The Portfolio

I promised #4, so here it is:

4. PORTFOLIO. Over the past couple of weeks I've been working on a portfolio to bring to NYC to the Surtex show to show greeting card publishers, textile designers and everyone else mentioned on the list in the last post. I have never been able to stick to one style, but I have been focusing on the style I like to call 'Whimsical Coffee'. This style is lighter than my whimsical acrylics on canvas and may or may not portray coffee. It always does involve coffee somehow, though.
Yes, I know I have a problem. But back to art.
When I have a little more time, and after I attend the first Art Licensing workshop on Saturday in the Big Apple, I'll lay out the order for my portfolio. For now, I'll leave you with a few important attributes of a successful portfolio:

   a. Great work. This may seem obvious, but your temptation will be to show everything you have in order to convince a client how much you can do. If you're like me, and have a couple of styles, you can do this, but each piece must be able to stand on its own and have a 'wow' factor.
   b. A great story. Design your portfolio like a three-act play. Smashing beginning, incredible middle and super climax. Put what you feel are your best pieces in these positions. Of course, as I said, it should all be smashing, but the reviewer will be flipping through it probably pretty quickly. You need to make an impression and end with a bang. Most important: get a second opinion. Don't try to self-edit. I've found that looking over someone's shoulder (without speaking!) as they thumb through my portfolio actually lets me see it as they do.
   c. Neatness counts. Need I say more? If a print or photo of your work is bent or smudged, get another one. Snapfish.com, or Rite Aid (believe it or not) print stunning photos, usually fast. Make sure your Photoshop file is clean. If you scanned your art, get rid of dust the scanner may have picked up. The client sees every page as a reflection of you and what kind of working relationship (s)he will have with you. Make it easy for them to want to hire you.

More to come!

Raining Hearts

I did this piece for the 2011 Surtex show portfolio. I'm developing these cute long-faced girls for a happy, 'chick-flick'/'chick-lit' line of art for greeting cards and gift and paper items.

'This Too Shall Pass'

'This too shall pass' is a phrase someone shared with me during a particularly difficult time recently. Cliches don't usually appease me, but somehow this one does. It promises that bad times--and good times--will pass. As I am going through this trial, I'm throwing myself into work. I couldn't help but think of the marketing implications which can also be applied to 'This too shall pass'.

I love creating but tend to fall a little short on the 'marketing' part, as most artists do. In fact, I would rather be in my studio--or somewhere--creating than trying to go sell it to someone. Also, with a history of word-of-mouth business, I must admit that I didn't feel the need to be proactive about promoting my work. When I did start sending samples out, contacting galleries, in short, doing all the stuff I've always done, I got either few responses or the dreaded 'sound of crickets'.

I couldn't understand it. While there are artists who are more talented than I am, I am no hack. I have done work for one of the Presidents of the United States, have illustrated books, done portraits, etc. So what was wrong? It wasn't the work; it was where and how I was marketing it. I wasn't washed up as an artist; I just needed to clean out the barn, revamp some stuff and think of other vehicles where my art would shine and, more importantly, sell.

As I write this, I am only writing at the 'epiphany' stage. Hopefully the epiphany turns into paychecks and more work, and I believe it will.
In coming posts, I'll describe what I am doing and how successful it is. For now, I am getting ready for the Surtex art licensing show. I will be attending a workshop on licensing my art (i.e., selling limited usage rights to original art for use on surfaces, textiles, packaging, on paper, gift and greeting card products and much more).

For now, I am taking a few steps:

1- PRODUCT. My first step is product. Because I will be taking my portfolio around the show, I am either creating new or editing old art to be suitable for the markets mentioned above. Some of these pieces come out well, others not so much. I am trying to stay loose enough in my ideas to let them lead to others, or just remain sketches for a later time. I am designing borders separately so that in Photoshop I can lay particular paintings into them to make them 'show' well. A buyer needs to see how my art would look on their product (their tile, mug, sheets, t-shirt, etc.)

2- RESEARCH. Something I neglected at comic book shows or book shows was to research what companies would be at the tradeshow and whether my style would fit their agency (or whether it was different enough to fit!). Some of these companies require reservations before the show in order to look at your portfolio. I need to take a day or so and email the companies to whom I want to show my portfolio.

3- APPLICATION. Creating the art seems to be the least of the work that needs to be done before the show. Companies like seeing what my art would look like on their products. In Photoshop, I will wrap my art around a mug or place it, repeated, on bed sheets. Never assume art directors can visualize. Most can, but why not close the distance between your work and them handing you a contract because they liked what they saw on their product!
More to come, of course, the next step being a PORTFOLIO!

Just like my problems will pass, trends do too. Trends in marketing and art change. Good economies pass, as we've seen, and so do bad ones. A bad economy is no excuse for not selling. If anything, it is a great time to experiment with changing your modus operandi, stepping back, looking at what is successful and what is not, and putting together new work. Your work may change from what you presently come up with, and that is good. It's growth. Like God prunes bad and useless things out of your life so new growth can come, you can do the same with your art business.