Fine Artist turning Commercial

[cdgood]

So, why not? The group of seven were commerical artists as well. I Just have not marketed my Fine Art yet. You'd think a BFA from Philadelphia University of the Arts would give self confidence and professional instincts but years of mom-hood have dwindled the stock hold of "savvy".

Any advice from seasoned pros out there for a gauge for pricing my time and effort? Is it fair to charge more for artwork that the business will use alot. Do I charge for just my time? What about artistic merit? How to handle issues of who owns the work?

Is there a good way to tell if a sign printer is quality or not? What happens if the print job is bad. Who is to pay? Is it standard to have clients pay half up front? How many people still do hand painted signs? I've made a few and they are so refreshing for they hold a human touch that we loose so much of in the signs around us.

Any resources as to professional procedures, pricing, tips to deal with printers etc would be gladly appreciated. Awww. deep thoughts as to "what is VALUE". Ok my kids need to eat .....overpricing or underpricing? Hmmmmmm................

Also ideas about issues of Art of a deeper nature and its place in this highly Visual world would be of interest as well. Can we build a new world through pictures?

How you you handle your Fine Artist side and your commercial side? Do you separate them? How does this translate in price?

get the idea?

 

[ATD]

get the idea?

no, not completely.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Typography is crucial, brush up on it. It's rare to come across a job that doesn't have any type.

Forget artistic merit — that's the icing on the cake. Your aim is to please the client while making the work as enjoyable as possible.

The biggest tip about printers? Find a good one and stick with them... your loyalty will pay off when something goes wrong. Running around, playing one against the other is no way to build up a working relationship.

Learn about repro. Learn your software. Hit the books. Getting something smoothly from screen to press is a technical process with many pitfalls for the unwary or untrained.

As for ownership, s/he who pays the piper, calls the tune.

 

[freeny]

Get yourself a copy of the "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines". Worth every penny! It will answer just about every question you posted.

http://www.gag.org/pegs/index.php
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932102123/103-6629450-3999811?v=glance&n=283155

Not sure what the Canadian equivalent would be but its a good start.

Oh, and take note of what Blue said ^^^

 

[MRU]

Typography is crucial, brush up on it. It's rare to come across a job that doesn't have any type.

Forget artistic merit — that's the icing on the cake. Your aim is to please the client while making the work as enjoyable as possible.

The biggest tip about printers? Find a good one and stick with them... your loyalty will pay off when something goes wrong. Running around, playing one against the other is no way to build up a working relationship.

Learn about repro. Learn your software. Hit the books. Getting something smoothly from screen to press is a technical process with many pitfalls for the unwary or untrained.

As for ownership, s/he who pays the piper, calls the tune.

Agreed 100%

Be prepared to have some of your soul & spirit trampled on because regardless of how WRONG they are... the client is always RIGHT

Artistic integrity is all well & good but if you have to make a living from it, be prepared to make BIG concessions.

How I hold artistic control is simple, if I do something that I like and gets clients approval I sign my work. If I have had to produce something regardless if the client likes it or not, that I think is utter ***** than I do not put my name to it.

That you will learn quickly is one of the few controls you will have.

---

Yep when you get a good printer, stick with them. Color reproduction can be a pain in the proverbial posterior. So when you find a crowd that get it right, stick with them.

 

[Sam/B]

you got any examples of your art? be interesting to see other artists work, I used to do pet/people portraits for extra change many moons ago (going door to door with a few mates posting off flyers) but that's as far as I wanted to take it. Mind you that was very effective marketing as I got quite a number of calls for commissions doing that.