So let's have a brainstorm.
In the nineties I made and sold quite a lot of paintings and drawings. I'd like to get back to that. And of course I want to use the Net instead of schlepping art around the county, that gets tired.
There are various options:
- I could make digital art and sell it only electronically.
- I could make digital art and sell prints, printed by myself or outsourced.
- I could make physical paintings or drawings.
If I outsource printing of digital art, I can't sign them. But they could be sold pretty cheap. Quality might be an issue.
On the other hand, I have a feeling that people who buy fine art mostly want originals, or at least something signed. But this introduces shipping. I have and could use UPS. This is a good option, but a bit expensive, and I have to be home for pickup and so on.
I could use the post office, but then I either have to use a lot of time on it, or use the local mail box, and that one won't even take an A4 (8x12") envelope without folding. And a 15cm by 20cm drawing is awfully small, donchathink? (Although actually, Duane Keiser is successful selling very tiny (like 3x4 inches) paintings. I could do it, but I'd prefer to also have a solution for A4 and A3 sizes.)
So what do you think? Lemme hear your ideas, good and bad, crazy and nuts, nuts and bolts, nuts and raisins, nuts and soup.
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Update:
It's irritating that mail boxes (and slots) are so incredibly tiny here in UK. In Denmark they are much larger, and an Italian artist friend of mine writes (after I told how my local box won't fit a stiff A4 letter):
Weird. Most of my watercolors are A4 or slightly larger. I ship them as letters using priority mail. I put the art between two very heavy sheets of cardboard, and inside a mylar bag (like those used by comic collectors) just in case it rains.
If I have to ship an even larger piece such as a canvas or large watercolor, I make sure the support is flexible and I roll it up and ship it in a cardboard tube as a "small packet" (slightly more expensive). [...]
I do the art based on the shipping methods available, not the other way around.
Digitalink said:
Forgive my hectoring tone. I am not a purchaser of fine art prints (that is those with a high price tag) but if I was, I would not buy without a certificate from the print maker detailing the production method (including the substrate, ink set, and life expectancy).
That last comment is a sad indication of what fine art prints are really about. Perhaps artistic grocery bags are the way to go.
Indeed. It was only quite late that I discovered that there are two very different art markets: the market for those who like the art. And the market for those investing in art.
Of course there's overlap, even in the mind of the individual buyer sometimes. But personally I've decided that the "high end" gallery market, where things are bought mainly on hope of later financial gain, is silly.
38 comments:
Why not do what comes naturally to you and worry about monetization and other practicalities afterwards?
For there may be a philosophical issue here ...
There are infinite ways one can go about producing and distributing art -- including infinite ways not tried before.
Choosing the format then is a creative statement in itself, and often is the very thing that propels the artist to notoriety. Think Gaping Void and his business cards, or Christo and his wrapped Reichstag, and many others. It's about the format in all those cases.
Now, this doesn't mean that we all need to come up with a gimmicky format. No, painting on a canvas is still an excellent medium. And I maintain that it is just as “easy” to become the next Raphael or Dalí today as it ever was.
But, it does mean that the format we choose needs to resonate with our very core. In fact, feeling the need to strategize it may be a signal that you are not approaching this problem in alignment with your Higher Self.
Maybe, as an exercise, replace the word “art” with the word “expression”, and see if that allows more openness and relaxation in your thinking.
In terms of marketing, the key is continuity. No matter how spectacular your stuff is, galleries and buyers only start to take you seriously after you've been at it for years. Its as if the society first wants to test you to see if you are serious. They will gladly support you, but only after you've proven that your currency has staying power.
You have some very good points there. I totally agree.
---
An issue of mine is that I don't have a single skill or technique which is paramount. And worse, I don't have a single *interest* which is paramount. So I'm trying to find some focus. And I figure getting sales again might do it. Because when I just do it into the blue, I'm lucky if I get two comments on the blog (about the art and not other elements in the background), and it's just boring. And my interest then shifts very quickly and often.
It's probably a deeper issue, and this may well not solve it, but it's worth a shot.
Oops... the post above was an answer to TTL.
I may be kidding myself. I've *never* been able to make more than four paintings/drawings in the same style.
(I have written two books though.)
Perhaps do BOTH: your digital works, w/your "John Hancock" included, that could be downloadable for a fee; as well as your original "physical" paintings, etc. - also signed - that could be outsourced.
Take a shot of each new piece; post it on a website exclusively for your artwork (also posting each new piece on your regular blog, and referencing the website, on BOTH your DOMAI & GoddessNudes sites, whenever you come out w/a new piece)...methinks. :-) and have the processes automated where the "outsourcer" deals w/the physical orders; and...the downloadables manage themselves. :-)
Eolake said...
"Oops... the post above was an answer to TTL."
Yeah...I guess I posted mine just as you were making your comment, too. I thought that I had proofed mine, well enough, but...missed something but, now..back out it goes, again! :-)
If I only sell them digitally, why not produce them digitally from the start? (I like that way.)
Eolake said...
"If I only sell them digitally, why not produce them digitally from the start? (I like that way.)"
That's cool. There are "some of us" who still enjoy the feel and look of the texture of paint on a canvas, though. :-)
Well, I like that too, sometimes, but I don't *really* have enough space to do it and to store paintings.
The 'costs' you're bothered about are part of the production costs and need to be included in the cost of the work.
Re posting it, use DHL or a company that will pick up and deliver.
Is your printer really up to the quality of a pro job? Doubtful. Outsource printing for quality, paper choice etc.
sign the original prior to sending off for printing.
Try selling all formats (and different sizes), until you find a viable combination.
HTH Dave
After years of evangelism for digitalism in this blog, I am surprised you are even considering analog formats.
The multiple-expression paradox is dealt by finding a way to combine all expressions under one umbrella. Leonardo had his notebooks, we have our websites.
Perhaps the only other alternative would be to spawn multiple heteronyms in the style of Fernando Pessoa, but I doubt that choice and approach to life suites many of us.
So there. Next? :-)
"Is your printer really up to the quality of a pro job?"
Sure.
TTL, it's only a couple of years ago I did a short series of oil paintings.
Again, I'm split (or faceted, sounds nicer), sometimes I love something physical, sometimes I'm in love with electrons.
Hey, I like the heteronym idea. I could do that. Just let a bit of the mind run loose.
(Post updated)
Speaking as someone who spends several hundred dollars a year on stuff to hang on my walls. In the past 12 months, I've bought 2 pieces, around $300 each. Over the years, some originals, some prints of various technologies (giclee mostly)
I've never bought anything over the web from an artist whose work I had not seen in person first. The places I've found those first pieces: galleries, street art festivals, and once in a friend's house.
Once I've bought a first piece in person, I've bought others over the web. I'm sure I've missed new artists and artwork that I'd enjoy, but I don't know how to find it or get that first impression.
I have plenty of wallpapers on my computer, but I don't pay for them. Mostly because I see them only when I clear my desktop between tasks.
In short, I might be representative of some of your prospective customers, but I have no idea how I could see that first physical instance of your work.
Thanks, I hear you.
The only experience I have here is with the sale of photographs.
What is wanted (in my experience)are original (monochrome) prints from a limited run, signed by the photographer (me!)
Naturally, for anything to sell, the subject matter has to be appealing, and the quality of the product needs to be obvious, perhaps tangible, particularly if you want / expect to sell at premium prices.
They sold via one single gallery in London, mostly to tourists (with more money than sense!)
I never sold a lot, typically maybe only 4 sets each year ... but they went through the door at £999 plus VAT for a set of 4, excluding frames!
I'm as certain as I can be that these sales would never have been realised electronic media: online, they would have looked like pretty much any other picture from a quality standpoint.
Good point.
And good price, 1k Sterling.
Hmmm ... I liked the price too :-) Things changed SO much with the advent of (decent) digital cameras, and the internet!
You're saying you couldn't get so good a price nowadays?
"Is your printer really up to the quality of a pro job?"
"Sure."
Are you sure you are sure?
If the value proposition is in the physical object then this is a core issue. If the value proposition is in the art, then hell print it on grocery bags with a $100 inkjet printer from the mall.
Perhaps rather than an airy wave of your digitals, you might consider giving the name and model of this printer and asking your correspondents how much they would pay for output from such a device.
I know someone who sells high end giclée prints of competently photographed subjects: his stuff never sold until he partnered with a specialist print maker. His previous DIY attempts were with a fancy Epson mass market printer (and the available options have widened since then) but those do not produce the same results as pro studio kit.
Forgive my hectoring tone. I am not a purchaser of fine art prints (that is those with a high price tag) but if I was, I would not buy without a certificate from the print maker detailing the production method (including the substrate, ink set, and life expectancy).
That last comment is a sad indication of what fine art prints are really about. Perhaps artistic grocery bags are the way to go.
"That last comment is a sad indication of what fine art prints are really about. Perhaps artistic grocery bags are the way to go."
...but...not so "sad"! I have suggested that Eo have COFFEE MUGS (sets of 4 of, say 'Sun Girl' or a combination of 4 different works) created and...hey...get into ONE GIGANTO market (uh...anybody hear of 'STARBUCKS' ["planet"!!]?!) and AWAY he goes...on yet, another SUCCESSFUL market! lol! :-) People LOVE that kind of stuff!! Coasters, T-SHIRTS, note paper (ever heard of Marjorie Bastin? Her sh...stuff is on EVERYTHING, over here!!), etc., etc.)
Eo- Are you familiar with this artist? http://shiftinglight.com/ He does one oil painting a day (in a smallish size), then posts it online at auction through his own site. The canvas (presumably) is then shipped to the highest bidder. So, my point is, (whether you want to do one-a-day or not)here's an artist doing traditional paintings, marketing them online for sale, then shipping them out. And, I quite like his work, altho I've never bid on any.
The problem with digital art is that it's always obvious it's digital art. You can also usually tell when someone's drawings have beenc colored in Photoshop. Go with traditional.
Re posting it, use DHL or a company that will pick up and deliver.
Use anyone but them. Any time I've got anything from them, it's always taken longer than with any other carrier. Also, often with other people you sometimes are charged duty, sometimes not. With DHL, you always will be.
Maybe you can get some inspiration from what Hugh MacLeod is doing.
http://gapingvoid.com/
He used to make brilliant cartoons on business cards and published them on his website for free. He's now peddling handmade originals (expensive), large serigraphs (cheaper, but numbered and signed), and "cube grenades" (small provocative slogans/cartoons)
You can choose whether you want framed/unframed and white/black frame.
I don't like his current work much, but I love his older stuff like this:
http://www.gapingvoidgallery.com/product_info.php?products_id=1539
His best work was a post titled "How to be creative", which he later turned into a book with the in my opinion lame title "Ignore Everybody".
http://gapingvoid.com/2004/07/25/how-to-be-creative/
Thanks for the tips and comments so far, guys, quite helpful.
It's irritating that mail boxes (and slots) are so incredibly tiny here in UK. In Denmark they are much larger
In the U.S. mail slots are usually pretty small too.
I was mainly talking about the mail boxes for sending, not receiving. (Though the latter tend to be small here also.)
The UK tend to build things to last, so the mail boxes here are cast iron, and will last til doomsday. So they were built in the day when a letter was a small and expensive thing.
Eo, I think you are unnecessarily complicating matters.
In life, you either do stuff or you don't.
Sitting on the couch watching TV and drinking bear is one way (the classic way, some might say) of not doing stuff.
Thinking about how you are going to do stuff, when you are going to do it, is another.
The difference between these two, however, is that in the latter you are kidding yourself.
Getting any project of significant size completed is an arduous task. In fact, it is practically impossible to do (read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield).
Leonardo only managed to produce 26 paintings in his lifetime. Sibelius only managed to write 7 symphonies.
To do anything at all, you have to (1) start, and (2) keep at it until it is completed. Anything and everything that moves your attention away from #1 or #2 is what Steven Pressfield calls “resistance”.
In the war of art, resistance is your enemy. Though you never conquer it, over time you learn to recognize it and keep it at a distance.
Now, resistance may take some pretty amazing forms. But I gotta say: pondering about mail boxes in the UK being too small must be one of the funniest ones I've heard of so far. And in my own experience I've come across some pretty amazing ones too. :-)
TTL said...
"...pondering about mail boxes in the UK being too small must be one of the funniest ones I've heard of so far."
Well, TTL, I gotta say that...I'd like to come over to your house and watch you "drink BEAR" whilst watching t.v. 'cuz...in my wildest dreams, I have NEVER been able to visualize just *how* the HECK that could be done! To me, I picture *that* being *the* FUNNIEST thing that I could ever think of seeing! lol! ;0) (just pulling your leg, friend! ;-)
(Don't worry, TTL; Eo is probably just "mulling over" ALL the, uh, "ins and outs" of various methods of 'The Process.' As was already written about, there are actually artists that work their art around such things as mail box sizes. I think it's COOL the way Eo likes to research all his options; it's a GOOD and WISE person who does that! :-)
I see three possible avenues forward:
1.) Introduce and publicize a new genre of philosophy called Meta Art that consists of pondering the question “What is art?” and how one can push it down people's mail boxes.
2.) Start a company, Mailboxes Enlarged Ltd., that installs bigger mail boxes throughout U.K.
3.) Found a new distillery that produces extra strong Bear beer. Then sell it to current coach potatoes would be artists.
All lucrative ideas, I think. This must be our hour.
http://blog.joomlabear.com/bear-beer-freakedoutde
Again, quite right, TTL.
(And TCG too.)
This is a complex subject.
One aspect is that often, the way to get moving is to limit yourself. Gets past indicision. For example: "one 15x20cm drawing done every day" If I reach a hundred not sold, I stop.
Or Scott McCloud's famous and much-used 24-hour comic invention. A work shop where every person makes a full 24-page comic in 24 hours.
One aspect is that often, the way to get moving is to limit yourself. Gets past indicision.
Yes! An example: The composer Jean Michel Jarre once boasted as having one of every music synthesizer ever manufactured; his studio is basically a museum.
But then he explained that to get any work done at all, he must artificially limit himself to using only one of them, or in some other way restrict his tools to a very minimal set.
The other technique is the Kaizen approach: make an agreement with yourself that it is OK to progress in very minimal steps (even ridiculously minimal to begin with) as long as you do take that minimal step every day.
Or Scott McCloud's famous and much-used 24-hour comic invention. A work shop where every person makes a full 24-page comic in 24 hours.
Now that I think of it, this is different from the constraints method I described above.
This is the good old "artificial deadline" method. I've used it with success, but I've discovered it only works as a one-off, or occasional, tool. Not as a regular bread-and-butter approach.
One famous SF author had the rule that every day he would at least *sit* in front of the typewriter for an hour, even if he couldn't do anything.
But he usually found that after a while he'd start typing too.
Money: where fine art and comics intersect. Kinda old hat stuff, I know, but even the old hat stuff has to be updated by someone!
http://tr.im/UQGJ
"Superman did it again
Action Comic No. 1, the famous first appearance of Superman, has sold for an even higher record price. (see Feb 24, 2010). The new record price - $1.5 million. It was sold by ComicConnect.com in March."
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