Reviews of art products and suppliers. Provider of photo references and art marketing advice for artists. Created by an artist for other artists!
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Schoolism Opening Up Subscriptions to More Users
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
REFERENCE SET - Dreaming Butterfly PACK 1
This is a stock reference photo resource available for FREE personal use or for commercial use for a minimal fee. Purchase high res and commercial use images at the links!
The image pack:
http://themuseslibrary.deviantart.com/art/Dreaming-Butterfly-Pack-1-451314606
The image pack:
http://themuseslibrary.deviantart.com/art/Dreaming-Butterfly-Pack-1-451314606
The single images:
http://
See my full gallery of reference photos here:
http://
Alternatively, you can purchase my stock photo packs at my Gumroad shop where you can use Paypal instead of deviantART's point system:
www.gumroad.com/
Want to help me keep creating resources for artists? Donate over at my Patreon page!
http://www.patreon.com/
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Pros & Cons: Etsy vs. Storenvy
A few years back, I wrote a comparison of eBay vs Etsy and the pros and cons of both (plus a review of eBay's shop format). Now, the marketplace has another contender that's definitely worth noting for independent artists - Storenvy. Time to re-evaluate!
Note: I've left eBay off this list because I don't use it actively anymore and never found it very effective for me as an artist beyond occasionally auctioning off originals using the free monthly auction style listings. It also hasn't changed much since my last review, except for allowing a higher amount of free auction style listings per month for sellers. If you have collectible work related to fandoms or people actively seeking to collect your work, eBay might be a good fit for you. As I have neither of those things in large capacity yet, I find these other marketplaces more suiting for emerging artists.
Etsy - The Handmade Marketplace
Etsy is one of my favorite marketplaces because their whole community encourages people to invest in independent artists (unlike eBay which generally has a flea market mentality). Etsy is constantly adding forward-thinking features to make the selling experience smooth and efficient.PROS
- Cheap Listing Fees - 20 cents nets you a single item listing on their marketplace, which is low cost, all things considered. You can also claim 40 free listings by using my referral link if you want to try Etsy out with no strings attached. Even if you already have a username, you can still claim the free listing referral credits if you haven't listed an item for sale before.
- Direct Checkout - Etsy allows a variety of payment methods, including Paypal. They also allow a user to pay via credit cards through their integrated direct checkout feature so a customer never has to leave the site to checkout.
- Widgets - Etsy allows you to embed your items into your blog or websites, which is handy if you'd rather keep people on your site to browse your items. They will have to go offsite to the Etsy marketplace if they want to make a purchase, however.
- Pay Per Click Ads - This is a vast improvement over their old Showcase system! Etsy now lets sellers promote their items in the search engine, where they get priority placement on the items sellers specifically choose to promote. You only have to pay for ads if a customer clicks on your link, which is a vast improvement over paying a flat fee and means you get more bang for your buck.
- Free Credit Card Reader - As a seller, you can sign up to receive a free credit card swiper that allows you to take payments in person. The best thing about this swiper is that it keeps track of your stock so if you sell an item from your shop at a show using the swiper, it subtracts from the stock listed in your Etsy shop, which allows for you to prevent the pesky problem of an item selling online while you're out of town. For a more in-depth rundown of Etsy's reader, see my Etsy Reader review.
- Calculated Shipping - While you can still set up shipping classes for flat fee shipping, Etsy now lets you integrate automatically calculated shipping via USPS, which can save you a lot of time and money after you do the setup, which can be a little annoying at first (you have to calculate wait and box sizes). The initial headache is worth it, however, because it lets customers also choose expedited shipping speeds, which is not available if you use flat fee shipping (most people create an entire separate listing for a shipping upgrade).
- Integrated Shipping Labels - You can print your shipping labels for orders directly within your admin panel. Discounted rates are offered via USPS within this panel.
- Integrated Coupon Codes - Handy for hosting sales, though they don't get more complex than free shipping or a certain percentage off of your item. Many use Etsy on Sale to do more visible sales events in their Etsy shop.
- Item Variations Allowed - You can create different size offerings with different price points within a single item, rather than having to create multiple items. You can also create a two level deep variation, so you could have a selection of size AND color (or, for a more specific example, you could offer an art print with customizable Matting AND Print Size).
CONS
- High Competition - Etsy has really exploded as a presence with high market share now that it has gone public and had a few years to expand its reputation. High competition means it's more difficult to get seen and almost necessary to pay for ads to boost your views. Many also worry that because Etsy allows designers to outsource that the small sellers will be quickly overwhelmed by others who can afford to charge less for their items. This seems to affect 2D artists less than it does those who create jewelry and other such items that can be replicated.
- Not Suited for Digital Sales - While you can sell digital items on Etsy, the file size limit is pretty low at 20MB which means you'll have to break up larger files into multi-part .zip files, but you can only have 5 total attached files, so this can be tricky. (EDIT: Try Gumroad for a digital item shop solution that has no listing fees. Gumroad takes a small commission from any sale.)
- Not Very Customizable - You get a header image, an avatar, and an About page that you can somewhat customize. Otherwise, you are stuck with Etsy's very orange branding.
Storenvy
PROS
- No Listing Fees - Yup, completely free and unlimited amount of listings allowed!
- Customizable Storefront - You get access to CSS templates and the ability to create custom html pages.
- Coupon Codes - Same as Etsy in that you can create simple percentage discounts (but no free shipping coupon codes). You would need to purchase an add-on service in order to create free shipping offers and other specialized coupons (ie. buy one, get one free, etc.)
- Item Variations Allowed - You can create different size offerings with different price points within a single item, rather than having to create multiple items. However, unlike Etsy, variations are not very deep and only allow you to customize one level of options.
CONS
- Low Traffic - Compared to Etsy, the traffic I've gotten from within and outside of Storenvy has been very minimal and I've had a shop on Storenvy for a couple of years now. It's worth noting, however, that they've only recently rolled out their public marketplace, which means this traffic may go up as they expand their functionality and reputation.
- No Integrated Shipping - You have to buy an add-on with a monthly subscription fee in order to create shipping labels. Otherwise, you're in charge of creating your own labels with your preferred service.
- No Digital Sales - You have to purchase an add-on with a monthly subscription fee in order to host digital files on your Storenvy shop.
- No Paypal - Currently, Storenvy uses Stripe exclusively EDIT: It seems I missed that the public marketplace shops do not allow Paypal, but the custom shops DO! Thanks Roma over at AANI for the correction.
- No Widgets - As far as I have discovered, there's no way to embed items from Storenvy into a blog or website. There is a paid add-on that lets you build a catalog you can share online, but it requires a subscription fee.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I actually use both of these marketplaces. I generally use Etsy to host my small originals, limited edition prints, and other things that have a special element to them, which seems to suit their gift and wedding focused marketplace. Greeting cards and other items that have an additional use also do well on this market. My handmade masks and jewelry do the best out of any of my items, making it
especially suited for those artists who create wearable art.
(Shameless plug! If you'd like to have 40 free listing credits to try Etsy, feel free to use my referral link! You help me by earning me 40 free listing credits too when you list your first item for sale. This referral link works even if you already have a username, but haven't listed an item for sale yet.)
As for Storenvy, I use it for my Angelic Shades shop because the high dollar original paintings don't sell very often on Etsy and I'd rather not have to pay a constant relisting fee on them. Storenvy is a great option if you have slower moving items, have a low budget, and don't require any deep features to your selling experience.
especially suited for those artists who create wearable art.
(Shameless plug! If you'd like to have 40 free listing credits to try Etsy, feel free to use my referral link! You help me by earning me 40 free listing credits too when you list your first item for sale. This referral link works even if you already have a username, but haven't listed an item for sale yet.)
As for Storenvy, I use it for my Angelic Shades shop because the high dollar original paintings don't sell very often on Etsy and I'd rather not have to pay a constant relisting fee on them. Storenvy is a great option if you have slower moving items, have a low budget, and don't require any deep features to your selling experience.
Don't be afraid to test different markets and see what works for you! Both Etsy and Storenvy cater to different audiences, but also provide a stable place to host your shop, which is a great option for beginners to start before they move on to investing in a self-hosted shop.
More on the topic of self-hosted shops in a future article! Till then, happy selling!
Did I leave anything out? Let me know in comments!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
REFERENCE SET - Asian Butterfly Box PACK
This is a stock reference photo resource available for FREE personal use or for commercial use for a minimal fee. Purchase high res and commercial use images at the links!
The image pack:
The single images:
See my full gallery of reference photos here:
Want to help me keep creating resources for artists? Donate over at my Patreon page!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
REFERENCE SET - Seated Nouveau Lady PACK 2
More Art Nouveau themed stock for your classical portraits!
This is a stock reference photo resource available for FREE personal use or for commercial use for a minimal fee. Download the personal-use photos or purchase high res and commercial-use images at the links!
The image pack:
http://themuseslibrary.deviantart.com/art/Seated-Nouveau-Lady-PACK-2-460930651
The single images:
See my full gallery of reference photos here:
Want to help me keep creating resources for artists? Donate over at my Patreon page!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
ART SUPPLIER REVIEW - Canvas Champ
Convention season is in the air and that means many artists are looking for quality canvas printers to print their wares so that they have a nice premium option on offer for their customers that prefer something more substantial than a photo print.
Ordering Canvas Prints - A Brief History
However, printing can be tricky and it's difficult to know which online place to trust considering the massive amount of canvas printers out there! One must also consider whether to buy unstretched rolled canvas prints (which is usually the cheaper option) that will need to be stretched over frames requiring you to buy the frame pieces separately OR pay the same printing service to stretch the print around a frame for you, which is usually the priciest option.Personally, I do not like the tedium of having to stretch canvas across frames myself. That's time I'd rather spend painting, which is why I wanted to find a good source for stretched prints. If you're into the rolled option, however, definitely check out this video tutorial that will teach you how to measure and stretch the canvas. The source I use for stretcher bars was dickblick.com.
REVIEW: CanvasChamp.com
The Ordering Experience
I decided to take a chance on canvaschamp.com. Their Amazon reviews were very positive and while I did not require the help of customer support, their reviewers talk highly of how fast they respond to inquiries.Their interface for uploading work is top notch! Their preview system allows you to easily add mirrored or solid edges for gallery wraps. Lamination and multiple hanging options are offered at an additional cost, with the default option of metal hangers provided for free. I recommend getting lamination wherever you order from since the corners of canvas wear away easily if they are not sealed.
The only red flag is that they accept refunds on a case by case basis and state in their Terms that they do not usually offer refunds if colors come out incorrectly because they have faith in their high quality equipment to produce the right colors.
UPDATE 6-22-2015 - The Refund Experience
There was a print with a damaged corner in my second batch of canvas prints. I sent photos of the damage to customer service and they had replied and shipped out my replacement print within 24 hours! They were courteous and fast and it was very easy to open a refund case by going to my order history and clicking a link on my order.
Also, I got to keep the damaged print instead of having to pay to send it back,which was a relief! I was very impressed by the speed and effectiveness of their customer service.
The Product
I ordered an 18x24 inch pre-stretched canvas print of my Kushiel's Dart piece. It arrived in a well packed box which I intend to re-use to send this looks like it will stand up to reuse. The print is tidily stretched with a masonite board backing in addition to the standard wood frame. They included screws and a guard to cover the hanging materials so as not to damage your walls.Printing Quality
The printing quality is top notch! I lightened my art in Photoshop using Levels as prints usually come out darker when printed and laminated. My only complaint is the print seems less saturated than I would like, but I believe I can fix this by also upping the color saturation on my art the next time I order. All in all, the printing is high quality and clear!The Verdict = Highly Recommended!
Canvas Champ provides an affordable price with good quality printing and fast shipping. My print was shipped from overseas via Next Day airmail and it was on my doorstep within 4 days. Other services I have used include BestofMaineCorp, which was cheaper by comparison, but it doesn't measure up to the fast shipping, fast turnaround, responsive customer support, and intuitive interface of CanvasChamp.Don't forget to sign up to the CanvasChamp newsletter as well where they frequently send out coupon codes. EDIT: Looks like Groupon has a promotion going on with Canvas Champ as well here! https://www.groupon.com/deals/canvas-champ
Referral Link
They've added the ability for users to refer others! You can now try this service and get 85% off plus free shipping on your first order by using my referral link. Happy printing, everyone!
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
REFERENCE SET - Seated Nouveau Lady PACK 1
More Art Nouveau themed stock for your classical portraits!
This is a stock reference photo resource available for FREE personal use or for commercial use for a minimal fee. Download the personal-use photos or purchase high res and commercial-use images at the links!
The image pack:
http://
The single images:
http://
See my full gallery of reference photos here:
http://
Want to help me keep creating resources for artists? Donate over at my Patreon page!
www.patreon.com/
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