Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

12 Mistakes Every Artist Should Avoid In 2012

Ideas to Improve Your Art Business This Year

Learning how avoid mistakes is critical to success in the art business.

Today, I'm honored to publish this guest post by Gary T. Kerr. He is the is president of Fine Art Impressions, Charlotte, NC. It is one of the most highly respected art printing studios in the industry.

12 Mistakes Every Artist Should Avoid In 2012

1. Signing your art with just your initials

 Why? There are no famous artists that did so. And, when you sign a painting with your initials, you are secretly saying; “I’m not ready yet.” There will be exceptions to this, but this is based on having photographed 10,000 paintings at our studio—a pretty good sample. Sign your paintings with your name consistently. Here are some excellent alternatives to just your initials; J. J. Smith, John J. Smith, John Smith, J. Smith. But not J.J.S.! Treat your signature the way companies treat their brands and logos. And, don’t use a Sharpie to sign your art!

 2. Not framing your art

Let’s divide up the world here. Your art is either representational or non-representational. Non-representational art may look better as a clean, frameless presentation and may be your best choice for your framing aesthetic. Conversely, representational art should be presented in a proper frame—even if it is a minimalist, floater-type. Framing your art adds value and nicely framed art is less likely to have an interested buyer balk at the price. Frame your art, present it well in a gorgeous frame to maximize perceived value and communicate to the world ‘You know what you are doing.’

 3. Touching up or altering your art after it was finished

Once finished, leave your painting alone. You must be willing to let go of your art after it is done. Tinkering with a painting is irresistible to most artists, it takes enormous discipline to finish a piece and leave it alone. The fact is, no painting is ever completely finished. Being willing to let the last 3% go is what makes an artist great. Are you?

 4. Using art height and width dimensions interchangeably

In the world of art, you must always communicate image dimensions accurately with height stated first and width stated second. It is not interchangeable. Be sure to use this consistently everywhere; web, brochures, placards, and verbally. If you catch someone doing this in reverse, please correct them—nicely.

 5. Discounting your art to make a sale

Lowering your prices to make a sale may seem like a smart move, but you are setting a precedent. You must establish a price and stick with it, or possibly raise it. Protect your past buyers by letting potential buyers know you will protect them by not discounting your art to make a sale. If you run into price sensitive buyers, offer a fine art print instead. Reserve your originals for people who really want original art and are willing to pay for it.

6. Using cheap or low-end artist materials

Every artist has been tempted to save money on artist materials. Reconsider this habit for yourself. If you wish to be taken seriously, skip the canvas wrapped panels—those are for art students. Consider a quality stretched canvas or premium brand watercolor paper and avoid the cheap knockoff brands trying to save a few dollars. Good brushes are essential too and make a difference, but only if you take proper care of them. Talented artists believe in their journey; quality art materials help you on that journey. You will be judged by the quality of your art materials. Quality art materials perform better, last longer, and put your art more in the collectible category. Sloppy, low end presentment of your art will confound your journey. Your art creates value and dollars will follow that value—but not if it looks like a homemade experiment.

7. Not Titling Your Art

Your art needs to be titled. This is a business of selling emotion, and your title will emphasize the emotional connection of your art. An untitled piece may be found with non-representational art, but avoid it if possible. A fitting title confirms to the art buyer that this piece belongs in their home. Don’t leave this critical step out of presenting your art professionally. Avoid tongue-in-cheek or kitsch titles. Observe how fine art is titled in museums and fine art galleries. Always keep accurate records of your titles and the year painted. Avoid using titles from movies or other cliché approaches.

8. Painting one-off paintings

You are on a journey. Have a plan to paint 8 to 12 pieces minimum in a cohesive voice and style. Any artist can hit one or two home-runs; successful artists paint in a consistent voice and theme, which drives sales and interest. Their discipline to stay consistent helps to build their portfolios and steady sales. The result is finding frequently open doors to galleries and with collectors. Don’t be a one-hit wonder, paint a portfolio and the right doors will open for your art.

9. Painting in multiple voices and styles

The best advice you will ever get is this: If I mix 10 of your images in with 90 other images from other artists and I can’t pick out your 10, you will struggle to attract the attention of serious art dealers or collectors. Paint in a consistent voice and theme that tells it is unmistakably you. If you paint all over the map, no one is going to find you.

10. Mishandling your art

Always treat your art as valuable. By respecting every painting you make, you are subconsciously leading to a sale if you perceive that your art has value. Treat it accordingly and the value will carry through to that sale. Whether it is your best piece or not, treat it with respect trains your mind to value all your work. Never carry your art in a trash bag, the message to yourself could be catastrophic. Professional portfolio cases and proper packaging are worth the time and effort to avoid harming your art. When shipping your art, consider a quality float-box or custom crate to ensure worry-free arrival.

11. Displaying art for sale on the floor

Where a painting is located for sale contributes to its perceived value. Always hang art, or place it on an easel and be sure it is properly lit for viewing. Art relegated to unimportant status will never help you or your sales. Take a look at the care galleries and museums put into hanging and lighting art properly.

12. Selling your art without first getting a preservation-Grade art capture

As the son of an artist who had painted hundreds of oil paintings in the ‘70s and ‘80s that are all sold, I can testify it will be a huge loss to your family, just as it was to mine, to not have even a photographic slide of any of those paintings. Don’t let this happen to your family. Your art image may actually be worth many more times the amount of the sale of the original. You would not tear up a winning lottery ticket would you? Selling your art without a capture is the same thing. The copyright laws are on your side, but without a preservation-grade art capture, that copyright is worthless. Without a quality art capture, there will be no retrospective of you in the future—don’t let that happen.

Gary T. Kerr is president of Fine Art Impressions offering art imaging and advisory services. His studio has locations in Charlotte, Moscow, Prague, Hong Kong and Sydney. He offers a free consultation to any artist looking to self-publish their art. He can be reached at his studio at www.FineArtGiclee.com or 1.800.419.4442.

 

Selling Art Prints - Exploring Open Edition Print Opportunities

Ideas to Sell More Art Prints

(Ed. note. This post is republished with permission from the October issue of Art World News magazine.

In the September issue of Art World News, I began this series with a brief review of art print market history recognizing the success of artists and publishers in both open and limited edition prints. This month we will look at how using open editions in today’s market can benefit artists.

Don't Jump Off a Winner

To be clear, I do not advocate abandoning limited editions for artists and publishers who have success with the model. As the country saying goes, “Dance with the one that brung ya.” Surely, limited editions will remain as a valid marketing model in the print market.

POD Changed Everything

The emergence of print-on-demand (POD) technology forever changed the art print market, just as it has the music, film, and book publishing businesses. Other coinciding developments, including affordable small business e-commerce solutions, the influence of social media, the quick acceptance by consumers to buying online, the rise of Big Box retailing, and the flood of imports, combined to drive change to breakneck speeds.

Change Is Not Going to Come, It's Here. Learn to Deal with It!

Inevitably, change creates pitfalls and opportunities. How your art business fares depends on your ability to recognize and respond to the changes. Keeping what works, leaving behind what is broken, and leveraging new opportunities are your keys to succeeding in chaotic times.

Change Creates Chaos & Opportunity

Today, artists have affordable technology to create a delivery system to market to buyers predisposed to buy direct from the artist. Because of uncertainty in traditional markets’ ability to endure, I urge developing these direct marketing channels for independent artists. The tools and knowledge are there for artists who want to manage their careers and dictate how their work gets to market. For many independent artists, selling direct is the future.

Nevertheless, some successful galleries and publishers continue to enforce exclusivity on the artists they represent. If artists are comfortable with such conditions, they should try to make the traditional system work for them because there are examples of artists who continue to enjoy success in traditional markets. Still, it’s a smart idea to keep weighing opportunities.

Sheer Numbers of Visual Artists Versus Galleries & Publishers Demands Direct Marketing

The reality is the large number of visual artists versus the declining number of publishers and galleries dictates most artists need to build profitable direct distribution channels to succeed. Fortunately, independent artists have access to affordable, powerful tools and a wealth of knowledge to help them build a successful career.

It is reasonable for artists want to earn a decent living from the result of their labor. A way for some is to avoid artificially capping their income by exclusively marketing their digital fine art prints as limited editions. Open editions provide the means to broadening their collector base in the mass market, and the opportunity for beloved images to sell well for decades.

Open Edition Prints Have a Rich History with Major Artists

In my new e-book, How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints, the prolific and profound art business author, Daniel Grant, says this about pricing limited editions and open editions:

“Pricing, again, is based on demand. One would presume that works from a limited edition should be more expensive than those from an open edition. Still, Ansel Adams' most famous photograph, "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1041," was an open edition, and he printed new versions over a period of decades. Prices for these works have stayed high, because of the attraction to this image and the connection to the artist”

Does Your Art Marketing Cater to the New Breed of Art Buyers?

It appears a new breed of art buyer is developing. One who prefers choice, convenience and high quality, as opposed to being forced to buy a fine art print with no say in size or substrate. With a growing image library of 3,000 images, the success of the ArtThatFits.com site, which is owned by picture framing giant Larson-Juhl, caters to such buyer tastes.

The bottom line is if the art is powerful and reproduced in the highest level then it can be marketed to those who might be called art buyers, as opposed to art collectors. While in both limited and open editions, the primary desire is to own the image, the secondary buying choice for “art buyers” is based on quality, convenience and variety.

Today's Art Buyers Are Being Underserved from POD's Potential

Until POD evolved, buyers with these needs could not be served and, as such, were never identified or developed.  Steve Jobs' magic at Apple was creating hot products, not by asking what consumers wanted, but rather by developing accessible technology to fill previous unmet needs. Once buyers realized how cool iPods, iPhones and iPads were, they were hooked. I think today’s art print market greatly underutilizes the full marketing capacity of POD in printmaking.

Granted, art buyers who want quality and convenience are different from collectors who will only buy limited edition prints. Instead of annoying these collectors with established preferences for limited editions by attempting to convert them, the suggestion is to market to buyers who will pay premium prices for high quality work, but prefer the options offered in open editions prints.

Knowing the Distinction Between Buyer Types Is Crucial

Consumers have great access to information, and most have near photo quality digital desktop printers. As such, they know giclées, produced by top digital print ateliers, can be faithfully reproduced as high-end digital prints with no limits. Given the circumstances it seems obvious that consumer behavior is moving towards high quality open editions, especially if they are buying online. Removing the burden of limited edition provenance and the risk of being duped has to simplify the decision and increase sales.

Fine Art Photographers Are Finding Open Editions Profitable

Jeffrey Stoner is a leading fine art photographer who has read my books and blog for many years. He was influenced by my thoughts and decided to work in open editions. He recently contacted me to with results from that decision. The following comments from him were originally posted on my ArtPrintIssues.com blog:

"Your writings about limited versus open edition prints were one of the deciding factors in my choice to go to open prints in 2007.  It was the right decision for me.

I began a series of Angora Goat images in 2008.  There are now five in the series. The goats are part of a 10-year experiment to control the growth of Canadian blackberry bushes on the open balds.

The balds are treeless mountain tops and are found at 5800’ along the Appalachian Trail on the Tennessee / North Carolina border.  The goats are brought up to the mountain top on the first day of summer and back down the last day of summer.

The series, which I made in 2008, took off with the first goat image (Arlo shown here.) He became my best selling image of all time in just 9 months after being published. If I had limited the sales of this, and succeeding, goat images, I would have lost a lot of income. And, Arlo is still a big hit. One gallery owner jokes that sales of Arlo prints will pay for my retirement.”

Do You Recognize the Hidden Costs in Publishing Limited Editions?

Other things to note about limited editions are the hidden costs involved. The artist or publisher has to establish a system for tracking every limited edition. For a prolific artist, this can become an arduous task. There are laws in 14 states regarding limited editions. New York and California are considered the most stringent. Artists legally need to comply even if they are selling via the Internet from another state. The burden of time-consuming, costly, extra bookkeeping is eliminated with open editions.

Arthur Secunda Proved You Can Have It All!

The renowned artist, Arthur Secunda, has been shown in leading galleries and museums worldwide. He also had a successful poster printing run with Haddad’s Fine Arts. He was known to express his poster sales helped pay for his studio in France and grow awareness for his work. It didn’t ruin the career of Pablo Picasso when he had a successful open edition print series sold in Sears’s stores in the 1950s.

Terry Redlin is one of the most revered Americana genre artists of any generation. He has huge museum that is a major tourist attraction in his home state of South Dakota. During his career,  he has sold both open and limited editions of the images. Some of his images were dissected and sold as smaller images. None of this has dissuaded his collector base. Although he officially retired a few years ago, collectors still flock to the museum and continue to buy editions of existing images.

Creating An Ethical Means to Sell Both Limited & Open Editions Is Possible

Last month, I suggested artists could produce a numbered limited edition of 100 in one size and one substrate hand-embellished by the artist. At the same time, lower grade open edition prints of the same image could be marketed. The key to success here is to be fully transparent by operating one’s business with integrity and honesty. If buyers know the facts, they won’t feel duped about what they are buying. And, those with a collector mentality can still get a precious limited. And, smaller editions are easier to manage on the back end and more likely to succeed on the fickle secondary market.

In the End, It's What You Make of It. You Determine Your Success

Like the art market in general, the art print business is personal, subject to change and difficult to grasp at times. What works for some artists is suicidal for others. While not every artist has the heartstrings appeal of Terry Redlin’s work, all can take lessons from what worked so well for him.

What it comes down to for artists is the need to research, to be introspective, so you know what works best for you. You have to be willing to try new things and equally willing to give up on them if they don’t work out. Ultimately, the decisions about open versus limited editions can only be made by the artist. It is your life. You have to decide what is best for you and your career.  When you are comfortable with those decisions, you can plan a course of action to achieve your goals with dignity, integrity and great results.

Why I Support the National Arts Education Foundation

Children Are Our Future - Visual Arts Are Your Future.

Visual Arts Skills are Life Skills.

Visual arts training makes a huge impact on more than learning to paint or draw. When it comes to creating a website, designing an energy efficient home, creating advertising and in hosts of other ways, those with solid visual arts education are better suited for success. 

Children who learn visual arts skills are more well-rounded and better prepared to succeed in life. 

 My Pledge to NAEF Is In Memory Of Mary Davey

If you have enjoyed reading my books and blog posts, or found inspiration in them, you can thank my mother, Mary Davey. Our home was filled with art books she collected. She managed to instill a love of art in a little boy who was much more interested in baseball and football than art. I carry that passion with me today. 

In the memory of Mary Davey, I have pledged $2.00 from the sale of every copy my new e-book, How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints to the National Arts Education Foundation (NAEF). While there are so many wonderful causes and charities one can donate to, it seems fitting and right to me to donate to an organization close to my heart and interests.

My mother, Mary Davey, was an elementary school teacher. She loved her work and her students loved her. Besides being a talented educator, she was an accomplised visual artist, who given the proper encouragement and support could have been a professional painter.

I'm sure it was the many field trips to the magnificent St. Louis Art Museum with her that gave me my own appreciation for fine art. She passed this along to grade school students as well. From her, they learned fundamental drawing skills and gained early appreciation for the beauty and wonder of art. 

Buy My How to Price Prints e-Book and You Make a $2.00 Donation

Or, Start Your Own Drive to Support NAEF!

If you want to participate, you can buy my e-book here on the right sidebar. If you want to make a bigger impact, consider setting up to pledge contributions from sales of your work to NAEF.

CONTRIBUTE TO NAEF

Donate today and make an investment in the future of visual arts education. Your contribution will help provide professional development for art educators, classroom supplies for innovative projects, curriculum development for art classrooms, and ground-breaking research in visual arts education.

Please make a commitment to the advancement of visual arts education by contributing to the National Art Education Foundation.

The NAEF Advocacy flyer tells the story why your support is needed and important.

 

How to Price Art Prints

Knowing How to Price Art Prints and Giclees Is Essential to Success.

Last week, the How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints e-book was introduced to my readers.

The announcement indicated it was being used exclusively as a promotion for buyers of my popular book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market, 2^nd Edition. It also was mentioned the e-book would be available for purchase as an individual product at a later date.

At the time, I thought it would be less confusing to stagger the book bundle and the e-book separately. In retrospect, it seems simultaneously offering the e-book individually, and as an incentive for new book buyers might have worked better.

There is insight from this process for me. Perhaps some of you will gain something from it, as well.

When You Are In a Hurry, Take Your Time!

Just like many of my readers, I work full-time outside the art business. This is so I can provide affordable, reliable health care for my family. As such, everything I do for Art Print Issues, or new projects like the "How to Price Prints" e-book project, are done in overtime hours.

I was proud of going from concept to the finished product in just over a month. But, I also was eager to get it to market. Given there were ten contributing authors, there were many details to attend to bring this e-book to life. The intensity of the producing the project left little time and energy to design the best way to introduce the e-book.

There Always Is Time to Do It Right the Second Time

Because I was too eager to publish the book, I did not reserve enough time to reflect and solicit opinions on the what to do about launching the book. Normally, it's not that big of a deal. You have a product, and you put it out there. But, because this one had complexities such as being offered free in a bundle, and as an individual download, it required more time to finesse it than I put in.

It's not the end of the world. The book is available to purchase and download. Click Here to Order Your Copy Today!

Questions were asked whether the "How to Price Art Prints" e-book was available as a free download to previous buyers. Considering readers have freely benefited from nearly 500 blog posts here; it seems normal this issue would arise. 

The reasons previous book buyers should buy this e-book are:

1. There is no affordable way to fairly distribute retroactive free downloads. 
2. I am confident the book alone provides far more value than the purchase price to artists. 
3. Given there have been thousands of hours spent publishing posts to help artists be more successful, it seems previous book buyers who need the "How to Price Prints" e-book should not mind making a small purchase to receive highly valuable information.
4. It's an easy affordable way to show support for the practical advice and art marketing content published in nearly 500 free Art Print Issues blog posts over the years.
5. Giving back - see below

The NAEF Is My Cause!

A minimum of $2.00 from every sale, whether from the bonus book bundle, or from individual downloads will be donated to the National Arts Education Foundation.

Children are our future. Arts programs and budgets in our schools are under siege. When you buy the e-book, part of your purchase price goes to one of the most worthy organizations to support the arts in schools. You will soon see a sidebar link that will show you the progress of our donations.

Exploring Open Edition Art Print Market Opportunities

Art World News Reports on the Fine Art Print Market

The article here is reprinted with permission from the September issue of Art World News. The publication is must reading for visual artists, fine art photographers, art publishers and galleries. This is the first of two articles I wrote on the subject of how artists can benefit from working with open edition prints.

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Exploring Open Edition Art Print Market Opportunities

Reviewing the history the art print market reveals its growth has been fueled by both limited edition and open edition prints. In recent decades, the market divided into camps of limited edition and open edition print publishing models.

Whole cottage industries of art print publishers matured around one model or the other. When managed properly, both models have proven to be successful. This is due to mainstream art buyers rarely favoring one model to the exclusion of the other. Such openness fueled opportunities for both limited and open edition print business models.

Limited editions were borne from necessity.

When the first prints were made, printing techniques forced small print runs. For instance, because etching plates degrade with each press pass, only a small number of high quality prints are possible. The practice of numbering prints was a natural evolution. Art sellers instinctively realized numbered limited editions created a powerful marketing tool, one still used in modern fine art print marketing.

Although there are no limitations to producing very high quality digital prints, many artists and publishers, who have grown their business with limited edition prints, continue to use them to market gicleés. It is easy to understand why these marketers reject upsetting a profitable working model to move into open edition prints. Nevertheless, there are untapped prospects for them in the open edition market.

Massive Change Creates Chaos and Opportunity

Changes in the art print market over the past decade mirror other industries. Major factors include worsening economic conditions, changes in both wholesale distribution and consumer buying habits. Big box retailing, foreign imports, and the growth of e-commerce with its comparative shopping power and purchasing ease compounded the deviations. The speed of changes and widespread acceptance to them completes a picture of chaotic market disruption.

Changes such as these have closed the doors on old business practices while creating new ones. The swift shuttering of 135-year old Decor magazine and its once dominant Decor Expo Atlanta tradeshow is a prime example of how quickly a business can become irrelevant and obsolete. On the upside, artists and publishers are finding new ways to use the significant advantages of print-on-demand (POD) technology, social media, online galleries, personal websites, blogs and more to create new marketing opportunities.  

Print-on-demand Technology Forever Altered the Music, Book Publishing, Film and Art Industries

Smart art marketers use POD technology to meet consumer demands as never before. Although adopting the idea of offering open editions that come in multiple sizes has not come easily to some limited edition art publishers and galleries, it’s time they take note. The future is calling.

The success of Artaissance.com, a publishing company owned by picture framing manufacturing and distribution giant, Larson-Juhl, demonstrates how to take full advantage of POD technology. It encourages buyers to choose canvas or paper. Artaissance understands the importance to buyers of being able to order their art in the size they need to fit their unique spaces. This is a consumer benefit and sales and marketing opportunity rolled together. It’s no surprise the company uses www.ArtThatFits.com to promote its offerings.

Many of Our Most Revered Artists Have Leveraged the Art Print Market

There is a rich history of artists whose works made the case for the open edition print market long before the advent of digital printing. Imagine how the estates of such print market giants as Maxfield Parrish and Ansel Adams would have suffered, as would have millions of their art buying fans, had either chosen to sell strictly limited editions of their images.

The huge success of Art.com verifies art can effectively be sold via e-commerce. Since its business model is nearly all open editions, it also proves strong buyer demand for them. Interestingly, if you research top selling prints on Art.com, you find a mix of classic works by artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet along with contemporary pieces. This illustrates the interest in quality, both old and new and eclectic buyer tastes.

It's About the Art - Open and Limited Editions Both Sell Well

These observations confirm that quality compelling work, whether old or new, and whether an open or a limited edition, can always find a market. And, they further demonstrate consumers are less concerned about open versus limited editions than wanting to own and live with an image special to them. Limited edition digital prints are not driven by consumer demand. While limiteds offer sales support in a closing room, it is the art itself, whether original, limited or open edition that brings buyers and sellers together.

The achievements of Jen Bekman’s 20x200.com limited edition print online gallery attests to efficacy of the limited edition model.  An April 12, 2010 article on the FastCompany.com website reports, “Since its launch, 20x200 has sold more than 65,000 prints by both emerging and established artists, and in 2009, 20x200 received $885,000 in funding in a Series A round led by True Ventures.”

Marketing Decisions Are Personal Business Decisions Only the Artist Can Make

These are impressive results, especially given recalcitrant market conditions. Such success aside, the question remains whether the site’s accomplishments come at the expense of profits left on the table for those artists whose work would sell well for years to come in open editions.

Given there is ample evidence of potential success with both limited and open edition models, artists frequently ask if they can use the same image both ways. There is no consensus about this question. It’s an ongoing debate leading to a personal decision only the artist can make.

Why Should Visual Artists Be Saddled with a Business Model That Limits Their Income?

I believe visual artists should not be forced to accept artificial caps on the potential income from their works. There is no model in any of the other arts where artists’ works are limited. You don’t find it in films, books, music or theatre. Nor is there any “sold out” backlash when a book, film, or record sells millions of copies. Visual artists should not have artificially imposed limitations on their income when more profitable options are available.

Given digital printing dominates the print market, and has no constraints on endlessly producing pristine reproductions, the idea of using only limited edition digital prints seems arcane and not the best model for the print market in the 21^st Century. I believe artists can succeed with the same image in both limited and open edition prints, if done with honesty, integrity and transparency.

A Workable Model to Sell Both Open and Limited Edition Fine Art Prints

A limited edition of 100 prints in one size on one substrate, hand-embellished by the artist is suggested. This would serve gallery or collector demand for limited editions with full disclosure about open editions. Such an exclusive edition would create a collectible print edition and potential secondary market for the image.

Open editions of the same image could then be offered on a variety of substrates and sizes. They would be of stated lesser quality than the limited edition. Because there are no industry standards on how to manage such practices, artists and publishers need to be transparent with their actions, including publicly posting notices of their publishing practices. 

Reputation Management is the Key to Success Building Repeat Buyers.

How a publisher or artist manages providing full disclosure to all buyers of availability of both limited and open editions is crucial. Treating your buyers, prospective buyers, galleries and dealers with honesty, integrity, and consistency is how to succeed in the print market with open and limited editions.

Savvy consumers have easily available powerful research resources, leaving no room for shabby marketing practices. By the same token, if artists conduct their business in a way that exudes high quality and high integrity, they can build a business model that will allow them to profitably sell their images in both open and limited edition markets without losing sleep or collectors.

A second part to this series will appear next month. It will cover how open editions can affect an artist’s career and legacy. Readers will learn about the hidden costs in limited editions, and get details on artists who have had success being in both limited and open edition print markets.

How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints & Giclees

Art Print Pricing Is Used as a Tool by Successful Visual Artists  

There is powerful strategy in knowing how to price fine art prints and giclees. Visual artists who employ effective techniques in pricing their art careers create an advantage for themselves.

Having a proven plan to value your fine art reproductions is vital to profitably managing your art business. A problem for artists, up to now, is they did not have access to the best ideas and techniques for what to charge for their fine art reproductions and giclees.

A Brand New e-book Answers, "How to Price Art Prints?"

Visual artists and fine art photographers, will find the How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints e-book by Barney Davey an invaluable resource. It is a reference they will regularly use for guidance on to answer the puzzzling question, “How to price digital fine art prints and giclees?"

Small Business Owners Routinely Make Critical Decisions.

As with all entrepreneurs, you make daily decisions on numerous business-crucial questions. Properly assessing art values requires a confident decision on your part. Since it is one of your most important decisions, get your giclee fine art prints in the “sweet spot”  where they are neither “too high” nor “too low.” is essential. Dialing in the right numbers keeps you from losing sales at the high end and losing profits at the low end.

You will find this e-book loaded with insights from art marketing experts. When you tap into their knowledge, you will profitably begin to price your digital fine art prints and giclees for your greatest success.

Currently, This e-book Cannot Be Purchased. It Comes As a Bonus.

Your How to Price Digital Art Prints e-book is a free with your purchase of Barney Davey’s bestseller art print marketing book. It comes as a bonus download with purchased copies of How to Profit from the Art Print Market, 2^nd Edition.The book bundle can be purchased at www.BarneyDavey.com/bonus

Rather not buy the book bundle?

The How to Price Digital Fine Art Prints e-book is available for $14.99 now. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER HERE FOR INSTANT DOWNLOAD!

Five More Specific Ways to Use Affordable Prints to Promote Your Work and Earn Income

If you missed last week's post by Andrew Darlow, check it out here. Then read the following for more good ideas on how to create new income from affordable prints in a range of sizes.

In Part I of this article, I shared a number of suggestions for using affordable prints to promote your work and earn income. In that article, I touched on some specific examples that I've used over the years. This time, I will delve deeper and offer five specific things you can do to promote your work.

As in the last article, the primary target group for these tips are those who are currently marketing or selling “high-end” prints, such as original oil paintings, matted photo c-prints, gelatin silver prints on fiber paper, high-quality reproductions on canvas (a.k.a. giclée), or signed pigment inkjet prints on paper or canvas. That being said, anyone interested in using prints to promote just about any visual or performing art can benefit from the information.

1. Make Cards!

The two words above can be very powerful and profitable. Much like being chosen as an artist for a series of postage stamps, there is also a sense of prestige attached to having one's work on a blank card (as long as the quality of the card is very good!). The reason is because greeting cards are often chosen carefully by people who write their heartfelt words in them filled with emotion. Cards then become like a testimonial or endorsement for your work. It's a bit like forwarding a link to a friend of a beautiful photo or other art that you noticed online, but taken to a higher, much more personal level.

To increase your chances of being noticed, include a very small portrait of yourself and a short bio on the back of the card that explains that the image on the front is from a particular series of fine art prints.

The front and back of one of a series of five cards that I produced as part of a large print run can be seen here.

For even better examples, I recommend referring to the layout and text used on the backs of many of the cards distributed by nonprofit organizations for their fundraising efforts.

Cards are also ideal for use as thank you notes. If a collector purchases one of your prints, you might send a thank you note to him or her with a similar, but different image on the card. You might even send, as a thank you, a box of 8-12 cards and envelopes. For maximum impact, each card could have a different image on the front.

I generally recommend 5x7 inches as an ideal folded card size, primarily because it is a common size sold in stores, nice envelopes are available in bulk at a very affordable cost, and they can be mailed in the USA for the cost of a first-class stamp (currently 44 cents).

2. Donate Your Prints to Nonprofit Organizations

Nonprofit organizations conduct a lot of fundraising events. One of the most popular ways of raising money is by conducting a silent auction (there are many other names for it as well). In a silent action, the organization collects donations of goods and services from companies or individuals. Those items are then usually displayed on tables. Next to each item is a cup or basket. Attendees/supporters of the charity purchase tickets, and they drop tickets into the baskets for the items in which they are interested in winning.

I have helped raise funds for about 10 different organizations over the last 5-10 years through donations of an 18x24-inch signed Dalmatian print (reproduced at the top of the page). I've donated as many as five at one time, which was not difficult for me because they were already printed, and they could easily and inexpensively be shipped via a Priority Mail tube. In return, I was able to distribute printed materials, business cards, etc. at the event (either in-person, or the organizer put out the items on my behalf). Nonprofits will also often list companies and their websites on their websites.

Here's a related tip for protecting your prints while allowing the nonprofit organization to easily display your work: To help protect your prints inexpensively, and to make it easy for a promotional sheet of paper with your bio and other information to be inserted with the print (that's one more tip!), I highly recommend individually wrapping each print in a clear bag. Crystal clear bags are available in packs of 100 from Clearbags.com and in packs of 10 or 100 from FrameDestination.com. You might also consider framing the print(s), and in that case, I would recommend protecting the art with a see-through heavyweight bag, such as the GalleryPouch Gold bubble bag, produced by FrameDestination.com. Disclosure: I am not an employee of Frame Destination, but I helped develop the GalleryPouch bag with the company after I needed such a product for my large canvas prints.

3. Use Raffles/Contests to Help Promote Your Work

This tip is similar to the one above, but important to note because of the power of raffles/contests and other giveaways. If you give a presentation for a group of people, such as a camera club or civic organization, giving away affordable prints is a great way to collect e-mail addresses so that you can keep people informed of your upcoming workshops, seminars, projects, website updates and other events.

The best way I've found to make this work is to distribute sheets of paper during the event with a few lines on the top inviting people to write any questions in case there is no time for questions, or if they would just prefer not to ask their question in front of the group. Of course, you would need to be prepared to answer them after the event either via e-mail or phone (or via a group e-mail that answers all the additional questions that people wrote).

Below those lines, you would then ask them to check one or two large boxes next to two sections of text. One line has text that asks if they would like to be entered to win one of x number of prints, and the other line has text that asks if they would like to receive your updates via e-mail. I also always include a note that their e-mail will not be shared or sold.

This approach also works well anywhere you have permission to put a sample of your work next to a raffle entry box. Examples include trade shows, art installations where your work is hanging, retail stores, etc.

4. Use Prints to Get More Speaking Opportunities, and More Listeners

Speaking to groups of people, whether during an exhibition of your work, or at a school or other location, is one of the best ways to promote your work and yourself. However, sometimes camera clubs and other groups have a very small budget from which to pay speakers. A specific way to get paid appropriately for your time is to work out an arrangement with a group's leadership that allows members to pay in advance for a signed print that they can claim and have personalized following your talk. To spur sales and guarantee a certain number of attendees, a lower price can be offered prior to the event compared to the cost of the print purchased at the event.

On a similar note, you can contact a media outlet (local or international) and make a certain number of prints available during an interview with you (usually via a random selection of e-mail addresses from everyone who sends you an e-mail with a specific subject line). Or you can set up a special page on a specific website, such as www.andrewdarlow.com/xyzcontest. On that page could be an example of your work, a bio, and a form for people to enter the contest. At the same time, they could request to be added to your e-mail list.

5. Use Prints as Gifts or As Promotional Items

Affordable prints are a fantastic gift that can be used in many ways. First, they can be used as a promotional item that is part of a promotion when someone purchases your higher-end prints or art. They can also be used as a gift that is not disclosed, but which you send to collectors as a thank you for choosing one of your higher-end prints.

I've used affordable prints as gifts for many years. They are a fantastic way to say thank you to someone who really likes your work, or someone who helped you in some way. Like most art, framing an affordable print generally elevates the emotional and perceived value of the print.

Though a bit off-topic, framing your affordable prints with a mat is a great idea because you are helping people add your artwork to their life without any extra work (except maybe putting a nail into a wall!).

Five Ways to Use Affordable Prints to Profitably Promote Your Work

This week, I bring to you guest blogger of considerable renown. Andrew Darlow is a photographer par excellence, an author and digital imaging consultant. He is also sought after as a lecturer and seminar and workshop leader around the world at photo-related conferences, and for photography organizations. See his extensive and impressive biography at the conclusion of this post.

Kudos Humbly Accepted

First, I’d like to thank Barney Davey for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on ArtPrintIssues.com. I’ve learned so much from Barney’s book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market, as well as his writings on this website and others. I greatly value the information and insight he has shared through many artist case studies.

In this article, I will cover some specific tips for creating affordable prints that you can start using right away, whether your specialty is painting, photography, sculpture, or just about any other visual or performing art. The word affordable means different things to different people, but in general, I would define affordable as having a retail price from $1-$100.

A Few Words About My Journey

Before I list my suggestions, I think a very short personal history will help set the stage. I’ve been creating and printing my photographic works for more than 25 years. As a child, I would experience the wonder of prints in family albums and the beauty of signed and numbered lithographs on the walls of my home by artists like Michel Delacroix and Edna Hibel. I even started my own personal art collection by filling the walls of my room with unframed posters of red Ferraris and Lamborghinis. My older brother opted for posters of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Seaver, as well as a few outstanding framed serigraphs of the New York Yankees from the late 1970’s World Series.

At about age 14, I started taking pictures and would order 3x5- and 4x6- inch photo prints from local photo stores, drugstores, etc. My first foray into darkroom printing was in high school, where I took pictures for my school newspaper and yearbook. In every case, whether output on thin newsprint or bright, glossy pages, I learned the power of the printed image. Since then, I’ve focused heavily on the art of printmaking, including teaching others how to make better prints, licensing my photographs to publishing companies, exhibiting my prints on paper and canvas, self-publishing posters and cards, and creating prints for my portrait photography clients.

THE TIPS

There are many ways to promote your work and earn income with affordable prints. Here are a few specific ideas to get you started:

Please note: The primary target group for the tips below are those who are currently marketing or selling “high-end” prints, such as original oil paintings, high-quality reproductions on canvas (a.k.a. giclée), matted photo c-prints, or signed pigment inkjet prints on acid-free paper or canvas. That being said, anyone interested in using prints to promote anything from a music band to handmade crafts can benefit from the information:

1. Distinguish between your “high-end” signed prints and your promotional prints.

In general, promotional prints should be inexpensive and easy to produce (only minor handling necessary), and they should not compete with your original artwork. To further distinguish promotional prints from “high-end” prints, I highly recommend clearly showcasing your name and the title of the specific work or series you are showing, as is commonly done in the poster market.

I’ve used this approach on multiple occasions, including when I produced an edition of 301 11x14-inch prints of the Chrysler Building. I used it in part to help promote my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques.

2. Decide whether you want to produce open edition or limited edition promotional prints.

This is not an easy decision to make, but in my opinion, affordable promotional prints are generally most successful when they are open editions (not numbered or limited editions). The other advantage of making them open editions is that collectors of your high-end prints will clearly see the difference between your high-end prints and your affordable prints. A specific line on your Certificate of Authenticity indicating that you reserve the right to sell promotional prints of the same image is also a good idea. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and I recommend you consult one (or find out the laws in your state and/or country) if you plan to sell any art.

3. Decide on the size and quantity of the promotional print(s)

The size and quantities you choose for your promotional prints are important considerations. In the US and Canada, popular sizes include 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 and 18x24 inches. The reason to choose one of these sizes is because affordable frames can be found in any of those sizes, which dramatically reduces the overall cost to the buyer. Creating a series of promotional prints in the same size is also a good idea, as many people like decorating with similar themes and sizes.

For example, I created a series of 11x14-inch metal prints made by a company called MagnaChrome during a recent exhibition of my large-scale prints entitled: GRANDmarks – NYC. They were experimental and not for sale during the show, but I plan to make some changes and I may start selling them in the near future for about $85 each.

4. Decide how you are going to have your work printed.

There are many ways to create affordable prints, from doing it yourself using a quality inkjet printer, to doing a run of thousands of pieces in which the overall cost is high, but the per-piece cost is very low.

Continuous-tone c-prints are also generally affordable if you keep the size of the prints under 12x18 inches. Costco’s photo department is generally a good and affordable option (with the ability to order online and pick up in person), though the paper they use is thinner than most professional color labs. One of the best labs I’ve tested for photo prints is ProDPI in Englewood, CO.

Another option is to use a company that does “short-run” printing to produce promotional prints. Many photo labs now offer the service. I recommend looking for companies who use the HP Indigo or Kodak NexPress printers, as they produce outstanding quality with relatively low minimum orders.

Yet another approach is to find a company to handle print fulfillment for you “on-demand.” Some examples include art.com, imagekind.com and redbubble.com. There’s no cost to create an account. You just upload your artwork and start selling. In some cases, you choose your markup, and in other cases, there is a set markup.

5. Share a press run with one or more friends

Though not for the faint at heart, a press run on a large 4 or 6 color offset press can make it possible for you to create thousands of prints relatively inexpensively. By “ganging up” multiple people’s projects on a high-quality heavyweight acid-free paper, you can save considerably on the cost per piece, though it’s always possible that one artist won’t be happy with the results.

Watch for Part Two of This Article Coming Soon

Now that you know how to create your prints, in Part II of this article, I will cover specific ways to market your prints, both on a “hyper-local” level, as well as on a global scale.

Andrew Darlow Bio

Andrew Darlow is a multi-talented photographer, author and speaker. Some of the prestigious organizations that have tapped into his expertise include the Advertising Photographers of America (APA), The Center for Fine Art Photography, the Arles Photo Festival and the International Center of Photography (ICP).

His editorial and fine-art work have been featured in numerous magazines, including Photo District News, PDN Gear Guide, Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Rangefinder, and Studio Photography magazine. His work has been widely exhibited and his prints are held in many private collections.

Darlow is editor of The Imaging Buffet (www.imagingbuffet.com), an online resource with news, reviews, and interviews covering the subjects of photography, printing, and new media. His new book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (Course Technology, PTR) was chosen as the winner in the "Photography: Instructional/How-To" category of The National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

For more information, visit the book's companion site at www.inkjettips.com. His newest book is Pet Photography 101: Tips for Taking Better Photos of Your Dog or Cat (Focal Press). For more information, visit the book's companion site at www.PhotoPetTips.com, and for 12 free tips from Andrew's book: 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques, plus a PDF for selecting the right resolution for printing, visit www.imagingbuffet.com/newsletter.

Art Print Market Gaining Momentum

The June/July issue of Art World News carried a positive outlook for the art print market in a cover story titled, "Today's Print Market Gains Momentum." It is "must reading" for artists seeking to understand what is happening in the marketplace.

The article interviewed a number of top industry professionals including artists, fine art giclee printing atelier operators, including Joyce Kaspryzk of MFA Talon, and Alan Blazar of Blazing Editions.

The article included quotes from Greg Bloch of Triad Publishing, one of the top fine art print publishers in the business.  A number of leading gallery owners are quoted in the extensive piece.

Things Are Better, But Not All the Way Back

The general consensus was business is improving. It still has a long way to go to get back to where it once was. That sounds a lot like our economy in general.

There is advice to keep edition sizes smaller. This goes hand-in-hand with the suggestion to work on making prints unique with such things as hand-embellishments that help to make each piece stand out to collectors.

Collectors Are Savvy Shoppers These Days. Don't Fall Prey to Having Your Worked "Shopped."

The discussion of how big editions were "shopped" online by collectors, which in turn made galleries reluctant to carry them. This then caused the whole print market to go on tilt to some degree, and just at the time the market could least afford any distribution disruption.

Treat Your Galleries with Respect and Expect the Same

My advice to artists is when you work with galleries, give them exclusives. Don't compete with your galleries. Check your gallery's pricing to make sure they are low-balling your prints to the harm of your other galleries. When you sell prints that are similar in size, subject and so forth online, make sure your prices are equivalent to what is being sold in galleries.

Avoiding the Temptation to Make Low-ball Sales Is Good Practice in the Long Run

It is tempting to lower your giclee print price to get the sale, but if doing so harms your reputation, lowers the value of your work, and causes distrust between you and your galleries and dealers, is it worth it? In the long run, your reputation and integrity are worth more than a low-ball sale. The few dollars from it will be long gone while the ill wind that comes from such activity will remain for a long time to come.

Seriously, if it comes down to the only way you are making it is by selling at steep discounts, then perhaps you need a full-time job so you don't have to put so much pressure on making sales at any cost. Try looking for arts opportunities so you can smooth out your fine art print sales.

Working for the Man Has Its Own Benefits

There is nothing wrong with working full-time for the man. If it is a good job, you will have benefits and time off to work on your art. These days, I see this happening more and more. That is, we put off chasing our dreams full-time by taking a full-time job.

There is going to be plenty of time for your career to blossom, just take care of it and your reputation now. Take advantage of renewed interest in the fine art print market and get a bit more aggressive with what you are doing, but within reason.

Own Your Distribution

There has never been a time like this. And, I'm taking good times for artists. That is because visual artists today have the opportunity to control the direct distribution of their work as never before. You can't count on anyone but yourself. Whether it's dawned on you or not, it's a fact of life.

I think working with galleries is grand. I do not advocate avoiding galleries. I do advocate for artists to setup and control as much direct distribution of their work as possible. It's the future. In the future, it may be the best thing you have going for yourself and your art career.

Marketing Art Online - Getting Artwork to Market, Part One

Hang around those in the art business whose responsibility is marketing art and you will soon hear the term, "Getting work to market." It describes the activities art marketers take to create distribution channels to get artwork into their collector's hands.

Dramatic Changes in the Art Market and How Art Gets Sold

If you have been in the art market as long as me, since the late 1980s, you've seen changes enough to spin your head.

Why, just the changes in how artwork gets to market from the time I wrote the first edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market in 2005 until today are monumental, unrelenting and still morphing. Addressing those changes and how to take advantage of them is why I published the second edition of the book this year.

Visual Artists Ignore Marketing Art Online at Their Peril

These days it is nearly impossible for a visual artist to avoid online marketing. Essentially, if visual artists want their art marketing to succeed, they need an online presence. You must control that presence and efficiently use it to "Get your artwork to market."

First in a Series Marketing Art Online Posts

This is the first of a series that will delve into the various aspects of what it takes to have an effective and ongoing online art marketing strategy. It is not enough to have a website, a blog and a Facebook fan page. Those are important, but to make the investment in them worthwhile, you also must implement competent internet marketing methods to:

• Drive traffic to your site.
• Collect email addresses.
• Convert visitors to buyers.

It is a daunting task to do these things in such a way that you optimize your opportunity, nevertheless, if you want the best for your career and the highest return on your efforts to create compelling work and sell as much as possible, it is what you need to do.

First Things First

While there are kinds of decisions to make, strategies to implement, and actions to take, there has to be a starting point. That is, find the most important activity to take first. The one thing that will help drive and inform all your other decisions and actions.

To my mind, that activity is Benchmarking.

What is Benchmarking

"Benchmarking is the process of determining who is the very best, who sets the standard, and what that standard is. In baseball, you could argue that seven consecutive World Series Championships made the New York Yankees the benchmark." F. John Reh, About.com Guide

For visual artists, benchmarking breaks down to:

• Identifying Your Competition.
• Understanding the Methods They Use to Get Their Artwork to Market.
• Decide What Factors Are Important to Measure and What Means to Use to Measure Them.
• Capturing Keywords and Keyword Phrases Most Likely to Be Used by Collectors Looking for Art Like Yours.

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." — Lewis Carroll

The Future of Art Sales, Especially Art Print Sales, Is Online

There are many facets to successfully marketing art online. Nevertheless, if you spend time working out these suggestions for benchmarking your art business, then you are sure to spend less time and money on activities that won't' provide you a reasonable return on the investment.

If you have found your online art marketing to be less effective than you desire, then you are a good candidate to put everything on hold and start benchmarking your art business.

Tools You Will Need

• Spreadsheet Software - if you don't have Excel, get Open Office or Google Docs
• Google Keywords Tool - you will need to setup a free AdWords account to best utilize this service. Here's a useful YouTube video to help you get started. http://youtu.be/sue16hjoXFg
• SEO for Firefox Extension - pulls in useful marketing data points to ease gaining a holistic view of the competitive landscape of a market directly in the search results

Read this article 33 Ways to Measure Your Online Competiton. It has great insight to help you start benchmarking your site. It's the future. The sooner you join it, the sooner your online marketing results will start to improve.

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For those of you who read this blog online, you'll notice a new theme. I think it is number four in the past six years. Since I'm talking about change here, I thought it was a good time to implement change on my blog as well. Or, you can just order the book for $24.95, plus shipping, using the links on the right of this page.

You can still order my combination book and webinar deal and save 30%

Testimonial

 ”I recently was offered a contract from McGaw Publishing (Bruce McGaw) for 13 of my photographs. Your book helped!” — Derek J.

Enjoy 30% Discount Savings with the Book, Webinar & Bonus Package

Besides my book, with the package, you get the downloadable 120-minute Art Print Career Opportunities: Mastering the Art of Selling Fine Art Giclee Prints webinar.  You can use it to enhance your learning and gain a deeper grasp of the knowledge in my art print marketing book by studying both together.

Testimonial

“I thoroughly enjoyed the webinar last night. I have been out of the business for many years and it has changed immensely. Although a little overwhelmed, I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself. It was very encouraging to hear that people with a passion and ambition can thrive at any age. Just wanted you to know that you are doing great things and I can’t wait to learn more.” — M. Conley

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