Tag Archives: Sacred Circle Mandalas

Sweet Blog Award

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Pam of Magdalene Jewels has give my a Sweet Blog Award!! So I feel quite honored to be given an award which gives Thanks to “Sweet Friends: with kind words, sweet thoughts and good times” from someone I think is just as deserving of such an award. (borrowing from Pam) In accepting this award, I first must list 10 things that make me happy, then pass the “Sweet Blog Award” onto 10 bloggers whose blogs always make me smile! Here is the post with the details. Thank you so very much, Pam!!

Sweet Blog Award

Sweet Blog Award

The rules associated with this award are that I am to write 10 things that make me happy and then pass this award to 10 of my fellow bloggers:

Ok, first 10 things that make me HAPPY!!:

1. My daughter Jennifer who is mostly grown up (I don’t feel all grown up so I wouldn’t want to impose that on her).  We have a fantastic relationship and I love her dearly!

2. Susan, my best friend.  Our lives are filled with much work, art, networking, movies and more.  I am happy as we flow through life together!

3. Art!  I love making art (except when I don’t <grin>) and truly enjoy feeling traditional materials all squishy on my paper and hands.  Digital art is so wonderful the way it is so mutable and responsive.  All this art make my heart and soul sing!

4. Mediating and communing with the Spirits.  This is one of my deepest joys and I feel so happy and alive when I am so deeply connected to the Universe in a conscious way.

5. Working with a student or client who really, truly wants to learn. I love seeing the growing awareness of how things work – just so much satisfaction!

6. The sun on my face, a gentle breeze in the trees … feeling at peace and one with nature.

7. Color!! Anyone who knows my art knows I love color – I thrive on it and just feel so nourished by certain kinds of vibrant, colorful paintings and sites. Whether in the sky or in my or someone’s paintings, color makes me happy!

8. Watching movies with Susan and talking about them as we go – the colors, the dialogue, character development, what works, what doesn’t, what we think should be expanded on or changed.  Very happy!

9. Dancing to music, feeling in the flow, letting the music carry me along.

10. Traveling to different places, cultures and people.  Most of this has been in my own home, through books, movies, computer, imagination and listening to others. Hearing about different perspectives and viewpoints and learning how others see the world.  Allowing that to wash over me … sometimes shifting my ideas and other times feeling more certain in my own ways. Very uplifting.

Here are my nominees … all very fine and hard to choose with so many great blogs!! Know that I considered YOU!! Thank you! Here are my 10 I have chosen for the moment.

1. Jean Hood of Jean Levert Hood – Texas Hill Country Painter and my co-moderator of VAST and a delightful person

2. Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas – a very gifted mandala artist & good friend

3. Irene of The Green Stone Woman – courageous, strong, insightful and enjoyable woman and my most faithful commenter

4. Karen Faulkner of Karen Faulkner Art – creates colorful, delicate watercolors and you might remember I won her lovely painting

5. Lynda of Peripheral Vision – Inner Sights by Lynda Lehmann

6. Lisa of Lucky Dip – art and photography by Lisa Sarsfield

7. Kara of 1000 Faces 0f Mother Henna – creates vibrant, fun art and speaks deeply from her heart and soul

8. Lynne of An Artists’ Ramblings by Lynne Reichart – creates lovely art and has great giveaways regularly

9. Linda of Paintings in Watercolor – fantastic fine art by Linda Hammelman

10. Robin of Pocketful of Colors – Robin Maria Pedrero is a visual artist who must create!

This was fun to honor all these lovely artistic, creative people! Thanks for coming by!

~ Diane Clancy

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Selling Your Art – Part IX (CafePress vs Zazzle)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Yesterday I wrote a post asking Which Mug Do You Prefer? I showed two mugs that I created – one at CafePress and one at Zazzle and asked which people preferred.  More questions also came up from this post .. so I thought I would do another show and tell.  Further down are the links to the earlier parts of this ongoing series about marketing.

Freckles in Flowers II

Freckles in Flowers II, Digital © Diane Clancy

This is the original image that I have started with – one of my vibrant, colorful paintings.  It is a photograph of my best kitty that then I have digitally enhanced. Felicia Kramer asked “Question: did you do anything different when you submitted your artwork to the sites or was it basically identical?”   This is a fantastic question, Felicia, because I did do something very different.

Ocean Dreams Redbubble Print

Freckles in Flowers II CafePress Mug Template, Digital © Diane Clancy

CafePress and Zazzle each have templates that you can download so you can make sure you are prepping your files correctly to make your work come out great!  The first picture above is the template for the mug at CafePress … so you can see that I have put 2 sets of images there to be placed on the mug.  Most people only put one image so I thought putting 2 images was very creative!

Ocean Dreams Redbubble Print

Freckles in Flowers II Zazzle Mug Template, Digital © Diane Clancy

When I started at Zazzle – quite a bit later – I realized that I wanted people to be able to see my lovely kitty, Freckles, even more clearly – so I can up with using the image 3 times.  So this is one big difference.  I want to emphasize that the templates to begin with are not identical.

But there are a couple of other differences also.  The size of the 2 mugs are different …. I forget which is larger … but the image sits on the mug in various ways …you can see that from the pictures from yesterday’s post – there are links there to the actual mugs.  It looks like there is a lid to the Zazzle mug – I am not sure.  And obviously, Zazzle markets their mugs in an unusual way …  CafePress has the photo of the mug straight on – but Zazzle is at an angle and I think it is a very creative way to show a mug.

Awhile ago were Part I,  Part II, Part III, Part IVraman amplifier, Part V, Part VI,  Part VII and Part VIII in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.  There are a lot of details in all theses other posts too.

I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information – I am glad to share what I can and so are others! … thanks for coming by!!

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Premio MeMe Award

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Given that Susan has just been in surgery, I am going to take this day to create a lighter post to relax a little … tomorrow should be back to the Art Marketing.  I am delighted and amazed to receive the Premio MeMe Award from Carole of Art Plus Blog (readingsully2) and Pam of Always Artistic: The Blog – both who have very lovely artwork! Carole has a lovely blog Art Plus Blog and here is the post with all the details that go with this award – along with what she has shared.  Pam has a lovely blog Always Artistic: The Blog and here is her post with the details and her sharing. I am thrilled!! Thank you! An additional benefit – both of these wonderful blogs are involved in a blog giveaway – check them out to see the details!! What you need to do is very manageable!

Premio MeMe Award

Premio MeMe Award

The rules associated with this award are that I am to write seven little-known facts about myself, and then pass this award to seven of my fellow bloggers:

Ok, first 7 things about me:

1. I went cross county (the US and Canada) in a car in 1974 and it was one of the very best times of my life.

2. Taking off what Carole wrote – I truly enjoy watching Survivor and Amazing Race – they are the 2 shows I watch in real time – don’t call me then!

3. Again, taking off on what Carole wrote – I used to sing with Amandla (a singing group) and we sang in Boston when Nelson Mandala came to speak – he passed about 20 feet away from me!

4. I got mad about the treatment of women in the Last Tango in Paris (a movie) and I didn’t watch any movies for about 10 years.  Now I love watching movies – especially on video and DVD.

5. My daughter has been Mickey Mouse – in the real costume.

6. When I have the physical energy, I love dancing – being in the flow with unstructured movement.

7. I have a music box (a wooden carved squirrel) that my grandfather gave me when I was about a year old.

Here are my nominees … all very fine and hard to choose with so many great blogs!! Know that I considered YOU!! Thank you!

1. Jean Hood of Jean Levert Hood – Texas Hill Country Painter and my co-moderator of VAST and a delightful person

1. Sue O’Kieffee of Sacred Circle Mandalas – a very gifted mandala artist & good friend

3. Irene of The Green Stone Woman – courageous, strong, insightful and enjoyable woman and my most faithful commenter

4. Karen Faulkner of Karen Faulkner Art – creates colorful, delicate watercolors and you might remember I won her lovely painting

5. ZudaGay of Clay in the Hands – creates incredible clay mini-sculptures – they are incredible (I have one) and a lovely person

6. Brenda Thour of Brenda Thour – Wildlife & Landscape Artist – creates lovely art from nature and is a lovely person

7. Kara of 1000 Faces 0f Mother Henna – creates vibrant, fun art and speaks deeply from her heart and soul

This was fun to honor all these lovely artistic, creative people! Thanks for coming by!

~ Diane Clancy

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Selling Your Art – Part VII (Zazzle)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Recently were Part I,  Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V and Part VI in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling (much more to be said about that!), online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer, online selling from a shop where the site produces the merchandise and ships directly to the customer and an overviews of Etsy, 1000 Markets and CafePress.

Today we will focus on one online shop (Zazzle) where you the artist upload your images onto the shop site and then put those images onto merchandise that you choose. Then the shop itself (not you the artist) is the one who prints the item up and ships it directly to the customer.  Check back in Part III to refresh your memory of some of the pluses and minuses of this method of online selling if you like. I have 4 online shops currently where I put my paintings onto merchandise and then sell it right there from that site.  I will give you details about my 2 current favorites and tell you why I like them.  They are CafePress and Zazzle.  These are links directly to my shops – it is easy to go to the main pages from there. Some artists have other favorites and I hope you (they) will post about them in the comments!  Today we look at Zazzle.

This postage (YES, real actual US postage!!) from my Zazzle Shop showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Evening Stroll.   You can see that they also have room for the description to capture interest, details of what one is selling, and also the various views of your item. (Refer to earlier posts if you want more on this.)

Evening Stroll Postage

Evening Stroll Postage © Diane Clancy

I like Zazzle a whole lot!!  You can probably tell that I think their offering real US postage is amazing to me – I love it!! This process is similar to working in CafePress – but also different … so bear with me.  You can open a shop.   See Susan Elkin’s shop as an example of another shop. You can use one image on all items or a different one on each. A great thing about Zazzle is that it is free – you can have as many items as you like for free – unlike CafePress.  Also you get to set your own price markup.  As far as I know, Zazzle doesn’t mark down your items like CafePress does if you find an item through the main site instead of going directly to someone’s shop.

I started with CafePress – and have listed tons on items … just lots and lots – so the process is very familar to me.  It was what I started with.  Most people think Zazzle is easier to work with – in some ways it is.  There are fewer screens one needs to work through to get to finalizing one’s product. The last post focused on CafePress.  Since we have already talked about CafePress and since I know it better, I will sometimes use them as a reference point.

Zazzle works well and faster than CafePress – in some ways.  To be clear about the process (to prepare for writing this) I just listed 2 new products.  The first one took forever – it got locked into not being able to go to the next step – this happens to me quite frequently – which is why I am not fonder of Zazzle than I am.  The second item I was able to create quite quickly.  Another problem that I have with Zazzle is – the last time I checked, one also could not change the text on an item once it was created – I think this is a real mistake.

My problem is this – they seem to assume you know how to work with their templates … and they seem pretty obvious – but I am never sure if the process is just very buggy (that means things don’t work like they are supposed to) or if I am doing something wrong.  Whenever I have asked, and when it goes smoothly, it does seem like I am using the templates correctly.  But, for instance, I have been able to choose the font type maybe once out of every 5 items I make.  The rest of the time I end up using the default because I can’t get the font thing to work – even though I choose it and press close to show I accept it.  I do the same thing on the times it works and doesn’t work.  Remember I am a graphic designer used to using programs and I am sort of geeky – so it is not that I am computer-phobic!  I waste a lot of time trying to get from one step to another because it doesn’t seem to function correctly.

Zazzle also has templates for the items you want to put your images on – you can download them and work with the templates directly.  They also have the sizing info right there as are you are choosing an image for a new product.  This is fantastic – because it makes things potentially simpler – one can then bypass the templates.  One does still need to prep the image different ways for different items.  It can get a bit challenging – but doable.  Choose an item – put it in your shop – then upload the image you want to put on this item. Go ahead and put the image onto the merchandise …. after you put the image, you can write a description (as in Etsy, 1000 Markets and CafePress) and also put in tags.

Tags are important – tags are what allow someone to find your work out of all the 100,000’s of pieces that are there.  You can name this particular item – I use the name of the painting with the name of the type of merchandise.  They also have you choose which category your item goes into.  CafePress also has you do this – even though I didn’t mention it before.

Then you can set your price.  These kinds of PRINT ON DEMAND shops generally have a base price that you would pay if you bought your own work.  Then you set a price increase (by percentage) to add to the price so that you make something when someone buys your work.   This is where you make your money from this type of online selling.  Of course, you will want to strike a balance … more profit per item vs more affordable so PERHAPS more people will buy it.

You can add a banner to your shop and do some editing of how you present your online store.  My own way of marketing is that I strive to give some consistency and a similar feel to all my online marketing – it is not identical at all … but hopefully someone would recognize that it is me!

The variety of merchandise is great and they keep adding more.  I love seeing my work on all the various items!  I am not sure if there is a way to have sections to your shop or not.  But it is easy to choose to see all the mugs at once – but their links on the side.  It is also wonderful that there are fan clubs and you can join someone’s fan club. (I hope you will join mine – my Zazzle is here).  It is also a fantastic thing that people can leave comments for your shop and for individual items.  This makes it much more interactive with the collectors than at CafePress.  There is a community where you can interact with other people – I have not explored this at all.  I am sure (as everywhere else) that the more you connect with others, the more sales you make.

Sales – this brings us to a part some people don’t like.  When you sell your work at Etsy or 1000 Markets, you get paid directly, right away (usually), by the buyer.  Besides developing a relationship, you also get the money.  When selling from Zazzle (or other on demand shops) you get paid either once a year or when a certain amount of money accumulates.  So you don’t see the money quickly unless you are a very high volume seller.  This doesn’t bother me because I feel like it is money in the bank – but some people do not like this.  It is part of the package though.

Many people think Zazzle is the best online shop to put one’s images onto merchandise.  I have heard many people promote it over CafePress.  One still needs to pay attention to sizing images to some degree.  I like Zazzle and hopefully I can figure out how not to get so slowed down by the problems of setting up new merchandise – I do not know why that happens so consistenly for me.  But I love my shop and will continue with it.

As with ALL these different types of shops … one needs to market your own shop – and I need to do a lot more of that!

I have a shop at Imagekind – they sell prints of my paintings, framed and unframed, and also cards.  They are a very good, respected shop with an extensive selection of papers, canvas and frames.  I also have a shop at Redbubble – Redbubble sells paintings on paper, canvas and posters with different finishing for the prints.  They also sell t-shirts. Many people love both of there shops.

So I recommend both CafePress and Zazzle as the best for me so far.  I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information – I am glad to share what I can and so are others! … thanks for coming by!!

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Selling Your Art – Part VIII (Imagekind and Redbubble)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Recently were Part I,  Part II, Part III, Part IVraman amplifier, Part V, Part VI and Part VII in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling (much more to be said about that!), online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer, online selling from a shop where the site produces the merchandise and ships directly to the customer and an overviews of Etsy, 1000 Markets, CafePress and Zazzle.

Today we will focus on two online shops (Redbubble and Imagekind) where you the artist upload your images onto the shop site and then you choose which of their prints you want to offer. Then the shop itself (not you the artist) is the one who makes the print and ships it directly to the customer.  Check back in Part III to refresh your memory of some of the pluses and minuses of this method of online selling if you like. I have 4 online shops currently where I put my paintings online and then sell it right there from that site.  I will give you details about these two shops today -  Redbubble and Imagekind.  These are links directly to my shops – it is easy to go to the main pages from there. Some artists have other opinions and I hope you (they) will post about them in the comments!

This laminated print from my Redbubble Shop showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Ocean Dreams.   You can see that they also have room for the description to capture interest and details of what one is selling. (Refer to earlier posts if you want more on this.)

Ocean Dreams Redbubble Print

Ocean Dreams – Redbubble Print © Diane Clancy

This framed print from my Imagekind Shop showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Reflections in Blue I.   Again they have room for the description to capture interest and details of what one is selling. This is just one example.

Reflections in Blue I Imagekind framed

Reflections in Blue I Imagekind – Framed Print © Diane Clancy

Imagekind and Redbubble are very different in one way from CafePress and Zazzle.  With CafePress and Zazzle one can put one’s paintings on a large variety of merchandise.  With Redbubble and Imagekind one can sell a variety of prints (both also offer cards and Redbubble offers t-shirts).

With both Imagekind and Redbubble, the size file that you upload of your painting, determines what you can sell to your customers. This is very different from the other 2 shops.  Each shop gives the specifications for each of the sizes of their prints.  If one uploads the largest size. then all the variations are automatically available – IF you choose to let them be available.  This is a great ease compared to CafePress and Zazzle – it is lovely to load ONE variation for each painting, and then the sizes are automatically adjusted by the shop.  Also it makes the naming easy – all one needs to do is name each image one has uploaded.  So there is some real simplicity in these shops.

It is simpler in many ways – but also the choices are limited as to the type of item that is offered.  Imagekind has loads and loads of types of frames, mats and papers to customize your prints.  Redbubble gives choices of sizes from a greeting card up to a poster – with various finishings. Upload the image you want and then you can write a description (as in Etsy, 1000 Markets, CafePress and Zazzle) and also put in tags. Tags are important – tags are what allow someone to find your work out of all the 100,000’s of pieces that are there.

Then you can set your price.  These kinds of PRINT ON DEMAND shops generally have a base price that you would pay if you bought your own work.  Then you set a price increase to add to the price so that you make something when someone buys your work.   This is where you make your money from this type of online selling.  Of course, you will want to strike a balance … more profit per item vs more affordable so PERHAPS more people will buy it.

You have a shop and you can customize your shop – at least to some degree.  If you have a paid membership at Imagekind (I don’t), then you can have multiple galleries.  At Imagekind one can have fans and be a fan to other galleries.   At Redbubble you can have a watchlist and be on other people’s watchlists.

There is are communities where you can interact with other people – I have not explored this at all.  I am sure (as everywhere else) that the more you connect with others, the more sales you make.

Sales – this brings us to a part some people don’t like.  When you sell your work at Etsy or 1000 Markets, you get paid directly, right away (usually), by the buyer.  Besides developing a relationship, you also get the money.  When selling from Imagekind and Redbubble (or other on demand shops) you get paid either once a year or when a certain amount of money accumulates.  So you don’t see the money quickly unless you are a very high volume seller.  This doesn’t bother me because I feel like it is money in the bank – but some people do not like this.  It is part of the package though.  So far I have sold one print at Imagekind and nothing at Redbubble … but I have not marketed them as well as I could.

As with ALL these different types of shops … one needs to market your own shop – and I need to do a lot more of that!

I have a shop at CafePress where I sell tiles, mugs, journals, bags and more. I also have a shop at Zazzle where I sell postage, mugs, cards, postcards and more.  Many people love both of there shops. Imagekind is wonderful for creating prints on a great variety of papers and Redbubble has a great variety prints and t-shirts.

I am hoping Christopher will share about templates at Zazzle – I don’t know about them and he thinks they are great.  I would LOVE to know more about them!

I recommend both CafePress and Zazzle as the best for me so far.  I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information – I am glad to share what I can and so are others! … thanks for coming by!!

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Selling Your Art – Part VI (CafePress)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Recently were Part I,  Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling (much more to be said about that!), online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer, online selling from a shop where the site produces the merchandise and ships directly to the customer and an overviews of Etsy and 1000 Markets.

Today we will focus on one online shop (CafePress) where you the artist upload your images onto the shop site and then put those images onto merchandise that you choose. Then the shop itself (not you the artist) is the one who prints the item up and ships it directly to the customer.  Check back in Part III to refresh your memory of some of the pluses and minuses of this method of online selling if you like. I have 4 online shops currently where I put my paintings onto merchandise and then sell it right there from that site.  I will give you details about my 2 current favorites and tell you why I like them.  They are CafePress and Zazzle.  These are links directly to my shops – it is easy to go to the main pages from there. Some artists have other favorites and I hope you (they) will post about them in the comments!  Today we look at CafePress and the next time at Zazzle.

This journal from my CafePress Shop showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Underground.   You can see that they also have room for the description to capture interest, details of what one is selling, and also the various views of your item. (Refer to earlier posts if you want more on this.)

Underground Journal

Underground Journal © Diane Clancy

I love CafePress – it is the first place that I put my paintings onto merchandise – and this has been a dream of mine for over a decade!  I can’t tell you how magical it was the first time I saw MY painting on a mug!! WOW!!  I was (and still am) thrilled!  So this idea really works for me.  I want to make my work accessible and affordable to a wide range of people – this has always been part of my plan to make this happen.

This is not a one step process though … so bear with me.  You can open a shop.  A free shop is where you can have one of each different item that CafePress has.  So that is quite a lot!  They have tons of different shirts and you can have one of each type.  Last I looked there were 3 different types of mugs and you can have one of each type.  See Susan Elkin’s shop as an example of a free (basic) shop. You can use one image on all items or a different one on each.  The limit of a free shop is only one item of each kind.

Given that I want you to be able to choose from lots of my mugs, I chose to do a premium (paid) shop.  You can easily start with a free shop and then upgrade if you like.  I did that myself. So get your shop and shop name and you are ready to start.  You can have unlimited basic (free) shops – but I like the idea of various paintings all together.

You need to download their templates for the items you want to put your images on.  This is one of the trickier parts of CafePress – one needs to prep the image different ways for different items.  It can get a bit challenging – but doable.  Choose an item – put it in your shop – then upload the image you want to put on this item. Go ahead and put the image onto the merchandise …. after you put the image, you can write a description (as in Etsy and 1000 Markets) and also put in tags.

Tags are important – tags are what allow someone to find your work out of all the 100,000’s of pieces that are there.  There is a limit on the amount of tags (as most shops have a limit) and a limit on the number of characters (including spaces) that you can put in your description.  You can name this particular item – I use the name of the painting with the name of the type of merchandise.

Then you can set your price.  These kinds of PRINT ON DEMAND shops generally have a base price that you would pay if you bought your own work.  Then you set a price increase (by percentage or dollar amount) to add to the price so that you make something when someone buys your work.   This is where you make your money from this type of online selling.  Of course, you will want to strike a balance … more profit per item vs more affordable so PERHAPS more people will buy it.  There is a new situation at CafePress that I do NOT like at all.  It is my understanding that they cap your price increase to 10% when people find your work by searching by tag.  I personally think this cheapens the work and makes it too cheap and is unfair to the artist.  I spend quite a lot of time preparing the work and then …. but as for now, those are the new rules.

When you have a premium (paid) shop, you can work on the shop template and make quite a few changes to make the shop look how you want.  My own way of marketing is that I strive to give some consistency and a similar feel to all my online marketing – it is not identical at all … but hopefully someone would recognize that it is me!

The variety of merchandise is fantastic and they keep adding more.  I love, love, love seeing my work on all the various items!  You can have sections of your (paid) shop so that I have one section with all mugs and another with tiles.  There is a community where you can interact with other people – I have not explored this at all.  I am sure (as everywhere else) that the more you connect with others, the more sales you make.

Sales – this brings us to a part some people don’t like.  When you sell your work at Etsy or 1000 Markets, you get paid directly, right away (usually), by the buyer.  Besides developing a relationship, you also get the money.  When selling from CafePress (or other on demand shops) you get paid either once a year or when a certain amount of money accumulates.  So you don’t see the money quickly unless you are a very high volume seller.  This doesn’t bother me because I feel like it is money in the bank – but some people do not like this.  It is part of the package though.

Needing to prepare the images so differently for the various items, is one reason many people are not thrilled with CafePress.  Given that I had a system set up before I know about other shops, means that it bothers me less than it bothers some people.  Also there are a lot of steps for uploading, putting the image on, adding a description, adding tags … there are some short cuts to make some changes … but some people find it a little complicated.  My main issue is that they have cut my profit arbitrarily if someone finds me through tags.  I think that is a bad decision and a wrong one.  But I love my shop and will continue with it.

As with ALL these different types of shops … one needs to market your own shop – and I need to do a lot more of that!

I have a shop at Imagekind – they sell prints of my paintings, framed and unframed, and also cards.  They are a very good, respected shop with an extensive selection of papers, canvas and frames.  I also have a shop at Redbubble – Redbubble sells paintings on paper, canvas and posters with different finishing for the prints.  They also sell t-shirts. Many people love both of there shops.

So I recommend both CafePress and Zazzle as the best for me so far.  I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information – I am glad to share what I can and so are others! … thanks for coming by!!

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Selling Your Art – Part V (1000 Markets)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Recently were Part I,  Part II, Part III, and Part IV in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling (much more to be said about that!), online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer, online selling from a shop where the site produces the merchandise and ships directly to the customer and an overview of Etsy.

Today we will focus on one online shop (1000 Markets) where you the artist (and seller) ship directly to the customer.  Check back in Part II to refresh your memory of some of the pluses and minuses of this method of online selling if you like. I have several online shops where I ship directly to the buyer – there are LOTS to chose from.  I will give you details about my 2 current favorites and tell you why I like them.  They are Etsy and 1000 Markets.  These are links directly to my shops – it is easy to go to the main pages from there. Some artists have other favorites and I hope you (they) will post about them in the comments!  Yesterday we looked at Etsy and today will be 1000 Markets.

This Art Card, ACEO from my 1000 Markets Shop showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Reflections in Blue III.  1000 Markets is my other favorite online place to sell where I ship directly to the buyer.  You can see that they also have room for the description to capture interest, details of what one is selling, and also the various views of your item. (Refer to yesterday’s post if you want more on this.)

Reflections in Blue III-ACEO

Reflections in Blue III-ACEO © Diane Clancy

1000 Markets has a similar concept to teams – but these are called Markets.  Each Market is focused on a theme – whether it be ACEOs, Photography, Hats, the 60’s …. here is where you can see them all – there are tons of Markets!! Like Etsy, you have your own shop … then you can join (or apply) to Markets to team up with others to promote and market together.  Again, like Etsy, anyone can join 1000 Markets – you don’t have to sell to join this site. One does have to have their shop approved once it is set up – before it can go public.  But that is probably a good thing to make sure things are a reasonable quality and to make sure it is not an shop that is selling illegal copies of paintings.

One great thing about the Markets as opposed to teams (Etsy) is that each Market has its own marketplace you can go.  At Etsy, VAST (Visual Artists Street Team) does not have a place where buyers can go to see what different team members sell.  1000 Markets gives each Market a marketplace.  Here is the marketplace for ACEOs – Art Cards, Editions and Originals.  This is a team I belong to and they are wonderful and active.

The Markets have another level of visibility and promotability that I don’t think the teams at Etsy have. This is part of why I like them so much.  And the Market structure and the set-up of the marketplace for each Market give another level of interaction with the customer.  Even my own shop at 1000 Markets has more built-in tools for promoting myself as an artist.  One’s shop cannot go public until you have a good amount of information there – it also protects the customer to make sure things are interesting.

People seem to feel that 1000 Markets has incredible potential.  It is fairly new and supposedly they are going to promote it well.  Perhaps it is more art-friendly than Etsy.  I enjoy it quite a bit!!  I like that the Markets I belong to have a real marketplace where we are promoting our work through the Market directly (unlike Etsy) …  I like how the team can discuss things together right there … in structured forums and not just through email.

Now I have not made a sale there yet … but I like how it works a lot.  I need to get going on marketing my shops again … so hopefully my sales in general will pick up again.  I have not spent as much time on 1000 Markets as I have on Etsy – I don’t know its potential as well.   I like the look and feel of 1000 Markets. I enjoy it a lot!  (Sue, your second criteria.)

I also have a shop at ArtFire – I have a free shop so I can have only 10 items.  Also, they do not promite my shop like they promote the paid shops.  I would love to hear how some others like ArtFire … I know a lot of people have started shops there … the jury seems to be out on whether ArtFire is good to be at. I have sold one item there – from someone that I know from other parts of the internet.   I have a shop at iCraft.ca – Creativity without Borders.  I have sold one item there – to someone that I never met before iCraft.

So I recommend both Etsy and 1000 Markets as the best for me so far.  I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information … thanks for coming by!!

UPDATE: 1000 Markets has closed and Artfire no longer has free shops

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Selling Your Art – Part IV (Etsy)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Recently were Part I,  Part II and Part III in this art marketing series – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” I have been getting some good feedback from various people that this is being helpful to them.

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling (much more to be said about that!), online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer, and online selling from a shop where the site produces the merchandise and ships directly to the customer.

Today we will focus on one online shop (Etsy) where you the artist (and seller) ship directly to the customer.  Check back in Part II to refresh your memory of some of the pluses and minuses of this method of online selling if you like. I have several online shops where I ship directly to the buyer – there are LOTS to chose from.  I will give you details about my 2 current favorites and tell you why I like them.  They are Etsy and 1000 Markets.  These are links directly to my shops – it is easy to go to the main pages from there. Some artists have other favorites and I hope you (they) will post about them in the comments!  I have decided to break this post into 2 parts … the length is way too long to read I think … so tomorrow will be 1000 Markets.

This is a framed print from my Etsy shop that showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Conundrum I.  If you check out this link, you will see that I have different views of this collage.  Most of the shops allow you to have several images of your art.  I have the image itself, the print matted and the print framed.

Inner Flow II Framed Tile

Inner Flow II Framed Tile © Diane Clancy

If you notice, I also have a short story or description of the painting.  This gives one a way, a hook,  to bring the customer into the image … it helps draw someone into the picture and perhaps enhances their experience of our artwork.  Given that our collectors are collecting us, “the artist,” besides the painting … it is useful to reflect to them our way of looking at this image.  Of course, people can always have their own relationship with our painting … but this can be useful.  Most if not all of the shops allow you to entice the collector in this way.  Of course, one would also put other details about the item to inform the buyer.

But what makes Etsy different?  The question some of you are waiting to hear answered.  One of the best things about Etsy is the teams that are there.  You can join (or apply) to teams that interest you.  Some of the teams really work together to market and support each other.  Teams can be based on various interests – where one lives, what kind of work one sells, one’s age, one’s special interests … the list goes on and on.  Take a peek here to look at the teams (there are over 450).  I started to sell at Etsy once I got active on a couple of teams.

Through the teams one becomes more 3-dimensional … and remember, people are buying the artist, not just the art.  Many, but not all, of my sales have come from relationships I have built by being active in the Etsy community.  To get back to Sue’s question – Etsy is where (by far!!!) I have made the most money from online sales where I directly ship to people.  I have a fair amount of sales.  Many of them are for smallish amounts, but for quite awhile I had a steady flow of sales.

Another wonderful thing about Etsy is treasuries!  Here is the link to the treasuries – they are called “Curated, Shopping Galleries.” Anyone who is registered at Etsy can create a treasury.  One chooses 12 items and makes a mini-gallery – often with a theme.  Most of my sales from people who didn’t know me at all have come from treasuries … they are a great marketing tool!

Downsides of Etsy – one has to be registered at Etsy to buy an item.  Many sellers have requested a method to allow buyers to just drop in and buy … freely!  There are so many different shops now that one needs to work to stand out.  Art is not the best seller at Etsy – in many ways crafts have tended to sell better there – though the artists are working to change that.  The other shop owners at Etsy (and the buyers too) are part of what is great at Etsy!!  I have a how-to get started at Etsy if you want me to write up that post here – I don’t think I have posted it yet – I wrote it for the Artists Resource site a couple of us had started. We can certainly talk more about Etsy on another day … and feel free to make comments and I will do my best to anser them.

So I recommend Etsy as a place to open a shop for sure.  It has gotten some good publicity.  I welcome hearing from others what your experiences and thoughts are!!  We may differ for sure!  I hope that we can help each other know the strengths of each shop.  Please feel free to ask questions to get more information … thanks for coming by!!  I will post the 1000 Markets in the morning – it is already written – I just broke this post into 2 to make it more readable.

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Sue O’Kieffe’s Mandala Giveaway!!

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) has a wonderful giveaway!!  Here is the post with the details.  It is very simple to enter and she creates FANTASTIC mandalas!!  Don’t know what they are?  Go check out her blog!

Sue's Mandalas Giveaway

Sue’s Mandalas Giveaway

Sue has started selling her lovely mandalas!!  Check it out!! Sue has a great newsletter she just started too.  It is easy to sign up for it when you enter (if you like – no pressure).  Thank you for checking Sue’s giveway and mandala’s out!! How are you doing? Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

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Selling Your Art – Part III (Online Marketing)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Yesterday was Part II in this series and the day before was Part I – this is all in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?”

What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  We have already done an overview of offline selling and online selling from a shop where you the seller ship directly to your customer.  Today we will talk about the other kind of online shop.  After that I will talk about specifics. This is a framed tile from CafePress that showcases my vibrant, colorful painting of Inner Flow II.

Inner Flow II Framed Tile

Inner Flow II Framed Tile © Diane Clancy

Yesterday we covered selling online when the customer orders directly from you the seller – whether from your own website or blog or from one of the numerous online shops where you can list your work.  You ship directly from the buyer and they pay you directly.

After selling for awhile from these types of shops, I discovered another type of online selling.  There are shops where I can upload my own images from my paintings onto the site of the shop.   They then can print their merchandise with my image when someone wants to purchase it.

WOW!  What a concept!! They print, they ship, they bill, they deal with breakage and replacement, they deal with bounced payments, they deal with returns.  Sounds like a good deal to me!

There are ways that this does work incredibly well … I prepare the image of my painting (which depending on the shop can take quite some effort), then upload it (some shops upload more quickly than others), I put in descriptions and tags (depending on the shop), decide which types of items I will be selling this painting on … and list this painting in the shop.

Actually, it makes sense to decide what you want to place the image on first – because preparing the file depends on what item it is going on.  Also sometimes there are issues with color and such, depending on the type of object on which you have them print your painting,

Some shops sell only prints of an image – that is, they print on paper (or canvas, etc) – a print that you could frame.  That is something that I sell myself from my own home.  But they are able to sell the print with many choices of printing surfaces and lots of different choices in framing.  They are also able to print more inexpensively than I am able due to economies of scale.

Other shops sell lots of different merchandise.  So I can have my paintings on mugs, tiles, cards, shirts, postage (real US postage), journals, shoes, caps … the list keep getting longer as these stores offer more choices in merchandise.  So this is a great way to keep my images on THINGS – something I have wanted to do for over a decade.

They do the printing … and they PRINT ON DEMAND.  That is, they print my painting on a mug, only when some orders one.  I don’t have to buy 500 mugs with 1 image, pay the printer, store them at my house, ship them when someone buys one, absorb the cost when one breaks … you get the idea.  They have all that hassle.

The trade-off?  I don’t see the mug unless I buy one … so I am not sure of the quality printing and not sure how my color looks on their mug.  They get the bulk of the money for the sale.  They will have a “Base Price” – that is the price I would pay for buying my own work – then I can set an amount higher than that.  That way, when someone buys a framed tile, then I will get a certain amount of money credited to my account.

Ah, money credited to my account … that raises another issue.  Usually with these kind of shops, you don’t get paid that often.  Many times it will take awhile for the money to accumulate – and you don’t see that money until … well, each shop has a different agreement on how they handle the money.  Some artists find this very aggravating.  Also the amount I make on each sale is fairly small – especially when you look at the time I put in preparing the product.

I LOVE that my paintings are on merchandise that you can buy and use every day at home.  I so wanted that to happen.  Some of the other downsides?  I haven’t developed a relationship with you … you may not remember who the artist is unless I put my name or website intp the painting – in a readable way.   One woman has bought 50 cards of my Conundrum I painting (in 3 different orders) – all I know is her first name, town and state.  I cannot fillow up with her as a potential customer.  Clearly, she seems a satisfied customer – but she is not really MY customer. That is part of the trade-off.

Next I will cover the specific shops and move toward Sue’s original question. It helps me think to have written all this down and I sure hope it helps you!!

Tomorrow will be Illustration Friday and then I will return to the marketing (or maybe Sue O’kieffe’s giveway and then marketing).  Today is my birthday and it is decade changing.  Thanks for all your good wishes!! Thank you for stopping by!!

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Selling Your Art – Part II (Online Marketing)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Yesterday was Part I in response to Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) who recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  Yesterday I gave an overview of offline selling. Today is the overview of one type of online selling – the post got long enough to break the online selling into 2 days. After that I will talk about specifics. This real US postage from Zazzle showcases my vibrant, colorful Fanciful Animal Images painting of Freckles in Flowers II. Freckles in Flowers II Postage © Diane Clancy There are 2 basic ways I sell online. The way I originally started selling online was that I create the art and then sell the item to the customer directly (often through a store).  Once a customer chooses an item, they pay for that item and then I ship it directly to them.  Once they get the product, if they bought through a shop, often they will leave feedback (hopefully positive!) and I leave feedback too. This is lovely to have the direct contact with the buyer.  They can contact or email me to ask questions beforehand.  They can … [CLICK TO READ MORE]

Selling Your Art – Part I (Offline Marketing)

Diane Clancy Art Blog Posted on by

Sue O’Kieffe of Sacred Circle Mandalas (http://sacred-circle-mandalas.blogspot.com) recently wrote me “i am curious to know out of all the ways you sell your art, which is the most profitable for you and which is the most enjoyable?” What a great question, Sue!!  I know some other artists sometimes read my blog – I hope everyone will chime in – this could be very helpful to us all!  There is a handful of sites that I use regularly and really enjoy.  I am really looking forward to hearing from others too!  This is mug from CafePress showcases my vibrant, colorful bubblescape painting of Violet Mist. Violet Mist Mug © Diane Clancy Today I am going to give an overview of the ways I sell my work offline – and what works about these ways and what doesn’t.  Tomorrow I will give an overview of the online ways I sell my art. The next day I will talk about specific sites and venues and what I like. (This post was getting too long and I know I prefer to read shortish posts). But I will probably write them all today so they hang together. There are 4 basic ways I sell – 2 offline and 2 online.  Locally I sell to stores or have items on consignment.  This is great because there is no running to the post office to send things off.  Consignment doesn’t work as well as an outright sale of course because there is no money paid to me … [CLICK TO READ MORE]