Artists Arise

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Comment by Chris Callen on August 21, 2012 at 7:53pm

Wow, its great to see this page alive again!  I thought I would post what I've been up to lately. Below is an acrylic painting that I started last week. A 1959 Cadillac parked in front of a diner on Route 66.  I've been having so much fun with this one.

Comment by Chris Callen on August 21, 2012 at 7:51pm

Comment by Deby Dearman on August 21, 2012 at 6:07pm

Ed, thanks for sharing the inside scoop! It's good to know the effort behind the sales opportunity.

Are any of you doing newsletters or blogs? Are you having any success with these?

Rachel, I think you're right about the big priced items. Seems it helps if you know the person, however I do think that our work should stand out enough to attract the big spenders - the ones who don't know us personally, but love our work.

Comment by Ed Ouano on August 21, 2012 at 5:43pm

Thanks, Rachael. It's great that you've had people to buy your originals! I think that says a lot. Unfortunately for me, since I create everything digitally, I have no real originals. Just sketchbook drawings, really.

 

I agree with you and also think that it helps for people to get to know an artist and see them around for awhile before spending money on them. Establishing relationships is always good!  With me, though, since my work is pretty affordable - $20 - $40 range, I think people tend to do a lot of impulse  buying ( which is fine with me! ). And, since I'm creating children's art or decor, I seem to have so many types of people who buy the prints - Grandparents, Married couples, single men, single women and younger kids. I'm very thankful and lucky for that. It seems like everyone out there has kids, knows someone who does or knows a woman who's pregnant and I think a lot of people do enjoy buying gifts for friends and loved ones. 

 

However, I'm not sure if I agree with your husband, though! Lol Let's face it, as artists it seems like we'll ALWAYS have friends, family and acquaintances who say they love our work and go on and on about how fantastic it is! Do they always buy something? Of course not! Sometimes, people just want to be supportive us with kind words which is nice and fine, but I think as artist's we tend to read into what they say WAY TOO MUCH.

 

So, I think the best advice I could give someone who wants to try to sell their work ( and feels confident that the work is solid ) in public is to just get it out there! And then try to keep on improving your art and the business of being an artist. God knows I have A LOT to learn still!

Comment by Rachael VT on August 21, 2012 at 5:18pm

Ed, I'm glad to hear of your successes! To answer Deby's previous question about who is buying art, I have yet only sold originals to people I already have had some relationship with. On the other hand, I have sold giclee's to people I've never met before. I have a feeling that people really want to get to know the artist, and see them around for a while before they buy big....or maybe it's just linked to the economy around here. My husband encourages me by saying "well if you can't sell to people you know, you can't sell to anybody." I don't know if this is always true, but I suppose it makes some sense.

Comment by Ed Ouano on August 21, 2012 at 2:11pm

Thanks a lot, Rose! That means a lot coming from a great children's book illustrator like yourself! At the moment, the best and easiest place to see all of my stuff is just by being a fan of "Agile Pig" on facebook. We have an online store on Etsy, too, but that has to be updated more frequently. Since I've found some success at the Comicons, I realize I've neglected the online store somewhat. Not good!

I'll definitely be getting my own website and store up and running in the near future. I realize how important it is to have your own "space" online, but I've just been super busy creating new art and preparing to do different art shows. 

Comment by Rose Gauss on August 21, 2012 at 1:11pm

Thanks for the encouragement, Ed!

I went to the link that you have below to a facebook page and saw AGILE PIG!.... adorable!

Where can we see more?

Comment by Ed Ouano on August 20, 2012 at 11:22pm

Deby, the costs aren't too bad. So, far I've only had been in what they call "Artist Alley" where a lot of independent artists sell their work to the public. Once they get bigger and better known, they tend to move onto a 10 x 10 booth which usually has much better traffic and hopefully bigger sales.

 The cost of the table can range anywhere from $150 - $400 depending on the size of the Comicon. That basically includes a 6 to 8 foot table and 2 chairs. My set up is pretty simple -  I provide a banner on front of the table,  a wooden backdrop to hang art on, a few small easels to display some pieces and some bins to put my art in which people can flip through. So, it's not too crazy or complicated.

Starting next year, I'm looking forward to having a booth at all of my shows, as long as I have enough art ( hopefully 25 - 35 pieces or more ) Right now I'm only selling about 12 - 15 pieces ( which is enough to show people what I have, but not enough for a booth, yet ) 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=481412988542099&set=a.47...

Comment by Deby Dearman on August 20, 2012 at 10:58pm

Thanks for the comments, Ed. Would you also share with us how much the costs are for you to be involved in the comic conventions . . . and how much set up is needed. Do you provide a display, tent or table? Just curious.

Comment by Ed Ouano on August 20, 2012 at 10:12pm

Welcome to the group, Christie! Rose, that's great advice and I love your work ; ) 

Thanks for your insight, Jim! I'll definitely will be trying some of Jack's EBay strategies down the road and will let you know how it goes. I've read some of the excerpts from his books and I like what he has to say.

Deby, to answer your question about selling to folks that you know, I've only sold a few prints to people I know, yet have had no problem selling them to complete strangers at the 3 comic conventions that I've been at, so far. It's kind of funny because a lot of my friends will tell me that they love my work and say great things about my stuff, yet very few have bought them. I definitely don't take it personally, especially with so many people ( strangers ) out there who have been happy to buy one! 

I guess I wasn't expecting a lot of success doing shows since my friends and acquaintances weren't buying them, but it just goes to show you - get out there and let your work speak for itself! I couldn't be happier. We'll be doing our first "normal" art show over Labor Day Weekend in Flagstaff, AZ. I'm curious to see how we'll be recieved there. There's a lot more traditional art shows than comicons in CA, AZ and the Southwest, so I'm hoping people will like my art at these type of shows, too! I'll keep you guys posted...

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