Seniorgiri

Counter the Loneliness Yourself.

Seniorgiri Series: Hobbies

Make Profit from your Art

By Shobha Mathur Shobham@yahoo.com

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THIS IS HOBBY HELP SERIES FOR SENIORS.

I am compiling a series of things to do - what to do to counter

loneliness, in addition, how to go about it.

The book about painting became BOOKS about visual arts. As it is

inconvenient to upload and download big files, I have arranged the

info in different files.

Learn to Paint Part 1 Covers Supplies, General Techniques, Oil and

Acrylic Paintings. Part two is now split in several parts.

Digital Arts

Drawing and Sketching

Glass Painting

Water Based Painting

This one is about making profit from your art. How to hold

exhibitions and how to sell online. Hope you find it of use.

I have tested all the links mentioned. As on May 2010, all links are

secure, correct and working.

You should look for more as you surf. You may find many that will

suit to your needs. This is just a first step.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you like.

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What To Do With Your Art

Introduction

When you become a prolific artist, at first you decorate your home with your art. Then you may begin to wonder what to do with your surplus creations. There are ways to earn money from your hobby.

Here are some ideas which may also bring some money.

1.Gift your creations.

You can gift your artwork to family and friends. Personalized gifts are precious.

Donate some for raffles and other prizes for your club or local NGO function.

This is not in vain. People begin to realize that you are a good artist and later when you want to sell, you will have a brand name.

2.Start giving lessons and holding workshops

Advertise with flyers in local shops and take classes. Set a curriculum of

what all you will teach in how many days, and set fees accordingly.

You can make a video of your work step by step and sell it or put it online.

3. Go Commercial

Hold exhibitions and try to sell your art work locally.

Sell them online on eBay and other sites.

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What sells best

Before you seriously consider going commercial, make a survey of market about what sells. Periodically there are polls online about which subjects sell best.

The most popular paintings for all time sales are Landscapes, Flowers, still lives, and inspirational scenes.

Abstracts and modern art is popular with the modern generation, as this style easily creates bright focus of color in a monochrome or drab setting.

According to Art Business Today, these were the Top 10 best-selling subjects for paintings in the UK: (in 2005)

1. Traditional landscapes.

2. Local views.

3. Modern or semi-abstract landscapes.

4. Abstracts.

5. Dogs.

6. Figure studies (excluding nudes).

7. Seascapes, harbour, and beach scenes.

8. Wildlife.

9. Impressionistic landscapes.

10. Nudes.

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Know about Copyright

Copyright is Intellectual property protection or exclusive rights to an item for its creator.

It is the right to reproduce and sell the work, to make by-products from it (e.g. paintings adapted from the original) as well as the right to display the copyrighted work freely.

You do not have to register an item, but it can be useful for any litigation later on. To register an item you have to fill a form in triplicate and pay fee according to category. http://copyright.gov.in/Documents/handbook.html

In India copyright expires after 60 years following the death of the author.

You can copyright a physical product but not an idea.

The execution of the idea can be copyrighted by different people. A painting of the same tree painted by three people can be copyrighted by each as long as they do not copy each other’s methods.

If you create something FOR someone on order or as an employee, the copyright will belong to them.

If using photos other than your own for basis of your paintings, it is better to get permission from the owner.

Photos on the net labeled "royalty-free" do not mean "copyright free".

You can use the items that are in “ Public Domain” as their copy right has expired.

For detailed information abut copyrights, please visit

About.com , Artist’s copyright FAQs http://painting.about.com/cs/artistscopyright/f/copyrightfaq5.htm

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Holding Exhibitions.

Here are some basic guidelines if you want to hold an Exhibition. This is an expensive exercise to begin with, but if you are good you can cover all the expenses and make profit too.

Before the Exhibition

Build your own style, medium and if possible theme. For example, you could do landscapes, portraits, still life, animals in oils, watercolors or acrylics or all of them.

Judge by the reaction of your family and friends if your paintings or art works are good enough for selling.

Accumulate a decent number of works for the exhibition. Have at least 20 pictures or artwork ready.

Get them all framed properly in suitable frames. There are variety of frames. Choose ones that go with the spirit or theme of the paintings. A good frame can make or break a painting. Do not go for cheap frames. They are an investment. You can also make your own frames or even paint them on !

Read about frames here

How to Frame Paintings

http://painting.about.com/od/howtoframepaintings/How_to_Frame_Paintings.htm

Sign and date all work.

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For the exhibition:

1. Venue and date

Look around and book a place and date for the exhibition. You might consider joining with another amateur to share expenses.

A suitable date is usually a holiday, but not always.

If it is a long holiday, many people might be out of town.

If you are holding in a business district, again you won’t find many customers as they will not like to come to their office area on a holiday.

If you are holding it in a gallery they will advise on the best time and date.

Small boutiques, art galleries, school and club halls can all can be suitable. In America some artists plan exhibitions in restaurants. It works for both. Look around and innovate. You want a place which is easily accessible for target clients

Some galleries might charge you not only hosting fee, but also a commission on all sales. Find out in detail all that it will cost you before entering into an agreement.

Senior citizen clubs, or special occasion melas ( Diwali, Christmas) by NGOs can also host your work.

2. Preparation

Do not leave the framing till the last minute. Get all pictures ready much in advance.

Take photos of your work and prepare a CD to show prospective clients.

You do not have to mention price on the CD/ DVD. But in an exhibition all articles should have a price tag.

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3. Advertise

Make flyers and post them in clubs and local shops. If possible, build a website. Take photos of each painting and describe each of them in a few words. Market yourself.

Putting ads in papers can be counter productive as they are very expensive, but try if you can get someone to write about you and your show in the events section of local newspaper.

4. Set the show

While hanging the pictures, pay attention to angles, color schemes and lighting. They should be at eye level – neither too high nor too low.

They should not be too near or far from each other.

Have some seating arranged so people can sit and gaze at leisure.

Be around and attentive but not too intrusive.

5. Set the price

There are some general rules. Small paintings cost less and large paintings cost more.

Decide on a percentage profit you want to make over your costs. Then add up the cost of everything that went into making a painting, add the percentage, and that is your selling price.

The costs calculation can be basic (materials + labor) or comprehensive (materials, labor, studio space, lighting, etc.). Every painting has a different price, based on what went into creating it.

Add any applicable taxes.

But don't sell too cheap. If you don’t value your own work, why should anyone else?

You might consider donating part to some NGO or local charity and advertise it. People tend to buy if they know some of the proceeds go to charity.

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6. Have some Cheaper alternatives

Not all comers can pay for expensive goods. Try to have some cheaper products on the side too. Prints of some of your paintings printed on your computer can be sold cheap. You can also sell calendars, cards, book marks, designer labels etc.

7. Be ready for the show

On the day of the exhibition, be prompt, dress neatly and be on time. Hang the pictures elegantly. Put out some drinks or snacks if possible.

8. Have realistic expectations

It may not be likely to sell all your work first time. A much more realistic goal is to build a database of possible cliental. This is not the only exhibition that you will hold. So build towards the future.

Pass your flyer to all comers, Get people to sign up a guest-list. Ask them to rate the paintings. Build your cliental.

Do not be dejected inn case of low or no sale. There will be other occasions.

9. Have a customized receipt book ready, for any sale.

It should include the Title of the picture and the medium ( Roses, Oil on canvas), your name as the creator and declaration that copyright belongs to you, name and address of the customer , date and the price. You should hold a copy too. This will be useful for your client database, Copyright information, and any tax purpose.

10. Packaging

Have suitable bags, paper or containers ready to pack the painting to be carried away.

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11. No discounts

If you have the show in an art gallery, don’t undersell the gallery. People may try to get you to sell them work for less after the show is over. Don't do it; not only is this unethical, it's the number one reason for galleries to dump artists.

http://www.chittraarts.com/images/inner-d_r1_c3.jpg

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Selling online

With Internet now it is increasingly easy to buy and sell on the net. The best part is that the artwork need not be at the same place. People look at the photo, and order. So inventory expenses are almost nil. There are many agencies helping artists. You can have your own website and blog to sell.

Commissions

Most online galleries will have some system for generating revenue. Read all the fine print before signing anything.

Any commission from an online website is decided by the Terms of Use contract that you agree to.

Different sites charge a different percentage of a commission. Anywhere between 1-5% is normal; 10% is on the high end.

Some sites charge a membership fee to cover their overhead.

What you need

Camera

Invest in a good digital camera at least 10 mega pixels or higher. You need good photos of your art work to make an impressive online portfolio, as that is what a potential buyer sees first.

You may need some lessons in good photography or take help from a good photographer. First Impressions MUST be good.

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Portfolio

Use these pictures to make your portfolio. There are sites which allow you to do this and also let you make your own blog and web page.

Photo optimization software

You will need some photo optimization program to tweak your photos. Photoshop is most popular, but is very expensive. You can opt for GIMP or Paint.net- both are free.

Save Correspondence

Keep a copy of all correspondence with any clients. Emails are legal documents.

It is better to have separate folders so you know where all your correspondence is.

If you have web based email client, then it is better to copy the mail and keep on your hard drive so you can access it even when offline.

On line accounting service

If you want to sell online you need a secure payment method.

Right now Paypal is an internationally recognized service to receive payments online. It is a free account, and all major cards and many sites including EBay use it. It is the safest method for transaction on the net so far.

You can access it here:

https://www.paypal.com/in/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_home&country_lang.x=true

The membership and setup is free. When you make a sale, you have to pay 2% - 4% of your sale depending on the amount.

There are two methods of payment – by the website, and by email.

The following info is from Paypal site itself.

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Turn your website into an online store today

Your site is up, but how are customers going to pay you? Website Payments Standard is our fastest way to set up online payments on your website and accept credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers and PayPal.

Email Payments: Solution Overview

PayPal Email Payments is an easy-to-use payment solution that lets your customers pay online using a credit card, bank account, or PayPal balance, even if you don’t have a website. All Email Payments options require almost no set-up time.

Email Payments is:

* Faster. Stop waiting for cheques—your customers pay with one click.

* Efficient. Email payment requests through the PayPal site.

* Low cost. Receive payments with no merchant account fees, setup fees, or monthly fees. All you pay are low transaction fees to receive payments.

Request payment by email, and get paid with PayPal

Send payment requests online, even if you don't have a website.

Use our simple Request Money option to email a basic payment request in seconds.

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Get paid using the tools you already have.

Include a payment button in any email you send using Outlook.

Using this service you also do not have to worry about different currencies, as it calculates the amount and pays in your local currency. It can even calculate local taxes, Vat and postage charges to add to your final bill.

Dispatching Goods

Once a sale is agreed, you are responsible for delivery. Ensure Proper packing.

You will need some reliable courier service to send the work to destination. You may charge extra for the mailing. Keep a list of shipping rates ready for your price calculations.

Insurance

Insure your packet against damage or theft.

Your courier service may provide you with rules and rates.

Decide beforehand what to do in case of a damaged consignment.

Promptness and politeness

Be punctual and polite in your correspondences, settling any accounts / sending any items. This builds up your reputation.

I suggest you browse through these sites and see which if any suits you. Go through other artist’s portfolios and links. It will give you ideas for your own presentations and also a feeling for what sells.

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Links

All these links are secure, correct and working as on May2010.

Folio Twist

$30 / month. All kinds of help available.

http://foliotwist.com/

Fine art studio online

Artist websites made easy! FineArtStudioOnline is a revolutionary web site creation tool that allows an artist to create his or her own art website in a matter of minutes! Free trial for 60 days.

http://fineartstudioonline.com/

Gallery world wide

There is no setup fee. Your monthly fee is $4 for 50 works of art

http://www.gallery-worldwide.com/exhibitor/

Artbreak.com

Selling your art on Artbreak is completely free. It's free to sign up for an account, to post your work, to list it for sale, and to sell it through Artbreak.

http://www.artbreak.com/

MosaicGlobe

MosaicGlobe is the place to share your creativity. It is a simple (and free) way to create your own website with multiple pages, galleries, blogs, audio, email and more....

http://www.mosaicglobe.com/

My Best Canvas

Buy and sell all over the world. Membership fee $4.16/month.

http://www.mybestcanvas.com/

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Empty easel

We focus quite a bit on art tutorials and selling art online,

http://emptyeasel.com/

The Artist’s web

Try free for 14 days. Seller’s package is 42.50 sterling Ponds / year.

http://www.theartistsweb.co.uk/Sell-Art

Gallery today

It first reviews the work by art critics before accepting an artist.

http://www.gallerytoday.com/index.php?paginameniu=pagini/sell.html

Oil Paintings online

Sell your paintings for free. Non profit site. http://www.oilpaintingsonline.com/

How To Sell Your Paintings On eBay

This is a personal account of an artist about how to go about selling on eBay.

http://www.idf50.co.uk/artistsstudio/kingy1.html

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Acknowledgement

The filler Flower graphics used here are from Hellas Multimedia http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/default.htm. The beautiful graphics are free. Graphics from the net are acknowledged at the point. Other clipart are from Microsoft WP Clipart Free Collection. This e book is by Shobha Mathur shobham@yahoo.com

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