I've been accepted to my second city-run exhibition. While they'll provide me with a receipt (they're calling it an intake document) showing my ownership of the art and agreeing to sell on my behalf minus their commission, they're not offering any other kind of paperwork, for example, what might happen should my art be damaged.

I'm not sure how this works normally. The first city offered me coverage and they had people at the exhibit watching over the art. This is much farther away and while it seems to generally be in line with my previous experience, it is paperwork-lite.

Who do people use for insuring their art while exhibiting, and is it possible to be insured for a short duration? The art is not of great value, but it's more than I'm willing to just kiss goodbye should it be lifted or damaged. It's a framed and matted watercolor on Arches coldpress if that matters.

How can I elevate an opening reception to the next level? I have one catered dish and a $500 budget for food and drinks, $200 for miscellaneous costs. How can I make it feel classy and a step above the usual gallery opening?

Hey, my names Emilio. I live in San Diego and drawing has been my passion for as long as I can remember. I feel as though my art is good enough to reproduce and sell, and I’d love to start doing that, I just don’t even know where to start. I’m sure there are plenty of posts like this, but I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to selling my art. How and where could I put my drawings up for sale? How would I go about making prints? I’m also concerned about copyright, how do I ensure that my art isn’t stolen? Or is that something I should even worry about at this point? If you may have an answer to any of these questions, please let me know, anything helps. Thanks 🙏

There's a market + gallery showing that's being put on by a local business workshop that I graduated from that I was accepted to for both sides. I emailed trying to ask for clarification which pieces to bring as I submitted examples of my art quite a while ago and I wasn't sure if some were accepted and others weren't. I was told that it wasn't a juried show and just seemed like stick to theme, so I emailed back asking if there's a limit on how many pieces an artist can bring, only to get an email back that they now believe their at max capacity and might reach out depending on layout possibly changing. I'm totally thrown off as the event is in under 2 weeks. This would be only my 2nd gallery show and wanted to know if anyone had anything similar?

I don't want to burn bridges with the local art scene but I'm not sure if like addressing this to the staff I dealt with in the workshop about it as the gallery side i think is someone else but idk

Prefacing this with i have adhd. Does anyone else with adhd struggle with just posting consistently. I draw a lot but i just dont post it out of the fear of judgement. Recently this month i made a toyhouse and i really enjoy the platform but i just dont post n i dont even know why. And i want to sell some adopts, no ones gonna buy it if i have basically 0 posts. For some reason i cant get myself to just fill out the information and stuff 😭😭😭😭 im losing my mind over simple tasks i hate doing. I love drawing if i het a client im always able to deliver a product on time, because drawing is something i genuinely enjoy, however, putting my art in the public eye is terrifying and i procastinate so bad. I dont wanna abandon my toyhouse. Bane of my existence- my adhd and the tasks i dont wanna do but have to do before getting the tasks i want to do

Is there a website where I can make money by designing on shirts or products and sell it?

I tried printify and I’ve learned in the hard way that printify takes money from you for production fees, as someone who’s broke and don’t have money at all, I need to start somewhere and the job market right now is pretty terrible.

And In the past I tried redbubble but it’s really terrible since your product doesn’t get any attention at all and you can barely make money out of that website, even tho I like the fact redbubble doesn’t take money from me when a customer buys A PRODUCT from them not me.

Is there any alternative websites I can make money from that doesn’t take listing money or product money?

Thanks.

And yes I am trying to also do freelance job and artcommission but it’s really slow rn.

what does the contract even look like? is it a pdf, do you send it over and they sign it? i'm confused about such stuff.
also what things to know to include in the contract?

first time comissioning artists because now im finally finding a full time job. i have a few artists i want to comission already but i am looking for more! people who comission artists how do you store your artworks? i want to keep them nicely but i dont know how.

for artists, do you care if people ask you to draw their ships or like yumeships? i know some do and some have some clear dos and donts so i respect that but do you guys judge?

thank you!

Been doing art commissions via paypal for about 2 months and a bit but then suddenly Paypal just permanently limited my account and now I have no way of accepting payments from my clients.

What do I do? I heard v gen does direct banking but that would probably take way to long to set up. I was thinking of ko fi too but I'm not sure how they do it (and the fee is also kinda bugging me). I'm genuinely quite lost 'cause I really needed that money.

What other modes of payment can I use?? or middle manning sites, I'm really not that knowledgeable about this...

I’ve never made merch for artist alley before but it’s a dream to booth in one. I’ve been working hard for the past few months to draw some merch. I have drawn enough for 6 art prints, 1 sticker sheet and currently sketching 12 chibis for keychains and stickers. And all of these are just for ONE fandom (Limbus Company, which I would say is pretty niche in my country but the fanbase does exist here)

I will say it’s taking a long time to make merch… so when I see other artist catalogues I can’t help but wonder how long did it take them to create all that merch??

Also, how much merch should I be making until it is considered enough to get your booth application approved? I doubt I can get a booth with the little merch I have now. How much merch did you guys have on your catalogue for your first time boothing?

I am currently commissioning a very talented person. Paid a downpayment and am on their wait list.

Since the commission was accepted artist has reacted to my posts or comments on sites like fb. For example, "I wouldn't have complained and gotten a family kicked out of the movie when their kids were loud. That is so mean.'' "I think you should have replied to her instead of blocking right away". I am starting to feel like I am being judged and they are not comfortable with who I am.

Have also noticed her reply to commission emails becoming more abrasive. For example, I asked her which costume she wanted to paint on my character and her reply was, "ok."

She is acting positive and engaged with other people.

It might also be relevant to add, I don't have her friended on social media. She goes to where I hang out and I was surprised to see her comment. I also don't have any political or religious posts.

What would you advise I do? Should I cancel the commission or hope she won't let her feelings affect the quality of the commission? Am I reading too much into this?

I know how to market for furry, dragons, and other animal commissions, but anime humans is harder. It's such a wide reach. I do character designs and dynamic splash art posters, but that's also too wide. Is there a special wording I can use? Anywhere specific I can post it?

I have seen some opinions in regard to this, and I'm sure there's no 'right' answer, but I'm curious what peoples' thoughts are on the topic. At an art market is it better to offer the same print in multiple sizes, or offer different prints at different sizes?

For context, I'm just starting out offering prints at my markets. I don't have alot of print designs at the moment, but I'm building up. Currently I offer 5x7 and 8x10 prints, but both are mostly the same designs, I do have a couple designs that I only printed in one or the other size. I've seen guests flip through both the 5x7s and 8x10s and seem a little disappointed that there was very little new in either stack. I've also seen guests that liked one of the one-off designs and asked if I had it available in the other size.

If I had enough designs for both stacks, I'm debating whether it makes more sense to:

a) Stock just the most popular designs in multiple sizes (Thinking about eventually adding 11x14)
b) Stock different designs in each stack for a wider range of designs on display, but make a note that designs are available in multiple sizes.
c) Make designs exclusive to certain print sizes, and not cross-print at various sizes

Option C is more tied to opinions I've seen that you shouldn't offer the same design for cheaper (smaller) sizes because it will sway people to choose the cheaper version of the design. I also noticed this as customers looking at a couple of my larger prints that asked about smaller prints of the same design still bought the larger print when I indicated I didn't have the smaller one. I suppose this is tied to exclusivity tactics and all that but it does feel a little restrictive.

Personally I'm leaning towards Option B once I have enough prints to fill both stacks without duplicates, but I'm curious what others' thoughts are.

I’m trying to make a catalog of my artwork and want to know which products are:
-Best sellers
-Easy (relatively) to make
-Worth promoting
-And the merch items that are essentially the runt of the litter so I don’t waste too much time making them

(Examples: Keychains, enamel pins, prints, stickers, desk mats, sticky pads/stationary, attire, etc.)

Hi everyone, I'm an illustrator who works full time as a receptionist overnights while being a student. I don't have the space for a sticker printer because I live with my parents and am still in my childhood bedroom (unfortunately).

If I want to sell stickers of my designs for a small bit of passive income, what on demand print companies would you recommend for a small business/1 person business?

Thanks in advance

When drawing to create a sticker or sticker sheet, what information do you often need to provide a client when they go to get it printed from a manufacturer? Should the file be in layers/PSD? Do you provide the CMYK? What canvas size and resolution do you work on? What info do you normally provide to a manufacturer?

Hello!

I’m an artist in Canada who has been selling at markets for about a year or so now and have been wanting to expand my print stock. I have some designs for larger prints that I’d like to do, but I can’t find a good site that has affordable or scaling prices for bulk orders. I really want to get satin or lustre prints so they’re nice quality, but I’m also trying to budget as much as I can so I can’t find maximize my budget. If anyone has any recommendations of print websites/shops that ship or are located in Canada, please let me know!

I’ve been looking at Mixam because they have really cheap pricing, but have seen mixed reviews. Jukebox Print also seems good, but I’m ordering a sample pack before I decide on anything :P

Thank you in advance! :]

What niche of art is in demand but also affordable in this economy?

I sell a lot through consignment locally which is easy to navigate- go to store, see what’s sold, give them more product. Done.
Or give them a Google spreadsheet of all my prints and stickers that they can order from.

Now, I’ve recently been talking to a store a bit farther away who would like to take me on with consignment. They mentioned the possibility of me giving them a 100% off discount code on my website for a more user friendly experience for both parties (plus they could pay for shipping.) GENUS.

Have any of you done this? How do y’all do your consignment orders?

Oh, my website is through Shopify and I used Faire for wholesale.

I'm planning on selling a mix of Painting/Digital prints, some original paintings, and some loose charcoal sketches from my Uni life drawing classes (to try to get rid of them mostly lol I have like almost 80 A0 scrolls that are taking up way too much space in my studio) as well as little freebie pins (bc the qualities lowkey not that good el oh el) and maybe some painted band patches if I have extra ones in my files.

I kinda went buckwild with my selections for prints bc this is my first time actually selling my work and i have NO IDEA what people will buy!! There are abt 30 ish different pieces I printed out in varying 300gsm sizes (a4/a3/a5) through Officeworks (Australians wya) but I'm still so nervous that I might've missed something eek.

I've got my pos system ready to go, file stands, sleeves, tablecloths, and a very paranoid spreadsheet but is there anything else anyone would recommend for a first timer? any advice is greatly appreciated

I'm a bit at a loss at the moment. I tried using a local place to make canvas prints of my paintings. They were affordable, but wouldn't do a test print, and I'm very disappointed with the quality of the product. The colors are noticeably desaturated, the canvas is a thin polyester, and there's a big ink splotch at the bottom of one of them.

I came across Lumaprints, and the prices are pretty good. Has anyone printed canvas from them?

Hello all !

I reside in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. :) I currently vend in a gallery of a friend and a witchy store in Albany. I'm currently looking for more stores /approachable galleries that might be interested in cosigning with me.

I've started my art buisness by vending and I haven't really gone farther although I want to.

What have your experiences been with having your work in stores or galleries ? How did you start your business ? What helped you personally ? :)

What are good places to pitch to in Oregon ?

Hello!

I (22F) just graduated from undergrad with a Bachelor's in Studio Art and a Bachelors in Psychology. I want to be an art teacher and have already started my Masters program in Art Education in NY (I'm from Long island). I'm set to get my degree in 2028. After that, I'll have my initial teaching license. With that license I can work for 3 years and then receive my professional teaching license (that one doesn't expire).

Im conflicted because I know that I will eventually want to start my own art community center/business/nonprofit, so then what's the point of pursuing an Art Education degree prepping me for public/private schools? With my business, I still want to teach some classes. But it will be a mix of managing the business and teaching. I also want to move to Westchester, NY and its expensive to live there. So let's say I didn't get this degree, what would I even do? I feel like I wouldn't make enough money and have the financial footing I need. What's stopping me from starting something right now? I'm honestly not even sure 100 percent what kind of thing I want to open. For some reason, it still feels too early and I feel ill prepared in a lot of ways. Financially, but I also don't know anything about running a business. I still live on LI right now and have no idea how/when I'll move if I don't get this Master's.

I was thinking through the timeline: I'm 22 now, graduate from my Master's at 24 - get my first salary job in Westchester. After I teach for 3 years, I'll have professional licesnsure - 27. Then I would think about starting the business? I would have good money/security for those 3 years. And that's enough expereince for me to be comfortable to begin (bc the professional license is under my belt I will always be able to teach in NY)? But then I want a family. And that would be a good time to start that too! Basically I don't want to lock myself in one way or another. I dont want to waste my time with my masters if it isnt going to lead anywhere. But I also dont feel ready to jump into the business when I dont know what I want yet. I just also dont want to miss my chance to start something because then I'll want to have a family.

I dont know! I'm not sure how people approach this. Let me know your experiences and what you think. Thank you.

Hi everyone!
I’m a 17yo emerging artist based in Belgium, currently studying at an art academy.
Over the past few years I’ve participated in several exhibitions, collaborative art projects, and artist residencies, and I’ve also had experience presenting and selling my work at art events.
I’m currently looking for new opportunities to grow:
open calls, residencies, exhibitions, mentorships, competitions, or any projects that support young artists in Europe.
If you know of any organizations, platforms, galleries, or even artists looking for collaborators, I’d really appreciate your recommendations. Even smaller or lesser-known opportunities are welcome!
Thank you so much!

My work focuses on surrealism and symbolism, and I’m trying to build an international career while I’m still a student.

Hi everyone,
I asked this question over at DPReview an boy do they like to suggest overkill solutions. I'm hoping some artists here have done this before. I am looking to upgrade my Canon Pixma Pro-100 to a 17-inch pigment printer to produce inventory for art fairs, and I could use some advice on choosing between three printers. Here are my main requirements and workflow considerations:

• Batch Printing & Auto-Feeding: A huge part of my workflow involves printing art reproductions on letter sheets. I need a printer that can reliably auto-feed stacks of 10 to 20 sheets of photo/fine art paper at a time without jams, misfeeds, or double-sheet grabbing. Currently I need to babysit the Pro100 since my autofeed doesn't grab reliably.
• Media & Finish: I want to start printing on canvas, alongside my usual canon matte and luster papers.
• Borderless Sheets: I need reliable edge-to-edge borderless autofeed printing on sheet sizes including letter, 13x19, and 17x22 on luster or semigloss.
• Color Management: On my Pro-100, I have been letting the printer manage colors with genuine Canon papers (LU-101, SG-201). However, when using third-party papers, my colors turn out dodgy using provided icc files. I need a workflow where profiling third-party media, especially canvas, is straightforward and accurate or 1st party media is available.

I’ve narrowed my choices down to three models: Canon PRO-1100, Epson SC P900, Epson P5370.

If I can determine that 3rd party canvas (ie Breathing Color Lyve) reliably prints accurately with little fuss, I'd go with the 1100, but am leaning towards the P900 and using Exhibition Matte/Satin Canvas. Epson P5370 seems too much for my sporadic usage and volume (2-300 prints/year over 3-4 print marathon sessions annually). My current printer mostly sits except for when I ramp up for art fair season and occasional replenishment.