Ep 021: Factors to Consider with Art Products / by Jackie Sanders

Give Your Art A New Life As An Art Product

We have all seen art products in our everyday lives, but they are often not discussed by creatives. So how do you know if art products are the right fit for your business? In today’s episode we talk about what art products are, how to make them, benefits of having them, as well as the creative and business decisions that you need to consider along the way.

 
 

Factors to Consider with Art Products

What are art products? 

  • Art products are artwork showcased on everyday objects

  • This can include water bottles, t-shirts, greeting cards, etc.

  • You can either make them yourself, have someone else make them or order them through a 3rd party!

Making the products yourself: 

  • You can create art products yourself or in small batches…

  • This is a great option when experimenting or still refining your ideas

  • But, be sure to consider that making products yourself may take a lot of additional time compared to delegating some or most of the work to a third party. 

Print On-Demand Companies

  • You may hear this being referred to as passive income streams or “set it and forget it” streams of income but it isn’t 100% passive. Making the products may be hands off but you still have work to advertise them

  • Delegating out part of your process will free up time for you and give you more time to focus on other areas of your business (like making original artwork!) 

  • Company examples: Fine Art America, Redbubble, Society6, Teepublic, Displate, Printful, Printify

Print-on-demand companies are generally be divided in two categories:

  • White-label - the products are on your website and it isn’t obvious to the customer that there is a third party fulfillment center that will work on the order.

  • Marketplace - you would direct your customers to another website where they will see both your products and those of other artists and creators. 

Our advice:

  • Find your art style first (complete a series of work) and then think about products. 

  • When you are starting, experience one or more of these open platforms as a customer, see how you feel about your customer experience, and if you like the quality of what you receive, move forward with that platform!

Benefits of Having Art Products

  • Typically a lower price point for your collectors compared to original works ($500+)

  • Easily reproducible with minimal time for the artist (“Passive” income)

  • They allow your client to select a product that best ties in with their lifestyle while still enjoying your art 

  • Depending on what type of printing partner you choose, you may not need to worry about having stock take up precious space plus the additional time it takes to pack and ship

  • If art licensing  is an income stream you’re interested in, small batches of art products will give you a way of testing products before going after big brands and signing contracts.

Creatively consider:

  • What kinds of products will you offer? Will you offer everything or nothing?  

  • Are you willing to design pieces just for products? Or only repurpose paintings that you have? 

  • Think about, how will (or how can) this work to support your larger brand mission?

  • TIP: Choose art products that YOU actually like and would buy! 

Business wise consider:

  • There is always a relationship between quality, the price your clients will be willing to pay and profit

  • Understand that the quality of the product will reflect on your brand

  • TIP: Scout out what other artists are selling similar pieces for BUT be cautious not to race to the bottom with price

    • Consider, would you rather sell 1 $20 print or 20 $1 prints? 

  • Based on your decisions, will you need to buy products in bulk?

  • Are you willing to have less profit margin if the company does the fulfillment

There are no right or wrong answers with which direction to go in, just factors to consider when making your choice!

Mentioned in the Episode:

Podcast Music By Corey Claxton:

  • Website: https://www.coreyclaxton.com/

  • Instagram: @thecoreyclaxton

  • Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3gMzkkK

Subscribe to the Art Studio Insights Podcast: Apple  |  Spotify  |  Google | Youtube

Sign-up for our studio newsletters at: JaclynSanders.com | Ameighart.com

Connect with us on Instagram: @JSandersStudio | @ameighart

To learn more about the podcast, click here.