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" :)

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.

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!

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I would get up and work on some new designs I had quickly sketched out the night before.  My inspiration for the new designs is actually kind of off the wall. I was watching the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and near the end I caught a glimpse of a purse hanging on the wall with some pretty flowers and felt inspired to create some ethereal art with pink flowers, so here is one of the designs I came up with, that I'm now going to turn into a full collection for art licensing. It's funny where inspiration can come from sometimes, I just go with it and see where it takes me...

This is one of those things I haven't been as diligent about as I should, creating Sell/Tear Sheets to show how artwork can look on different products.  Even if it's just to show a square and round image, it gives the client more of an idea of how the art can better translate onto their products.  I'm working on getting more of these together and once I have a template set up, it becomes much easier.  I like to add in more detailed product mockups in addition to just basic shapes, it looks more professional and shows I've put more thought into what products may work well with specific designs.  So, I'm going to be creating more of these for existing, and new collections, and make it part of the process each time I create a new collection, that way it isn't so overwhelming :)

Here is one of my most recent Sell Sheets for my new wine collection ~ "In Vino Veritas"©

There are many different aspects to preparing for the Art Licensing Surtex Show in May in NYC, it's so important to stay organized and be aware of numerous deadlines.  One of the best ways to stay on top of it all and minimize the last minute stress and panic of making sure everything is ready, is to get as much as you possibly can done early, early, early!!  

I have booked our plane tickets, the hotel is booked, my first round of promotional postcards are sitting in the mailbox and I've checked off some of the Surtex booth requirements.  For instance I selected the booth table/counter height, show site contact info, badges, and the names of authorized booth attendees for my booth #217.  All of this can be done by logging into your Surtex account.  I'm also already in the development stages of my banners, I have a template from the last time I went so it's just a matter of deciding which art to display on the booth versus having them only in the portfolios.  I'm also in the process of organizing my files in my tablet, looking at different app options to make it as effective and efficient as possible; so far, I've read really good reviews for Quick Pic and am going to give that one a shot.

By checking items off the list early you can take some of the weight of your shoulders and be as calm and relaxed as possible leading up to the show, no need to add undue amounts of pressure and stress to such an important event.  Get it done early and relax and enjoy the show!!

It's starting to feel like crunch time at MADART Studios™!  Lot's of preparation required to get my booth ready for Surtex 2014 in New York on May 18-20th.  My hotel and plane tickets have been booked and a slight change of plans with my assistant; my friend Mindy went with me last time and was going to go again this year but some personal issues made her decide it was best to stay home this trip, which I totally understand :)  So, my daughter Aroon is going to come with me instead, bonus...she's 6' tall so I (she) will barely need a step stool to reach the top of the banners, haha!

I'm researching my banner options, I went with a local printer, CSI Signs, last time and they did an amazing job quickly and not too expensive, I will be comparing their pricing with some other options.  I'm going to get some sample banners from a couple of online printing companies that I have purchased postcards and prints from in the past that I know have great color results, the most important part of the banner, it MUST be true to the original arts colors!  I will let you all know how that goes, if it works out or not :)

Last time I went to Surtex I had grommet holes placed on the top of the banners and used some hooks and this worked fairly well, but I'm thinking I will be going with command strips this time around as it will help the banners lay flat against the walls in a better manner.  

While I'm doing all this prepping for the show I still have lot's of art to create and finish up some collections along with providing art for my agent, Art Licensing, needless to say I've been putting in some long painting/computer hours, but it's what I love to do so it's more fun than work!  I recently completed some collage designs for my agent, something different, but always fun to experiment with new designs and ideas.

Florals seem to be what's trending in the MADART Studios these days :)  Lot's of different variations accented by colorful dragonflies, whimsical butterflies and cute little ladybugs.  I must be looking forward to spring and all the beautiful flowers and creatures that come out.  Even though I live in Florida in the winter's we still have a small winter and look forward to when all the birds singing and the hummingbirds buzzing come back.

My hotel is now booked for Surtex 2014!  Last time I went, my assistant friend Mindy and I stayed at a hotel in Hell's Kitchen, but we would end up going over to Times Square every night taking in all the sites and sounds and food, which was a long walk, especially at night and in the cold.  So, this year I decided we should be closer to all the action :)  I used my Marriott rewards points to get us a hotel on Fifth Avenue, just a block from Times Square.  

I've been saving all of my rewards points for this trip which has saved me the entire cost of the hotel room!  This is just one way to cut costs and make the Surtex trip less stressful and easier on the pocketbook.  You could also do the same with reward points for airplane tickets, car rentals, any number of options to help balance out the expenses of Surtex.

Vist Artefx Decor at the Las Vegas Market this weekend, January 26th through January 30th.  They are currently carrying 12 different large scale prints of my art and will be introducing new images as well!

View the artwork at Booth #: 1341 on the 5th Floor of Building C