I'm a full-time artist who loves acrylic painting, art business, art fairs, and cats!
I've been painting for 15 years. My goal is to paint every type of animal in existence. But honestly, cats are my favorite. I have two cats and most of my cat paintings are based on them. I also have a genetic disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which causes tendinitis in most of my joints. Needless to say, I have bad days. Years ago, doctors recommended I do something to destress. So that’s why I started painting. I quickly developed a love for painting, almost as much love as I have for my cats!
Because of my health, I've had to develop painting hacks to help me get work done easier. I create videos to share what I've learned and things I'm passionate about related to art, like art fair tips to help artists. I love making RU-vid videos and helping other artists, so in a way this channel is my passion project. Enjoy :)
*Browse my website to see all 300 animals I've painted so far!
Strange! You've never had a follow-up? I get at least 1 small commission for every 100 business cards. I have different art/clientele though. I really like your video. You have some tips I've never heard anyone else say, like the sale signs to give an edge. Very useful info here.
Thanks! I have had follow-ups and purchases from time to time for commissions, but it is rare and not worth the time wasted talk in a customers in my booth when I could make sales on prints. Maybe it’s just that my market is different, clientele
This is all so true. I have done about 8 fairs in the last year, and there really is a big difference between the craft style and the strictly art fairs. I am still trying to tweak my offerings depending on where I am exhibiting. Super helpful, thanks!
I've been helping my wife with art shows for 5 years and I would say this advice is spot on. I might add a couple others: always have as much stuff under $25 as you can and when setting up art make your booth like like an art gallery. Spread things out and don't try to display everything at once. Also, greet people in some manner, people are more attracted to art if they feel the artist seemed down to earth and nice.
my mom is always at my booth she talks over me she tells me what im doing wrong this makes sales soooooooo stresful & then she thretens 2 punish me when i snap instead of understanding she's stressing me out & making me anxious
How awful! When I have family with me in my booth, I make them sit behind my booth and tell them I can’t talk to them when customers are there. I know that’s not always possible though ❤️
You say you don't use an isolation coat but what varnish are you using, removable or non-removable? I varnish my acrylic on canvas paintings but I do far more painting on paper with acrylic ink, airbrush paint (applied with a brush), fluid acrylics and acrylic gouache. These are usually halfway between a drawing and a full painting and I never varnish these, they go in a frame behind glass. When I do varnish I always put on 3-4 coats of acrylic gloss medium thinned 2:1 medium to water as an isolation layer. This is where the brushstrokes can show up, in my experience. I apply it with a foam brush. The water thins down the gloopiness so much that any bubbles have disappeared long before it dries. Then I wait a week and paff on a couple of coats of matt spray varnish. When this is done you can barely see anything has been done to the picture, which is the way I want it. I only varnish for protection. The way I see it, a varnish on acrylic is like the glass in front of a watercolour. It needs to be removable in case food, drink, paint, chemicals or other crap get on it , that's the whole point of it being there. I don't know if a painting is going to be loved 500 years from now but maybe it will be. I can't see the point of not protecting a picture when it's so easy to do.
Thank you for sharing your experience and passion for your art. You even suffer in pain for it. You’re very knowledgeable about how to set up and run a booth for art fairs. Years ago I crafted made-to-order ceramics figurines. We did a few art shows in some small town venues, which I found fun and challenging. Now, my nest is empty so I might try it again. Thank you for your inspiration
Yo mention "everything looks similar" to being bad. Not sure what you mean. Size? Sure, that makes sense. But "style"? Gotta paint what we paint. There's a good chance we have a signature 'style'. Are you recommending artists develop different styles for purposes of sales? Your booths seem to have a cohesive style, yes? Or are you just thinking size and price point, canvas and paper, etc.?
I think there's a difference between having a style as an artist and having everything look the same in your booth. I could do a video on this to show different examples, but you want your booth to have wow factor, if it looks boring to a person walking by, they probably won't even come inside ... that's the main idea I was saying. And yes, you should develop a style for the purposes of sales. I honestly think everything you make should be with the idea of sales in mind ahead of time. Other artists will probably disagree with this, but I think if you are trying to be an artist who sells your work for a living, you need to think about that at the inception of making a piece. Will someone want to buy this? If so, make it. If you can't think of a person who would want to buy it, make something else! Otherwise, just make art as a hobby, and then don't worry about it if someone will buy it or not. Art is fun either way :)
if they're serious about commission you can tell them they need to pay 1/3 or 1/2 to start. usually if they're willing to pay that then they're serious and will follow up b/c they've already paid, or just do commission via online shop,which means they will need to pay first before you start. but i get what the artist is saying that the pay-back from the revenue stream is not worth the expenses of the postcards/business cards.
I love buying art. I prefer to be greeted, then left alone until I have questions. I’m mostly interested in how the artwork is made. I hate conversations about where I come from, etc. I can’t properly look at artwork while someone is chitchatting with me.
#6 - Don't ignore browsers, even if you're busy with someone else. I know it's hard to keep your focus on more than one thing, especially if that thing is trying to close a sale, but people will absolutely bounce immediately from your booth if they feel ignored or that they'd be interrupting you, and you might lose five sales while attempting to wrangle that first person. A corollary is, don't block your booth entrance or table while interacting with a customer. If people can't easily get into your booth they'll absolutely slide right by.
I love greeting customers and engaging in small talk chit-chat. Then explaining whatever sales I have, emphasize I sell original one of a kind unique pieces, at affordable prices. And ask if they are looking for anything specific.
Good advice. I only sell original watercolors. Im late to the game and have done local art markets for 4 years and now want to sell down my large inventory. I'm 68.....and ready to stop selling....so I offered a half price sale on selected pieces and it was my most popular display and I sold quite a bit. They were mostly smaller paintings without mats. I've got 2 markets left to go to.....hoping to sell more and then be done with it all. Life has changed with grandkids being born and etc . I'll keep painting but not as prolific as I was before. Kudos to you for your ambition to be a full time artist.....so wonderful to see younger artists be successful!!!!
As a long-time craft fair shopper (and a beginning craft seller), I kind of like it when the artist is just looking at their phone. I’m an introvert, and when I walk into a booth, I would rather be left alone to browse. If the artist starts talking to me it feels like they are trying to get me to stay longer and it makes me uncomfortable. I’d rather browse in silence until I have a question for the artist or I am ready to buy something. Maybe a nice middle ground is when the artist says, “Let me know if you have any questions,” and then leaves me to browse in peace. That way, the customers who like to be greeted will get that acknowledgment and the introverts are not made uncomfortable.
My take on a few of your points. Don't do sales because of slow sales, you are just training people not to buy from you till later when they feel you are desperate and it can become a race to the bottom on prices. Do always offer discounts on multiple items and make them obvious so people don't want to pass on getting a better deal. If you do run a sale, run it at the start of a show for a short time I have found this drastically encourages people to make the purchase then and there and avoids many of the 'ill be back I just want to look around first' I stopped with cards altogether except for a few specifically for people looking for wholesale. I have qr codes at my booth for social media and drive people to follow on Instagram. For every 200 cards I used to give out one might convert to a sale I have found closer to 1 in 10 for people that followed me at a show because new posts remind them. Travel! You have to travel, and a good distance. If you are a fixture at local shows you will get repeat business but you will see sales drop. Get in front of diverse crowds. I very much used to have the 'not my crowd' attitude, but the more you are out of place the better you can do. No matter the show you will have people interested, perhaps not as many when you don't fit in as much, but the conversion rate for sales is so much higher for those who are interested. SMALL!!! Have a good variety of smalls, the larger a piece is the harder it is to sell not because of the price but because of the space and effort and even carrying it around at the show. For paintings, I used to bring larger canvases and they did not move as fast as I wanted and took up a lot of space. I reduced to 2" and 3" mini canvases and can't keep them and get the same price I had reduced the larges to when trying to get them to move. 80% of my sales are in things under 3" with an average price tag of about $50.
The most obvious thing that happens when "potential" clients don't follow up with your business card is called life. Life happens to all of us, and we forget where we've been in our run for the next important thing. So yes, I agree with trying to make a sale on the spot.
For commissions, instead of handing them a card, make an appointment for a consultation. That way the follow-up has already happened and the buyer is more comfortable and willing to buy. e.g the personal attention at home.
It’s a good idea, maybe it would work. I have collected their email addresses and contacted afterward and usually don’t ever make sales that way. Most of the time they don’t even open the emails, or the emails go to spam in Gmail. at least that’s what MailChimp says in the stats.
@@KrystleColeArt Yes, these are real-world events, so make the follow-up real-world as well. Ditch the computer! If you can get an appointment date and time at their physical real-world home, they are already more committed. You have the direct in-person experience with a real connection. The old-fashioned way still works and is often better.
I have tried that, one show I collected around 200 email addresses of people who wanted commissions. This took a lot of time and effort to do so, took time out of making sales from other people. I emailed them all multiple times and never sold a thing. After that, I decided to quit collecting email addresses, it was a waste of my time. Other artists might have different results, but that’s what I experienced anyway.
Hi Krystle, I want to print out line drawings onto mixed media paper to sell at art fairs here in the UK, for my customers to color in as coloring pages. The ink needs to be waterproof and not smudge, if someone uses watercolor. What type of printer would you recommend ?. I have been told that laser printers might work. Many thanks, from Alan here in the UK.
I think the P900 would do it, the pigment based ink from Epson does not smudge if it gets wet. It does depend on the type of paper you use. I would use a mat paper if you’re having them color the pages. you might contact Epson and ask them if there is a lower grade printer that would also work since you are only printing in black-and-white. Their sales reps would know what ink would not smudge. and that might save you some money.
@@KrystleColeArt Thankyou Krystle for your advice, I really appreciate your time. I have also subscribed to your fantastic channel. Love you art. Thank you, Alan
I worked in a gallery for 14 yrs.... People just love to look and talk about art.... they seldom spend money on it.. One old boss used to tell me to look at their shoes... if they have nice expensive shoes, they probably have a lot of money.... That doesn't mean they will buy the art, though.... People who buy art are excited about it. So show them the passion you have about your art. If they don't buy it, it's their loss!
Have you ever collected names in order to do a giveaway?? Have them fill out a card and put it in a fishbowl and draw a winner? It's a good way to collect people's contact info.
I have done this! But every time I do a giveaway or collect peoples email addresses at art fairs, I send out emails and add them my list, and they rarely ever buy anything after. It just wastes all of my time… has anyone else ever had success with giveaways? I’d love to know. If so, please share details in the comments!
If you need more help selling art at art fairs, doing art fairs in general, or art booth set up tips, I've made an entire playlist of art fair videos (like over 20 of them). Check 'em out, hope they help! ru-vid.com/group/PL6-RwCzCStOS2biW5LgtAk-Kka1ibXjE0
I made a video about art websites, I think it will help. You might have other questions, but it will be a start. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-j1_BFpYwUC8.htmlsi=u5Hcvi5-38TcFLwH
Honestly, I pass by the booths that have the artists that can’t even give you the time of day because they already determines that you’re not going to buy from them according to how you look. I would much rather see that you are too busy engaging with other customers to get to me right away and make me wait to discuss your artwork than to completely ignore me all together from the moment I walk up to your booth! And yes, some customers DO like to discuss your work with you. I once waited 15 mins for an artist to finish up with just talking with someone else who didn’t end up making a sale with and while I loved his artwork, it was nice to see his attitude about not getting that other sale and not being a jerk about it after that customer walked away that it was just one more selling point to get me and my husband to purchase 6 of his pieces of work, returning to his booth a total of 3x to go back and get more after discussing which ones we loved and which ones we’d still love to buy. That guy made a fortune off us that day and we made his day! I’d do it again just the same if we ever saw him again because he won us over in his art style AND his mannerism! He was very polite AND professional all throughout his whole entire transactions with all his customers inc his potential ones just the same! There were a few artists I just walked away from all together because despite their artwork being nice, they just couldn’t be bothered with me and too bad for them, because despite us having our kids in tow, we actually DID have money to spend and weren’t just there for the experience like many saw us to be. I love art fairs like a that and love to save up extra to budget in for things like this. It’s taught me a lot in how I would do things if it were my booth being the artist. Sometimes just wondering about the booths to see what is working and what you’re attracted to and figuring out why BEFORE you attend one yourself as the selling artist, helps A LOT!
Hi and thank you again for your recent feedback. You are a real master at what you do. I was wondering if you can recommend an "up to date book" on graphic image printing. Thank you.
I honestly don’t know of any books, I taught myself how to make prints through a lot of trial and error. That’s why I made the videos so there would be more resources for people. I never read any books on it. I don’t know, maybe someone else also see this comment and will have found one.
Great tips! I would add to ask people for their email address. If they don't buy today, there is always a chance they will buy later when they get your email update.
I definately used those 'excuses' to leave a booth. I do have to stick to a budget, and still feel bad for leaving a kind artist without buying something. Those who engage more usually do get more of my attention, and I feel more obligated to make a purchase. I guess it's important for both sides to be aware of this effect. 😅
