to try to sell my art

[musicforsmorks]

I am a self employed illustrator. been doing it for 15 yrs. I mainly work via commission, licensing and online venues.
business is good, but does fluctuate monthly, so I was planning on seeking about 16 hours employed work to supplement my income - before covid sprang up!

Of course, I have concerns about that at the moment as I have no recent experience outside of my self employment, and it seems everyone suddenly needs that 16 hour job at Tesco!

lately, discussing this is DP, he said why not give yourself a few months to open an etsy shop, as well as my personal website, etc, and try to sell some of my original paintings and watercolours.

now, 12 yrs ago I had a very successful store online selling them, and often pulled in around £1000 per week. I stopped after a few years due to the death of a family member and just seemed to forget about it as sales had become slow.

would you try this again now, considering the work was very sell-able before? I guess there's nothing to lose, but I kinda wanted a small 'guaranteed' income, and this wouldn't necessarily be.....

I already have a lot of online outlets for my current work (of a very different style) so know what I'm doing.

Or should I just try very hard to get a 16hr job in a shop, like a sensible person, etc?

@instaclicks that sounds great! sadly I never could get a following, even though I have 3 instagrams. my work does fairly well but not via social media.

I think I am insta-cursed!

Wow, your art is stunning.

Lovely work.
Put your 'we ll go walking ' on insta as lockdown easing theme....

thanks:)

I think my issues with instagram are that I find it hard to 'play along'.

I like supporting others there but have difficulties with the 'in my happy place' vibe that feels fake to me.

I don't post often, and can't do the talk....I am not blessed

Your work is something I could see selling incredibly well right now it's very aesthetic and minimalist not to mention absolutely lovely. It'd fit in with a lot of the more popular home styles currently.

"we'll go walking" has been up for a while, it got about 5 likes.
but again, I don't maintain my instas.

Wow!! your art is amazing ! I love it!!

the thing is, this does sell well, but I want to market some older stuff which I haven't linked to as I don't have it online.

to hopefully boost my income a bit.

it is very fairytale and gothic. nothing like my recent work.
will try to grab a few pics.

this is the very old stuff (2006-2012), that used to sell so well, it just isn't very contemporary and looks incoherent on instagram.
its very...... niche.

www.instagram.com/artandghosts/?hl=en

my original paintings are more akin to my new work (minimal, abstract, landscapes, etc)

A good friend of mine is a very successful illustrator and she’s been blogging about opening an online shop over lockdown and various things she has found to be successful and not, if of interest
www.missmagpiefashionspy.com/blog

I bought from local illustrator I spotted on instagram. She does local buildings and in a very cute way. Also can personalise the prints so I bought another as a present.

Your stuff looks good so why not.

I think my issues with instagram are that I find it hard to 'play along'. I like supporting others there but have difficulties with the 'in my happy place' vibe that feels fake to me.
Tbh it doesn't matter what it feels to you. It's business in this case. You go in, showcase your stuff, promote it and don't care if anyone fakes happy vibes. It's very powerful visual medium. Smile and wave. Smile and wave.

I think you should.

I think you should also post this on furry sites as apparently those degenerates will pay good money for images of their ‘fursona’. This might sound like a joke but I promise it’s not! Try Reddit.

And just in general on Reddit also. I bought a print of a beautiful painting I saw on there, although the artist had her own site not Etsy.

Also. I followed you. Because it's pretty. Bit dark for me, bit pretty. And I have just pretty things on my insta😁

I was also going to suggest looking at using print-on-demand sites for tshirts and mugs and so on. Looking at your links, some of your older stuff might do very well in other formats like that. Your first link with more recent stuff- what struck me was that some could make wonderful duvet covers! I know I have seen sites that can print things like that also. It might be that you'd need to invest in a trial to check that your files will print up well - if you did do that, photograph the results and use that in your advertising then order as required if you get orders.

Good luck, you deserve this to work!

Instagram is a great way to reach an audience/ market but you need to get smart about it and need to post consistently. Get involved in some of the art challenges and follow people with a similar vibe. It's not about playing nice, be true to yourself but start checking tags that are being used. I find a lot with insta that the artists I enjoy most are the ones who show work in progress, it feels more interactive although obviously not

@musicforsmorks Have you thought of YouTube lessons on digital drawing, watercolour etc? Does not have to be long - 5-7 min.
My daughter actually watches and follows some artists.
As far as I understand you get paid from YouTube if you have number of watchers.

oooh the miss magpie link is fabulous!

I love your art in both styles. Amazing. Maybe you could sell canvases on Amazon? Wall art sells quite a lot on there I think?

thanks for the ideas.

and you're right, I am stupid not to push it further online. I am very introverted even behind a keyboard and find it difficult to 'smile and wave'.
but I shall try.

I already have recent imagery on duvet covers, etc, they work really well. I'm kind of really content with my recent stuff, but do need to expand - either bringing the old gothic stuff back to etsy or maybe selling original watercolours.

I also have no idea now how to get prints done up in the uk. most of what I do now involves sharing files via dropbox and digital uploads.

and is it even safe to post art in the mail now - are deliveries really slow?
ive no idea!

@musicforsmorks

thanks, it is tempting. sadly the market is super saturated these days so no idea if work would sell. but it definitely did before.

Many people are trying to avoid amazon because of their poor working conditions, tax evasion and donations to causes that erode womens rights. And of course their massive carbon footprint. So many people are looking for small independants to buy from. I've been doing this for a while but I'm not a great consumer anyway.

People do seem to be more likely to support small, local businesses at the moment so definitely give it your all and see how it goes. Good luck.

@Fairenuf thanks, I am not a fan of amazon. I do prefer it to feel more personalised, too.

Sounds like a good idea! I think I read somewhere that searches for art prints were up 100-200% during Covid as people look to adorn the walls that have been containing them

Yes I would defo go for it! Sounds like you have nothing to lose .If you are really struggling ,what is to stop you from doing it as a sideline in the evenings /days off and do a P/T job.Either way its worth a shot surely ?

I'd be careful with Etsy, it is flooded with stuff and the hoops you have to go through to actually sell well on there now are a nightmare.

Use it for a couple of items just so you have an etsy store if folk ask for one.

Use your own website for real sales.

Really, use instagram, properly, to draw people in, its where folk are looking. Post twice a week, give your instagram a nice, uniform, attractive look so really consider the content and stick with it. Research your hashtags on there as well, make sure they are up to date and they are hashtags YOU follow too.

I really think Insta is going to be better and less work than Etsy.