Tag: prints

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Prints Are Coming Back??

Look, I know I wrote a blog post about not doing prints anymore. And that IS true for conventions. Buuuuut prints are coming back – with a catch.

WHY CHANGE MY MIND?

Funny story: I turned in my notice at my office job. To get ready for returning to full-time art-making, I took a hard look at a bunch of numbers. For this story, just know that I was looking at the tally of sales I made online.

(I have a separate spreadsheet for convention sales, but I’ll get to that).

After looking at the data, I realized a surprising fact…

Prints made up 47% of all online sales. That’s close to half of everything!

This blew my mind. When I looked at the spreadsheet for convention sales, prints didn’t even make it to the top 3 categories. But prints DID make it in the top 3 sales categories on Ko-Fi, right up there with original art and PDFs.

So people are buying prints. Which goes against what I initially thought in the original announcement.

WHY IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONS AND KO-FI?

What makes prints sell better on Ko-Fi than at conventions?

I think it’s two things: prints don’t usually appear on my convention table due to space restrictions. And the best-selling prints on Ko-fi were limited edition AND framed.

Keep in mind that shoppers are, above all, lazy. If you can offer a framed piece of art (original or print), that saves the shopper the time and effort of finding a frame to fit it. Shoppers are willing to pay for the convenience if it means less work for them.

SO MOVING FORWARD…

Prints are coming back – and staying exclusive to online. That means Ko-Fi, crowdfunding campaigns like KickStarter and Crowdfundr, and possibly even Faire.com. (I’m not on Faire yet, but I’m looking to join.)

That said – prints and original art will be collected into art books. So if you have the means to get upcoming prints, great! If you miss your chance, watch for future art book announcements.

The best way to know when new prints and original art is coming out is to be on my email newsletter (shameless plug). So be sure to sign up to get the first sweet, sweet notice when new stuff comes out.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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I’m Not Selling Prints Anymore. Here’s Why

This may sound scandalous to my fellow artists out in the convention circuit, but I’m not going to sell prints at my table (or my Ko-Fi shop) anymore.

WHY?

Let’s start at the top.

I made a Forest Spirit print back in 2016, and for the most part, she sold pretty well! She was a big show-stopper at conventions. Like, she would catch your eye and keep your attention there. And she did sell well. So I branched out into other designs.

However, sales of prints have been declining for me since 2018. It’s gotten to the point where prints are not my top 3 selling category anymore (as of June 2023).

Plus, the feedback I get from fans often boils down to, “I don’t have the space to hang any more prints!” It’s hard to sell something when the fans don’t have room for it.

The other problem is that prints are a pain in the ass to transport.

This is especially true now that I live on the top floor of my apartment building, towards the back of my complex. I really do not want to make multiple trips to the third floor in a building with no elevator.

Not to mention that you need print bags or rubber bands to bag up prints when you sell them. And I can’t seem to source print bags that aren’t crap.

All these problems are for selling at conventions. But online? Forget about it. Shipping tubes are tricky enough for me to find. Everything else I sell online can either be delivered digitally or flat in a padded envelope. Prints are more difficult to ship the larger they get. And I can’t ship prints in the same bundle as everything else I offer – thus making me charge more for shipping (which customers and I are NOT psyched about).

I’d rather not deal with the headaches. Especially since prints are not the bestsellers at my table or online.

So, no more prints from me.

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?

Funny enough, art books are the best thing I’ve ever offered! At conventions, my art books sell the most. And the more art books I sell, the more books in general I sell. There’s a reason why my #1 category in sales is Books. And they are the LARGEST sales margin. For me, books make 5 times more than the #2 best-selling category. FIVE TIMES. It’s bonkers.

And honestly, that’s fine with me. I like making art books, and I want to make more of them.

If you are new to selling your work, please remember this: what works for me may not work for you. Some artists are really successful at prints! I’m more successful at books. Each artist’s mix is different. You won’t know what will work until you try it yourself. I just wanted to share what’s been working for me, and what hasn’t, so you can understand my process.

Best of luck to you out there!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

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The Fundraiser for the ACLU – The Results

In July, I had all proceeds from the sales of my prints benefit the ACLU.

So how did it go?

Well…truthfully, only one print sold. But I had a little extra in my budget, so I rounded up this final donation:

I advertised this fundraiser on my email newsletter and Instagram page, but not many other places. I likely could have gotten more results posting about this on TikTok and/or Tumblr. Also, next time, I’ll make a banner on this blog to shout out fundraisers. Maybe even post KickStarter updates (because I have 10+ campaign pages I can post updates to).

So let this be a lesson in marketing/getting the word out – announce things in more than one or two places!

That said, I’m glad to have made the one sale, and to make the donation to the ACLU.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support.

You. Are. Awesome.

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52 HOURS Left (and Counting) for Kay the Valkyrie…

Kay the Valkyrie hit its funding goal in the first hour that it launched! Now, there are only 52 hours left to get your print.

If we get to 10 backers, everyone who backs the campaign will get a FREE bundle of quarter-sized pins included in their rewards.

Should we get to 15 backers, then everyone will get free pins AND a free bookmark.

Book Bundles and Sticker Bundles are STILL available as add-ons! Plus, there’s the option to include commissions in your rewards. So if you would like me to draw something custom (especially as a gift), then get that add-on.

Want to see what other add-ons are available? I talk about them in this archived live stream. Go check that out, yo.

Got the means? Back the campaign!

Broke? Share the link! It’s tinyurl.com/ks-valkyrie. Every share helps.

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I’m Showcasing My Work At Aistear Brewing

Starting today, and running until October 22, I’m showcasing my work at Aistear Brewing in Bowling Green, Ohio! Ah, my old stomping grounds.

I reached out to the owner and asked if he was interested in showing off my prints. He agreed – and he also offered me a spot in Aistear Con in October. These prints and mini-prints will be on display in their gaming area until the start of Aistear Con on October 22.

Not in the area? Some of these prints (but not all) are also available in my Ko-Fi shop. Some of the prints on the wall are exclusive to Aistear, though (sorry).

That’s all for now! Thank you for your support! Without it, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.

You. Are. Awesome.