Artists and Art Licensees – Are You Really Looking for Purple Art for Retail Products?

  I remember all too well the retail crash of 2008 and the deadline retail year of 2009, as much as I’ve tried to forget all about it. So what was the color of that year? What did the color mavens, the true color “experts” advise us to create and market? Gray. Gray added to […]

Continue Reading...

Agent Spotlight – Lance Klass, Porterfield’s Fine Art

An Interview with Art Licensing Agent Lance Klass, by Annie Troe This interview is reproduced with the kind permission of the interviewer and internet publisher, Ann Troe. All content is (c) Ann Troe.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You can reach Ann through her blog at http://annietroe.blogspot.com or via email at info@AnnGraphics.com  I first learned of Lance […]

Continue Reading...

Surtex 2013 Dates and Details Announced

Artists, designers, and licensing agencies have already begun to make plans for their involvement in Surtex 2013, the premier art licensing show of the year. According to show management, Surtex will return to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from May 19-21, 2013. More Exhibitors and More Traffic The three-day show […]

Continue Reading...

A Licensing Agent’s Point of View on Surtex 2012 and the State of the Market

I’ve been publishing interviews and articles about Surtex since the end of May after returning from the show. It has been great learning and fun to get multiple views of the show. I was pleased to host an informative interview with Lance Klass, President of Porterfield’s Fine Art Licensing, who has shared with us his views as […]

Continue Reading...

Harnessing the Power of Social Media in Art and Design Licensing

For all the talk these past few years about harnessing the power of social media to promote your business, your products or your art, when it comes down to it, many people don’t know much about social media at all. Of those who do, many if not most don’t understand how they can use social […]

Continue Reading...

The Runaway License

    I know this title sounds like a John Grisham mystery, and while runaway licenses do have elements of mystery in them they’re anything but fiction. Unfortunately, they do exist, and they can be difficult to deal with, very difficult to control, but not always that difficult to extricate oneself from with some persistence. […]

Continue Reading...

How and Where Do You License Art? An Interview

This Interview with Lance Klass, President of Porterfield’s Fine Art Licensing, was conducted by Alex Colombo and published in his The Moon From My Attic art blog: I’ve been working on my first licensing collection. So far I managed to not throw away anything…however, some concepts didn’t work that well after I placed them on mock-ups or […]

Continue Reading...

Why Exhibiting at Surtex is a Must for Serious Art Licensors Who Want to Succeed

Quite a Show! Surtex 2011 is over.  277 companies and individual artists participated in the show and in the process exhibited the works of over a thousand artists for viewing by almost 6,000 visitors representing manufacturers, retailers and developers of products destined for retail sale in every level of retail outlet from high end to […]

Continue Reading...

Welcome a Bright New Addition to Art & Art Licensing Blogs

About a year ago, AdaPia d’Errico created a blog on Tumblr, the free and easy-to-use blog site, to promote the artistic works of her sister, Camilla, a talented Canadian artist, illustrator and cartoonist.  As the blog developed, AdaPia began to diverge from solely promoting the art of her sister and of other bold and creative […]

Continue Reading...

How to Survive the Retail Landslide of the Great Recession

Remember the Retail Crash at the End of 2008? Christmas 2008 changed everything for retailers of consumer products.  Remember that awful retail season?  Or would we all rather forget it?  Retail sales took a serious plunge, mass marketers and independent retailers kept slashing prices and their margins in the hope of attracting more shoppers, and […]

Continue Reading...

Top 10 Checklist for How to Get Moving in Art Licensing, by Linda Mariano

When Lance and I spoke about me being a guest writer for his Business of Art Licensing Blog, I was on my way to ArtExpo in New York and excited about presenting several seminars there to the art industry.   Lance and I talked about my article and we thought it would be helpful to discuss […]

Continue Reading...

Are You Planning to Exhibit at the Javits Center in New York for the Very First Time? Here are Some Tips!

You’ve made the decision to exhibit at the Surtex or the National Stationery Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City for the very first time.  Here are some tips for how to make your show more effective, and cut your expenses: 1 – Let show management know that you’re flexible with booth […]

Continue Reading...

What To Do When You See Artwork Being Copied Without Permission

Recently, I read a comment on Linked In from an artist who was shown a local church calendar that had been put together by people in her area using scans of work by different artists. None of the artists were mentioned by name, no source was mentioned for the artwork, and no copyright notices were […]

Continue Reading...

Not Getting Anywhere With Art Submissions? Often the Answer Has Nothing to Do With You or Your Art

I’m always amazed when artists thank me effusively for responding to their art submissions, especially when I turn them down. They seem to be just so very glad that someone actually took the time to respond to them, because with most submissions they never ever hear back. Not a positive, not a negative, not a […]

Continue Reading...

Why Bringing in Top Licensed Art Makes a Whole Lot of Sense for Companies Who Want to Increase Their Sales

A few years back, I was contacted by a very large American company that had seen an image by one of our artists, that they saw in an ad we had run in an art licensing publication. They were interested in seeing what else this artist had created, and in learning how they might go […]

Continue Reading...

Gotta Love Catalog Covers!

Janet Stever’s charming “Snuggle in the Snow” image got total placement on the cover of Carson Industries’ 2011 Fall/Holiday catalog for flags, mailbox wraps, floor mats and related seasonal products.  Click on the title to this posting to see the image. Can’t do better than the cover.  Congratulations Janet! – – – – (c) Lance […]

Continue Reading...

5 Good Reasons Why You Should Follow Smart Retailer Magazine

Smart Retailer (formerly Country Business) is worthwhile following for anyone who is interested in licensing their artwork.  I’ll tell you a bit about the magazine, and then tell you why it’s important. The magazine has been published for almost 20 years by Emmis Communications of Indianapolis, Indiana, and is the sister publication to Country Sampler, a […]

Continue Reading...

The 10 Key Points That Must Be In Every Licensing Agreement

Art licensing contracts come all sizes, shapes, formats and wording. Some have lots of fancy legal terms, while others may be poorly written or just too short to cover everything that should be covered in order to protect you and your rights. Here’s a checklist of 10 essential points that must be covered in each […]

Continue Reading...

How to Get Your Foot in the Door and Begin Long-Lasting, Mutually-Beneficial Licensing Relationships with the Right People at the Best Companies.

An artist asked me today how you go about grabbing a client’s attention. She said that sometimes it seems like you have to have an inside connection in a company or it just doesn’t work. Good point, and so I’ve made it the subject of this article. Where exactly do you start? Sending artwork ‘cold’ […]

Continue Reading...

Good Licenses are Based on Good Agreements

I’ve been in art licensing for so long that I’ve heard a ton of “horror stories” from artists who’ve made mistakes that should have been completely avoidable. One of the worst comes from an inability to read and understand basic licensing contracts. Read It And Weep Here’s an example: one artist told me he was […]

Continue Reading...