Evolution of an Artist Alley Table II

Back in September of 2009, I posted a list of what goes into my display in an artist alley.  Now two years later and a few events wiser, my display has evolved!

Show them what they've won, Vanna!

Anatomy of an Artist Alley Table - Part 2

1. Retractable Vertical Banner - $300 - A pricey item, to be sure, but the fact I don't have to carry around a big pvc pipe set nor have it taking up space in my car makes this item well worth it! This vinyl banner pulls out from and retracts back into a spring loaded base that is about as big as a tabletop easel and very lightweight. Adds to my vertical appeal and allows people to notice me over the heads of the crowd. Mine was printed by Graphic Signs Atlanta.
   
   EDIT: I'm told Staples offers a cheaper $100 collapsible stand now too!
2. Standing Easel - $13 - These simple wooden easels are great for propping large prints for that eye-catching vertical appeal!  I've been using these to prop the blow up of my book cover at book signings as well.  When I'm not promoting the book, this cover image will be replaced by a piece of art instead. Bought at Joanns Fabrics and Crafts.
3. Gridwall Cubes - $30 -  Also called wire cube storage. These have been with me since the beginning! I use them to clip prints, mousepads, and prints to, though I'm looking for an alternative display method for the masks currently. The wire distracts from their detail so I'm either going to cover them with fabric or buy some gridwall hook attachments that project from the wall so the masks can be placed on them some distance from the grid instead. Found mine at Target.
4. Mannequin Head - $40 - Affectionately named Shay, she helps bring more visibility to my masks and other artisan crafted items! Her ears are pierced so I can add earrings as well as display a necklace and a mask all on the same head.  Found her at Store Fixtures, USA.
5. Visa/Mastercard Sign - $5? - A simple plastic sign used to notify customers that I take credit and debit cards. I printed it off on cardstock and slipped it into the stand.  You'd be amazed at how comforted people are to know that you can accept plastic money!  Many people don't carry cash anymore, either because they prefer not to or because they're trying to limit their budget. Accepting cards is a good way to be that evil influence prompting people towards impulse purchases. That sounds bad, but hey, it's true!  Can't recall where I got this sign and how much it was, but it couldn't have been more than $5 and probably came from Walmart or Staples.
6. Basic Tabletop Easels - $5? - You can probably find these even cheaper if you buy plastic instead of metal.  In my case, I was actually using a small metal easel used for displaying antique dinner plates.  Great for propping up items like prints and books again for that vertical eye-catching appeal!  It's harder for people to notice your work if it's all lying flat on the table, especially where there are big crowds.  Can't recall where we got these at, but probably Staples or Walmart.
   
   
7. Horizontal Vinyl Banner - Price varies per footage - Another item that's been with me from the beginning. Even though I have the nice vertical signs, I still like to hang this out in front so the front of my table doesn't look too boring.  It was a little too big to hang behind me anyways and was rather overpowering my display! It looks much better hanging out in front. Printed at Graphic Signs Atlanta.
8. Itoya 11x14 Display Portfolio - $11 - I had a small 5x7 portfolio on the table to show off my work and to make room for more items, but people kept passing it by!  Eventually opted for this imposing portfolio which prompted more people to stop and flip through.  I also had a sign up sheet and business cards tucked into the plastic pocket at the front so people could leave with ways to be reminded of my existence.
9. Trading Card Album - $5? - This small album housed ACEO and ATC organized into open edition, original, and limited edition settings. They represent my affordable offerings for the casual buyers who may not want to invest in large items, but don't mind dropping a few bucks on cute collectible cards.  Bought from Michaels.
10. Print Bin - $10 - Actually a collapsible file box. Bottom comes out and it folds down, making it much easier to transport than my solid heavy print bin, which now serves as a permanent inventory housing item here at home.  Found at Walmart.
11. Greeting Card Rotating Countertop Rack - $35 - Another item I've had from the beginning! It is sometimes replaced by a standalone rack that sits in front of my table, but I can't use that one on a regular basis because some shows are picky about you having items in front of your table that folks might trip on.  Little children also like to spin it until it falls on their heads!  This smaller rack houses my 5x7 and matted 4x6 prints.  Purchased from Displays2go.
12. Binder Clips (40 pk) - $5 - Oh the many uses of binder clips!  I used them to clip the prints to the grid, to hold my banner to the table, and for fiddling with when I'm bored. They make nice talking finger puppets!  I prefer the gold variety as it looks a bit more decorative than the silver. Found at Staples.
13. Crushed Velvet Table Cloth - $8 a yard - A mysterious number 13 I forgot to number in my photo! This silver cloth serves a multitude of purposes. First, it covers up the hideously distracting plain tabletops, is large enough to cover the entire display when you have to leave (if you have two on hand), and can also serve as backdrops for photographing products!  Velvet is great, as I've mentioned in previous photography tutorials.

Alternate Displays

While the aforementioned display works well for events where I'm mostly selling art, some events require a different setup to accommodate my more crafty items!

Flashback to Faerie Escape Atlanta, 2010!

The only thing that's different here is the inclusion of a metal jewelry tree and velvet necklace, which helped bring a level of professionalism to my items that laying them flat on the table didn't.

Metal Jewelry Tree - $20? - Mine was a Christmas present from the family so I have no clue where they bought it! I've seen some creative takes on the jewelry tree where people have taken branches from a real tree, cleaned them up, and shaped them to suit their needs. Then jewelry is hung off them with little leaf-shaped tags for an organic theme.

Velvet Necklace Forms - $2 - These velvet covered neck forms really make for a stylish addition to any craft table.  I bought mine at Joanns, but have found bigger ones for longer necklaces at Dawson Jones for $12.

That's it for now! I'm currently transitioning my display to fit an art fair booth setup, so expect posts on this topic sometime in the future!

The First Book Signing

Phew! The h'orderves have been devoured and the bottles of wine re-corked. The first book signing is done!

See more pics at my Facebook album!

Many thanks to Artworks on the Square for hosting this release party. We had a great turnout of about 40 or so people! I'm happy to report there were few crises involved, outside of baking a last minute tray of pigs in blanket an hour before setup and temporarily losing the key to the cash box.

There was also an incident with an escaped flying mattress, but it was not involved with this particular event.

All in all, pre-book signing jitters were unfounded and I had such a blast talking to so many like minds and old friends.  I can only hope the next one (which will be minus the party favors) will still be as successful!

It's still so surreal to think my book is finally out there.  I had to go to the book store and confirm it was there sitting on the shelf awaiting the hands of another artist.

I cannot wait to see just how far this inspiration can spread!

If you end up buying my book, feel free to let me know how you enjoyed it, what else you'd like to learn, and of course, to share your wonderful creations with me! You can add photos to my Fan photos on Facebook here.

Hope to catch you all at the next signing!

Things I Learned:

• 2 small platters of catered food do not feed 40 people. Lesson learned! Note also that pigs in blanket cost half as much and make twice as much as the precooked stuff if you make them yourself. Yummy! Recipe linkage. Also, petit flours are always the first desserts to go.
  
• Offer combo deals. It's ridiculous to think my calendar costs more than my book because of it's low run, custom printed nature. So, those who bought the book got a $5 discount on the $25 calendar. (Thanks for the suggestion, Vicki!)
  
• Cardigans make me feel smart!  They seem to be proper authorial attire and are quite comfortable.
  
• Found a great source for bookmarks!  They were approved, printed, and shipped within 2 days of ordering with someone calling me on the phone to inform me of their progress at each step! Thanks so much to ladyprinting.com! I was able to get a small amount of 2x7 bookmarks without a setup fee, like most of the other places I looked at.
  
• Found an equally awesome source for tassels (eBay seller: Purpledoug1959) and vinyl bookmark sleeves (www.clearbags.com)
  
• People really loved the free bookmarks! Going to keep handing these at conventions and other signings (minus the vinyl sleeves and tassels).  They're much less expensive than my grand plans to make custom leather bookmarks to give out.  People love items they can use and having my website at the bottom means they'll have a constant reminder of where to find me at.
  
• Last (but not least!), with any signing, I am there to sell something I believe in! I know my product is awesome, that I'm sharing something worthwhile, regardless of the amount of people who show up!  Advice to live by from my darling bosom friend, Hayley E. Lavik.

Review - Imaginative Realism by James Gurney

"There is no line between fine art and illustration; there is no high or low art; there is only art, and it comes in many forms."

I knew I would love this book the moment I read this line from the section "Art in the Twentieth Century" detailing the shift from demand for original art to printing and publication.  There is a progressive attitude here that treats all forms of art as a means to an end, tools to aid in the expression of a vision.  Leave all your doubts and fears at home because you are here to create, not quibble over what's better or pays more or what art form is more worthwhile!

I just adore that.

For those who don't know him, James Gurney authored the masterfully illustrated series of Dinotopia books, which show what life would be like if humans and dinosaurs lived together in a world much like our own.  Having penned and illustrated adventures in his own fantasy world, Gurney shares his extensive experience in doing just that - depicting believable worlds that do not exist through a variety of illustrative methods.

Gurney explains a brief history of illustration, how industry focus has changed, and what drew him personally to become an artist.  The following sections detail his workspace, developing styles, and identifying artistic influences - all useful for expressing our own unique takes on imagery using the tools and strategies of those who came before.  There's a constant emphasis on developing the idea over the technique in this book, such an important philosophy I wholeheartedly agree with!  For if the seed of a creative idea is there, then it's only a matter of having the patience to train yourself to realize it.  The toughest part of creation has already been achieved!

There are so many moments while reading this book where I felt a sense of awe and enlightenment.  Gurney put words to concepts I have never been introduced to, even being a college-trained artist!  His sections on composition and tonal development are some of the most golden nuggets of wisdom I've read.  This book is what my college education should have covered.  Everyone knows Line, Shape, Form, Texture, Space, etc...but do you really understand how it applies to creating a successful artwork?  I feel that Gurney helps to bridge the gap between these esoteric theories by giving us real examples of his working process from conception to realization.

Other techniques that really struck me are Gurney's utilization of maquettes to serve as references for his images, which allows him to bring a level of realism to his lighting and placement that would be difficult to glean from the mind's eye.  For characters that appear in multiple paintings, he suggests using a head maquette for achieving consistency in depicting those characters again and again.  What a novel idea!  Sometimes it takes a good book like this to make us start thinking in simpler modes.

The final sections briefly cover Gurney's painting process and suggested career paths for artists with tidbits of advice from someone who has been there and done that.  This forthcoming advice is the kind of gold that makes this book priceless and a must-have for any artist.

While the majority of this book is not presented in a step-by-step manner, I found his examples illustrated his points eloquently and Gurney's philosophy on art and work methods in general to be just as helpful.  His philosophy and conceptual advice make this book relevant to digital artists as well, even if most of his specific techniques are traditional.

This one's a must-have for any artist's collection! I'm looking forward to adding the rest of Gurney's books to my library as well after the inspiration and motivation this one has given me.

Facebook Profile vs Fan Page vs Group

I've been meaning to cover this topic for a long time now, being the advocate of Facebook that I am.  FB has had its ups and downs as far as inane legal-ese in their terms and spammage of Farmville requests, but truth be told it's an indispensable way to network quickly and easily with friends and fans in an environment growing more reliant on social media and instant gratification.

I started using it a few years ago at the same time as a Myspace page (which I promptly left inactive after receiving so much spam about things I had no interest in).  FB has been a more streamlined and controllable experience for me.  It's relatively easy to block spam notifications by being able to choose what you receive (and who you receive it from) in your Settings.

If you're sold on the concept of Facebook as I am, you may be wondering whether or not to start a personal profile, a fan page, or a group for your social media needs.  I personally use the fan page format for my business and a personal profile to keep in touch with friends and family.  The two are kept wholly separate so that I can see updates from friends and family without sifting through the minutia of messages that can add up if I were to combine the two.  The Page also has a few more perks than the other formats, which help me keep track of who is keeping an eye on my work.

THE FAN PAGE

PROS:

• Trackable stats of who visits your page from week to week sent via email each week and viewable in a stat tracker
• Ability to integrate with Facebook Ads for targeted campaigns (by gender, age, region, etc)
• No limit on number of people who can join as Fans (now called 'Liking')
• Ability to customize your front page just like a personal account. (Shop apps from Etsy, Artfire, Etc. are particularly useful here!)
• Can upload videos and photos.  Fans can also upload media at your discretion.  Media is viewable by everyone by default without being logged in. Permissions are customizable.
• Includes a Discussion Board to fuel fan interaction
• Ability to send targeted updates to Fans
• Multiple Admin functionality lets you spread out the work load
• RSS integration for blog feeds
• Can link directly to any tab url for personalized use outside of FB

CONS:

• No notification of comments sent when viewers post to your Page's wall or on your individual items. (Note: There are several work-arounds for this issue, one being to 'Like' all of your posts, thereby recieving notifications about them or to use notification Apps, such as Page Watch)
(NOTE! This has since been fixed! A Page admin now gets notifications on their Home tab when there is new activity on their page)

PERSONAL PROFILE

PROS:

• Customizable with apps, boxes, etc.
• Makes people feel like they are personally connected to you.
• RSS integration for blog feeds

CONS:

• Limit on number of Friends you can have (5000 was the limit when last I looked)
• No trackable stats or ad integration
• Easily overloaded with messages from personal and business contacts (a solution might be to have multiple accounts)
• No separation of business and personal means some posts may be inappropriate
• Photos and videos are Friends Only by default. Cannot link to media directly without sharing a 'public link', even if Media is marked as viewable by Everyone.

GROUPS

PROS:

• Built around interactive discussion, so keeps your fans active
• Can chat with any online Group members without being Friends with them
• Multiple Admin functionality lets you spread out the work load
• Can create completely private invite-only Groups, if you want to be off the grid

CONS:

• No trackable stats or ad integration
• Not customizable with apps or feeds
• Albums open to uploading from Group members only and are not viewable to people are aren't logged in.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I've seen good use of all of these formats, from artists who have a personal profile and an 'artist' profile to people who combine formats and run a Group in addition to a Page to keep people constantly interacting with things to do.  Technology is always changing so I expect these features won't always be the same in the future!  

Till then, hope this proves useful for those of you trying to make a decision about where you want to start with social media.

USEFUL APPS

Useful apps for FB artists.

Artfire Kiosk

My Etsy

My Merch Store (Zazzle App)

Page Watch

MY FAN PAGE
http://www.facebook.com/AngelicShadesStudio

Book Review - Licensing Art 101 by Michael Woodward

In my efforts to find out more about how artists can bring in income from their work, I've stumbled upon what I believe to be a supremely valuable resource, Licensing Art 101 by Michael Woodward. If you're like me, you may be intimidated by the prospect of licensing your work to companies. There's so much involved with copyrights, royalties, and publishers that it seems almost too much to take in all at once!

Thankfully, this book eases some of those worries by telling you exactly what to expect from the licensing industry, from a breakdown of royalties, what to expect from contracts, and what size image and portfolio to present to agents/companies.

This book also gives a detailed section by section breakdown of the various markets that exist in the licensing industry. Art licensing is not limited to greeting cards and book covers, but expands to many fields, including (but not limited to) apparel, character design, prints, plates, stamps, animation, stock photos/illustration, and much, much more!

One of the most helpful elements of this book is the random facts that I never would have thought of otherwise, such as the fact that calendars require special ISSN codes to be sold in stores, the planning process of calendars, the window of time you have to sell them, and many other such facts!

Another invaluable section talks about the advantages of representing yourself or seeking out representation in an agent, how the royalties breakdown, and also how to keep track of your licenses regardless of which route you choose.

Lastly, the appendices collect the major licensing agencies and associations that exist along with their websites and other companies of interest, a truly invaluable quick reference.

There's so much more in this book to mention, but I'll just let you read it for yourselves. This one is staying in my library as a reference book as I am planning to hit the licensing market sometime this year. I have quite a lot of work ahead of me to compile a portfolio of consistent images (and imagery) to present to prospective agents but I'm hyped to get started after reading about the industry.

I can't recommend this book more for others of you who may be curious about the market and want to learn the basics before diving into trade manuals and trade shows.

Packing for Conventions [VIDEO]

Here's a walkthrough of the things I pack when I go to a convention to sell art, where to find these items, and their uses.

Sorry for the squintiness and sour face. It is indeed hot and sunny in Georgia right now!

You can see photos of my display and my costume in the previous entry.


Direct link to the video

Wordpress & Artists: Final Thoughts

After the latest redesign of my website using Wordpress' content management capabilities, I've let my thoughts percolate for awhile on my final impression of its effectiveness and usefulness for artists. So far, my impressions haven't changed much from the original Pros & Cons listing that I did previously. Here are a few thoughts that might help you come to a decision of whether you want to use it or not.

The Trouble With Wordpress...

...is that it's definitely not for beginners, as far as online management of content. You must know how to install a database, backup a database, and upload files. If you have a Geek on call that can help you with all this, than all the better! I learned how to do this all myself and it's technically not that hard once you get the hang of it. Get yourself a good FTP program (I use Filezilla) and play around in your website's control panel until you're familiar with it. I killed my own website a few times before I finally learned how to make a backup properly. Luckily, Wordpress is insanely easy to get running again! I restored my site to basic functionality from scratch in just a day after nuking it.

Taking Risks with Plugins & Upgrades

Another issue of concern for me is that plugins are always being upgraded and sometimes they might be borked in the upgrading. There is a dialog menu that pops up before you download and install a plugin that tells you whether or not it has been tested with your version of Wordpress. Pay attention to this because it could spell disaster if you haven't backed up your site recently! Plugins and upgrades to the core of Wordpress are a calculated risk in my opinion. I'd much rather deal with that than going back to my old way of doing things (Photoshop, html, and building everything by hand). The Wordpress community also seems very tightly knit and there's always an ear out for troubleshooting, if you post your concerns on a plugin's webpage.

Code Makes My Brain Hurt

I did end up grating my brain a little over certain CSS programming that was required to make my website look the way I want, but generally I found that for everything I wanted to tweak, there was an online tutorial showing me how to do it. Be careful with following tutorials, however, as sometimes they might be for older versions! (I found this out the hard way when I nuked my site following a database backup tutorial). Pay attention to the date of the tutorial and try to find the most recent ones.

Easy to Use Gallery Functionality

Updating my galleries has never been easier with the NextGEN Wordpress plugin (you just upload, tag descriptions, and go!). It's saved me so much time with my website's upkeep, particularly where galleries are involved, and also provides a sleek looking slideshow integrated with its interface. This is definitely one of the strongest reasons I've decided to bank on Wordpress for my needs as an artist.

E-Commerce Capabilities

I've managed to get a shop running with the e-commerce plugin by Instinct (will review this in a later post). It's not the prettiest shop, but it is free (unless you want to pay to upgrade to a prettier interface with additional payment gateways). I had some bugs during setup, but have managed to get it working to allow me to accept Paypal. As an admin, you can also print packing slips and keep track of orders all in one place. Another randomly useful feature is the ability to make a product link offsite if you have it listed elsewhere. For example, I have many of my products set up so that they link to their Etsy listings instead when you click them.

It's not perfect, but it will serve my purposes till I can afford the premium plugin at $200 for a commercial license for a multiple person business. It's only $40 if you have a single employee. Considering how much I've paid in the past to upkeep an Amazon Webstore ($60 a month) or an eBay shop (approx. $20 a month), this one-time fee is a small price to pay.

All in All...

If you can handle the learning curve and don't self-destruct at the thought of a little coding, than I recommend Wordpress. It's not perfect, but it's certainly functional and easy to manage right out of the proverbial box.