Eyes Wide Open

So many things to say, and so much I want to express only I'm not sure how to write it out. I am finnally doing my art business that I have been talking about but not actually fufilling because of the small over head it costs to start setting up a stall. Alex is providing me a scanner/printer/fax for my birthday that is absolutly gorgeous and really will be the cinch in my business as I can do my own prints, and be able to put out more artwork since I will be able to make photo quality prints of my photographs to actually paint from. My running list of inventory and taking stock while I get everything set up is not actually as large as I thought it would be and a lot of it is creative thinking on my part in order to get by on the least amount of money. I realize it's only a market stall to some people, but to me it's a personal representation of my artwork and more importantly myself when potential art gallery directors see it.

Granted to start with I'll be in my home town and fairly few people, if anyone, will see my artwork, but I plan on changing that to nearby cities later on. I have my business cards, art pieces, pricing figured out, invetories, silly little items like petty cash lock money box, stands for the tables and even a satin dark cloth for the table. I also will make home made flyers, prints, care guides/rights to original pieces, and laminated page depiciting my sale prices/print sizes.

My most brilliant stroke of genius came from husband who suggested instead of trying to frame and bring every piece, I should scan/take photo of my art work, print it on quality paper and put it in a photo album with a short description. Not only that I will have 3-4 of these displayed on my table. I will have a banner on the front of my table with my company name: Drawings for Life, and underneath will be Originals, Prints, Commissions.

So as you picture this table imagine a dark blue satin table cloth, beside me my art easle, as I will be DOING ART at the place as well as selling. (people love seeing artists work too!) On the front of the table is a stylish caligraphy laminated banner with my Company name and a very basic three options I offer. On the table will be three dark mahagony 4 inch stands holding the best three original oil paints I have to offer, framed and ready to go, from anywhere between 80-200 GBP. I'll have at least 3 black photo albums open and depicting my artwork not with me, and off to my right and the viewers left, will be all the business cards, leaflets, and pricing guides. Only the original pieces will have stickers of prices on them, the rest will be either in the album or worked out via print/size ect.

Eventually if prints become more popular (and I'm sure they'll be what covers overhead..) I'll have a modest display box with print you can buy straight from me, but I need to know first what is popular from my art items and what people are most interested in. Do they want me to sit there and do charactures? Or are they interested in take home oil paintings- originals. Do they want watercolors or drawings? Or a choice of all the above?

All these things need to be ironed out in order to anticipate the buyers wants, and to provide the best services. I will also be offering on this table watercolor postcard sets. My other sets will be in oils, branching off the pear idea of having different fruits made from very small pictures and selling the originals at a modest price and continuing to sell prints as well. All prints will be available for pick up from my home, or waiting until the next week when I open the stall again.
These little projects won't take as much time and will be able to be pumped out by one person realitivly easily.

Other things I have started is having print offers on my Deviant Art web page, getting a free ad in our local yellow pages, and shortly, as I make more art, I will prescribe to one or 2 professional art sites online that sell art originals for you. These won't go to the market with me as most will be bound by contract not to sell prints to anyone else. You just sell through them instead. I have found many good pages that are possible candidates, but I want one with high traffic, and high output. I take my art very seriously now, and will be no more displays of anime, or frilly fantasy art unless I intend to sell it. However themed pieces such as my Egyptian Goddess/mythology will continue to be produced depending on demand.

I have less than a month until Alex switches to his new job, so I want to be up and running by the time he transfers because he will always have wednesday's off and will take care of the tricky situation of taking care of natasha, and by january it will be 2 children. :)

The hardest part of this whole endeavor is not the over head but finding the time between being a mother, getting the house in order day to day, and juggling my artwork. I have to make sure it dries higher up so natasha doesn't get into it, and I also have to keep the room well ventilated, which could be a problem during winter, but hopefully by that time I'll be able to get a studio downtown, they have one at a local art gallery for 100 per month. Which is really really cheap.

Anyways, it's 6am now and Natasha is awake, I need to get up and dressed properly and get the kitchen/living room done firs thing, so when NAtasha does down for her nap at 9 am I'll be able to do some artwork!!