indsutry but I am beginning to get a handle on things. A lot of the skills I’ve acquired have come through time, so don’t give up if you don’t succeed right away. And of course, feel free to email me with any questions or advice!