Hello Nathan and Dan,

Thank you for teaching on Skillshare. Your class "Creative Business Essentials: 9 Tips for Finding Success as a Freelancer" was informative.

I'm Erin Margaret; an Australian artist.

In Procreate, I love to hand draw whimsical characters for children. This brings me great joy as I never had children of my own because life presented me with other challenges. 

I'm sharing with you and everyone on Skillshare about my experience with:

• Process videos.
• Print-on-demand.
• Pricing art and art licensing.
• Offline marketing.
• Fractionalized NFT art licensing.

Short Time Lapse Screen Recording Video

I have one short time lapse and screen recording of one of my first character art pieces. You can view my Sweet Botanica characters below or via my YouTube Channel:

The inspiration for my Sweet Botanica pattern design was after I collected the vines and leaves from the garden and then rearranged them on a blank white piece of paper.  I took a photo, imported the photo to Procreate and in a new layer I traced over the image and vectorized it in Adobe Illustrator.

My brand logo design has changed since publishing my video. 

Print-on-Demand

In late November 2023 I used Zazzle, a US print-on-demand online marketplace, to list some of my hand drawn character artwork. Zazzle have non-exclusive use of some of my character artwork.

My 8.5"x11" I'm A Whimsical Doodler notebook cover design was selected for Zazzle’s word image search, as seen pictured below in this screenshot, which was wonderful; and this year through Zazzle I sold one copy of I'm A Whimsical Doodler notebook which was shipped to one of their customers in Florida, USA.

In Zazzle however, when I clicked on my whimsical word image, I’m a Whimsical Doodler notebook was nowhere to be seen in the first row for that particular keyword image search because Zazzle’s algorithm places an importance of featuring products that are able to be customized and or personalized by their customers.

I believe this is one of the reasons why my whimsical cover art wasn't boosted higher up in their marketplace.

So I decided to upload the same background pattern design of mine as pictured below but use Zazzle’s shapes and fonts to allow their customers to personalize it.

Something to Consider

Frequent algorithm changes makes it challenging for independent artists who have unique and creative artwork to be boosted organically to the top of print-on-demand marketplace pages if they don’t know:

1. How to rank higher organically in any print-on-demand marketplace.
2. How to optimize their print-on-demand storefront. 
3. Social media strategies.

Whilst there are experienced print-on-demand sellers who teach social media optimization courses outside of Skillshare, many designers on a limited budget may not have thousands to invest in their print-on-demand optimization courses; especially when technology is always improving. 

This is one of the reasons why Skillshare, Inc. was created to serve the needs of artists from different backgrounds and lifestyles. Thank goodness!

Should a creative professional need to outsource their manufacturing, selling via print-on-demand is ideal if:

1. The manufacturing is of high standard to reduce customer returns. However, it's still wise to order samples before you list your art publicly for sale to check for printing errors.
2. Algorithm software engineers and the marketing teams behind print-on-demand marketplaces who manage which clickable banners and word search images are featured in homepage banners, and at the top of marketplace category searches need to feature artist’s designs, that are used for those word image keyword searches, in the top row for online marketplaces to make it quicker for their customers to place an order - even if the artist is new to the marketplace and has never sold one piece of artwork. Is this not the whole point of the artist being featured in a word image search in an online marketplace? This would also increase print-on-demand sales conversions for online marketplaces and help artists earn more royalties. 
3. Print-on-demand designers are able to color every inch of the product template to make the product design unique. This will ignite their creativity more as a designer which will look good when pitching portfolios to show new clients.
4. Artists given the option to license their digital downloads as NFTs via print-on-demand marketplaces. They could upload their NFTs to a pinning service such as Pinata.cloud and track who buys/leases their designs on print-on-demand products.
5. All print-on-demand marketplace product reviews, for all products, should not be advertised under each individual product description or next to individual product titles for each designer. Here's a scenario to explain why: should a product receive a low star rating for print quality, this may reflect back on the independent designer who did not cause this issue. This may deter the print-on-demand customer from purchasing any print-on-demand products from that designer in their own print-on-demand store resulting in no royalties or the designer may see a sudden drop in art royalties.

Graphic Design Pricing and Art Licensing Business Books 

Thank you for mentioning the "Dark Art Of Pricing" by Jessica Hische and "Freelance, and Business, and Stuff: A Guide for Creatives" by Amy Hood and Jennifer Hood.

I have not read their books but I have read "The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing" authored by creative director Michael Janda and "Selling Your Ideas with Or Without a Patent" authored by US licensing expert Stephen Key. 

Michael Janda mentioned in his book to consider costs for production such as outsourcing help, setting aside project income for taxes as well as hardware costs to upgrade laptops, desktop computers and printers et cetera.

The Psychology of Graphic Design Pricing is a wonderful resource for any artist and or design agency to refer to as well.

When considering patenting an idea, US licensing expert Stephen Key says for most product ideas you don't need a patent to license your ideas. Knowing this was a huge relief for me. 

Offline Marketing

To reach an offline market earlier this year, given the constant algorithm changes and the cost of social media advertising, I printed some of my  5.25"x 5.25" square Happy Magnolia thank you cards and had them shipped via Zazzle to a Magnolia International Society member for them to auction; to help raise funds for international research and the preservation of Magnolias as seen pictured below. 

Pictured below: Reverse side: I used Zazzle's product templates and text fields to design the borders and add customizable text. 

In my donation to the Magnolia International Society, I included a separate thank you card with a personal message from me embedded with a QR code to my Zazzle product listing, not pictured here, for the winning auction bidder to see more of what I do. 

With this in mind, I love how Zazzle’s print-on-demand target market allows customers to customize products to suit their needs.

However, I don't believe Zazzle's marketplace are where my ideal customers are spending their time because from my understanding some of Zazzle's top selling products are invitations, t-shirts and mugs even though Zazzle only have non-exclusive use and allow their independent designers to set their own royalties for most of their products.

Furthermore, I knew the $47 AUD price tag for one 8.5"x 8.5" notebook (includes international shipping) would not appeal to an Australian customer or other customers ordering from outside of the US; unless my notebooks are purchased for a giveaway to a professional children's party planner or gifted as a promotional product. 

So I have temporarily removed many of my collections from Zazzle’s marketplace, for now, until I know whether to continue listing via Zazzle or pivot.

Please note: 

1. Zazzle’s print-on-demand marketplace serves a great purpose and many Zazzle shoppers have been happy with their print quality as well as their customization services.
2. For any artist who is interested in making custom print-on-demand notebooks, Zazzle allow their customers to choose a page layout in the interior pages of a spiral bound notebook; such as dotted, lined, half lined, sketch et cetera and still opt for the front cover art of their choosing. Furthermore, Zazzle make spiral bound notebooks that allow the pages to lay flat which is helpful when drawing, writing or sketching.

Introductions Via Email

1. I asked a US company, who specializes in designing children's playrooms, if they were open to international submissions but I did not receive a response. I pictured my Happy Magnolias converted into a vector mural by an experienced vector designer and licensed by a children’s entertainment company for a wall display in a child’s room or playroom. However, I did not mention this as it was an introductory email.
2. I contacted one distributor of a global skin care brand designed for adults who had a product line that was named the same as one of my artworks. However the brand was not expanding to offer a children's product range. I consulted with an Australian trademarks lawyer to make sure I could keep the same name for my artwork.
3. I messaged one Victorian art gallery and asked if they would consider selling a children’s range of art prints. They requested a cover letter from me as to why I would like to be represented by their art gallery, an Artist Statement and a portfolio of my latest artworks. I received a positive response from the art gallery about my character artwork but they thought my art wasn’t suitable for their target market. They asked me to keep in contact. 
4. Whilst cleaning my email inbox I came across an e-newsletter with a subject line from one US licensing expert who I subscribe to that caught my attention and prompted me to read about their content. I replied to ask them if they were open to building a new membership to connect product inventors with designers without leaving their platform. My acknowledging their e-newsletter led to a Zoom introductory meeting with them. During that call they said they weren't headed in that direction but they asked me to keep in contact. This prompted me to have a specially marked inbox label just for their emails.  Easy to find!

TIP: Pay attention to subject lines in email and e-newsletters. Make sure what you are proposing in your reply to their e-newsletter is relevant to the e-newsletter content they e-mailed you or their podcast.

Diversifying Income - NFTs

In 2023 one OpenSea NFT art collector encouraged me to sell some of my character artworks as NFTs, including my art below of my whiskerless cat covered up to its neck in beach sand sipping fish through a fish bowl whilst a bird sleeps inside a bucket on top of the cat's head. They offered to pay me 7ETH per artwork.  

I was hesitant at that time to sell this artwork as an NFT because I did not know anything about NFTs nor the legalities of agreeing to sell my artwork as an NFT. I was also concerned about the amount of energy each NFT uses to be minted. 

Then in 2024, I read about the Solana blockchain using less energy resources to mint NFTs and Ethereum has followed in their direction.

So, I purchased two books on NFT's to learn more about this industry:

1. "How To Create And Sell NFTs - A Guide For All Artists" authored by Magnus Resch and Tam Gryn.
2. "The NFT Handbook - How to Create, Sell And Buy Non-Fungible Tokens" authored by Matt Fortnow and QuHarrison Terry. Foreward by Kendrick Nguyen, CEO of Republic.

Both NFT paperbacks were very informative. 

I realized had I agreed to sell my artworks as NFTs in 2023 to that art collector, they might have flipped my NFT to make a substantial profit from reselling my NFT art to another art collector for a much higher price than what I had originally sold it for. So, I would only receive 10% royalty from the re-sale if I set the re-sale royalty percentage at 10%. 

With this in mind, educating myself more on NFTs inspired me to share some ideas I have learned so far about NFTs on how I could potentially earn more from each artwork.

Offer an NFT Art Bespoke Service 

For example: 

• Convert a small selection of my character artwork into 3-D digitized 1/1 custom seamless (closed corner) framed art prints and minted as fractionalized 3-D Phygital NFTs and or fractionalized NFT digital artwork.  
• Outsource manufacturing. 

1. ‘Masterworks Frames’ was recommended by Stefan Baumann, a professional landscape and wildlife painter. 

You will hear Baumann talking about Masterworks Frames via "Secrets and Advice on Framing Your Painting Plus Composition and The Effect of Light" via his YouTube Channel (time stamp - 12:04/53:18).

Baumann suggested having custom name plates made to increase the value of the custom art print. He uses The Gold Leaf for this service. 

Custom name plates to include the art title, artist name and year also give the artwork a wow factor and make the art look like it’s a museum piece on show. 

Using custom name plates may look ‘old school’ but it’s different and that is what will make your artwork stand out. 

Meanwhile, the team at Masterworks Frames are able to make decorative seamless custom frames painted with gold leaf in various grades of gold and provide a virtual video consultation service which is excellent for people who do not reside in the US nor have a local custom framer who is able to offer this bespoke service.

I contacted Masterworks Frames via email to discuss this opportunity but I assume they are busy with a backlog of emails.

2. Hahnemühle certified gold fine art printing service. Price varies depending on the size of the print and materials.

3. Solid picture hanging system such as a picture rail and or hooks. Price to be determined (TBA) depending on what the hanging system is made from. 

4. Hahnemühle Certificate of Authenticity & Hologram System - $146 AUD for a pack of 25.

5. Custom brass embossers with Brass Die & Bakelite counterpart. Can emboss paper up to 300 - 330 gsm. The embosser I received a quote from said the press has a reach of 80mm to the start of the 50 mm diameter. Total reach 130 mm - approximately $1107 AUD for two embossers.

6. Thank you card. Price varies depending on the size and, thickness and material. 

7. Insured freight service servicing fine art collectors. Based on weight of the framed art with packaging material and where it's been shipped to.

8. Contract a 3-D Artist to digitize custom seamless framed artwork/s to convert into 3-D Phygital NFTs. Price to be determined (TBA). More about this below.

Scenario

If I were to list a custom seamless framed Magnolia flower art print as a 3-D Phygital fractionated NFT (or an art NFT) along with a digital certificate of authenticity, my 3-D Phygital Magnolia flower art print fractionalized NFT 1/1 could possibly be split into shares for art collectors to license from me based on usage terms agreed upon.

What is a 3-D Phygital NFT?

Physical artwork scanned into a high resolution digitalized format and converted into a three dimensional NFT art that can be viewed at any angle.

The original artwork and Phygital copy may be offered for lease.

I may earn revenue from NFT art collectors paying to use my 3-D Phygital fractionated NFTs to print onto:

Children's stationery and art prints.

OR

Displayed in a fully furnished and decorated 3-D Passivhaus or high performance virtual home/s, leased by virtual land and real estate owners, for a set period of time.

I visualized some of my 3-D Phygital artworks decorating a children's playroom as a wall mural or for other products and services they use from licensing my 3-D Phygital Fractionalized NFTs.

 

TIP: Offering a bespoke service and convert the artwork into 3D Phygital fractionalized NFTs should help me earn more for the same artwork than only charging between $40-$80 USD for one art print. 

Benefits of Digitizing Physical Art Prints Into 3-D NFTs

Digitizing the original physical artwork into 3-D NFTs would preserve the original physical artwork in a virtual sense from being destroyed in a real fire or for other reasons out of our control. 

This is something I learned from studying both NFT books, but I included my version of what I thought could be done with 3-D Phygital fractionalized NFTs but I am open to reading/listening to other options too.

TIP: Verify with a licensing attorney. 

NFT Art Licensing - Bridging the Gap Between Web2 and Web3

I considered minting a digitalized Certificate of Authenticity with a smart licensing contract and receive payment for each fractionalized NFT license via Moonpay's checkout who accept fiat money such as VISA, Mastercard, SWIFT, direct deposit et cetera if the NFT art collector prefers to pay in fiat money. 

Should the licensee not want to renew their NFT lease, their fractionalized NFT is then offered as an NFT for another art collector to license.

However, I haven’t listed any of my artwork as fractional NFTs because I would like to collaborate with 3D designers online who know the NFT art industry well before proceeding. 

Diversifying Income - Teaching

I haven't taught an online class what I know but please consider this:

If you are teaching one class after another to earn a profitable share of the revenue based on a student’s screen recording time but you are unable to answer all those questions pouring in from students around the world, this may deter students from wanting to learn from you if you decide to start self-hosting courses on your own online learning platform.  

TIP: Organize a team of experts in your industry who are able to provide the level of customer service support your students deserve. In doing so, your students will appreciate you and may send other students to learn from you as well.

Same Skills, Different Industry & Location = Higher Earnings 

Steven Bartlett, the author of "The Diary of a CEO - The 33 Laws of Business & Life", mentioned that the same skills could be worth so much more if used in a different industry. I recommend reading this book if you haven’t.

There are various factors to determine how much an art collector is willing to spend on art online and offline based on the geographical location and for other reasons, according to the data published in "How To Collect Art" and authored by Art Economist Magnus Resch.

How To Collect Art is an excellent book for any art collector and artist to read.

However, this year I would love to see a positive change happen in the art industry where unknown artists, not living in an 'Alpha' art market area, are paid well for creating unique artworks.

Your Collaboration With IN-N-OUT BURGER 

My face lit up when I watched you talk about your collaboration with IN-N-OUT-BURGER because I recall the IN-N-OUT BURGER logo shown as a trademark example in "The NFT Handbook - How to Create, Sell And Buy Non-Fungible Tokens" authored by US Entertainment lawyer Matt Fortnow and US Entrepreneur QuHarrison Terry.

Thank You

Thank you Nathan and Dan for sharing your knowledge of the business side of art.

Pictured above: My 'Bunny Yolkel' character printed onto a thank you card printed by Zazzle. 

What is a Bunny Yolkel?

A white and pink eared bunny head with egg yolk over part of its face.

I tried embedding an Instagram reel of my Bunny Yolkel for you all to view via Google Chrome's browser within this class project. However, I had technical issues loading it into this project page.

1-on-1 Consultation

Pictured above: Floral Guitarist Trio 

I am not signed with any illustration agency but I am a registered visual artist with Copyright Agency Australia. 

Am I able to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with you both, to discuss other uses you could see my character artwork be used for commercially and which creative industries I have not considered that would pay well for my creative ideas? 

Yours sincerely,

Erin Margaret

Skillshare Member