Arty Business Ep.8: Merch

Hello hello my darling friends and Patrons, my dearly beloved makers! I’m excited to talk to you today about one of my favorite parts of my illustration business: creating your own fabulous Arty Merchandise!

Of course there are a thousand avenues to making money as an artist, and making and selling products is absolutely not necessary for all people. Some people find making and selling products take up to much time and prefer to focus on client work or getting a studio position. But for many who are early in their art career, making and selling merch can be a great way to make extra money, stretch their creative and entrepreneurial muscles, and demonstrate to clients and employers the economic viability of their art. 

For some, (like me!) turning a piece of art into a useable product is one of the most fulfilling and exciting parts of being an artist. I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t yet! As always, I suggest starting small and growing with interest and as your confidence and funds improve.

I’ll start the article by offering some product ideas in order of ease and cost, starting from most accessible/affordable to more complicated/expensive. The rest of the articles is some concepts I keep in mind while developing my products and planning for my future stock. I hope this guide can give some confidence to anyone considering making their own Arty Products, and spark some ideas for those already in the game. Alrighty, let’s get merchin’!

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My first products in 2018: Hand-cut prints and stickers, hand-made clay earrings.

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+Print on Demand! These online shops let you upload your own artwork, arrange them on your choice of products, and sell them through their shop. They print and ship based on individual orders, and pay you a small percentage of each sale. So there’s no cost to the artist and no storage space needed. I tried it out right when I got started as an illustrator, and although I never made a single sale, seeing my art applied to all kinds of products was super inspiring, and got me in the habit of picturing my art in a functional way. I don’t necessarily recommend POD shops as a reliable income stream for beginner artists, but it’s still a great first step if you’re not ready to invest in your own stock.

+($0-$100ish)! Low on funds/space but have lots of time/energy? Get a few products printed at your local Fed Ex, Staples, etc, use your own/parents/friend’s printer, cut them by hand at the shop or at home with an affordable paper cutter. Buy some materials that excite you from a craft store and make something super cool. Get some secondhand shirts/bags/glasses/etc. and hand paint your design on them. Also! Offer some digital products like e-books and downloadable wallpapers at no cost to you!

• E-Books!
• Downloadable Wallpapers!
• Cheaper Prints, Mini Prints
• Postcards
• Bookmarks
• Hand-cut Stickers
• Clay Earrings, Pins, Necklaces, Figurines
• Hand painted sketchbooks, Mirrors, Bags, Shirts...
• Zines, Classic Photocopier Style
• Shrinky Dink Jewelry/Charms/etc.

+ ($100-$800ish)! Are your smaller products selling well, are your handmade products taking up too much of your time, or have you devoted more space for stock storage? Try upgrading some of your products! For prints, try ordering them from a local or online print shop, or invest in a nicer art printer. This is the stage I’m currently in, (as of January 2020!’

• Nicer/ Bigger Prints
• Fancier quality soft cover zines, art books, comics
• Stickers (not hand cut)
• Greeting cards
• Enamel or Wooden Pins
• Patches
• Hand-screen or block printed Shirts, Totes, etc.

+ ($800-$3000ish)! Have a good amount of reliable money to invest, space for storage, and steady audience interest? It might be time to invest in some more serious business products! If you’re selling so many hand printed/made products that you can’t keep up, it’s also a good time to seriously raise your prices on the handmade products or outsource your production. A lot of these products require a pretty high minimum order amount/ price.

• Posters, Giclée, Letterpress, Risograph, Fine Art Prints
• Woven blankets
• Bulk Screen printed Sweatshirts, Totebags, Shirts...
• Printed Mugs, pencil bags, socks...
• Hardcover Art Books
• Greeting Cards
• Tarot Decks
• Enamel Earrings, Charms

My most recent order of 3 enamel pins, a big purchase (for me), but a way to move my business forward!

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+ Research! By reading this article you’re already achieving this step, congratulations! If I’m preparing for anything, I spent lots of time doing research, and creating new products is no different. Do some Googlin’ or Pinterestin’ for existing specific products, and see if there are either trends or holes in the market you’d like to take advantage of. Walk around a convention, market, or art shop to see what kind of products artists are selling. Talk to artists and ask what sells best for them.  Message an artist friend and ask them what they think of selling their new product. I hope this isn’t rude, and if it is, I don’t think it should be! Artists are a team, and are usually happy to share their thoughts and experiences.

+ Subject! My main consideration when when designing a new product is trying to create something I would want to buy. Often I try to fill in the blank of “I wish I would see more (Insert Product here) that look like ________!” If I’m making a print I try to visualize what kind of art I would love to hang on my wall. I also consider how a new design will fit in with the rest of my business aesthetic, what’s sold well in the past, and (usually) something that can be generally accessible to people.

Also, try to use the art that you’ve already made when you can! I feel like I get stuck in a rut with this, but there’s no need to make brand new art for every product you want to make. Sometimes the important thing is just to get your stuff up for sale, so don’t write off existing works of yours as options for subject matter.

+ Raising funds! My current fundraising strategy for merch has been starting as small as possible and continuing to invest my profits into larger and larger projects. I started by hand-making clay pins for ~$40, 6 months later I saved enough to buy my first set of soft enamel pins for $300, a year after that I invested in 3 hard enamel pins for $900. And so on! Start small and gradually grow your Arty investments.

Other ways to help pay for merch include preorders, where you offer your product for sale ahead of the product arriving. Kickstarter can be another way to get the funds for a project, but it does involve a fair amount of work, branding, and marketing.

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+ Get Ethical! One of the easiest ways to be more confident that your products are ethically made is to source them from local businesses rather than mysterious online companies. That way you’re putting your money directly into your local maker economy. Buy your art supplies from your local art shop rather than Amazon (when you can), get your prints from a local print shop, and collaborate with other local makers in any way you can. Buy your supplies (earring hook, printing screens...) from a reputable Etsy seller. Seek supplies made with sustainable and recycled materials, and continue to review where you can improve as funds increase.

+ Storage Space! Decide how much storage space you want to reserve for your products, and keep that in mind while choosing which products to stock. Many products can take a year or more to sell out, especially when you’re getting started, so think of what you have room to store for that long. For example, stickers, pins, small prints can take up very little space depending on how much you buy. Mugs, clothing, and posters can take up tons of space.

+ Leftover Stock! I highly recommend starting small with your inventory and gradually growing. Even still, it’s likely you’ll end up with some leftover stock at some point that you’re ready to discontinue. Announcing that you’re discontinuing and/or applying a sale to an item can help it sell faster. Host a giveaway on your social media. A really common practice is adding your older/discontinued products as a freebie to larger online orders. When all else fails give them as gifts to your friends or family!

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R  E  S  O  U  R  C  E  S

•  Artist Alley International Facebook Page : My friend and patron Lucy Kagan recommends this group as a wonderful resource on ordering illustrated products, among many other Artist Alley topics.
• Society6 & Redbubble : Two of the most popular print-on-demand sites, IMO.
• Awesome Merch : I've never used them, but they're a fairly commonly used merch production company with a wide variety of products.
• DieCutStickers.com : My main sticker vendor, I like them because they're located in my state.
• Sticker App & Sticker Mule : Two other very popular sticker production companies, with a wide range of sticker surface materials.
• Seattle Print Works : My current print vendor, but there are multiple options located in my city.
• Moo : A good resource for printing *~Fancy~* postcards with optional effects like foiling and embossing.
• Vistaprint : Has tons of sales and very affordable printed products. Usually, not the highest quality, but could work well for artists just starting out.
• Catprint : An online print company that my friend has used for very affordable art prints.
• PinGameStrong : My enamel pin vendor, who I seriously think is the best. They also manufacture stickers, patches, socks, and soon washi tape.

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Alrighty, buddies, I hope this guide helped you find your confidence to try selling merchandise with your designs to your adoring audience or to take your merch to that next level.  I'll probably add more to the resources section as I think of them, and feel free to comment any resources you'd suggest to everyone else, I'll add those too!

Do you agree or disagree with my Arty Business Theories? Did I answer your questions on how to decide what to make and sell? What are your hot tips on deciding what products to make next? Leave a comment on this post and let's continue the discussion!

Always remember, make arty products that you would buy, and take small steps. Your business can and will grow along with you, your space, and your funds. Keep assessing how your products are selling, and keep improving. I believe in you!

xoxo,

Ragon