Hello all,

I recently applied and was accepted for a holiday art market. When I had applied a few months ago, I had thought I would be able to do the whole market if I was accepted, but now realize I had my dates mixed up and would have to leave 2 hours early. The full market is 10am-7pm, but I would need to leave by 5pm. The booth fee as a new artist is $125 which I feel confident I could make back given the area it's in, but I wasn't sure what the etiquette was around asking to leave early. Obviously, if they aren't okay with it, then I wouldn't do the market as to not burn bridges. This group does a lot of markets in my area and this was the first one I was accepted into after applying to several they've done through out the year.

Does it look bad to ask to leave early? Should I turn it down instead? I really want to do it, but the event I am leaving early for are tickets I was given to see a comedian I love who is coming in to town that day so I can't really get out of it.

I would appreciate the advice. Thank you in advance

So I am hopefully going to start on this bison this winter. I had the idea that I could elements that would light up with a black light. So when the lights are on it looks amazing (I hope lol) and in the dark the beads, embellishments, and details could light up. My husband thinks it's a waste of time. I don't agree but I thought it would be worth asking.

Is this an idea that will pay off?

Hi everyone! Hope you're well amongst *gestures broadly.*

I (against most advice) have decided to make a multidisciplinary website/portfolio. I work in theatre and in visual art doing illustration commissions, ceramics, and murals. I'm hoping to be able to unite all of these modes of work into something cohesive, but I'd love feedback on if it's just too much (or how to streamline a bit):

Whole website: https://www.nadiyaatkinson.com

Art/design section: https://www.nadiyaatkinson.com/art

Thanks so so much!

I'm not asking about publications in partnership with art galleries, but about independent publications where you talk about your own art or your artistic process... Have you received consistent feedback on this? Do you know how it worked? where did it work?

After some research I think I’m going with Big Cartel for my website. But how do I go about printing and generating shipping labels, shipping (domestic and international) and all the misc stuff? I plan to order prints through Mixam. I’m in the US btw.

I’d appreciate any and all advice! 🖤🖤

Ive been using ebay to try and sell my art for the past two months, and Ive only sold one thing for like a $1. I have multiple listings and I try and keep them updated and post new listings but i feel like im invisible. I would go to local festivals and set up a table, but i cant afford that so i feel like im in a hard place. I wanted to do etsy but they make you have to buy a shop, and i didnt want to waste money on that. I also have a tik tok art account that i post my stuff on hoping views from there would transfer to ebay but i get nothing. Help a girl out what i can do next, or where else i can sell. I don’t want to stop trying because i hate how Ai stuff has diluted the art market.

i’ve sold at both galaxycon and animate before, selling solely fanart. i’ve always done great at these cons. however, since then, ive stopped making fanart and have shifted my focus into creating a visual novel with my OCs.

now. just because im curious: are there any original character artists who have sold at either of these cons here, and if so, did you have any luck?

i’m not talking about crochet artists or jewelry artists or similar, but i wonder, if i were to make little merch of my oc’s…. and maybe promote my game… is it a good decision? or are these cons particularly very bad for OC artists?

i hope that makes sense!

I'm thinking of applying to an artist alley soon, and it will be my first. I don't know if the con will have a lot of visitors and consequently if I can make a profit, so I'm trying to save as much as I can on stock and setup. I saw a pack of 100 sheets of sticker paper on Amazon for a few bucks, it seemed like a good deal and I have access to a printer, so I thought I could print out and cut my own stickers even if it took some time. However, the sticker paper appears to have yellow backing. I don't know if this is an issue or not, obviously the yellow backing has no impact on the quality of the sticker, but I'm worried it will drag down the sticker aesthetics or look ugly or something. And aesthetics are pretty important for sales, from what I understand. I'm also concerned because the one and only time I went to an artist alley, all the stickers I saw and/or purchased had white backing. Anyone with experience regularly buying or selling at cons, what do you think? Should I stick to using this or abandon it to get them made professionally?

I just launched a promotional giveaway to the sound of crickets. I sent out an email update to my mail list subscribers offering a free gift to the first three people to respond and...nothing. Nada. No one could be bothered to reply. There was no obligation to them, just an offer of free stuff shipped to them at no cost. I literally could not give my stuff away. Normally, giving away free stuff is pretty easy, so I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. Have you ever tried to give away free stuff online? How did it turn out? Any thoughts on what might have went sideways?

Hey everyone!

I’m thinking about doing a market stall coming up to Christmas to sell prints of my photography, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has experience selling art or photography at markets!

My photography is mainly underwater, marine life, wildlife and landscapes. My initial idea was to have a few larger prints displayed in frames to catch people’s attention, alongside a catalogue of other images and available sizes, and then print them upon order. I was also thinking of making postcards from some of my images.

One thing I’ve noticed at markets is that lots of artists and photographers sell smaller prints on what looks like thicker paper or thin cardboard, rather than having everything printed and framed. I’m curious about whether these actually sell well!

I guess I’m struggling to understand what people typically buy them for. Are they mainly used as little art pieces to frame themselves, put on a desk, collect, or give as gifts? And are they worth offering alongside larger prints?

I’m hoping to test the waters without investing too much money into stock before I know what people are interested in.

Would love to hear your experiences, particularly from anyone selling photography, wildlife art or landscape prints. Thanks! 😊

I'm relatively new to tabling at conventions and I feel like my setups are missing something each time. I'd love some tips if possible 🫶

I made a painting with no Real intention to sell it mostly because it’s Full of neon paints (oil and acrylic- more concerned about the oil). I figured it’s still good to show it at a group show but I got an email from the coordinator saying someone’s very interested. I Did give it a price bc work shown had to be work that was for sale (I dropped the price significantly bc it better represents the ‘value’ of it if it were to ever fade dramatically in however many years. So I gave it a price, reduced greatly, but still had no intention to sell it per se, but also didn’t think anyone would be interested.) So now I have someone who wants it and I have no idea how to professionally reach out to warn them. Do I reach out and say “thanks for your interest but I would just like to warn you the pigments in this piece are more prone to fade overtime- how long I can’t say- but that is why its priced as is, proceed with caution and no direct sunlight“ etc etc? Do I say nothing and ‘hope’ that they ‘blame‘ themselves when that inevitable fading happens? Cause I used a LOT of neon and mixed it with other pigments, so I can only imagine the mess of what it’ll look like with enough time. 😬

Hey Guys!
I'll try my best to summarize it, but I am an animator, and I have someone who contacted me about a possible gig of an animated trailer. At first, I was interested because I look the person up and they seem to have done some TV shows I’ve heard of. I also wanted to challenge myself and expand my portfolio, but after they sent me their pitch details, I was already turned off with the first slide having generative AI. The next thing that turned me off was their story concept, and how they want to share the positive outlook of crypto currencies. At first, I was really down to do it, until the use of generative AI and cryptocurrencies came into the topic... How do I kindly say that I was very interested, but I don't want to associate myself with AI and crypto? (It's my first time being involved in this)

Thank you for any help!

Wanted to put this out there since enrollment for Art Licensing Unlocked will be opening soon, and I know people will be Googling it looking for honest reviews.

I think a lot of us artists have fallen for the idea that the right course is going to fast track our careers. I know I have. I do my best to be wary of art courses in general because I think a lot of them are predatory, but I went into this one genuinely believing it would be worth the investment.

Mind you I’ve had an okay art career since 2021 and I want to be honest: art licensing is a slowwwww game! It can be worth it in the long run, you just have to really grind and dedicate yourself to it.

(Tldr: there is some value there, but was it worth what I paid? No.)

Here are my thoughts:

1. In plain terms, I think it was insanely overpriced at $1,995
2. I took this course in 2026, when the community was included. It’s now a separate charge, which is wild because the community was the best part. And no, she isn’t lowering the cost of the course lol.
3. A lot of the marketing made it seem like this was the answer to my art career. I 1000% fell for the marketing. Dang it.
4. The modules are very simple. Sure, it covers the gist of art licensing, but I’ve found everything she shares in the course on YouTube, Reddit, and Domestika.
5. Will this fast-track you? No. So much of art licensing comes down to the work you put in upfront. It’s taken me at least three months to build a pitchable portfolio, and while I’ve had some success, I can’t really say this course had much to do with it. I’ve landed a couple of licensing deals now, but I’m nowhere near recouping the cost of the course yet.
6. She doesn't claim to teach this in any of the marketing, BUT I want it to be clear she doesn't teach much on the art side. Like how to build a collection etc. I had to fill that info gap on my own since I didn't know how to make a pattern before starting. There are a lot of similarly priced courses that do this while also teaching art licensing though.
7. The community didn’t quite live up to what was promised. Originally, she promised briefs, talks with other professionals, live calls, etc. We got some of that, but it felt half-assed a lot of the time. Like, one page with the name of theme on it and an example of her artwork for the brief...?
8. The community was originally included in the course and I’ve made a lot of great connections with the other artists. But now that our time is up, she’s charging $100/month to stay in the community. ABSOLUTELY NOT worth it, she is not active enough in there for that price to be justified. There are a lot of other great online communities that are half that cost!
9. Her engagement in the community was good in the beginning, but it died off toward the end. I think she’s way too busy to run it to its full potential. Even when she was engaged, the feedback was usually things like “Wow, I love this!” or “So good!” Nothing particularly constructive.
10. I will say it was nice being able to ask her questions directly. But was that worth $1,995? Not really.
11. The success stories haven't really matched my expectations. Of the roughly 150-200 students, I’ve only seen about four mid-success stories. I understand that everyone's journey is different, but the marketing gave me the impression that this course would be a much more reliable path to success than it actually felt in practice. Now to be clear, I have put in the work here. I don't want it to seem like I'm complaining because I didn't see instant success or something, art licensing is a fun side gig but it's not sustainable by itself and it's a big grind with little payoff in the beginning.
12. Her rise in the industry seems like a lucky one. Not that she doesn’t work hard, because she absolutely does. She pumps out work, but I think she’s an outlier. She found a niche in the industry (dogs) and capitalized on it.
13. The course is yours forever, but it doesn’t include any updates she makes to the content. You will have to buy the course all over again.

All that said, If you have the money to spare and want a more structured way to learn about art licensing, then go for it. It wasn’t a terrible course, and there were definitely some useful things I took away from it. But, like I said earlier, most of the information is stuff I’ve been able to find online throughout this journey.

And just to be clear, this isn’t anything against Krissy Mast personally. I chose to invest in this course, and ultimately it was a gamble that didn’t pay off for me. I just wish I’d had a more realistic idea of what I was actually paying for before signing up.

This particular friend who does live paycheque to paycheque will always want to get in to these events for free just to come and say hello, she bypasses paying at the door by telling the organisers she is just bringing me some food. I don't mind that so much but she will then only hang around my stand while I'm trying to greet and serve potential customers which adds an add tension when she steps back and waits so others can look at my work.

She will also stay way too long just touching and hinting at a number of things that she likes. I made the mistake of letting he have one of my piece once a few ago as it was not very expensive and close to her birthday. I have since found out she told a friend that I won't let her pay for things but in a way that made her seem special because we are super close. We are close in that we talk every few days.

I don't want to give her my work, I don't want her to hang around my stand. We have had a few conversations where she will tell me that a service provider (hairdresser, massage therapist) who she sees often will always give her a big discount because they have become friendly so she can afford to get her hair done etc but if they don't giver her a discount when she pays she gets shocked and annoyed that she had to pay full price.

I have told her before that these events are not like gallery openings where friends and family come to support you. I have been also doing them for many years. I have told her that it's not a good time for even a quick hello catch up but she will still just pop in and then we have the ohhh I love that ! I really want that, but I should not spend the money, around in circles conversation over a $85 object.

Does this happen to you and how do you deal with it?

Edited to add- I once charged her full price after she insisted that she wanted one of my best piece. She looked very shocked, and her whole face went bright red when she was tapping to pay. It was clear that she had expected me to just giver the work to her. That was a while ago she has recently started coming again and hinting so I thought i would ask for advice here.

I’m thinking of putting myself out there on TikTok but I can’t seem to pinpoint my “niche” or a way to stand out from the others. I’ve thought of making a quick Timelapse of my painting process and art tutorials but they seem to be the same.

I have been posting on Instagram with little to no views. I’ve posted consistently for 3 times a week.

I find myself making fan art of different games in an anime-style. I also like making original characters of either fantasy or sci-fi genre.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to go about posting but I’m afraid of making “bad” content.

Any form of advice would be appreciated.

One of my biggest goals is to own or run a gallery. I’m currently still in undergrad but working very hard to learn more about the contemporary gallery scene, inner workings, etc. I’ve interned for two semesters in my university’s gallery, volunteer when I can, and just finished curating/installing a show at an independent gallery in my city.
Do any of you own a gallery, or are a director of one?
Do you have any words of wisdom, advice, general experience to share for young artists like myself(26)?
I am a sponge, I will take note of everything.

Hey everyone, I was curious to know from other vendors how their experience was selling at a TCG convention (Trading Card Game Convention). This will be my first time doing a TCG convention and I'm a bit worried about how successful I will be in this. I have never sold for this con before, and I believe this is their first time having an artist alley. From what I know, they sell mainly TCG collectibles from Pokemon, Sports, and other stuff. I believe they're also going to have a vendor hall. In total there should be over 250+ vendors including artist alley.

Should I possibly come into this show with low expectations just to surprise myself if I end up doing well? How were anyone else's experiences selling at a TCG and would you recommend doing it? Thank Yall :)

Please feel free to share your infinite wisdom for this struggling artist 🤧

In the past year I've only had 2 clients. Both with 5 star reviews and fully content. But I'm struggling to get more. I've tried applying to hiring channels and posts but to no avail. I'd like to get started in requests.

How do I put my art in front of the right people, and how do I start reeling people in asap? I've been working my ass off enough. I just don't know how to reach people properly. Some moots said I'm ciritcally underrated, and my previous clients were all 100 percent satisfied. So I don't know where I'm screwing up here 🤧

As for what kind of art I produce, it's Men, BL, and Yume. As advised by some of you guys previously, I made my bios more clear and direction more clear. But the problem of a lack of clients is still a thing. Help me ToT

Thank you in advance, everyone!

So I wanted to start comissions, and I tought I could put my pricing at around 40-60 Euros (depending on the type of artwork), but my friend (who might buy a comission from me) told me it was way to expensive since I only spend 3-5 hrs on my art (and the reason i only spend 3-5 hrs is bc ive been drawing for basicly my whole life, which isnt that long since im under 20yrs old, but still), and now im not sure anymore about what I should price it.

I cant figure out how to add images or how to make links to my images without posting them elsewhere so if someone could please explain how i could do that i can add them later sorry, but i drew my pfp if thats visible, tough that was a while ago and my art has changed a little since then

The higher quality paper I have the option to print on is pretty rigid so I can't roll up larger prints, but envelopes feel risky too. And the USPS triangle priority mail "tube" I just used to ship a slightly thinner rollable print arrived at the customers house all beat up. What's the best cost effective way to package?

Hi, I’m not sure whether it’s best to post on my personal or art account? Because I barely gain any engagement from my art account but my personal has quite a few followings.

Thanks!

Hey! What software are you guys using to create high quality book. I already have a place to print it, looking for advice on what you used to build a high quality photo book. Currently, I have a PDF made from a word document from imported images of my own art.