how to get commissions...

ElizaLeahy · #1 09-12-2011, 04:19 AM

I've worked out that I would be really happy with only one paid commission per week

(I can hear you all saying "yeah, join the club!")

But seriously, what is the best way to let people FIND you?

Do you advertise in newspapers/magazines?

Leave it to a website?

Stick brochures in windows?

How do I get myself out there?

Thanks

timelady · #2 09-12-2011, 05:46 AM

Any and all methods? Website, open studio, shows and events, local mag/newspaper ads (if appropriate), word of mouth (give you customers something like a postcard to give to people).

ElizaLeahy · #3 09-12-2011, 06:37 AM

Yes, but they all cost money, so what would be the best if you don't have that heaps of that?

Greg Long · #4 09-12-2011, 07:07 AM

Word of mouth is the best free advertising. Apart from that posters in businesses etc.
Sadly without a budget it can be difficult. Have you tried ebay?

Horsa · #5 09-12-2011, 07:10 AM

Facebook, active blog, both are free. Put links in your e-mail sig and any forum sigs. Cross link them to each other.

Get local businesses to hang your work with a business card.

Submit press releases to local news media about up-coming shows, studio open house, or even just an artist bio.

Become painter in residence at a local farmers market.

Offer to teach painting lessons. Donate paintings to charity auctions, church bazarres, etc.

Stage a show of your works.

timelady · #6 09-12-2011, 12:33 PM

None of those need a lot of money, with the exception possibly of shows. Though if you start submitting work to galleries and eventually get a show that shouldn't cost you anything but commission if they sell.

There are lot of free websites and as Greg says, a blog is a great way to have a website for free.

Open studios don't cost money - just open up and tell people.

Send press releases to local publications to see if you can get an article instead of paying for an ad. Write an interesting press release about an event, your work, an award, or just something about art.

You can get super cheap postcards on Vistaprint that you can then start distributing!

Tina.

JeffG · #7 09-12-2011, 01:04 PM

Having a functional website couldn't hurt.

LGHumphrey · #8 09-12-2011, 01:32 PM

Eliza, I think Jeff is saying that your website might just be a bit......quirky.....

and he's right.

ElizaLeahy · #9 09-12-2011, 05:29 PM

I took my website down - but the files are showing. lol. I'll go put an "index" up to stop that happening.

Thanks

ElizaLeahy · #10 09-12-2011, 05:39 PM

fixed until I get a "roundtwoit"

heehee

www.elizasart.com

Greg Long · #11 09-13-2011, 11:25 AM

My updated site is now two years in the pipeline..

AmyLC · #12 09-13-2011, 12:48 PM

Do you have anywhere that will give you wall space? Two local coffee shops near me allow artists to hang work for a month at a time....for free. I had 12 pieces on display for the month of June and was able to hang an artist statement with contact information too. No....I didn't make any sales. But I heard positive feedback from many people who had seen it, and I'm told by the owner that the show was received well.

When I went in to take the show down, there was a woman in there who owns an art instruction center (coincidentally) and she offered me a showing in her shop as well for later in the year. There was also a woman who inquired about a commission...but honestly I blew that sale. I wasn't prepared to answer her questions about pricing, etc. and I didn't have any business cards on me. I was caught off guard and looked unprofessional and I bumbled it. I didn't hear from her again.

Lesson learned.

But my point is. You never know for sure where the sale is going to come from...but you have to have your work "out there" if anyone is going to know about it.

roxyart · #13 09-14-2011, 09:56 AM

I wouldn't wait too long to put up a good website. The majority of the work I get is online.

George924 · #14 09-14-2011, 12:04 PM

I have been doing commissions for a long time now and I do not spend a dime on advertising...My average intake of commissions are 3 to 4 weekly and in the prime times of the year they jump up quite a bit...

Word of mouth is the best way to advertise, Hershey in the first 50 years as a company spent nothing on its advertising...

Here are some of the ways I go about getting work from new Clientele...
I make my self visible to the public, I often set in a restaurant with several completed works and I work on a piece that is underway people flock to see what I am doing and many times I pick up a new sell...of course I do not advertise that I am looking for new Clients but I still find them...

Another great way of finding new Clientele is a more forward thinking approach and always finds me with new work...When standing in line (anywhere) I look to see who as photos setting on their work stations, or if others are sharing photos. I than start up a conversation with them and ask If I could borrow their photo. They look at me with a strange look and wonder what I mean by borrow, I then go into my history of being an artist and go on and on how their photo would make the most perfect painting. I say things like some photo are meant to be paintings and this would be perfect. Most of the time I get the person to give me the photo and when I get the painting done I take it back to them and present it to them, now here is the tricky part, They always ask how much the portrait is. I tell them because I am the one who asked for the painting it is free nut I just ask for them to pass out my information to friends...now a lot of the time I will end up getting paid for the painting anyway.

Another restaurant ploy is to have a couple of clients, could be real or not...meet you at the restaurant to pick up their piece, people who are eating will see you come in and hear you tel the wait staff you are expecting clients to join you. The client comes in, you start to talk about the painting and you show them, the other patrons find it most interesting and a lot of them will come to you for more information...this is a win win, you show your new clientele what you have and you never know who is setting there...

Well, I am a portrait artist but these tactics will work for a lot of other areas of interests as well, When I take my dog for check up I always have new paintings to show the receptionist, because they know me and I have already built up a reputation there...or when I go to a local park and have three or four finished paintings with me of the landscape and points of interests of the park while I have a painting I am working on at the time...Now when I do this it is merely a ploy, I do not work in plein air, I just look like I am working on it...

Well there is a couple of ways, I have been following your work over at the PC channel and your style of work could give you plenty of work for you...

One last thing about commissions, I do a lot of them each year. When I first started I had done quite a bit for Christmas, thinking afterwords would be slow and I may be able to catch up on some personal art work...I was so wrong, remember that word of mouth advertising will get you more work than you are able to handle. The family members had seen the commissions I had done for my clients and just had to have a painting done...So that ended me catching up on my art.

Hope this helps you

Salute to our Partners