Art Licensing Interview with Joan Beiriger

Last week artist Alex Colombo posted a interview with me on her blog "the moon from my attic." I discuss how I got started in art licensing, how long I have been licensing, my inspirations, what manufacturers are looking for, advice on doing trade shows, etc. Below is an excerpt.

The Moon from My Attic: Please introduce yourself - 
 I am Joan Beiriger and I design art for products although I did not start my career as an artist. I have a BS degree in geology and worked as a chemist at a national laboratory until 2002. During that time, I tried all sorts of crafts from wood and stone carving to various needlearts such as needlepoint, quilting, and blackwork. I am a great believer that anyone can learn to do anything if they try. I discovered counted cross-stitch in the mid 1980s and decided to design my own charts when I could not find designs that I wanted to stitch. That led into a business of selling my designs to magazines, to kit manufacturers (licensing was not an option then), and my own mail order business. By the late 1990s, I was searching for another way to express my creativity when I heard a presentation about art licensing by Suzy Spafford (Suzy's Zoo) at a Society of Craft Designers seminar. So I taught myself to paint via instruction books and started my quest in researching the art licensing industry by going to the 1999 Licensing Show in New York.

TMFMA: What's exciting about your creative work?
I love to brainstorm about new concepts and create new art collections that I hope manufacturers will license for their products and consumers will buy. An extension to creating art is learning about the business side of licensing art. The whole process is challenging and learning information about the industry is fascinating. Sharing information via my blog and networking with others interested in art licensing is very rewarding.

TMFMA: What's your favorite medium or tool/s you create with? 
I started painting with acrylics but I now use Adobe Photoshop and sometimes water color washes for backgrounds. I like the freedom that I have when using water colors to create backgrounds but I like the control I have when painting images digitally. I use many layers in Photoshop which makes it easy to edit my art to manufacturer specifications. Besides using Photoshop, I use Adobe Illustrator and Corel Painter to create various effects that I include in my work.

To read the entire interview, go to "A Chemistry for Licensing Art - An Interview with Joan Beiriger."

Editorial: Art Licensing Myths continued (myth #7 to #12)

My first article about art licensing myths "Editorial: Art Licensing Myths" listed six art licensing myths (#1. License your art so you do not have to work so hard, #2. License your art if you are broke and need money. #3. Any art can be licensed. #4. One design can be licensed for ALL products. #5. An artist will get many licensing deals by signing with an agency. #6. Licensing revenue is always from royalties.) This is a continuation of that article with comments on six more myths.

Why I am writing this article is that I do not want artists to enter the art licensing industry with misconceptions. These are my opinions but others in the art licensing industry may have different ones. It is always a good idea to get several opinions and not depend on only one viewpoint.

Myth #7: An artist must have an agent or manufacturer sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before showing art.
In theory asking an agent or manufacturer to sign a NDA before an artist shows her/his art is wise. But most likely, neither will be willing to sign it. An agent will not sign because she/he would need to get an attorney to review it before signing. The agent is not willing to take the time or spend the money to hire an attorney to view unknown properties.

Manufacturers will not sign a NDA because they MAY have already licensed or plan to license similar art. Different artists creating the same art themes with a similar art style happens more often than you would think. Note: When an artist asks a manufacture to sign a NDA, it is like waving a red flag because they think that the artist may be litigious (sue happy). Thus, they will steer clear of any relationship with her/him.

Instead of trying to get a NDA signed before showing art, find out if the company is honest and does not rob art. Most likely manufacturers that license a lot of art is honest because they cannot afford to get a bad reputation. If you are not sure if a manufacturer is reputable, ask experienced licensed artists.

Myth #8: Agents not only manage the business part of licensing but track trends, guide the artist in what art to create, and critics it.
Yes, some agents will be art directors and give artists ideas on what to paint and also critic the art. And some will follow trends, subscribe to trend reports and pass trend information on to their artists. However, many do not. These agencies think that their job is to market the art, get deals and track licensing deals. They do not have the time or expertise to be art directors. They depend on the individual artist to follow trends and create the art by themselves or with their own resources. If you want or need art direction from an agent, find out if it is offered by the agency BEFORE signing on with them.

Myth #9: There is a manufacturer art size and file format standard.
There is no such thing as a standard size or shape of art needed by manufacturers. Size and shape of the art depends on the product produced by each manufacturer. The type of the file format depends on their requirements but many accept jpg files at 300 dpi.

Note: Artist Will Tait reminded me to clarify that art files should NOT be saved as jpg but as Photoshop psd files and then converted to jpg before sending to manufacturers.  Go to the comment section in this article to read his comment about file formats and saving them.

Art should be created large enough so that the resolution will not be lost when placed on most products. For instance, if art is painted on a 5 by 7 inch sheet of paper (standard size for greeting cards) the resolution will NOT be good enough when enlarged for a 28 by 40 inch decorative flag. Read "Art Licensing Tip: Creating the Correct Art Size" for more information.

Myth #10: There is a standard time of the year for submitting art to manufacturers.
There is NO certain time of year to submit art themes to manufacturers. Each manufacturer has their own schedule and it can vary each year. For instance, Christmas art (a huge category for most manufacturers) could be requested from one flag company in September and another in January or February. And the following year the submission schedule could be different. In fact, I find myself creating Christmas art all year because of the variety of manufacturers requesting Christmas art and their different production schedules.

It is advisable to contact manufacturers before submitting art. Find out what art themes they are looking for and ask for their submission guidelines and submission schedule if they are not already listed on their website. Also ask to be put on their list for submission call-outs (cattle-calls) if they do them. For more information about cattle-calls see Myth 12.

Myth #11: Manufacturers prefer to license art from agents than from individual artists.
Most manufacturers do not have a preference in licensing art from an agency or an artist because both have their advantages and disadvantages. Agencies have a variety of art styles, a large amount of art and are experienced in negotiating contracts. Artists representing their own art may not be as experienced so they accept a lower licensing fee than an agency. However, artists getting lower licensing fees than agencies is not always due to lack of negotiating experience. Some manufacturers routinely offer a higher licensing fee to agencies than to artists representing their own art. The reason is to offset some of the lost revenue to the agency and to the artist because of the agent/artist partnership (revenue split among them).

Another advantage for the manufacturer when licensing art from an artist is that they have direct access to the artist when the art needs to be edited to their specifications. Some agencies require the manufacturer to filter editing requests through them. But as said above most manufacturers do not care if they license art from an agency or art because if they like the art they will license it from either one.

Myth #12: Participating in manufacturers call-for-submissions (cattle-calls) is a waste of time.
Participating or not participating in call-outs /cattle-calls is probably not a myth but a personal preference. Some artists consider it a waste of time because the likely hood in getting a licensing deal is low since hundreds of artists submit art to them. However, I find it beneficial to participate in cattle-calls such as learning what themes are popular for certain categories and helping me stay focused in creating art because of the deadlines. Learn more by reading "Thoughts on Doing CattleCalls - Should You?"

Any suggests or comments that you would like to share about this article would be greatly appreciated. Click on the comment section below.

Licensing Art to the Calendar Industry

Calendar manufacturers produce all kinds (desk, mini wall, engagement, daily, pocket) but the most popular is the monthly wall calendar that has 12 art images based on one theme. The standard themes for many manufacturers are cats/kittens, dogs/puppies, butterflies, birds and flowers. And depending on their consumer base, some also produce calendars with themes such as Americana, country, and specific hobbies like quilting. Thus, artists MUST do their homework and research what kind of art a manufacturer uses BEFORE submitting art to them.  

When looking at calendar manufacturer websites, notice what kind of art themes they have and the number of different calendars for each theme. For instance, how many cat calendars do they have. If it is more than one? Is it by the same artist or by a different artist with a completely different art style? Calendar manufacturers tend to license art year-after-year from the same artists if the calendars sell well. So unless your art style is completely different and also if the manufacturer feels they can add more calendars with same theme to their product line you will probably be unsuccessful in getting a deal no matter how good your art. For that reason, it is hard to license art to some calendar manufacturers unless the themes are different from the standard themes, that are popular and on-trend, and the manufacturer is willing to take a chance they will sell. Not all manufacturers are willing to take a chance in this economy but some do. For example, several years ago artist Tara Reed was right-on-trend and created images for a "green" calendar as shown in her blog article "Be Green! Be Crafty! Be Healthy!" She was successful in licensing it to Trends International for 2010 and another "green" calendar for 2011. Way to go Tara!

  

Calendar manufacturers generally want art that: 

1. has themes that appeal to the general consumer. However, some manufacturers do produce calendars that has the art for niche markets such as western, fantasy, and sports. Also, some manufacturers produce calendars strictly for niche markets such as Amber Lotus Publishing with their metaphysical, healing, and spiritual themes.  

2. is already formatted for their calendars. There is no universal format and each manufacturer has an unique format. For instance, The Lang Company normal uses art that is 12-3/4 by 10-3/8 inches for their wall calendars. Others use rectangular or square art that fits into their more square shaped calendars. So it is advisable when painting for the calendar industry to create art that can be cropped or edited to fit a variety of calendar shapes. However, some art is used as painted no matter the format and placed on backgrounds to fit the calendar format. But, I do not like the look and think this detracts from the art and the overall look of the calendar page.   

3. has themes that are suitable for calendars. It is unlikely that you will get a deal for themes that are not popular to the mass market although most manufacturers do produce calendars for some niche markets. Also if the theme is for a certain season as Christmas it is unlikely a manufacturer will produce it because Christmas is thought to be only for December. BUT any calendar theme may be possible to license. I am wrong about not being able to license a Christmas /Winter themed calendar. See Susan Winget's "Sam Snowman" calendar licensed to The Lang Company. Thus, if you think a theme is licensable for calendars and has enough consumer interest go for it because you never know. Note: A snowman calendar probably works because there are many consumers that love snowmen.  

4. the artist is willing to edit (change colors, remove icons, reformat) to their specifications.  

5. is in a collection of at least 12 paintings (one for each month) for wall calendars. But more paintings are better so that the manufacturer can have a choice on which ones they prefer.  

Calendar Manufacturers: 

• Amber Lotus Publishing  

• Avalanche Publishing 

  

• Andrews McMeel Publishing  

  

• Mead division of MWV 

• Pomegranate Communications Inc. 

  

• The Lang Company 

• Trends International, LLC 

Read more articles about other manufacturers under the Topics section on the side bar.  

Make sure you read the comments to this article.  Consultant Jeff Grinspan posted an informative comment about the calendar industry!    

I welcome any comments. Please click on comments section at the bottom to write your comment.

Editorial: Is Your Art Good Enough to License?

In several of my editorials I have stated that if you have the passion, commitment, have the art themes consumers want, and do not give up you should be able to eventually license your art. But is that enough?

Art licensing agents often state that they get many art submissions from artists with "bad art." Of course, the words "bad art" is subjective and can mean many things. Does it mean that the themes are not suitable for licensing? Does it mean that an agent that represents fine art thinks that only fine art is good art or an agent that represents country art thinks that any other art is not good ? Does it mean that some art styles are not licensable? Or does it mean that the art technique is not good enough to license in todays highly competitive licensing industry?

There are all kinds of art styles that are licensable. And that have been proven by many artists such as wildlife fine art artists Hautman Brothers, stylized & whimsical graphic artist Laurel Burch, and rustic styled Americana folk artist Warren Kimble. But what makes the art of those artists licensable? Their art evokes an emotional response (nostalgia, cute, gorgeous, etc.), has popular themes, and the technique and color of the art is beautifully executed. Hautman Brothers realistic wildlife art is drop-dead gorgeous with images and colors that "pop." Laurel Burch's art of her popular stylized cats is full of rich color combinations and rendered in interesting ways. Warren Kimble's rustic art painted on wood with unsaturated color gives his Americana and patriotic images a feeling of time gone-by.

Recently a friend sent me a link to an article "Kathryn Stockett's 'The Help' Turned Down 60 Times Before Becoming a Best Seller." In it, author Kathryn Stockett wrote an inspiring and hilarious account on how she did not give up in trying to get her book published. But she did more than just send her book to literary agent after literary agent. She continued to improved her writing by " making the story tenser, more riveting, better." And that is just what artists need to do when they are continuously rejected by manufacturers and art licensing agents IF they are really passionate and determined to license their art. They need to figure out why the art is being rejected and make it better.  Note: Not only did Kathryn Stockett's book "The Help" become a best seller after five years of writing and 3-1/2 years of rejection, a movie based on the book was released this month.

My Story
Many artists that license their art have similar journeys as did Kathryn Stockett. They also had rejections until they finally achieved success. The following is my story.

In the late 1990s, I decided that I wanted to license my art. The reason is immaterial and too long to tell in this article. But first I had to learn how to paint (another long story) and I decided to teach myself by reading art books about painting with acrylics. This was not the smartest move on my part because I should have taken some art classes. Clearly my art was not very good. The art at the left is one of my first paintings. Compare it with the one of my recent paintings at the top of this article.

Even though I instinctively thought that my art was not as good as other artists work, I did not know why. But I continued to paint and I slowly improve my technique (and I mean slowly). It has taken me years to improve my technique but I could not have improved it if I was not willing to ask art experts (art directors, consultants, manufacturers, artists) to critic my art and if they were not willing to give me constructive criticism. I heard such words as "your art is so dark," "it doesn't pop," "it is pretty but it doesn't emote a me-to-you emotion (for traditional greeting cards)," "your art isn't polished," "the background is too busy." I did not take these criticisms personally and in fact I welcomed them because they helped me to see what was wrong so that I could improve my art. Unfortunately, too often art experts do not have the time to critic artists work and also are afraid to hurt their feelings. Thus, artists do not find out that their art is not good enough to license.

So how do you figure out if your art is good enough? First, compare your art with licensed artists art that have a similar art style. And second, ask others that are knowledgeable about art for their honest opinion. The following is some suggestions on how to accomplish this.

• Look at art agency websites
Agencies choose art to represent that they consider good and think they can license. Look at art on their websites that has a similar style as yours. Is your art as well executed as the art on the website? If you think so, then ask art experts their opinion to make sure that you are right. To find art agency websites, read "List of Over 50 U.S. Art Licensing Agencies."

•  Hire an art licensing consultant / coach
You can hire an art licensing consultant / coach to give you advice about your art but I caution you that art licensing coaches may know the art licensing industry but not all are experts in giving constructive criticism. They may not want to hurt the artist's feelings or just do not know enough about art that is licensable. So before hiring consultants to critic your art make sure to check out their qualifications. If the consultant has the qualifications, ask if she/he is willing to give a honest opinion and constructive criticism. To see a list of some art consultants / coaches, read "On Art Licensing Coaches (consultants)."

• Join or form an art licensing support group
Art licensing support groups share art licensing knowledge and the members help one another license art. Giving suggestions and critiquing art is one useful function of this kind of group. There are at least two of these groups in the U.S. One is in the San Francisco bayarea (California) and another in the Denver Colorado area. If there is not a support group where you live, consider forming your own. Read "Start an Art Licensing Support Group" by Kate Harper for information about the San Francisco group. Note: I belong to this group and find it inspiring and very helpful. 7/10/17 - Unfortunately the San Francisco art group disbanded several years ago.


• Team up with an art pal
Find another artist that is willing to give you constructive criticism in return for doing the same for her/him. If you do not know of anyone, advertise on one of art licensing linkedin groups or the art of licensing yahoo forum that you are looking for an art pal. For information about art licensing forums, read "Networking Resource - Art Licensing Forums," and " Art Licensing Resource: Networking in Linkedin."

• Take art classes
Another way to get constructive criticism on your art is to take art classes. Many towns and cities have adult education classes, community colleges and freelance artists that offer art classes.

• Ask questions
When you are rejected by a manufacturer or agency, call them up and ask them the reason why. I found that many times that the art director or agent is reluctant to tell you why but sometimes you can learn important information that will help you improve your art.

If you are unsuccessful in licensing your art and you have done all the right things such as created popular art themes, collections, and product mock-ups, maybe your art technique is not good enough. Ask questions, improve your art, and do NOT give up.

Related articles:
"Editorial: Not all art is licensable"

"Don't give up Your Dreams and Grow a Thick Skin - Part 1"

"Don't Give Up Your Dreams and Grow a Thick Skin - Part 2"

Comments are welcomed. Please click on comments and write them in the comment window at the bottom of this article.