Getting into Art Licensing: A Casual Guide

We've all been there: some artist you followed just posted about their work in World Market, Target, or Trader Joe's.

HOW DID THEY DO IT?! After the initial bout of jealousy passes, I know your gears are turning.

😤Mine were the first time I saw someone collaborate with Anthro.

I was so incredibly envious I spent three days straight researching and obsessively looking at content to decipher their secrets. I am a secure enough artist now that I can admit, I have many faults and I do suffer from jealousy from time to time.

It's an area of growth ok?!

Back to what you really want to know: art licensing is not as difficult or as complicated as you'd think. You allow companies to make money, they actually need your art to make their products. Once you believe that you are a necessary part of the operation, you'll begin to cultivate the confidence to reach out and pitch your work.

It's not as complicated as it looks.

To get started, you need a developed portfolio, high resolution digital copies of your work, and a licensing company or agent. If you move through each of these items, you've got steps one through three down and you'll begin to see your work developed and in the commercial market!

But since I know you want some concrete direction for how this all works, I'll detail my journey so you can stop DM-ing artists over on Instagram hoping eventually they'll respond with something less cryptic and more... helpful.

🗺️Start Here: you can either research who you want to work with or you can develop your portfolio. It doesn't matter which one goes first, it only matters that each one is completed before you reach out and pitch your art.

If you need to develop your art:

1. Determine your commercial style: mine focuses a lot on florals and landscapes, occasionally animals. I develop 20-30 paintings with similar brushwork and color palettes before pitching them. This allows me to have a large body of updated work that coordinates. If you aren't sure what makes your work your work, ask friends or collectors the three main things that they notice repeating in each new piece.

   
   

2. Make sure you own the copyrights: if you are still learning how to make your work, created pieces heavily influenced from previously made paintings, or used images from Google search or Pinterest... I wouldn't recommend licensing them. It's important that you can confidently say, "Yes, this is my work." before you sign a contract.

If you want to find a potential match:

1. Google, "Artist Licensing Companies (insert state or country)." Browse each company and their list of artists, the work and where it's sold, and begin to see how your art fits in with their products. Work that looks similar to what is already licensed is a great indicator for whether or not your portfolio will be of interest.

2. Choose 2-4 to reach out to. Do you best to find a direct contact (like an email) or request one via a contact form. DO NOT PITCH IN A CONTACT US BOX.

3. Wait until your portfolio is ready before reaching out.

   
   

❌ Portfolio Presentation Dos & Don'ts ❌

DO:

• Make sure you have an updated document/PDF of current and available work

• Create a webpage gallery of quality photos for viewing

• Categorize your work by subject if necessary

• Title each piece and provide details if able

DON'TS

• Don't send your contact to a social media profile

• Don't pitch artwork that has no high resolution digital copy

• Don't upload blurry or inaccurate photos of your work

Andy J. Pizza has a great section of his website homepage dedicated to client work.

Ettavee has a whole page of licensed artwork shown on products (or mockups)

Taking Great Photos of Your Art

High quality photos of your artwork is vital to being able to reproduce any painting or illustration on manufactured products. Without these high resolution photos, you won't be able to create large prints which are often necessary in the commercial scene! I use a Canon Rebel t6i DSLR to capture most of my paintings. Anything that is too big will need to be photographed in sections and stitched together digitally.

I am lazy and incapable of this task so I hire professionals to do that.

• Lighting: Use natural light to enhance colors and details.

• Background: I use a white canvas or backdrop to photograph my work on.

• Editing: Photoshop is a great place to crop your image, tweak colors, and stitch together any large pieces of work.

  
  

You and your portfolio are ready... now what?

If you know who you want to reach out to, send them an email with a link to your images. Be direct, concise, and address them by name. Try not to sound entitled or clueless in your pitch, you're asking them to work with you! Art licensing is a relationship, it's best to be personable right off the bat. Make sure you know how you'd fit with the company and how it'll benefit both of you to work together.

P.S. It will be incredibly obvious if you didn't do your research.

📨 SAMPLE LICENSING PITCH:

Hey Lucy,

I’m Rachel and I’m a figurative painter with a focus on pop art landscapes. My body of work is full of brightly colored, modern takes on forests and fun scenery. Some of my most popular works tend to be of the Midwest, flowers, and jungle animals. I know my work would be a great addition to company and would love to connect more with you about being represented!

You can see more available work here: link to really cool work.

Looking forward to talking with you!

Rachel

Please be persistent! If you haven't heard back in a week, follow up on a Monday in the same email thread: Hey Lucy! Did you have the chance to review my work? I would love to talk to you about it!”

I usually reach out 3-4 times before pitching again in another few months with new work. In that time, I'm open-minded about who I could work with and continue to share new work on social media and reach out to others who might be ready to work together now.

Understanding Licensing Contracts and Royalties

I'm not a lawyer and honestly, I'm surprised I've learned to understand a contract as well as I have. I read a lot of Google answers for, "what does this mean" and that's really helped decode legal jargon.

The most important terms inside your contract will pertain to: exclusivity, copyrights, royalties, duration and/or terms. Knowing what you need to be able to bring to the table (copyrights) and what your licensing company is asking of you (your artwork) is vital to having a working relationship that works for both of you and isn't a legally binding death trap.

Royalties: This is what you will be paid. It can be anything from 4%-10%

Duration/Term: How long the contract lasts

Copyrights: Who owns what? Who keeps the copyright?

Exclusivity: Is it non-exclusive? Can you still license your work elsewhere?

Termination: Make sure you have an out in the contract if you need one. In most cases if either party is in violation of the agreed upon terms, you can cancel your contracts without issue.

Unfortunately I have had to cancel multiple contracts before with a licensing company for breech of contract. It's frustrating and it did not end well. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you maintain the rights to your work and protect your art at all costs!

Make art licensing your 2025 goal!

YES! It is possible to make headway into this lucrative side of being an artist! While it may take a few months (or even more than a year!) to get the ball rolling, it will build up steam and you will have the amazing experience of seeing your art out in the wild.

I promise, your persistence will be worth it!

Be patient and do your research, better your artwork and work to understand the larger, commercial market. All of these components are part of making licensing work for you.

If you are still looking for more insight into this topic, check out my Art Crisis episode that goes into it even more in-depth.

Why I Only Follow One Account on Instagram

Have you ever wondered why I only follow one account?

A couple years ago, I was sitting with a dear friend on my sofa and I said to her, "I think I follow too many people." At the time, I followed about 650+ individuals and accounts and assumed I needed to do that in order to have a well rounded social persona and experience on Instagram.

Except the opposite was happening. I was overwhelmed by opinions, activity, doubts about my own work, negative thoughts about others, positive thoughts and then envious ones.

I've always proudly assumed I was one of those rare individuals who wasn't really affected by who and what I followed and yet once I turned off my like counts and began to hit the unfollow button until the app assumed I was having a mid-life crisis and blocked my progress, I was finally able to admit it to myself: following this many incredible things is detrimental to my creativity and ultimately me.

Saying goodbye to my favorite artists was so difficult.

At least I realized I can still be on their newsletters and following their progress like a creep who doesn't actually follow them. I just watch stories and like and comment and maybe some notice but largely most don't.

So here we are now.

It took me 2 years to whittle down my follows into one: I currently follow KwikTrip and I think it's absolutely hilarious. And if we're being honest, I was inspired by Nutter Butter's TikTok because they follow Pitbull and it doesn't make sense but it's fantastic anyway.

Here's why I did it:

Social Pressure Killed My Organic Creativity

Did you know that this is the first year I have actually felt like I can sit and focus on my own art?

Up until now, I've spent all my studio time making paintings to post on social media so faceless accounts can inform what I make more of. My art became (and at times still is), an endless cycle of pop-culture, regurgitated ideas, and double-taps that fuel my intuition.

Some days I don't even know what my intuition is or how to decipher what it says... but for the first time in a long time, the quiet I've created has stopped my Instagram busy work and allowed me to poke into the muse.

My muse, not just the one I think is mine because I just want to make something that will sell in three seconds.

I'm sorry I unfollowed you in the name of mental health & creativity.

I only use one social media and the lines of personal and professional have always been blurred because I don't really want a personal account. Isn't Rachel's Shoppe supposed to be that...kinda?

But then my feed was a swampy mess of adorable friend updates, artist information, amazing work, random memes, and I was back to square one even though I followed a meager 100 accounts.

What sucks is how a follow indicates interest in said work/you. It was difficult to put everyone from past students to favorite artists and friends up on the chopping block, some convinced it was personal. It wasn't and isn't.

I just wanted to be committed to my creativity, I wanted to understand what I like to paint, what I want to make, and what my goals are. Not just the ones influenced by trends and success, but the ones that come from me.

And I've realized my goals are so boring:

1. I want to be a technically good painter.

2. I want to like what I make.

3. I want to not have to rely on my social media for sales.

But at least I know they're honest and not chosen from a place of vanity (like the one about my drool-worthy, multi-million dollar studio space I dream up).

Instagram skewed my perception on what being an artist looked like the same way lack of education about it, teachers, and professors did before social platforms came into the scene.

It is 100% my double edged sword and minimizing my time on it lets me recenter and find my way back to why I'm even making art to begin with (I actually do like to make art).

How do I use Instagram as an artist now?

I use it as a cry for help.

PSYCHE. (I will single-handedly bring this slang back.)

I use it to look at memes. Look at tattoos. DM friends. Post things of varying degrees of interest, each one becoming more casual and less buttoned up by the day.

It's helping me peel back the layers of perfection and presentation and allow those who might be interested in my work and my journey and me, a closer look. I use it to share my work in a very bare bones way.

For the most part, I don't spend hours editing content and making sure each photo makes you want to weep from jealousy anymore.

My life is messy, my work is unpredictable, and now I have little time to make content because I want to be an artist not a content creator.

Different Ways I Optimize My Art Booth For Sales

Before we even begin to dive into this post, let me just say: sales are personal. Art is personal. Being an artist is about finding your groove and evolving in a way that makes sense for you and the art that speaks to your soul.

This space is full of things that work for me and my booth. Today I’m going to share the thoughts behind why I do them and what I’ve noticed during customer interactions (or lack thereof). We all want a successful art fair.

Listen to your customers and find the middle ground that will help you achieve your goals.😌 So without further ado, let’s go poke into my booth strategy.

I PUT LANDSCAPES ON MY WALLS BUT EVERYTHING ELSE IN MY PRINT BINS.

If you have followed me for any amount of time, you know I paint a little bit of everything.

I’m eclectic by nature, but I also don’t want to box myself in as an artist. (Raise your hand if you feel that in your soul.) Last year, each wall was dedicated to a different subject matter: local spots, florals, and portraits. Was I trying to be a modern day Picasso dabbling in a little of everything? Maybe.

Realistically I think it was my way of sorting through internet interests and figuring out what stuck in my local selling arena. What would Wisconsinites connect with? Cows? 🐄

(The answer to that one is a resounding yes.)

Now while my florals and portraits were eye-catchers, the paintings that passed quickly from my hands to my collectors were the landscapes and very niche, local things. That is when I realized it is so much easier to catch a customer with a wide net vs. one so focused it actually takes a unicorn with hyper-focused tastes.

This seems aggressively obvious in hindsight, but when you’re making art, most of the time it’s about well, making the art. 🙄

But at this point in my career, my goals have shifted from enjoyment to sustainability (i.e. I have to sell some more of my art to keep up with stagnant wages and inflation... someone tell my boss I need a raise 😂).

My focus is almost only on the overlap between what customers are buying and what I can stand to make more of.

I don’t know about you, but the epiphany that a hundred individuals might be interested in a 30x30 inch forest and only one individual would want a 30x30 inch hotdog really humbled me. I can still paint a hotdog, I just probably won't paint it as big. 😟

I realized that making art full-time is really not all about me and what I want to paint.

My compromise as a working artist is to make large, loveable forest scenes of local places (in my trademark every-color-I-can-because-I-can) and smaller studies of drinks and food and you-name-it to make into prints because I want to and there’s always someone who loves a Mickey waffle as much as me.

So I put landscapes on my booth walls to create cohesion as an artist and everything else into my print bins because if I can pull you in with my dazzling colors, I guarantee there’s something you’ll end up touching you just can’t leave without.

(P.S. you can make this fabulous print rack by following my loose tutorial here)

OMG WOULDN’T THESE BE SO PERFECT TOGETHER?

Yes, they totally would and I totally planned it that way. 😉 This is probably the only place where creating collections has suited me as an artist.

Why stop at one drink when I can also paint the cherries, bitters, and bottles that accompany them? Why paint one part of a state park when I can paint multiple scenes from it, each one complimenting the other and showcasing the beauty of different lighting or times of day?!

Creating coordinating art prints in my bins allows collectors to fill a wall with small art vs. one big piece.

Nothing is more satisfying than pairing your two favorite foods, your drinks of choice, or the alternative views of the Cave Point rocks. Every market I do, I try to add another new painting to the established food/drink categories, landscapes, or people (really just musicians and artists I can’t get enough of).

I know that not every artist has the desire to paint a little of everything but thinking about ways to expand into more of what your customers like allows you to intrigue them in new ways (*cough* repeat customers!).

I DON’T MAKE EVERYTHING AVAILABLE IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

Art is an investment, it’s okay if wanna-be customers can’t purchase at this moment.

There are always free ways to support you and your work without collecting a new piece of art! With this in mind, I consciously choose not to make any prints smaller than 8x8; it becomes too costly for me to print, package, and sell them when lined up against the purchase amount. I also don’t make every print in every size available to me.

Now, not every painting translates well into small prints: my 30x40 Cana Island Lighthouse loses so much detail when I shrink it down to 9x12. It’s still fantastic but you can’t get lost in the color transitions as well. Some paintings I only print at 16x20 and some I print only at 11x14. Some I do limited runs of and some I don’t make prints of at all (I’m looking at you Morning Mist in Orange).

Consumerism tells us to make everything available all the time at a moment's notice, but there is so much joy and exclusivity to the excitement of owning a piece of art that is one-of-a-kind. If it’s truly a really good idea that connects with many, I make another version of it and change it slightly.

When you do any type of art fair or market, listening and learning from the people who come into your booth, ask you questions, and make comments about your art can help you improve the experience all around for both you and your collectors.

Still have questions about Art Markets? Listen to this episode of my podcast!