Lucia Stewart 07 Mar 2021

Interesting topic, Brian! I usually take part in 3 to 4 art festivals a year. BUT 2020 was not a great year for art festivals. Moving to online with these festivals was a total disaster. Most of my 2020 sales came from my Etsy and Instagram accounts.

Brian Wolfgang Becker 08 Mar 2021

That is a troubling thought if I read you correctly Lucia. Are you saying that online Art Galleries are not driving your sales? I view your art work as being very marketable, universally appreciated and very much liked! It could hang in any childs bedroom or be available on multiple different platforms including in childrens books, in syndicated cartoons, on various calanders and on cups and T-shirts etc. here on ArtWanted. There is always a difference as to how people present or relate to animals but your interpretations make all animals very adorable!

One of my favorite all time animal and nature photogrphers has always been Art Wolfe who does some incredibly beautiful work. To see the images that he created when everything was still captured on film was really something! Digital capture and software programs has made the possibility of creating interesting imagery far more accessable to everyone and today everyone basically carries a stills and video camera with them via their smart phones. If sales are not developing for you here on ArtWanted, why do you think that may be as your work should be highly in demand based on what I am seeing. Is it the economy? Is it COVID-19? Is it something else? Please share further thoughts should you have any on this subject as it is important for all of us trying to make a living via the visual arts these days. I have personally heard from a couple artists here that have very deep talent and a long history and they are struggling!

Rick Corbett 08 Mar 2021

Great topic Brian. I personally find most of my sales through commissions. I consider myself a portrait artist, I don't consider myself very marketable as not many people would like to have a portrait of someone else hanging on their wall. Pre Covid, I also did a lot of art festivals and demonstrations where I would draw (no pun intended) a large crowd because where I live, not many artists "draw". I considered these festivals more of a demonstration opportunity rather than sale opportunities as I never really sold a lot, but I did get a lot of commission requests - so that is a positive. In today's world, I find myself doing a lot of online demonstrations from my home studio using my iPhone and using social media live streaming apps such as Instagram Live and Facebook Live, again I get mostly viewers who enjoyed watching me work but not any real sales. But again, I think it's my content, I'm not really marketable as Lucia is. I could draw other subjects, for instance, I have a motorcycle commission I'll be starting soon for a motorcycle club that commissioned me to draw a motorcycle which they will be auctioning off in September. But that is pretty much where I get most of my sales - through commissions. Great discussion Brian, I am interested in hearing from other artists.

Lucia Stewart 09 Mar 2021

Brian, I was referring only to the art festivals companies, who attempted to move online because of the pandemic. That was not a successful move at all. Art festivals was a major sales event for me as well as a great marketing tool for more local sales in my area. I have recently returned to Artwanted after many years to update my online portfolio. I am on 2 other print on demand sites and my sale have increased on those platforms, mostly because of the pandemic, since much of my artwork was and is still selling on masks. Yay, for me on that front at least.

Lucia Stewart 09 Mar 2021

Rick, I would be very interested to see your live video's. That is very brave of you to put yourself out there. Your pet portraits are awesome too, do you get many pet portrait commissions?

Mark A. Lembo 16 Mar 2021

Brian, thanks for another great topic.

I am starting with FASO (web site host), ArtWanted, TurningArt and Vsual.co (not .com) for trying to generate an online market. Each has its own target market, strengths and weaknesses. These efforts started back in October 2020, so I cannot give you a comparison to previous years. These 'sales' sites coupled with Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are my main social/online avenues. Added to that, I joined a local artists group that has a retail shop and a number of shows throughout the year.

That said, I agree 100% that sites like ArtWanted provide an excellent vehicle for making connections around the world. Look to build a manageable portfolio of (3-4) sites/tools and leverage the best attributes (free monthly Bold Brush contests/publicity, e.g.) of each to reach the markets you want to target.

That's a newbie's take, anyway!

Cheers, MAL

Brian Wolfgang Becker 16 Mar 2021

Thanks for your input MAL. I will explore FASO and others as well and see what their platforms offer that is not provided here via ArtWanted.com.

Brian

Mark A. Lembo 18 Mar 2021

happy to discuss at any time. MAL

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