Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Art Marketing / Art Business Podcast: Print Advertising for Fine Artists

Xanadu Gallery announces a new Art Marketing/Art Business Podcast on March 6 at 4:00 pm Mountain Time. (6:00 Eastern, 5:00 Central, 3:00 Pacific). 

Once again, art marketing colleagues Jason Horejs and Barney Davey present a free-form podcast. This one will focusing on print advertising for artists. Both Jason and Barney have long experience with print advertising. 

 Jason has successfully used print advertising to promote his popular Xanadu Gallery, located on Main Street in Scottsdale, AZ. Barney sold print advertising for a variety of publications for more than two decades, including Decor Magazine and Art Business News.

With these different perspectives, the podcast will be informative, lively and fun. Register now (free) to secure your spot. Don't worry if you can't tune in live, Xanadu will provide you a download link for later listening.

Have questions or comments on advertising? Email Jason at [email protected]. He and Barney will try and address your question during the broadcast.

A note about start time: Because listeners are registering from all across the country (and a number from around the globe) start time always causes confusion. There is just one broadcast and it begins at 4:00 p.m. MST (local time for us) - this corresponds to 3:00 Pacific, 5:00 Central and 6:00 Eastern. Check the chart below for your start time.

Time Zone	Local Start Time	Local End Time
Eastern	6:00	6:40
Central	5:00	5:40
Mountain (Including AZ)	4:00	4:40
Pacific	3:00	3:40

Join us for a Free, Live Podcast on Tuesday, March 6, 4:00 p.m. - 4:40 p.m. MST

When you register for the broadcast it will show you registered for 4:00 MST - you will simply need to remember to translate that to your time. We will send out a reminder on Tuesday with the start time again, so please don't panic when the broadcast system sends you the reminder in Mountain time.

If you enjoy listening to our free podcasts, you can pay it forward by simply sharing the information with your artists friends. Jason and I sincerely appreciate your interest and your support.

Someone pass this on to you? Join the our mailing list!

Join us for a Free, Live Podcast on Tuesday, March 6, 4:00 p.m. - 4:40 p.m. MST

When you register for the broadcast it will show you registered for 4:00 MST - you will simply need to remember to translate that to your time. We will send out a reminder on Tuesday with the start time again, so please don't panic when the broadcast system sends you the reminder in Mountain time.

---

What Kind of Art Sells Best? Reposting on Best-Selling Art Subjects

What Art Sells Best?

Kohler’s Pig is a painting of a diving pig by the German artist Michael Sowa. He is famous for his whimsical illustrations of animals and his work has appeared in many movies and books.(Image courtesy Art.com!)

This post was inspired by a question posed on a 2007 WetCanvas.com thread. In 2010, I re-posted here my answer to, "What Kind of Art Sells Best?"

Judging the subject's popularity by the number of hits it gets on Art Print Issues, I have updated and republished it.

---

Some Advice Is Timeless.

It seems while some advice is timely and best for the moment; other pearls of wisdom stand the test of time better. 

I borrowed this post's title from a WetCanvas.com thread's subject line: "What Kind of Art Sells Best?"  Should you read the thread, you will find a wide variety of interesting comments and perspectives offered. Here are mine.

Having a handle on current color trends and hot subject matter is important. Knowing how to use them to match the interests of your buyers and collectors will grow your art sales 

I think originals and reproductions sell differently to different kinds of buyers. Price points also make a difference. Over the decades before the 135-year old Decor magazine became defunct, it frequently surveyed its readers to ask what sells best in their retail art and picture frame shops. Not surprisingly, landscapes and florals perenially topped the list. These are the most pleasing to the largest segment of the buying public, and they typically go in any decor in any region of the country. How can a flower be controversial?

Tradeshows Offer Insights for Artists

Art.com publishes its Top 100 selling prints. As a trends perspective, it is always informative. Many poster publishers show what's hot on their websites as do other sites selling art online. If you study the ads in the trade mags or art consumer mags that most corresponds to your style and price points, you'll get a sense of what is popular.

Artists and publishers consistently are too savvy to spend thousands to promote dogs that won't hunt. So, by virtue of what they are offering, you get a view of what they perceive to be selling well, or think will sell well. Walking tradeshows like the former Decor Expo Atlanta and ArtExpo Las Vegas used to be an intimate and informative way to do trendspotting.  Unfortunately, both shows have been long canceled with no signs for being resurrected.  

ArtExpo New York is still operating, and remains the place to be seen for top fine art print publishers. It runs this year from March 22 -25 on Pier 92 in Manhattan. If you are able, make the effort to take in the show. You won't find more contemporary high-end published art anywhere.

Utilize Consumer Catalogs and Websites Devoted to Home Furnishings 

Try leafing though the latest Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware catalogs. You will find color schemes from these trendsetting companies. They have researched and bet millions in production and marketing costs that these colors will help drive sales. Taking a clue from them can help you make more sales, too.

If you research the print reproduction and licensing markets for opportunities, you will find color trends and subject matter in the home furnishings category. If you seriously study trends, you will often find the color palette of the soft goods this season, such as sofas, lead the way for art and other decorative accessories in subsequent seasons.

Trends Only Help When You Know Your Audience

If you are strictly in the originals market, you paint to impress your collectors, study your ideal collector, learn their tastes and design your work to appeal to them. You can't sell snow scenes in Scottsdale or cacti in Scarsdale. That means whether you are painting to sell to a national audience or a regional, you have to adjust what you are doing to meet the demand in the demographic and geographic areas you have targeted.

Being specialized and known for a look can help sales. It's done wonders for artists in all genres and price points to have a reputation staked out. Studying the work of any well known contemporary artist will prove  this theory. 

Your question (replying to the original poster) begs a question, which is, "What are you trying to achieve with your art?" Is it a few modest sales of originals, or are you aggressively looking to attack the poster or giclee market, or something altogether different? Are you seeking to be known nationally, or looking for regional exposure? 

The more refined you are with regard to your intentions for your art sales, the easier it is to decide what sells best in the areas of importance to you. I think if you know what you want to do with your art, you can hone in on what you need to learn to make it happen. When you have that dialed in, you can put your blinders on and focus on getting there without the distractions of trying to comprehend and compete with the entire art market.

Giclee Prints Goodness

Giclee Prints Rule When Making Fine Art Reproductions.

If you have been following this blog, you know I was a speaker at the recently completed 2012 smARTist Telesummit. It had an interesting and informative lineup of bright  minds offering great ideas for visual artists. 

Despite that my Boost Your Art Career: Use Publicity, Promotion and the Power of Self-Belief to Leverage Your Success topic targeted art marketing for all artists, a question about giclees prints came up on my smARTist Panel Day. As the author of How to Profit from the Art Print Market, 2nd Edition, the question was not unexpected.

Giclee Prints Have Many Advantages, Including Reducing Crushing Inventory Problems.

On my panel, there were five other speakers who also were answering the same questions. A couple of them voiced negative opinions about digital fine art reproductions. One actually mentioned getting a tall bed to store unsold inventory. I found that an odd answer since the driving factor in the popularity of digital prints is there is never an inventory.

Your Personal Perspective Can Skew Reality.

Another of the panelists strongly advised artists against selling giclees. I understand her bias. Since as an art appraiser and original art reseller, she turns giclee print resale prospects away because she has no aftermarket for them. And, in some cases, she knows the giclee prints were overpriced to start. I am certain this is what happens in her world, and that the opinions she offers are based on her perspective. However, it is a bigger world than what she sees from her local dealings in original art. There are giclee prints that have increasing value once the edition is sold out.

Shady Sales Tactics Can Lead to Bad Results.

I agree there is art sold on cruise ships, in resorts, and other places where unsuspecting buyers are sold limited edition giclee prints with either the outright expectation or canny implication they have an aftermarket value. When those buyers later learn they have purchased expensive, decorative art with no chance to recoup the initial cost, much less make a profit, understandably, they end up angry at the artists, dealers, and galleries who sold them the limited edition. Who wouldn’t be? Recognizing this happens emphasizes it is more “caveat emptor” now than ever for art buyers.

I do not wish to take anything away from artists who can demonstrate there is a secondary market for their giclee prints. It's obvious some artists'  giclee prints do have aftermarket resale success. For them, limited editions are an upright business model. Even for those artists who wish to sell limiteds, it can be a legit business model, so long as the images are sold without the buyer expecting to be able to return or resell the art and be made whole, or make a profit.

There Is An Active Secondary Market for Giclee Prints

ArtBrokerage.com, a leading secondary art broker, currently offers 8,500 limited editions, including many giclee prints. Limiteds represent more than one-third of the 23,500 listings offered on its website.

The company has been in business since 1983, which indicates the aftermarket on originals and limited edition prints continue to have value, even in this weak art market. To add my own perspective, 8,500 listings of limited edition prints is a tiny fraction of the overall limited edition market. There surely are thousands upon thousands of artists actively selling limited editions.

Why Are You Selling Limited Editions? Do You Unintentioanally Imply Aftermarket Value In the Sale?

Given the ratio of successful versus unsuccessful prints, I have long championed the idea of open edition prints. That said, I do not preach open editions are the only way to sell giclee prints. You have to come to your own conclusion using study and research as mentioned above. If it works and it is ethical, please feel free to ignore my advice, or that of any others whose ideas don't match your situation.   

I have written numerous posts here and as a guest blogger on Absolutes Arts, and other sites arguing why open editions are in the best interest of most artists. Use the Search Box at the bottom of the left sidebar to research them.

Here Is the 411 on Selling Art, Including Giclee Prints.

It doesn't matter what medium you are selling, if you don't believe in what you are doing, study and research the best ways to market your images, you are not going to have success.

You won't find any artist with a stellar success getting work to market, whether it is giclee prints or original art, who is not fully committed to creating art collectors want to buy, and staying on top of the evolving ways they want to buy it. 

When you sell an open edition print, it is implied to not have any aftermarket value. The buyer is getting a faithful digital reproduction of the original. As one panelist emphasized, there needs to be a significant difference between originals and giclee print prices.

Quality, Integrity and Transparency Are Keys to Success in Selling Giclee Prints.

The bottom line is in order to be successful and maintain your reputation, it is imperative you make your best art, and act with transparency and integrity.  Use those attributes as guiding lights and then no matter how you market your art you can be profitable and sleep soundly.

Repurpose Your Art Career?

Art Career Taking New Directions?

When you come to a fork in the road, take it. - Yogi Berra

Are you finding yourself stuck in a rut? Are you good at creating the art you are marketing today, but find you have created a niche too small to meet your ambition? 

Or, maybe you are creating art that is so generic in its subject matter that is hard to distinguish it from other artists' work.  This is not good for your art career, or your creative psyche.

Dance With the One Who Brung Ya? Maybe.

There is the possibility you are succeeding in your art career with your current look, but are bored silly and frustrated by painting in the same theme. Nevertheless, you continue to slog through because you abide by the country wisdom that says, "Dance with the one that brung ya." 

While there is some truth in that adage, there is a flip side that says you can't get better if you don't try new things and take influence from different directions. The best times to make such a switch would either be early on when you sense you are not getting it right when no one knows who you are, or when you have established a body of recognizable work. Bruce Springsteen didn't venture on his own until he had enjoyed substantial success with The E Street Band.

To Get Out of a Rut, You Need to Realize You Are in One.

If you find your art career is in a rut, or your niche is too small, a good suggestion is to study the market, find what is selling well, and determine  among the trending patterns what most appeals to you. Or, maybe you just need to take the time to examine what you are doing.  

It could be you have developed some really good reliable techniques that allow you to create art that is giving you some success. However, when you investigate your art career honestly and deeply, you realize you may even be on a track taking you to a pleasant, safe place, but no where near where you want to go, or know you can go if you free yourself.

Modest Success Can Stall Your Art Career Ambitions; Or Motivate You to Move On.

I have a blogger friend not in the art market. He is authoritative, and has attained reasonable success because he is experienced and gifted at what he does. Recently, he had an epiphany, or perhaps an ongoing awakening regarding his blogging career. He has come to realize that the success he once envisioned has not materialized because of him.

What my friend has come to learn is that although he enjoys toiling in his niche, and is respected for what he does, that he is not fully committed to pursuing it with ambition and gusto. Because he can churn out the work and show a profit from his efforts, he has stuck to his knitting, so to speak. But, he's hit a ceiling and doesn't see a way to rise higher. He has found doing something you are good at, but not being passionate about, has limitations. The limitations, he admits, are mostly self-imposed, but real all the same.

Taking Small Steps Towards New Goals May Be More Prudent Than Big Leaps.

My friend is now willing to admit to himself he is afraid to leave the comfort and known cash flow of his current niche in order to take the leap to something potentially more lucrative, and more importantly, more soul satisfying.  I applaud him for having the self-awareness to come to these conclusions on his own, and for the courage to face his fears, frustrations and desire to break free, and share them with colleagues like me. 

My advice is to you and to him, is to not abruptly jump ship from the current situation, but rather steadily work at building the new business model. Much of what he does now is transferable, he is just seeking to take his creativity, and his ability to connect with others, to a bigger audience.

I'll See You At The Top!

I wish him all the best, and told him I will see him at the top. If you find a bit of yourself in a similar dilemma, I will look for you up there as well.

Related Post: When Greatness in Your Art Career Competes with Your Full-time Job

---

Digital Artists & Fine Art Photographers: Are You Making Convergent Media?

Digital Artists and Fine Art Photographers Should Be Using Convergent Media.

Convergent Media is a term I coined in 2007 for Digital Artists. 

 Digital artists and fine art photographers were in attendance when I recently spoke at art business webinars, art marketing panels and podcasts. During those talks, I mentioned why I believe "Convergent Media" is a great term for them to use. 

It Was a Busy Week Talking About Art Marketing and Art Business

My first activity was as a panelist for the 2012 smARTist Telesummit last Thursday. Tuesday this week was very busy. In the morning, I presented my “Boost Your Art Career: Using Publicity, Promotion & Power of Self-Belief to Leverage Your Success” webinar for smARTist attendees.

Download an Informative Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast for FREE

Later that day, I took part in an “Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast” with Jason Horejs. He is the owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, author of "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art, (A must read for any artist),and a prolific blogger.  Jason has done more than 100 live workshops designed to help artists learn the insider secrets for getting into galleries. 

More than once when presenting, I suggested using "Convergent Media" to my listeners, who included digital artists, and fine art photographers. The idea is to use “Convergent Media” as a functional term that accurately describes works made using digital technology and printing. I came up with the idea for the term in a 2007 Art Print Issues, "Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?" blog post. It was a response to a question from a digital painter who was seeking help to describe her work that was not made up marketing hype, and still succinctly descriptive. 

Have You Charted the Steps to Create a Finished Digital Fine Art Piece?

As I thought about the process that is involved in creating a finished creation of digital art, I envisioned the numerous steps to get a piece ready to market. Of course, a fine art photographer, who does not significantly alter the original image, will most likely not want to classify the work as other than fine art photography.

However, digital artists and those fine art photographers who also use advanced Photoshop, digital painting, and other methods to complete a work  are prime candidates for using a term such as “Convergent Media". I think digital artists, photographers and painters will find the term particularly useful.

The “Convergent Media” process runs the technology gamut, including considering a digital fine art print is calibrated, and put through a digital printer to complete the work.  Because of the many steps and processes involved, I was reminded of the well-used art term of “Mixed Media.”

In mixed media, artists use different techniques, artifacts, surfaces and processes to come up with a final piece of art. It struck me digital artists use a similar process that mainly involves digital technology, but might also include hand embellishments or treatments to the printed piece, before it is offered for sale.

I trust this term will help you in describing and marketing your own digitally created works of art. I have a couple of other blog posts, including a guest post on Absolute Arts, covering the idea of using “Convergent Media” in more detail You can read them on these links:

• Convergent Media - Stretching the Imagination
• Convergent Media - Is It Time to Bury Digital Art?
• Brave New Digital World

If You Dig What You Get Here, Please Do Me a Big, Easy Favor.

You can help me and your artists friends with one kind act. Go ahead and share the love by forwarding this email to them.

Subscribe to Stay Tuned to Art Marketing Ideas

You can keep up on useful, practical, informative ideas like Convergent Media, and stay informed of other podcasts and webinars by subscribing to my blog here.

---

---

Let's Talk Art Marketing and Art Business!

Free Art Marketing & Art Business Podcast

For some time now I have been having a weekly conversation with Jason Horejs. He is a gallery owner, (Xanadu Gallery), author of "Starving" to Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art. His Red Dot Blog is very popular. 

We have been visiting on a range of art business and art marketing topics. There is so much change with regard to  what's going on in the art market, including new trends in digital art marketing and the art business in general.

Jason and I have become good friends over the last several years, and we are like-minded on many aspects of the art business. It's no surprise we agree  the best ways to manage art marketing is evolving rapidly.

Our Gift to You. We Want You to Share in the Fun — And Art Marketing Knowledge! 

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM MST

Last week, we realized that many of the issues we were discussing would be of interest to artists and others in the art business. It was obvious to both of us that it would be fun to open the conversation up for you to listen in and participate in our art marketing and art business talks. 

Join us Tuesday, January 31st,  4:00 p.m. MST for the discussion - to register, click here, or on the link below (registration is simple and free).

For those of you who have joined webinars with Jason in the past, this is going to be different. His webinars usually have a set topic, and a very clear agenda and objective (don't worry, there are more of those coming as well). This is going to be an open-ended and wide-ranging conversation. 

Have questions about the art market or need advice on a particular aspect of your career? Email Jason at [email protected]. He and I will try and address your question during the broadcast. 

A note about start time: Because listeners are registering from all across the country (and a number from around the globe) start time always cause confusion. There is just one broadcast. It begins at 4:00 p.m. MST (local time for us) - this corresponds to 3:00 Pacific, 5:00 Central and 6:00 Eastern. Check the chart below for your start time.

Time Zone	Local Start Time	Local End Time
Eastern	6:00	6:40
Central	5:00	5:40
Mountain	4:00	4:40
Pacific	3:00	3:40

When you register for the broadcast it will show you registered for 4:00 MST - you will simply need to remember to translate that to your time. Jason  will send out a reminder on Tuesday with the start time again, so please don't panic when the broadcast system sends you the reminder in Mountain time. 

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM MST

Can't make it to the broadcast because of a time conflict? No Worries!

GO AHEAD AND REGISTER ANYWAY! We will send you a recording.

 

 

---

Art Marketing: Why Word-of-mouth Trumps Social Media and Strafrangers

It would be wonderful to have you participate in the 2012 smARTist Telesummit. It starts next week. I've watched its growth over the past six years, and presented at the last three. This year has the best speaker lineup ever, IMHO.

---

Modern Art Marketing: A Blessing and a Curse

Visual artists have the blessing of easy access to the most powerful set of art marketing tools every developed for solo practices and small businesses. They come in the form of free or affordable websites, blogs, e-commerce, email blast software, social media platforms, online press releases and more. 

 Google+ Races to 90 Million Users

There is an unending stream of new social media outlets. Google+ has just broken the 90 million mark in what surely is record time to reach that many users. Pinterest is still in the invitation stage, and appears to be gaining awareness and interest in its photo and image sharing platform. It is an addictive, fun, and potential time suck. 

Putney Week at Scottsdale Artists' School

When talking about this last Saturday to group of artists assembled for Putney Painters Week at the Scottsdale Artists' School,  I was asked which social media is best for artists. I replied it is not practical for a visual artist, who is handling their own marketing, to robustly and effectively participate in more than two social media outlets at one time.

Nearly Any Social Media Platform Can Produce Results...

Moreover, I believe there is no clear social media winner. In my opinion, any of them will work if you take the time to study how to get value from them and then diligently apply your new found knowledge to create positive results. I went on further to say if one blocks out a day and seriously assesses all available time for everything, including sleeping, eating and relaxing, it becomes obvious there are precious few hours in a week to work on marketing.  

Don't get me wrong. I like and use social media, but admit to not coming close to meeting the potential from it. That is mostly due to looking at my own blocked schedule. Mine starts with a full-time day job, so I compress writing this blog, updating and writing new books, and working on presentations such as the one for the Scottsdale Artists' School.

Come Hear Me at the smARTist Telesummit

Another example is working on the the upcoming 2012 smARTist Telesummit. My presentation there is titled Handout for "Boost Your Art Career: Using Publicity, Promotion & Power of Self-Belief ." When I look my schedule, I realize have a compressed amount of time to get truly important things done, much less effectively multi-tasking on multiple social media platforms.

What Is the True Value of a Strafranger?

The more I think about it, when it comes to how visual artists find new buyers, I believe developing a referral and word-of-mouth program will be far more productive for time spent that whiling away on social media. With that approach, Facebook can truly be a friend connection instead of a "strafranger" connection. Strafranger is a new word I coined to describe all those anonymous new friends you have on your social media platforms who offer hard-to-measure quality as potential customers.

Word-of-Mouth Trumps Social Media

I contend the value of one recommended friend is worth the value of 100 social media friends, or followers. That ratio is an admitted wild ass guess, but it supports my contention that word-of-mouth (WOM) trumps social media. If you believe I'm right, I recommend to dial back the time you spend on social media and look for ways to build your WOM marketing. 

Here are some useful links to help you get started on your own WOM marketng program:

• The Art of Self-promotion for Visual Artists
• Six Degrees of You
• Word-of-mouth Marketing 101 - get the PDF download on the right sidebar
• 5 Tips on Growing Your Business Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing

WOM Is About Referrals

Do you have a formalized referral program? Do you routinely and politely ask for referrals? Do you try to help others in your local community or larger community by offering their services to others who might need them?

The world's largest business network is BNI, it has thousands of local chapters of small businesses working to help build the members' businesses. It's motto is simple, "Give to Get." Start working on helping others, and watch who reciprocates, and how your results improve.

 

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.

 

Ten Art Marketing Points to Ponder for 2012

Art Marketing Is a Learned Skill That You Can Master.

This post is a reblog with very minor changes from one I published in 2008. The advice stands up well four years later.

Here Are Ten Points to Ponder for Your 2012 Art Marketing Plans:

1. Create a realistic marketing plan and a budget that is neither too optimistic nor timid.
2. Realize the most successful CEOs are serious planners who leave as little as possible to chance. They know getting things done revolves around executing achievable plans.
3. Break your plan down incrementally so you can fully comprehend the necessary steps and how to adequately fund them to reach your goals.
4. Be vigilant about how you allocate your marketing budget.
5. Look for the angles that put you closest to being a sure thing. When you have a sure thing, fund the opportunity fully at the expense of anything frivolous or sketchy.
6. Take a clue from the many established publishers who are trimming ad budgets and cutting back on show space. They haven't gone out of sight, but aren't blowing the doors off with big budget advertising and promotion either.
7. If you haven't already, start making plans to set up your own distribution. This could be online sales, alternative spaces or other inventive ways you can conceive to get directly to new collectors. The future success for many artists depends on their ability to deliver directly to their customers. The sooner you comprehend and act on this concept, the better off you'll be later on.
8. Beef up your plans for publicity. There is no better bang for your buck than what you get from a well orchestrated publicity campaign.
9. While the fragile economy continues to show improvement (finally), it's not a guarantee we are clear of potential problems. Mounting debt in European countries could thwart our recovery. Still, it's proven in tough time those who keep their heads and business afloat come out with significant market share and awareness over those who hunker down and do nothing.
10. Don't stop having fun or being creative. Good things come about even in the worst of times. Henry Luce launched Fortune magazine in 1932 in the heart of the Great Depression. Now 75 years later his vision and fortitude are proven out as it remains a profitable staple in Time-Warner's portfolio of publications.

Three Words and Three More Words

Ariane Goodwin, founder and creative force of the smARTist Telesummit asked me, as a returning presenter, to pen a blog post for the smARTist blog. I'm repeating that post here and adding three more important words I came across recently.

Blogger extraordinaire, Chris Brogan, talked about how he concentrates on creating THREE WORDS that sum up all that he will focus on for the coming year. His ideas, as expected, are thoughtful and practical. You can read them on the link above.

Brogan uses this Three Words in lieu of New Year’s Resolutions. I loved the idea, never having found resolutions to be more than wishful thinking and broken promises. So, I took up the challenge of creating three words that will help define and guide my actions and behavior in 2012.

My Three Words for 2012

Goodness – I will endeavor to incorporate goodness into all I do. It means seeking to achieve the best of those things most beneficial to my family, health, work, the environment and me. I will take action to become kinder and more generous.

Richness – My purpose here is not to gain wealth, although I am not against it. The goal is to seek and embrace abundance in my daily life. I will seek richness in the way I communicate, and in the way I make personal and career choices, and in my products and services I offer.

I believe, if I fulfill this goal and act as a conduit of rich ideas, adding valuable experiences and actions to those around me, that there will be a natural flow to me of resources that will lead to a life rich in health, friendships and acknowledgment for my contributions. I think wealth will be a byproduct of these other intentions and actions.

Simplify – This may be the hardest goal to reach because I have such varied interests. Some might call it focus, but that is just a matter of intention.

I’m talking about a series of purposeful actions. Without closing my mind to new ideas, I will streamline the amount of information that comes into my life. I will clean out the closets of clothes worn long ago, in another life. I will pare down anything that does not add value or beauty to my life. I will identify those possessions I no longer need or use.  And then, I will find ways to put them back into circulation so others who need them can find and use them.

Three More Words

The most recent issue of The Build magazine had an interesting article titled "How to Innovate in the Age of Uncertainty."  The gist is most of us use "predictive reasoning" to make decisions on planning and actions to execute them. This type of thinking is based on knowable variables.

What the authors say is happening now is we are in an age of uncertainty, and what worked in the past is not effective in our current socioeconomic and business environment. They look instead to how successful entrepreneurs use a different approach.

These entrepreneurs follow these steps:

• Take a small "smart" step toward what they desire.
• Pause to see what they learned by taking the step and.
• Build that learning into what they do next.

This process gives us our second of Three Words

1. Act
2. Learn
3. Build

By repeating this process, entrepreneurs are able to refine the process until they are happy with the results or decide what they are doing cannot be sustained. Following these steps keeps entrepreneurs from over committing to unworkable plans.

The first "smart" step is the crucial one. It follows advice I have offered for year. That is to accurately assess your available resources and then set realistic goals based on your resources. The final word on this concept is to not commit to using more resources than you can afford.

After taking the first step to act, it is crucial to stop and "Learn" from what happened when you did. Use this information to fine-tune your plan. This leads to the last step of "Build."

These steps will work well for visual artists who are every bit entrepreneurs. Yes, we are in an age of uncertainity, but we are also in an age of opportunity. It starts with perception. If you want to be successful, you have to believe you can be successful. Besides belief, you need a plan of action. Follow the advice in the Three Words above and you are well on your way to enjoying the success you deserve.