I have to add licensing art to your list. I personally sell some of my images to a fine art needlepoint canvas manufacturer, but there are literally thousands of products that use licensed art. đ
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Hello Paula, that is a great addition to this list. This is an area that is often overlooked by artists and obviously this post! Thanks for sharing and if you have any tips you would like to share about art licensing, Iâd love to get a guest post from you!
Lori đ
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I would also love to hear more about licensing art. My husband has digital designs at http://www.printable-designs.com and would like to license them to manufacturers, but doesnât know where to start. We canât afford to hire a licensing agent (the only ones weâve found want their fees up front, plus commissions). Any help would be much appreciated!
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Hello Jennifer, this is not my area of expertise. However, my friend Tara Reed specializes in this. Please visit her website for more informationâŠtell her Lori sent ya! http://tarareeddesigns.com/
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Lori; Another way artists make money is through the sales of their books. Some are also are regular contributors for art magazines.
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Hi Carol, Thanks for the additional tip! Yes, I have made some money in these areas myself.
Happy painting-
Lori
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Nice article⊠especially for beginning artists who are searching for other revenue avenuesâŠ
Lou
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I am happy to have given you something to think about!
Cheers-
Lori
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Thank you Lori for your valuable article,
I have sold a substantial amount of artwork through Farmers/Community Markets, itâs a great way to meet other artists and learn which pieces people are most drawn to. I focused on smaller paper works and 4Ă6/8Ă10 paintings selling over 100 in one season. I also entered into a mural painting contest and won $1,000 which both gave me front page newspaper and some extra cash, and some daily exposure. I had a solo exhibition at a government funded gallery and was paid a base amount for the show as well as extra money for sales made. I have had success with transferring my images to clothing, its like a walking gallery of your art around the town.
-Will
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Hi Will, Iâm glad this article is useful to you. Good for you, selling at the Farmersâ Markets. I am happy to hear you are doing well at that. Congrats on your successes, and for thinking outside the box!
Lori
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oluwole
how do i sell my paintings?
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Hello, my name is Jack Frazier. I own a website called Holllajack Clothing Company found and hollajack.com ( http://www.hollajack.com ). We are looking for REAL art to display on our website. We are not contacting every artist we see, just the ones that amaze us. We want to showcase art that wows people, and makes them ask âwhere did you get thatâ? Which is why we are contacting you. We hope you might be interested in sharing your designs with the rest of the world while making a commission that you set (we recommend $1-$5 because it adds to the total cost of the product). We are just starting out and you would be taking a chance on usâŠ.but we hope you take that chance. We hope you Holla, and canât wait to see your other work!
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Hello Jack, I am obviously behind on my replies⊠I would be interested in learning more about your company and will check out your site. Thanks for thinking of me. ~Lori
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Latvian
Hey!
Also just going out in the streets and offering people to buy your art
Also t-shirts and interior design objects
Also shopping mall stands
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Thanks for this great article Lori. My main source of income by far is by commissioned artwork, mostly large-scale murals. In my experience, Iâve found that murals are not only an engaging and challenging art form, (that obviously has a long illustrious history) but also are an amazing way to attract attention and gain notoriety as an artist in general. For me, murals have been a very powerful career-builder. As an added bonus, in some cases my clients have gone on to commission reproductions of their murals that have been very successful as local fund-raisers. I retain all of my copyright ownership so I am exclusive supplier of the reproductions, creating an additional revenue stream.
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I would welcome a guest post with your tips Michael! Thanks so much for taking time to share your story hereâŠ
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Hello! Do you use Twitter? Iâd like to follow you if that would be ok. Iâm
undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
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Yes I LOVE Twitter! I am @lorimcneeartistâŠhope to meet you there. Tweet me and say hello.
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afsoon
hi mrs.mcneeâŠim from iran .first i wanted to thank u so much because of these advices and second i wanna ask u a question:im an amateur painterâŠi want to make moneyâŠwhat site can u introduce me to sell my paintings and how can i put my paintings in that site please make an example for me and learn it to me because i really dont know how to do it .thanks(in addition i would like to say that its right that im an amateur painter but if i decide to make a great painting i really can do it)
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Thank you for your question. There are many sites where you can post your art for sale and promotion. Etsy http://www.etsy.com/ and here are some more ideas for you. Good luck! http://icraftopia.com/2013/04/10-sites-like-etsy/
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I just found this blog thanks to a post in google+ by another artist friend of mine. Love what you are doing here Lori. I subscribed as I am working on being a âfull timeâ artist to escape the â9-5â. It does take time though⊠and a LOT of work. As far as making money from art I have also made money designing one of a kind tattoos for people. My main focus lately has been âbranding myselfâ though.
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Yes, it is a lot of work for sure! We have to be wise with our time and learn how to juggle it all to succeed. I am extra busy these days, so I am setting an egg timer to remind me to get off the computer!
Cheers,
Lori
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Jcob
i still need some ideas
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Anne
Lori,
I met a fellow artist at an art fair who told me she travels all summer to fairs selling her original prints. She was nearly sold out and told me she makes well into the six figures selling her prints that range from around $40 to $150. for unframed prints and much more of course for matted and framed work. By selling prints instead of originals her work is much more affordable to the general public and she earns way more off each project. Thanks for your article and open discussion.
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Hi Anne, thanks for adding your valuable input to this thread. I wonder how many shows this art friend has to attend to make 6 figures? That is quite impressive. I also wonder what type of prints she is making and what kind of overhead she has? Thanks for sharing this story. ~Lori
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Wow. This post is amazing! I just graduated in fine arts so this will help me. Thanks!
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Mert Bowen
I have a Café that is interested in showing two landscape oil paintings of mine. This is all new to me.
Should we have a contract? Whatâs a common percentage paid to them? Length of time to show?
Iâm a new artist with a lot of questions.
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Lori A McNee
Mert, many apologies for the belated reply. I am obviously behind on comments. By now you most likely have the answer to your question. But, it is best to have a contract. Length of time depends on the venue and your agreement. You should at least get 50% unless you agree for less â I wouldnât do that! I hope this helps for the futureâŠ
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Don
Hello Artist,
Iâve been painting on canvas for over 30 years, After sales decreased to selling about one painting a year, I created a line of very detailed sport cards, rendered in pencil, that I have posted on Etsy. Now Iâm into image manipulation software, eg; Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign , etc. Although iâm learning how to use the software, I havenât began learning the most important thing, âHow to make Moneyâ doing freelance, with this type of art.
Any ideas, anyone?
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Hello Don, Etsy is a great way to sell your products. As far as freelance is concerned, there are a number of ways to get your name out there. You should search for new work and new clients. Join Linkedin, forums, job boards, etc, anything you think will help get you noticed, because most often youâll need to find your clients â they usually wonât find you. It will take a lot of work and determination. Good luck! đ
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