Then, just pay for marketing, products and shipping. How do I build relationships with the licensing industry? Remember, if you are working with a manufacturer, the royalties will likely be based on wholesale prices, not retail. Throughout this article we have shared multiple resources, both here on The Abundant Artist and on the site Tara founded, that will help you get started. Never be afraid to ask a company about licensing your artwork. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. Advance: A non-refundable payment made to the artist when a license agreement is signed. Putting a price on your artwork is difficult, but its important and there are several factors to take into account. Hi there! How does one even begin to dip their toe into the vast and seemingly complicated world of art licensing? It is very important that each party has the same expectations of the arrangement you are making. In the Information Age it is easier than ever to begin learning something new. Tara Reed describes a typical instance of receiving feedback from a client: Perfect case in point chalkboard is really popular right now. Ask yourself the following questions to see if you are ready: Preparation is key, if you want to be successful at licensing you need to be ready to move quickly and professionally. We received several offers from inside and outside the industry, and . Art licensing is not for everyone, so if you arent ready to dive into licensing there are still ways you can proceed to start monetizing your portfolio of work. They have a big consumer base. If you created it, its good enough! Artist Submissions Form. We use a Creo IQSmart 2 scanner capable of 16bit scanning at 8200dpi (optical) with scaling up to 2700% at 300dpi to achieve the best possible digital results. Assigning your art to someone else gives them full ownership . Mock-up a catalog. One or two of them might be like Oh yeah, we like it. (Also be sure to check out our interview with Kelly Rae Roberts!). Your Business/Artist Facebook Page. They are professional, easy to work with, and have many amazing artists. After 32 years as owners, Laurie and I sold Wild Apple to the companys Chief Operating Officer, Shawn Harned. How much money can I make licensing my artwork? Some agents will represent a handful of artists and some may represent hundreds of artists, it all depends on the agency. After the artwork is created, the manufacturing company will make sure they have a decent place to sell your work before they commit to you. That being said, art licensing can be a great fit for some artists. Ansada Licensing Group, LLC. Because you slice and dice it through a contract, Im still free to take the same Santa Clause that youre gonna put on wrapping paper and license it to somebody else to put on tissues, and to somebody else to put on paper plates, and to somebody else to put on ceramic plates, and to somebody else to put on wall art, and somebody else to put on stickers. We received several offers from inside and outside the industry, and chose the one that we [], Artist Laura Marshall is the kind of artist that you want to spend time with. I mean Mary Engelbreit, Thomas Kinkade, Susan Winget, theyre all making very very big numbers, because theyre very well-known brands, are very established. From Santa to carol singers, robins to Christmas villages, weve got over 5000 Christmas designs! If you are creating your own licensing agreement, it is also worth having your agreement professionally reviewed before signing it. There are other people who are licensing their art that are making really good money as well, like six figures. Its our business to know whats trending. Licensing artwork means paying an artist a fee for the commercial use of their artwork. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Youre doing well if you are making a living of $40K to $100K a year from licensing artwork, however this is not super easy money because youll still need to remain a productive artist, continuously producing new works for your clients to choose from. If you keep shipping costs down, you might get more sales, even if the product is priced to be more expensive. With relationships forged over nearly three decades we are in unique position to help artists realize their full potential and reach international markets through a well proven strategy. After you build a customer base, you can start to raise prices and consider special offers and shorter runs to incentivize your products as collectibles. With 700+ artists and 130,000 images in our archive, we . The Armani brand was one of the first to establish a model licensing agreement globally and it spread into the entertainment business in America with Disney products. This is why having a large network of fans, collectors, and fellow artists who recognize your art and have your back is so important. You can add value to your value to your licensing deal by slowing it down and breaking it apart by exclusive deal vs non exclusive deal, global or local, how many stores the product will be in and what the wholesale price will be: this will help you better determine what potential income is. For greeting cards, a flat fee generally ranges between $275 and $500. She also covers books and the publishing industry. Tara Reed describes the choice to show at expos (or not): 75 to 80 percent of my business I can track back to either exhibiting at or going to an industry trade show. As a 4-year member of our management team, Shawn will preserve Wild Apples creative, human culture. You need to be persistent and continually follow up. 5. In the 1970s licensing was introduced to Italy to help young designers develop and market their collections. If you want to do toys, create some with your work. Representations & Warranties: This is your promise to the licensee that the artwork is yours to license out and that it doesnt infringe on anybody elses intellectual property. 11. Also, a lot of products have a sticker on it (such as on the bottom of a cup) with the manufacturers name so that you can search the internet for their contact info to ask if they are accepting new artist submissions. They often wont commit to you until they know theyre going to have decent placement. While some companies have in-house designers and artists, many source their art from freelance artists. Some motifs were painted and drawn over. I know it can sometimes be difficult to find the names for contacts, but taking the time to do your research can help in establishing a connection. OUR ARTISTS . Do you understand the terms that are likely to be included in your contract? Thats technically a copyright violation, but pursuing that may be more trouble than its worth. Another option is to attend a trade show. For original artwork, you might want to set up your own store with Shopify so you can determine your own shipping costs. One of the UKs leading artist agencies for licensing purposes, with over 10,000 artworks by 150 of the UKs leading artists and illustrators. Determined by the artist, the terms of the licensing agreement are clear, making the conditions explicit as to how the "licensee" is able to use . You go to the store, and you find something. Household items such as cups, sheets, towels: 3% to 8%. If you are looking to use a print on demand service to sell your art online, learn more about how to start a t-shirt business. Most of our pattern and illustration work is available for art licensing. Protect your work, control its use and back everything up with paperwork. Even if Penji isn't a freelance site, it's an unlimited graphic design service where you can find freelance artists for your business or design projects. Use Pound sterling instead. So whether an artist interested in growing their licensing clientele chose to exhibit or simply attend, the networking possibilities for shows like Surtex are enormous and extremely helpful to growing a fledgling surface design business. Sometimes they will even put out open briefs . Make sure youre well aware of whats going on in the market and where your particular style of artwork will fit into that mix. Licensing artwork can benefit your career by placing your artwork in front of more viewers and by providing extra income. From pretty [], Im writing with news of changeand continuity. Companies that sell housewares, clothing, decor, kitchenwares, etc to retailers need beautiful art to put on their merchandise. The cash flow cycle requires planning ahead. At The Abundant Artist, we are passionate about teaching artists that it is entirely possible to make money from your art, even outside of the traditional gallery system. While its not for everyone, it is a facet of the industry well worth exploring for artists who are well experienced with managing their budget and are interested in collaborating with corporations. And you dont get paid until the quarter after it ships.. Any other intended uses for the artwork (social media, online, marketing etc). Your Website. Learn more about the cash flow cycle and much, much more on Taras free Interview Replays page: http://www.artlicensinginfo.com/interview-replays/. Don't let us stop you! DDFA was established in the late 1980s due to the demand from publishers. When an artist licenses their work to a company, the company pays the artist a royalty for each product that . Meet industry players, decision-makers and brands interested in licensing artwork. It depends on your needs. All Rights Reserved. Exit and dispute terms if there are problems or changes in circumstance. The licensor is the brand owner that is providing the creativity and the mood for the project and the licensee is the one that is taking care of the execution of the strategy that will get your work out to the public. Follow along to learn how to sell art online and make money in 2023. Items are only created when someone places an order. After establishing a presence online, whether thats through your own online store or seller accounts through marketplaces such as Etsy, its time to begin marketing your art so that it reaches people who are looking for the types of artwork you sell. Files should preferably be under 5 MB and should not exceed 10 MB. The specific products your artwork will be used on. She is a prolific painter, loves her morning coffee, and enjoys a daily swim or yoga class. Because he doesnt sell art, he only licenses art.. Additionally, she manages a column at Inc. Magazine. The artist retains ownership of the image and can continue to license it for other uses that don't conflict. Artists can also hire an agency that will license their work to a . Additionally, you can also make money selling other peoples artwork online if you build a network of artists and a website to sell their art. TSB . Do you absolutely have to hire a lawyer? Managing your professional relationships can be challenging, but the key is to be super organized and keep track of all of your interactions. A fair contract will provide you with an industry-standard royalty rate. Theres a lot of networking behind gaining several substantial licensing deals that can provide passive income. Then they have to produce it, they have to sell it if its going into mom-and-pop stuff, or they have to ship it, whatever. Whilst there are no set rules on how to do licensing, but, there are things you can do to give yourself the best chance for success. Many high-profile companies ended their partnerships with Cody Foster & Co as a result. Demdaco: Gifts, fashion, and decor. We can license our designs for almost any product or usage including; Bags, Books, Bowls, Calendars, Candles, Ceramic Cards, Ceramic Plates, Chopping Boards, Clocks, Coasters, Cushions, Decorative Plates, Door Toppers, Dressing screens, Envelopes, Gift Wrap, Greeting Cards, Jigsaw Puzzles, Laptrays, Letterheads, Lithopanes, Memo Boards, Metal Plaques, Mugs, Music Boxes, Napkins, Notelets, Notepads, Placemats, Plates, Paint by Numbers, Prints, Rugs, Stickers, Stitchery Kits, T-Shirts, Tea Towels, Teapot Stands, Tins, Trays, Trivets, Wallpaper. Include clear, high-resolution images of your work and mock-ups demonstrating how your artwork looks on relevant products. This includes greeting cards, merchandise, murals, art prints, home products, clothes, etc. Although many people use the terms interchangeably, there is a tremendous difference between licensing and assigning your art. An essential question to answer when considering selling the right to put your images on merchandise is: how can you protect your work from theft? You can offer companies the following incentive to continue using your artwork as they grow: If they spend over a couple thousand dollars reproducing your artwork, then you can ask for a lower royalty percentage of lets say 5 percent so that they can save money by investing in more products with your art on it, however if they only invest a few products with your art printed on it, then you can ask for a higher royalty of lets say 17% so that the deal is still worth your time. Make a plan as to how you want your licensing program to work, what types of companies you want to license with, where you want your art to be sold,where you don't . This will prove that you created the artwork on a certain date, showing and describing exactly what designs you have registered and when. A few companies that license art: All of these companies license art onto their own products, then sell those products in larger retail chains nationwide. Art licensing is not for everyone. The important thing to note is that while hiring a lawyer can be really advantageous for clarifying the legalese in large contracts for large accounts, hiring a lawyer may also cost you more than you ever make from the deal. What in the world are you talking about? you ask, and they direct you to a slick looking boutique website selling cheap apparel and theres your art, unlicensed. 3. Many greeting card companies look for art created for specific occasions at specific times throughout the year. Company News. Thank you! Renae is knowledgeable and is always there when we need her. It is so rare to show somebody something and have them say Perfect, send it over. Theres almost always a change. However, some agents will already have powerful industry contacts and can open doors that you might find difficult to open yourself. For in-depth information on standard royalty rates, check out the post Royalty Rates- What is the Standard? Every pair of eyes perusing the internet that belongs to someone who would recognize your work if they saw it is a valuable ally. Attorney Fees: If you do find yourself in a legal dispute, this determines who will pay the legal fees. Why would it make a difference whether youre well known or not when it comes to protecting your art from theft? I am just getting started researching art licensing. Others, they might just show artists that, once you learn more about the industry you get a feel for whos in it. Choose a company that is making sure that their products are in front of the consumers that youd like to reach as an artist.
