Tumblr Post Comparing Someone Elses Art for Selling Art
How to make [that thing yous want to sell in creative person alley]
Every then often nosotros get questions asking "Practice you know where I tin print/make ___?" More often than not speaking, if we know, it's probably already on our resource page, along with some informational posts on this tumblr, and nosotros're always aiming to share new things we learn about that we call up will be useful for our followers. If it'south non, it's often considering we don't know - because the product is something rather specific or specialized, and/or something nosotros don't have personal feel with because we don't brand/sell it.
No one can be an adept in everything. However, there are approaches we would accept based on feel and logic. We promise by sharing this, people can use this information and proactively apply it to tackle about anything they dream of making.
And then, for the sake of anyone wondering "Where can I print/brand ___?", here is a crude guide on how to figure out how or where to make [that thing you want to sell in artist aisle].
Basically, it comes downwardly to this: Do your research. Be resourceful. Think similar a maker/entrepreneur - because that's what you are.
In the twenty-four hours and age of public libraries + Google, not to mention globalization and innovation making small scale technologies possible and the huge interest in maker and DIY culture, there is a wealth of data literally at your fingertips. Accept advantage of them! Ask yourself - take I researched this seriously? Or am I throwing out questions hoping someone can supply ready-made answers to a single identify/website/company that volition make everything super easy?
There's commonly piddling impairment in request others, and asking questions is an important part of research, but expecting an easy answer is not realistic - especially not if y'all have a specific need or situation that other people don't necessarily take.
Besides, if y'all've asked other artists who sell what you want to make, and they don't provide an answer, it can very well exist that they are not comfortable providing that information. This doesn't necessarily mean they are bitter, selfish people who care nil for the happiness and success of others. It's not unlikely that it may take taken them a significant amount of time and research to investigate for themselves, going through a procedure non unlike the one we'll depict hither. It's also possible it's really a pretty complicated process for them to get it done. Many people consider their production methods and sources a hard-earned trade secret for their business and their livelihood. The reality is that artisans all over the world have done this for thousands of years. That'south why we fifty-fifty have the concept of, and the term for, trade secrets!
Then, where tin you kickoff?
1) Google
Search for things like "press" or "custom" "(thing you wanna make)" "(your geographical area)" (due east.k., print custom bags Toronto or Canada or something like that). Look at the results. Check out the websites. Compare their prices and processes. Look upward the companies and see if they take reviews. At that place may also exist pages and posts of people reviewing, discussing, or describing related things that yous'll be interested to know about likewise.
And, if you don't know how to do something, you can likewise Google that. Hither's a guide to go you started that nosotros found by googling "how to find a vendor" and basically enabled me to reduce the length of this post past half:
- How to discover a manufacturer or supplier for your product: https://www.shopify.ca/blog/13975985-how-to-notice-a-manufacturer-or-supplier-for-your-product-idea
Remember this is the internet, so don't forget to apply your critical thinking skills to the information you turn upwards. You tin always cross-reference with other references and resources, like at the reputability of the website/organization posting information technology, other users' feedback, the library, etc.
2) Our resources page
As mentioned previously, we share a list of a broad variety of suppliers and vendors here: http://aatoast.tumblr.com/resources
Remember, this list is a starting indicate. We don't list every potential manufacturer/supplier out there, and we accept not personally used all of them. Nosotros do accept a bias for Canadian vendors, because we're based out of Canada, and for companies that practise concern in English and have likely handled artist alley type requests before, due to our audience.
If you're looking for things yous encounter all the fourth dimension in artist alleys, like prints, posters, postcards, bookmarks, books, buttons, stickers, keychains, etc. you should be able to find at least a couple of viable suppliers here. If you lot're looking for less common things, yous might find them here as well. We don't always list everything a supplier offers, and nosotros don't take feel with all of them. Still, if you go to these sites, you lot may find some of them practice have what y'all want. Or the information on their sites can bespeak yous to other keywords/phrases or potential suppliers.
On our resources page, nosotros also listing some other great artist aisle tumblrs like @howtobeaconartist and sites that expand their resources and reviews list to many more vendors and options in the Us. You'll be paying USD and potentially other aircraft or community fees, but that's an option if you're comfy with information technology.
3) Manufacturers in other countries
Many companies and entrepreneurs outsource manufacturing to other places where costs are cheaper. Alibaba is usually the name thrown around as a place to start when people start talking about this type of manufacturer - the guide nosotros linked before goes into more than detail on things.
A few things to note:
- Mostly, you demand to be making much larger quantities for this to be feasible, and your operations are going to be scaled up quite a bit from doing ane or two artist alley events here and there. A factory isn't going to bend over backwards for you if you lot want to make 10 of something. That said, in that location are some exceptions to the larger quantity rule: for example, there are Asian printers are accepted to managing very brusk run press/products because of the potent cocky-publishing/doujin culture in those countries. However, this definitely brings upwardly the adjacent point.
- You'll very likely be working across languages (in some cases, you lot may need to exist fluent or need someone fluent to get through the entire procedure) and across time zones, subject to the holidays and import/consign laws of whatever country you lot are dealing with (as well every bit those of your own land of course).
- If you happen to have family unit/friends based in those countries who tin can assistance in checking out a identify, picking up proofs, picking upwardly finished products, getting them to you, etc., that can exist very helpful in mitigating problems around time, stress and costs.
Another cautionary note - I've heard stories of artists who used overseas suppliers and afterward found their artwork being reused without their permission - only this is purely anecdotal. As with all decisions involving business organization (belongings and money), make certain to do your due diligence.
If y'all think your idea is a big winner, and you lot know where to make it but just don't have the money up front, you could consider crowdfunding for your initial investment, like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. This is a whole other beast entirely, and there are many resource online on creating a crowdfunding campaign.
4) Group orders
If y'all've constitute a supplier/manufacturer you want to work with, only the minimum order is besides big for yous alone, consider coordinating a group order with other artists to offset the 3029482903325 items yous'll demand to buy. Some suppliers, similar @jimiagency, actually operate this mode, past brokering group orders. This may not e'er be possible due to the restrictions of an order. Too, deport in mind that coordinating any large grouping of people comes with its own set of challenges (finding interested participants you lot can trust, chasing people down for information, deadlines, files, payment, etc.)
5) POD (print on demand) and marketing promotions companies
We don't list these on our resources page, but these are at to the lowest degree two other types of companies that could work for you depending on your needs.
POD shops (recall Zazzle, Society6, Redbubble, many more than etc.) allow you to put your artwork on a multifariousness of products and sell them online. The principal thing is that they are fix for on-need order fulfillment online, so frequently it'southward less economical for yous to order things for yourself to sell at an event - your profit won't be that great. But it might exist an option if you simply want a very small quantity for something very specific. Y'all tin observe google comparison articles and reviews to effigy out the best fit for y'all.
Marketing promotions companies specialize in promo items used for advertising purposes. (Again, just google "marketing promotions products" + your geographic area. You can also google the blazon of detail y'all are looking for.) Think of all the pens, bags, lanyards, water bottles, etc. you've ever seen at events emblazoned with company logos. They have large catalogues of all sorts of things and are oft based locally. Only comport in mind - these companies are unremarkably set up for dealing with organizations or people who are ownership, in bulk, promotions or giveaways for their business concern, and usually the printing is only a version of slapping a logo on something. They're not focused on making things for an artist to resell beautiful reproductions of their artwork in tiny quantities in artist alley. Note in most cases costs are for single-colour banner, the printing area may exist quite small, and you'll have to accept the aforementioned epitome for all 100 or 250 or whatever minimum quantity you demand to buy.
6) If all else fails, do it yourself.
Sometimes you really will not be able to find a vendor who can make exactly what y'all desire, because information technology's also custom, or the quantity you demand is just style too small, or it's going to cost y'all an arm and a leg. And you tin't coordinate a group order for whatever reason (non enough other artists interested, or the image e'er has to be the same, or whatever.)
You'll but have to exercise what many artists/makers/entrepreneurs/small businesses exercise all the time: figure out how to make information technology yourself. After all, pretty much everything we take today didn't really exist until somebody said, "why don't nosotros have [apathetic]??" and continued that train of thought with activeness.
- Break your grand idea down into its components. What exactly is this thing y'all want to make made upward of? What are the materials or what could the materials be? What are the different pieces?
- Source the individual components, or come up with alternatives for the components.
- Assemble it.
For example, if you wanted to make a bag, what are the components of the handbag you're imagining? A textile with a custom pattern or print, for example, certain zippers/buttons/decorations, etc. And then, y'all'll demand to detect a identify to print your fabric, which you can Google. Or maybe yous can learn to print your ain fabric, which yous can as well Google. Yous'll need to notice a supplier for zippers and sewing materials. Maybe you can't find a zipper or a sure ornamentation - you can come upward with an alternative way of achieving the same outcome or result of endmost your bag or having a little charm hanging off of it. Yous'll need to know how to stitch - or discover someone you can pay or beg into doing and so. And then on and and then forth.
Some especially enterprising people will sometimes turn this into another concern opportunity - offering to make other people'due south stuff. This is what has happened with things like buttons, where quite a few artists have purchased equipment for product and also offer button making services to other artists. Again, your mileage may vary every bit that's another thing to take on as a business concern, merely it's an option to get-go costs past enabling you lot to buy larger quantities of supplies and as well make some boosted revenue.
Good luck with your product thought!
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Source: https://aatoast.tumblr.com/post/149483941224/how-to-make-that-thing-you-want-to-sell-in-artist