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Great Article by Tara Reed of Art Licensing Blog on Walking the Surtex Art Licensing Show

4/22/2014

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Tara Reed of Art Licensing Blog is always a wealth of information for art licensing newbies and veterans alike.  I've learned so much from following her blog to purchasing her mockup templates and audio replays of art licensing artist interviews; she knows what she's talking about!  

She posted a blog article, and it has a video too, with advice for artists who want to walk the Surtex show and learn what it's all about.  There are some very important pointers that are worth paying attention to and following if you have decided to walk the Surtex show as an artist thinking of potentially exhibiting in the future.  You can read her article here and feel free to stop by my booth #217 and say a quick hello, while of course following Tara's "Do's and Don'ts" :)
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Banner Time for the Surtex Art Licensing Show!

4/19/2014

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I wanted to try out some online printing companies for my banners this time around and chose two based on recommendations and personal experience.  The first one I chose to go with is Smart Press, I've ordered oversized canvas prints from them in the past and have always been very happy with the quality and accurate colors.  I had never ordered a banner from them before and figured it was worth a try, especially considering the competitive pricing!  I created a plain 3'x7' banner without any grommets, hems, etc and the cost was only $26.14 plus $12.22 for ground shipping.  I chose the plain banner because I will be using Command Poster Strips for mounting (you can purchase in bulk on Amazon).

The second option was All State Banners based on an online recommendation for banners used at Surtex in the past that I read about online somewhere, don't remember offhand where though.  I chose the same product/size, etc. and the pricing was almost double but still competitive, and half of what I paid last time I went to Surtex (I used a local printer).  Their price was $49.35 and shipping was $11.95.
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Click on images to enlarge

Here is the banner image I used for both companies.
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I first ordered from Smart Press and then several days later from All State; interestingly the All State banner arrived first and I was impressed with the quick shipping, but had a couple of issues with the quality and color matching.  The colors were considerably more saturated than what I was expecting and from what I show on my screen and my own prints from my home printer.  The reds in particular were overly saturated, but the main concern was the black ink at the top of my banner immediately showed highly visible smear fingerprint marks wherever I touched it.  And these banners will be handled considerably in the packaging and hanging department, this was definitely not something I was expecting and was nervous to see how Smart Press would handle the black ink.  

Well...I was more than pleasantly surprised when my Smart Press banner showed up the very next day! The colors were PERFECT and there was not even a hint of an issue with the black ink, whew, my worries were unfounded!!  And the material of the banner is very lightweight and doesn't kink and when unrolled lays perfectly flat (as did the All State banners).  Needless to say I will be going with Smart Press for my banners due to the great pricing, the high quality material and perfect color matching, can't be beat! And since this is not the first time I've purchased from them and have always been happy in the past, it's a no brainer :)  You can check them out here:  www.Smartpress.com  And if you are still interested in All State here is their link as well:  www.Allstatebanners.com

I forgot to mention the material/substrate I ordered:  I used the 13 oz Scrim Vinyl Matte, it has a light satin/lustre appearance and lightweight. 
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Organizing Collections for Surtex...and Adding More Designs

4/9/2014

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Busy, Busy Busy creating sell/tear sheets for art collections to show at Surtex next month in New York. As I was creating the sheets I actually ended up designing some new images as well, which is a nice little bonus, it gives me that many more options to show for possible art licensing on different products.  

Here is one of my coastal collections with two new sea shell designs created today.  I love the soft, elegant feel of the new designs (shown below), perfect for a bathroom or any coastal themed home decor in addition to being a great fit for stationary, or coasters or any number of products.

Still a lot of work to do before the Surtex show, but I'm knocking off a little each day and so far feel like I should be able to accomplish all the "artwork" and "grunt work" I would like to get done before I fly to New York.  At least that's what I'm hoping, wish me luck, haha!
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Countdown to Surtex Art Licensing Show

4/8/2014

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A little over five weeks to go!  I've accomplished a lot, but still have ton's to do in preparation for the Surtex Art Licensing Show May 18-20 in New York.  I have one banner completed, 8 to go; hmmm...I better get going on those, but I'm doing a test run with a new banner company to see how it comes out, crossing my fingers the quality is good.  I've sent out two rounds of postcards to prospective manufacturers and will start making phone calls to set up appointments in the next couple of weeks.

One of the more time consuming things, that I have yet to do, is setting up folders and files of collections on my tablets as well as creating tear sheets to showcase my designs on different products and shapes. So much to do and it seems as though I'm almost out of time, but I refuse to panic, I'm just going to knock off items on my "To Do" list every day and hopefully have a couple of days to spare before I leave for the show...wishful thinking right?

In addition to the collections I already have, I also started a new venture of creating uplifting, inspirational greeting cards and colorful holiday/occasion cards last month.  Here is a sample of this new line that I'm really excited about and literally have hundreds of ideas for more cards!!  It's always so exhilirating to be inspired and creative, I LOVE my job :) :)
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Megan Duncanson's Painting "Winter Sparkle" in the News - GMA and Inside Edition

4/4/2014

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OMG!! I’m completely freaking out right now!  My artist friend Gino Savarino just sent me a message that blew my mind! My painting “Winter Sparkle”© was on Good Morning America today in the segment about the Messy girls bedroom, you can see it numerous times clear as day, so cool!  Also on “Inside Edition”, always such a thrill when I see my art popping up in all different people’s homes, and of course when it makes it onto TV :) ~ Check it out:  
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/daughter-shock-her-messy-bedroom-driveway-130441066—abc-news-parenting.html
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  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
  • Licensing
    • Surtex
  • Portfolio
    • Animals
    • Bath Art
    • Birds >
      • Bird Houses
      • Ethereal Whimsy
      • Magical Birds
      • Roosters
    • Butterflies and Dragonflies
    • Coastal >
      • Coastal Luxe >
        • Coastal Luxe - Patriotic
      • Coastal Whimsy
      • Sea of Whimsy
      • Undersea
    • Coloring Pages
    • Figurative >
      • Fashion
      • PoP Art Couture
    • Florals >
      • Flower Vase Collection
      • Whimsical Floral Collage Collection
    • Greeting Card Designs >
      • Baby
      • Birthday
      • Christmas
      • Mothers Day
      • Thank You
      • Thinking of You
      • Valentines Day
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
      • Mothers Day
      • Valentines Day
    • Inspirational >
      • Cancer Ribbons
      • Ethereal Whimsy
      • Flower Vase Collection
      • Happiness Is...
      • Hearts ~ "PoP of Love"
      • Live and Love
      • Live Life Collection
      • Typography
    • Kitchen Art >
      • Coffee
      • Herbs and Spice
      • Martinis
      • Olives
      • Roosters
      • Sweets
      • Vegetables
      • Wine
    • Patterns >
      • Backgrounds
      • Blue and Yellow
      • Blue Abstraction
      • Emerald Green
      • Floral Fiesta
      • Spring is in the Air
      • All Over Pattern Designs
      • Chevrons
      • Ikat
      • Pixels
      • Plaid
      • Tropical Fusion
    • Nautical >
      • Nautical Blues
    • Fine Art >
      • Alaska
      • Circle of Life
      • Cityscapes
      • Dream Land
      • MAD World
      • Magical Birds
      • Tropical
      • Whimsical Houses
  • In the News
  • Romi's Art
    • Whimsical World of Woobies
  • Links