Today’s post is instead of my Monthly Open Studio Session for my paid subscribers (who can sign up for the next one at the bottom of this post). Some of us are on holiday, some are taking a break (literally in my case as I’m hopefully recovering from a replacement hip operation!) this is pre-written and scheduled but I will be popping into the comments to answer any questions.
There’s a theme in my art career, looking back I can see how mistakes and accidents have shaped my trajectory, even now sharing my experiences and mentoring others seems accidental in how it began, but after every mistake or accident I made an intentional move and it’s these small steps that have always led me somewhere bigger.
As many of us take a break over the Summer, our minds can wander to thoughts of what else could we do to move our art businesses forward and is there something out there I’ve not even thought of doing?
Let me tell you a story that might inspire you to try something similar…
How I got into art licensing
Ten years ago, I was already well on my path to being a greeting card publisher in my own right. I employed a specialist printer, I held card stock, I had price lists, a handful of independent shops stocking my cards and I was exhibiting at trade fairs.
At a trade fair, it’s not just stockists looking for new suppliers for their shops; you have Sales Agents, International Distributors, Buyers from the large Supermarkets, and larger publishers/manufacturers on the lookout for potential licensing partners.
These were often accompanied by mythical tales of mystery agents arriving to sign fabulously profitable deals with artists and publishers on their stands.
Nothing like that ever happened to me, so one of my main points is that you don’t have to exhibit at a trade fair to get into licensing! But you might want to visit one to get a feel for the different types of products sold and the companies that produce them.
Back in 2015, a new company called Thortful approached me at a trade fair and asked if I’d like to design some exclusive cards for their platform. (Full disclosure, I think they were approaching everyone. They had just launched and were looking for greeting card designers, and where better to look than at a greeting card trade show!)
I thought, why not? I created a set of dog-themed birthday cards, which I think totaled six, uploaded them, and waited.
For a couple of years, nothing spectacular happened; I’d receive £10 a month sometimes £20. Hardly worth it, it would seem. In a way that didn’t matter, I’d given it a go, it hadn’t worked for me in terms of significant financial growth but neither had it taken up a significant amount of my design time and it did cover my cloud storage bill for the year and another small subscription, so it hadn’t been a complete waste of my time.
What I did do was ‘tinker’ I tried a few new designs every so often, then added more, there was no pressure and it was a bit like a game, will this design sell?
Then, out of the blue in year three, a couple of designs went viral.
Suddenly, sales spiked. From £10 to hundreds
At 30p royalty per card, those little payments started adding up as soon as the volume of sales increased.
And that’s how I ended up looking more closely at art licensing.
Volume sales were exciting!
What I’ve Learned Since Then
Art licensing is giving another company permission to use my artwork on their products, for a set time, in set locations, in return for money.
They handle the printing/making, marketing, shipping. I just make the art.
You can license your art for use on a lot more than just greeting cards.
You can be specific about what’s licensed — by product, location, and time period.
Royalties beat one-off fees if your design sells well. My best-selling card has sold over 100,000 copies, times that by .30p and it gets much more interesting
Organisation matters. I keep a spreadsheet of every license — who it’s with, what it covers, when it expires.
Your copyright stays with you unless you sell it outright (which I don’t).
It’s Not Passive
Licensing isn’t just “make it once and watch the money roll in.”
Artworks will have a time limit, they won’t sell forever and you still need to refresh designs, test ideas, and pitch to existing and new partners.
There can be lean periods where not so much is coming in
It is completely out of your control, all the presentaton, marketing and sales are run by the Licensee
But once something’s in place, it can quietly tick along in the background while you make new work.
I’ve since tried:
Pattern design on Spoonflower (hard work, smaller sales, but that’s just my experience, I’m not a natural at pattern design)
Collaborations with a bag company (one-off fee, but great exposure)
Cushions & coasters with differing manufacturers
Licensing agreements with several larger publishers of stationery products
Stickers for an App
Collaboration with a USA-based Labrador-themed manufacturer
Approaching companies directly after spotting products in shops
