What to Know About Licensing Your Art

Being an artist can be a hard job when it comes to making money and getting customers. One of the best ways to turn your art into income is by licensing your artwork. When you license your art, you’re allowing a bigger company to reproduce it on their end. This isn’t something that needs to be done for all of your pieces, but every artist should have a few in mind that they would like to share with a larger audience. Many times licensed artwork is put onto tote bags, phone cases, pillowcases, and many other products. Licensing agreements state what percentage of sales an artist will receive. Before jumping the gun and licensing your art, here are important things you need to know about licensing.

 

Manufacturing

There are so many ways and places you can license your artwork. Many times opportunities of collaboration will come up with someone you know or even a brand that saw your art on social media. Check out small local businesses that may be interested in teaming up with an artist to work on their products. Some restaurants might want to rebrand themselves by having new cups and coasters for tables and selling merchandise. If you’re interested in working with a larger manufacturer, then check out options on online stores. Redbuddle is an online shop where over 700,00 independent artists sell their art on just about any product you can think of. This option is great for artists who may not have time to create products themselves.

 

Understand your Deal

Every licensing deal is different, so it is important as an artist to sit down and understand the terms. For some companies, you may be asked to create art that is specifically designed for them to manufacture. If you team up with a well-known company to license your art this most times means that they take care of work behind the scenes. From manufacturing, shipping, and customer service, none of these things will be on your hands. Look deep into your deals to see if you can license the same pieces of art to more than one company. The most important thing to consider in a licensing agreement is the responsibility of you as an artist and the amount of money you receive from sales.

 

Enjoy the Benefits

After licensing your art you will begin to gain new customers and attract followers on social media. Your sales won’t only increase through licensing but as well as your selling. It can take some time for your art to be noticed, but once it is, it’s up from there. By continuing to create art and selling it from your home or a local store, and licensing other pieces of art, you’ve created multiple streams of income for yourself! 

The Use of Light in Photography

Lighting is an incredibly important factor when it comes to an image. Light doesn’t just apply to the literal dark and brightness of the picture. The way lighting presents itself also affects the mood, tone, and atmosphere. If you want to make an impact with your photo, you need to consider how you manipulate and control the light. 

Shaping

Using a diffuser on your light source can alter the light’s glare and harshness when it falls on your subject. It gives your artificial light a more natural and softer looking result. You can diffuse light in multiple different ways without having to purchase additional equipment. Using umbrellas, sheer material, or softboxes will do the job. 

Manipulating

Light can be adjusted to fall on a specialized area of interest on your subject. An effect can be gained through the use of the previously mentioned diffusers. You can also use reflectors to manipulate the light. Collapsible reflectors are used to shape light or bounce a flashlight on the area you are attempting to highlight. Spotlights can also be covered in light shapers that allow you to have more control over how broad the light falls and the shape of the beam. 

Positioning

Positioning the light is another essential way of impacting how the light affects your image. The light that shines from behind the subject and points to the camera eliminates shadows and may make it more challenging to see. If light shines from behind the camera onto the subject of the image, it demonstrates flat lighting. Side lighting can also be used to throw a spotlight on certain features of the image’s subject as well. 

The most important rule to follow when it comes to experimenting is remembering that the process is just that, an experiment. Try out different diffusers, lighting shades, and angels until the story on your heart is able to be communicated to the world.

The Psychology Of Color (1)

The human brain is an incredible and complex system. We are continually taking in stimuli and processing on both subconscious and conscious levels. One aspect of natural life that we are always aware of, are colors. Our brain processes colors and what they mean every time we see a sweater, a piece of furniture, or a painting. Artist and marketing agencies alike are very aware that colors carry a psychological connotation. Commercials, advertisements, clothing brands, art shoes all use the psychology of color to appeal to an individual. 

 

Color psychology is defined as how colors affect perceptions and behaviors. The practice of color psychology is mostly dependent on how we use color to be primarily dependent on the experiences we have. We can’t assume that red represents passion for everyone. When we look at overall experiences for different demographics or geographical locations, we can make an educated guess on what common life experiences they are experiencing. From there, we can build a color profile on what colors may link to what feelings, thoughts, and memories. The bottom line is, there are no clearcut answers to which colors will be the most effective.

 

When creating an ad, marketing opportunity, or piece that needs to appeal to the human eye, try using some of these color categories in your art. 

 

Red

Red is a color that captures attention and draws the eye to it. Red is associated with danger, passion, energy, and action. In color, psychology red is usually classified as the most standout color. Famous brands like coco-cola and Youtube use red to draw attention to the product.

 

Yellow

The meaning behind yellow revolves around warmth and light. It evokes feelings of excitement, happiness, optimism, and positivity. Yellow is a cheery color that provides happy vibes and feelings. 

 

Keep an eye out for next month’s blog, where we will delve deeper into the psychology of color.

 

The World’s Best Street Art

Today, many cities commission artists to decorate walls, utility boxes, and selective areas as part of their beautification program. However, there are still artists and gangs around the world leaving their mark on the walls of their neighborhoods. Either way, street art has gained world recognition.

 

Street art has gained popularity in its expressive and uncensored nature. It also allows free viewing for those who are less inclined to visit a museum. Art within the environment is more likely to be seen and appreciated. These are five cities around the world with the most expressive street art.

 

Los Angeles

 

The City of Los Angeles considers graffiti illegal. Bold text and gang tags divide neighborhoods. As a result, L.A. commissions local artists to paint over graffiti and decorate its massive murals with colorful street art. Downtown’s Art District welcomes Latino heritage art on walls under freeways and neighborhoods. Guided tours are available to tourists for a more intimate look at the art on the walls.

 

London

 

North London in Camden or the Leake Street Tunnel near Waterloo are two places where street art is prevalent in London. The street art scene is huge in the neighborhoods of Shoreditch and Hackney. They are London’s locales for spray-painted walls such as Michelin-starred restaurants. Visitors can take a tour of Shoreditch to see London’s best artists.

 

Mexico City

 

Mexico City is the home to the most poetic, political, and traditional street art. Its neighborhoods of Juárez, Roma, and Condesa are known for the giant vivid murals. History and Latino culture are captured on the walls of businesses. Tours guided by graffiti artists are the best way to see Mexican art.

 

Buenos Aires

 

Both international and local artists have left their creative mark on massive murals on the streets of Buenos Aires. Political, traditional, and light-hearted collages adorn various neighborhoods (barrios). The barrios of San Telmo and Colegiales Crespos depict historical urban movements. Guided tours are the best way to connect street art with each barrio.

 

Berlin

 

Berlin’s graffiti-covered walls date back to the Cold War. The hip Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough houses the remaining stretch of what was once the Berlin Wall. Today it is known as Berlin’s East Side Gallery where 3-D street art adorns the facades of business and buildings. Visiting this neighborhood is the best way to explore Berlin’s art

How to Collect Art That is Meaningful to You

man looking at art

 

While navigating the art collecting sphere can be a daunting and sometimes a burdensome process, it is important to not lose sight of the specific reasons you are collecting these pieces. The nature of art collecting is very much grounded in passion and it is therefore essential to keep in mind that in fact scouting pieces that you are drawn to, have a particular interest in, and which you are able to create a good sized collection are all vital signs to move forward.

 

Purchase what you like

A big part of art collecting can entail purchasing art that is on the rise or is deemed by critics to appreciate in value exponentially in the coming years. The best course of action is to invest in art that you have a connection to and genuinely like. Some companies or services specialize in a model that appraises art based on artist, genre, date range, content, materials, size, coloration, style, etc. Be sure to take a look at the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (aka the IRS appraisal) for more information.

 

Research first

The internet can definitely be too overwhelming when deciding what kind of art collection to start, so visiting art galleries, connecting with individuals who work at museums and exploring different art vis-a-vis is the best way to narrow this down. Speaking with professionals in person can help you become involved in a market that has a high-cost barrier to entry (which can be very intimidating to the first time art collector).

 

Putting in the time

Above everything else, remember that crafting a successful art collection is a lengthy process. If you want your collection to have a specific focus, it makes more sense to purchase one or two more valuable pieces per year–to pursue quality rather than quantity.