7-STEPS THAT GET YOUR PICTURES INTO THE BIG SHOPS:

7-STEPS THAT GET YOUR PICTURES INTO THE BIG SHOPS:

Licensing images for John Lewis or Harrods

A very successful international artist once confided with me saying that ..”licensing won’t make artists rich but it can make them famous.”

Then I was asked to license some of my images for use by one of the big publishing companies. They said that they wanted my pictures for the John Lewes stores. So I jumped at the chance.

That was ages ago. Did it make me rich?  No.

So am I famous? Well not very. But probably a bit better known than if I hadn’t licensed my images to them.

Venice by Colin Ruffell

New York by Colin Ruffell

Currently I have several images hanging in big department stores. They are cityscapes showing views of London, New York, Spain, Venice etc. They were chosen by a couple of the big publishing companies who print the images and supply framed pictures to the retailers. So I don’t have to print, sign or number the prints, neither do I have to frame them, sell them, or promote them. That sounds good doesn’t it? Not quite!

So this is what happens when you go into licensing.

1.     The licensor asks the artist to show them some images that are available for licensing.  This can be a big issue if you have committed to publish your image as a ‘limited edition’ because there is an understanding that limited editions should not be available as unsigned open editions as well. So you cannot use those images.

2.     The artist supplies copies of their available images and the publisher produces a mock up product to test their market. The problem here could be that they want to crop the image or alter and enhance it in some other way. The artist has to agree to the changes or just accept that the publisher knows best.

3.     The publisher proposes the product to their retail outlets and gauges possible sales and likely turnover and profit. This stage can take a very long time.

4.     The publisher chooses the image from all of their other artist’s images that they have going through the same process. If you are lucky!

5.     The publisher exhibits the image in a final version to their trade buyers at a trade fair or some other location. Hold your breath!

6.     The publisher decides to go ahead with the deal and offers the artist a contract. The offered percentage of the trade-selling price will be a pathetic pittance. Live with it.

7.     You have got to trust that the publisher will sell the product and send the artist quarterly or annual statements showing the results and ask the artist for an invoice so that they can pay you your share.  [By this time you have had children and watched them grow into adults.] Sorry. I meant to say … Send them an invoice and wait for the cheque.

Over the years I have had publishers go bust on me, twice!

They seem to go bust just before they issue the statements as well. Hey ho!

The final framed product is possibly a bit cheaper than a similar image on the artists own website. That is because it is printed in large quantities, and quicker to produce because it is unsigned and un-numbered. It doesn’t have the tested longevity, framing option, investment criteria, or quality control that work by self-publishing artists would provide. But, if people like it, then it might make the artist famous.

Artists often ask which images are the best ones for sale in the big department stores?

I don’t know!  Go and have a look at several big stores and see what they have got on their walls at the moment. But of course it shouldn’t be the same because they already have those!

Oh yes! Why stick to department stores? The publishers also supply chains of furniture retailers and provide framed prints to garden centres here in the UK.

Or, if you are an artist reading this, maybe your art is suitable for crockery, or Tshirts, or dress fabric. I haven’t got into that myself but it works for some.

Licensing also applies to publishers of greetings cards and calendars. Artists should try them. Similar delays apply unfortunately.

If you are an art lover who has bought one of my unsigned prints from John Lewes, Harrods, Macys, or similar retailer, then thanks. Maybe that is how you got to know my work, and why you are reading this blog-post.

If you are a ‘fine art collector’ then maybe a ready framed, store bought, unsigned, un-numbered option is not for you. You can contact the artist direct. Please do.

HOW TO SPOT THE NEXT WINNER

HOW TO SPOT THE NEXT WINNER

‘The New ActivCanvas App.’

I first heard about the ActivCanvas app at a Fine Art Trade Guild presentation. That was last year when the app was still in beta mode. But I was very interested straight away.

This is how it works, and why I was so enthralled.

1.   You download a free app to your mobile phone or tablet.

2.   You see a picture that you like somewhere. Maybe it is in a shop, at an exhibition, in a magazine, or on the web. Where-ever, but you like it and want to know more.

3.   You point your phone at the painting, photo, or print … and click.

4.   The app then recognizes the picture and up comes a video that tells you about the image and the artist.

5.   It also gives you a link to a place where you can see more and even buy the picture.

How magic is that?

ActivCanvas app logo

Obviously there has to be a huge library of images somewhere that the app can access. And another library of videos that can be linked to after the app recognizes an image.

So the app people have created these libraries and are now inviting artists, photographers and gallery owners to supply the images and videos.

I have uploaded hundreds of my own prints and paintings. And I have created videos about the pictures. The originals and prints don’t each have their own unique video, because that would be impossible. But each genre has a video, and every video has a link to an appropriate page on my website.

Do you want to see how it works? You can even see me talking about it when the app people came to my studio to do some filming.

http://www.activcanvas.co/

Down load the free app to your phone here.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/activcanvas/id1026877129?ls=1&mt=8

Now point your phone or tablet at my picture of the Cristo statue in Rio de Janeiro, click the app, and see what happens.

Did it work for you?

Let me know please.

Cheers

Colin

Pic of the Day 27July2015

Colin Ruffell London. 

I recently had a studio visit from a video maker who is producing a new app for artists and art galleries. [more details later after the app gets tested and launched]

Meanwhile here is a quick video that they made after asking me about my London paintings.

A big commission that I have just finished can be seen in the video. And it is now hanging in the collector/patrons office.

Pic of the Day 6Jan2015

Just before Christmas The Fine Art Trade Guild invited me to use the exhibition space in their new Thames-side HQ for a quick 48 hour preview of the acrylographs chosen for my one-man exhibition in Brighton later this month.

Here is a pic of a section of the Guild display.

The red dot shows that they sold that piece.

It was listed for inclusion in the Brighton show!

So I need to make a replacement.

Mustn’t grumble.

Pic of the Day 4Jan2015

PIC OF THE DAY 4JAN15 Colin, Fran, and Shyama wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.  2015 starts off with this image, our first ‘Pic of the Day’ for the year. It shows the flyer for my upcoming one-man exhibition of paintings and acrylographs. The show is being hosted by 35North Contemporary Fine Art Gallery in Brighton. It starts in just a couple of weeks from now. I am still working on the exhibits of course. I had better explain exactly what an ‘acrylograph’ is in a later post. For now let me just say that it is a very exciting new technique for artists like me.   Cheers, Colin.