Market Research

[tealin]

I'm looking at very much belatedly getting on this 'internet artist' bandwagon and turning some of my hobbies into something that could challenge me artistically/prfessionally and give me a little pocket change between jobs. There are two problems: self-promotion runs entirely against my grain, and I don't know the first thing about how to go about doing any of this. So I reach out to you, O internet, faithful friend and ally, to offer some sort of feedback. Please please chip in your two cents on anything you have an opinion on, I am out for data.

1. What would you, or people you know, be most interested in buying if I were to offer it in an online shop? (e.g. sketchbooks, prints of nice finished artwork, prints of existing rough artwork, original artwork, phone cases, tote bags, cupcakes, whatever)

2. Do you have any suggestions for new things I could make that there would be interest in?  (e.g. an illustrated cookbook, nicely formatted and illustrated art tips, 'art books' for things I tend to return to a lot (as if they were actual animated productions))

3. Do you have any experience with monetizing your art?  What would your advice be? Do you have any strong feelings on one online shop host over another?

Any and all feedback is appreciated (including 'stay pure! don't do this!') so please take a moment or two to tell me what you think, even if it's a general comment that doesn't address any of those three points.

THANK YOU!

Comments

[crystalmage]

*peers around corner, waves*

Super happy that you're considering this as I think your built-in audience will jump at the chance. Like I mentioned, this is just my experience on the consumer end of things:

Sketchbooks - Fun to buy when you're a fan of the artist because it doesn't matter what's in it, you just love their style. The great ones I've seen feel very much like the bloopers reel/deleted scenes of a favorite movie, including: never-before-posted material, a few "favorites" from the artist's library, and variations/expanded versions of existing work.

Prints of nice finished artwork - The bread and butter is here, in the form of commissions. You have the right to clearly state what you will/will not draw, what you'll charge for various types of pieces (sketch, bust, full-body, full color, OCs, etc), where you'll ship to, and even limit it to "x" amount of open slots. An informational "Commissions Are Open!" picture post like @inevitableentersol mentioned is the most convenient, and includes a range in prices for whatever different types of commissions you're offering. Usually the prices are for a single character, with a pricing option for "each additional character."

I'm not the right person to talk to about pricing in accordance to your level of skill, but I will say that my experience has been that if you price too high for your demographic, you won't get the response you're looking for. Alternatively, you can price high but occasionally have yourself a good ol' fashioned sale and offer marked-down prices for a limited time/limited slots for quick sketches. That way you offer something that's cost-effective for those that would like to buy without breaking the bank, and you're also not committing to something too intensive for less revenue.

Original artwork - Unless your original characters have their own following (through an online comic, "Ask [so-and-so]" blog, etc.) then I hardly ever see this option selected. People are skewed to the fanart or OCs angle when commissioning. On the other hand, I've seen artists post original art that was then requested to have added to a store if it gets enough of a reaction out of people.

Stores - Inprnt, Society6, Etsy, Redbubble, Storenvy and Bigcartel are the ones I see frequently. I know absolutely nothing about the selling aspect of this (pricing, print quality, percentages, etc.) so you're going to want to do your research on all of them to determine what's the best financially for both you and your buyers. On the buying end, I've bought from Society6, Etsy, and Redbubble and have not had any problems.

Phones cases, tote bags, etc - People buy these things. I don't personally, but I know they're out there and that people do in fact purchase them. The biggest issue I've seen with these items is that the cropping gets weird across the different items. So unless you want to create different versions of the same image specifically formatted for a throw pillow or iPhone version XXalphacentauri then it might limit the availability and cause frustration on both ends.

Cupcakes - Always.

New things you could make - I feel uncomfortable trying to push people to draw/write certain things - I figure if they were really inspired by it, they'd be doing it already, right? Still, If you're ever wanting a fresh bit of inspiration, or just a mental cool down, ask for prompts. Then promptly close your messaging system after about 15 mins because people LOVE a good prompt and you'll probably have more than you'll ever need.

That about covers it on my end - here's hoping I see a link to Tealin's Art Emporium soon!

[tealin]

Thanks for writing all this out, wow! Great to hear the story from the other side of the desk, as it were. Very valuable and comprehensive information, thank you.