Art Licensing
Art licensing basically means to “rent” your art to a company for use on a product. Artists can license their work for all sorts of products—from greeting cards to fabric to home goods to toys...there’s really no limit to what your art could end up on!
How It Works
Companies who license art usually employ art buyers or art directors—it’s their job to seek out art to place on the company’s products. Buyers look for art via art licensing agents, trade shows, social media, and submissions. Once they find the art they want to license, they negotiate with the artist to decide things like how much the artist will get paid, what kind of products the art can be used on and for how long, whether the artist can license that same piece of art to other companies, etc…Watch our FREE Art Licensing Training!
You’ll learn:
✓ What art licensing is and how it can bring more consistency to your art business and even out the ebbs & flows of your income
✓ Ways to leverage licensing and turn it into passive income that makes the most of the time and energy you have available
✓ How the art licensing industry works & how it’s different from what most artists are used to
✓ How licensing portfolios are unique and what it takes to build one that sells
✓ Tactics for finding the right buyers for your work and cultivating relationships
Helpful Articles
The Pros
- You decide what art you want to make and when
- You can license the same piece of art multiple times
- Product royalties build up nicely over time and create passive income
- Seeing your art on products is really freaking cool
The Cons
- It takes a long time to build a licensing portfolio
- Once our art is licensed, it can take many months before you make any money (depending on your fee agreement)
- No one gives you assignments for what to create-you have to figure it out on our own
- Reaching out to potential buyers can be time consuming and frustrating
Other Stuff to Note
While custom requests can definitely come up with art licensing, more often you’ll license art that you’ve already created. Serious art licensing artists have big portfolios full of art that is geared towards their intended markets and buyers and is ready to be licensed at any time.
Art Licensing could be right for you if…
• You’re self-motivated and driven, so you don’t give up easily or get bored quickly
• You have a style that could work commercially and appeals to the mass market
• You’re willing to put in the leg work to find buyers and get your art out there
• You like the idea of being in charge of what you make and when
How to Get Started
Already dreaming of walking into Target and seeing your work displayed in the greeting card aisle? Here’s a few tips!
1. Start building your portfolio – Once you’ve got a handle on how licensing works, you have to create the kind of artwork that buyers are looking for!
2. Share your work – Now that you’re making the work, you have to put it out there. From sending it to buyers, to submitting to calls, it’s time to get your work discovered!
3. Make connections – Ask for introductions, go to networking events, and make those online connections with buyers who you think will resonate with your style!
4. Hone in on your niche – Take note of what categories your work really shines in, then lean in!!!