chorus meow meo
Tonight, I spotted a Little Golden Books spin rack at the front of the diaper aisle. What a perfect place to have the display! Perfect for busy moms trying to shop with a toddler... but good luck to the mom who tries to get out of the store without buying one of the books or toys I spotted... I love the T. Rex book. LGB are sure feeling quite contempo with this title! I prefer the classics by and large— the sentimental value always wins out. But it's so nice to see the newer generation of Little Golden Books books as well! Who can resist the saggy baggy elephant? Completely adorable bunny!! Oooh, the art--- I love!! Good mix of the old... and the new... of course Spongebob. Hello. You are at the head of the class. A personal favorite the Poky Little Puppy! I didn't know Dr. Seuss had any LGB titles. Well, he does!
Here comes the PLUSH! (Hey moms- NOW try getting out of the store without a toy...)
I am so impressed with the way the contemporary accessory company company Loungefly reinterprets our classic friend Hello Kitty. They do a truly amazing job at containing and preserving the essence and the sentiment of classic HK in the products they create with the license. But they take it to a whole other level— they succeed at elevating the brand. Fantastic modern design integrating fresh new concepts and often bright ideas, an excellent attention to detail, and to top it all off, really high quality products. I should know— I have two Loungefly HK bags which I use on a daily basis, and I will gleefully purchase more when they hit all these marks. To see a company do such a wonderful job with one of my favorite character brands is a revelation. Big props to Loungefly for such outstanding execution with the HK/Sanrio license — they always leave me wanting more!
Want to see a Sneak Peek of my JiveCats fabric collection with Northcott Fabrics? Guess what? The wait is over! Hop on over to Northcott! It's not available for retail sale until Feb. 2012, but, check it OUT -- JiveCats is UP!! Whoo hoo! I am seriously thrilled to see the entire collection up on the site for everyone's eyeballs to enjoy and get a little chuckle and fun!
(Quick note: when you get there, please make sure to scroll down the entire page in order to see all the fun pieces of the collection! And there are two colorways - Sassy Pink and Funky Town Brown - so please be sure to check them both out, too!) I hope you LOVE it! I hope you are as TICKLED as I am! I am incredibly proud of this collection and of all the hard work that went into it, and I am - gasp! - really excited to break out the needle and thread — and then pricking my fingers a few times of course (hazing)! I will certainly also be commissioning other fine sewers to make stuff for me as well , because hey, I can sew, as in put a needle to thread, but I can't SEW, as in deft talent and grace with a needle! Hmmm, I can already list ten things I ABSOLUTELY NEED right off the top of my head... and that's even without making a real list! Gee, I better start researching freelance sewers huh! :) (...Know of any good ones??) The FUN Print (not the FINE print... this is the FUN print)... These are the things you can count on from me as we get closer to fabric release date (it's aways off, February 2012 - but time does fly):• There will be fabric giveaways. • There will be a series of in-depth art process blog posts about the creation of the collection. These will include... -rough first sketches-to-final art -technical details including size of actual art, how I created repeats, and details of how I planned my file out for the printing process -More fun, more technical and creative art-geeking out, more fun chitter-chatter and pictures and pictures and pictures.... So stay tuned in the coming months for a series of posts. I'll announce posts on Twitter/Facebook too, so you do not miss ANYthing!
I've been mentally preparing for Surtex and doing little things to get ready for months now. But in terms of hard-core prep, I have been in the tornado for about a month. There is still so much left to do, but I am finally feeling like I am in decent shape.
To pull things together the way that I want it has been an interesting exercise. My banners have all been designed, sent, proofed and approved, and are in production now. In some ways, it's a load off. In other ways, I'm flying blind. I've never sent such a 'physically large' or 'important-to-me large' job to print. Plus, I know what they will look like (well, for the most part I do. I certainly hope I do!) But, I am not a technical genius, and there was a fair amount of measuring and numerically-figuring-out involved. So, once they make it up on the walls, I'm sure hoping that they all fit properly and correctly. And, I hope none of the colors decide on a whim to clash at the last minute. All told, It's going to be exciting to see everything come together. I've also designed and placed orders for print and promotional goodies, getting all of my my materials all ready for the show. Most are off and printing now. Aaaahhh. No matter what happens, I'll be smiling, I'll be happy, I'll be grateful, and I'll be ready.
The Press Kit. I actually quite hemmed and hawed on doing this. It was such a huge undertaking to make happen, on top of everything else that needed to be done. It was so BIG... I'd never done one before, and well, it's a little nervewracking to take on this type of project for the first time.. As such, at the last minute, I bailed.. But then, at the 30-seconds-to-go mark, I renegged! I switched gears, I got really inspired, did some research, got even *more* inspired, and then bang, as if possessed by the Easter Bunny banging out all those baskets for the big day, I did it.
I just hate missed opportunities. It is important to be ready for anything. I generally walk around feeling like I am ready for anything which, let's face it, is the gift of delusion (thanks mom!), so in order to keep that going, I at least have to come through and make the physical effort with the Press Kit. So this weekend, I went for it, just Tasmanian Devil'ed it into creation. And I'm so happy I did. I think it is going to come together just great. I look forward to seeing all of the printed pieces once they arrive, and then piecing it all together. Hey, the first time at anything is an expiriment— there is not a hard and fast rule roadmap for a Press Kit. There are guidelines (thank goodness!) but most of the work is creating and putting together the content, and that comes from you and you alone. Therefore some personal excavation, list-making, organizing, time-mapping all come into play in the process. (No wonder people can get overwhelmed at the prospect of making one of these things!) I learned a whole lot more about myself and my business by going through the process. Now I'm so 'in it' that I might have really caught the bug! I also do marketing & advertising illustration and design as it is (and am a total marketing/ad geek at that). Turning the tables on myself, dissecting and pulling apart WellerWishes became much more than just the process of creating a Press Kit. It also served as a great brainstorming process to further distill the philosophy, ideals, target market, current offerings and services and present and future goals of WellerWishes. (Kind of like writing a business plan!) So all in all, though it may have hurt (a little), it was, overall, a HUGE positive. I now look forward to creating my Press Kit version 2.0, because, of course, after barely finishing version 1.0 there are now 101 revisions I want to make. But 2.0 is bound to be a whole lot easier, now that I have the general framework completed. Yee-ha!
So, creating the Press Kit and accompanying materials has really put me in a great headspace (albeit an exhausted one). I highly recommend doing it, if you h
And yet another direction. Baby fabric.
 I had fun doing this. This is a little character I have in development. Hopefully he will be on lots of 'stuff' one day.
Doing fabric requires knowing how to do "repeats". This design is an example of a "toss repeat". I designed the fabric as a 12 x 12 square, which can be repeated endlessly.
If you would like to learn how to do this too, I HIGHLY recommend Tara Reed's series on how to do repeats and get your art in a licensing-friendly format. Get it here. Tara is a wealth of information on the licensing biz, and very generously shares it with everyone. I also have her Mock-up Magic series, which teaches you how to put your art on products to show manufacturers. Also great!
We are having quite the apocalyptic storm here today, so its a good day to stay in and do art!
© Kathy Weller wellerwishes.comI've been sharing my art licensing story with you, in fits and starts, for quite awhile now. Staying positive and 'on the bright-side' does come natural to me... But, I'm not going to give you 'all rose and no thorns'. Painting half a picture of my journey for you just isn't how I roll. Art licensing is an exciting business, but, I will be honest, it's no barrel of cupcakes with monkeys and pugs on top. Nor did I think it would be. I studied the industry for too long and too hard before actually jumping into the waters myself to not have a full understanding of this going in.
The art licensing biz can be very... well, dramatic. My experiences this year has been riddled with highs and lows. I expected this. I knew what I was getting into. But, there some things you just can't really prepare yourself for. It's the difference between book-smarts and street-smarts. Reading the story and living it are two completely different things. So, when things happened—or didn't, in some cases—I didn't have a road map. I just had to keep my head on, refocus myself and revise my plan a little. Just keep on plowing through. Keep working, keep submitting, keep trying. No quitting allowed.
The other day, I was talking to a friend about it, and I compared the emotional toll to the ups and downs of buying a first home. "Congratulations! You're a Homeowner! Oh, wait! Sorry! You're NOT a Homeowner!" Maybe it's a Short Sale... Maybe with a moody, indecisive owner... Just for good measure, let's throw in a difficult house inspection: New roof.. Water damage. Get the picture?
Though the year has been dramatic, I can't see the shadows without also seeing the light. And believe me, there is light. When I actually really step back, and take a good, hard look at things, there has been plenty of light! All of my focused creative energy and hard work has produced a LOT of very solid, focused creative work. In fact, I dare say I've had one of my most prolific years on record, if not THE most prolific year I can even remember. Yes, I'm not exaggerating. That is something to celebrate!
I also discovered that I am a GOOD WRITER. For reals! I found "my voice" in writing copy for greeting cards. The illustration part of the card equation was never an issue, of course. But writing the copy? Scary! In truth, it took me years to work up to it. It was an experiment in many things, mostly in my own self-confidence. Turns out I was ready to let the card writer come out to play, and stay. It is a truly amazing to have discovered (or admitted... or maybe just fully embraced?) this other passion of mine. This year, I even had interest in my card line from a great company. This time, that deal did not happen. But this was a bump in the road. I could'nt let myself get too discouraged. I know my work is good, and I know the work will find the life it deserves. And, I have a LOT more cards in me. So there are lots of possibilities. It is my job to turn those possibilities into probabilities.
Another great positive that happened this year is that I started to cultivate relationships with people in the industry. Really nice, really honest, reall
So I spent most of my first day, Friday, in Building 2, prospecting. I also happened into an unplanned meeting with a manufacturer. I was sure glad a friend had lent me his iPad for this trip. Before the trip, I had reserved an iPad from the Apple store, but it had not arrived in time. I was not looking forward to the prospect of lugging around a huge spiral binder all the time (you never know when you might need it, planned meetings or not!) and the iPad seemed a to be sensible and attractive solution. My friend lent me the iPad the day before, so did not really have much time to get fully accustomed to the device before using it for meetings. Of course I had a couple of hiccups navigating through my portfolio, but even though I hadn't yet found my "legs" with it, I found it to be a really a nice way to show work, and everyone I met with the entire trip was forgiving of any learning curves I had with the device, and seemed to enjoy viewing work on the iPad. :)
The Ladies of Licensing On Friday night, I met up with a great group of art licensors - and one art licensing lawyer - at a hotel bar. My friend Carol Eldridge is the only one I knew in person, and it was she who had invited me to come. I was very glad she did and I was so glad I made it. It was without a doubt one of the very top highlights of my trip. It was so much fun to meet the group, and I had quite a few really good conversations in the time frame of 1.5 hours. I am really glad I went! I met some great gals!! Building 3
The second day was spent checking out the temporary showrooms in Building 3, a large atrium, rotunda-styled building. The floors of this building were circularly shaped around a large "hole" where you could look down to the ground floor, or up to the glass, sky-light ceiling. And with so many floors, it was overwhelming. I was only able to cover a few of the floors because I had a couple of meetings in an adjacent building, and also had a flight late that afternoon. I just didn't have the time. One of the first things I did do on Saturday was a walk-through of the "Cash & Carry" area, which is on the first floor of Building 3. "Cash & Carry" was an alien term to me until Friday night when Tammy Browning-Smith (the lawyer of Friday night's group)
My first day (Friday) was all about getting the lay of the land. A trusted advisor suggested that AtlantasMart's building #2 might be the building of most interest to me. Good advice, and that is where I concentrated most of my energy. After spending most of the day in that building and needing the entire day to get through it, I surmised that a good rule of thumb is to budget one full day per building. It's a good general average to follow.
The three AtlantasMart buildings are connected by these tube-like, glassed-in bridges. Did you ever have a pet hamster? These connecting bridges reminded me of habitrail tubes my old pet hamster used to run around in. Building 2, where I spent my first day at the show, houses many permanent showrooms of giftware and paper manufacturers. Elevators were the main mode of transportation from floor to floor. Those elevators sure fill up fast, so I learned that it pays to be quick on your feet! Sardine-packed elevators notwithstanding, the mood was positive and people would kindly make as much room as possible to accommodate as many people as would safely fit in the elevator. On some floors, there were escalators too, which certainly helped.
Within Building 2, I spent the most time on the permanent showroom floors. I checked out what the manufacturers were 'investing' in for the upcoming seasons in terms of art and product, and I noted which companies I thought my work would be a good fit for. Being faced with so many manufacturers and products at a trade show such as this can be tricky. It is much easier to lose sight of your main focus when you are in the midst of sensory overload. For a show such as this, when you are prospecting new companies you'd like to work with, it's important to constantly 'check yourself' to make sure you stay on track and you are making note of the manufacturers that your work might really, TRULY be a good match with. You DON'T want to end up with a gigantic list of companies where your work might "sort of, kind of..." fit, or where your work would fit only with a GREAT DEAL of (likely somewhat painful) massaging.
You also do not want to put yourself in a position of not feeling 100% about anything and everything you create and present to a potential client. You HAVE to have a lot of confidence in what you are pitching and in whatever potential partnership you are proposing. It just doesn't make any sense to waste your precious energy on a big bunch of "...hmmm well MAYBE..." companies. Besides, if you aren't all in 100%, how will anything you propose be 100%?
The goal is to come away with a bright, sharp list of potential partner companies that you feel confident about working something up for, that you feel confident contacting because you really believe your work fits there. Places that you think you could bring something new and fresh to the table while 1) staying true to your own brand aethetic; 2) bringing something to the table that will click as something that they NEED to either fill out their offerings or is otherwise on target and desirable; and 3) keeping in check all of the above, staying within their comfort level of their brand. All of these things at one-- quite the balancing act, eh?You have to get know your work well from a product standpoint and be able to really be objective about it in terms of it selling at retail. Hey, I've got a long way to go in this regard myself, but I'm now at a point where I feel comfortable with these concepts and I am able to enjiy the very creative work of imagining and designing my work in other forms.
Besides all of that - look, studying markets and being ruthlessly focused is a great learning exercise in investigating YOUR CORE identity as an art licensor and artist-- AND in following your true gut instincts. This can be a hard habit to get into, especially if you are used to second-guessing yourself, which a lot of people are (I have done my share!). But stop yourself from doing this --DON'T sell yourself short. Instead,
For the first time, I'm visiting Atlanta at the end of this week. I will be attending the Atlanta Gift Show. The purpose for my going is to discover companies who manufacture products that my art might be a fit for. I'm looking forward to it. It will be a busy couple of days full of sensory overload but me and my notebook are getting prepared for it.
With art licensing, It's been an interesting year thus far. I've been working really hard, but you would really never know it because I don't post any of the artwork on the internet and I don't post much to my blog about things (though I do tweet). It's a funny business in that way -- everything is sort of "off the grid" until it's a Done Deal and then it's WAHOO time to throw the confetti and uncork the champagne! I'm looking forward to these moments for myself, but for now I will continue to plug away, (on the web inconspicuously), and chart my path.
I will share my observations on Atlanta here, when I get back. So please stay tuned.
Happy Spring! Spring has sprung here in Boston and Saturday was a great day for my hubby and I to go out and enjoy the day. For me, the day was double-duty, serving as both a "date day" with my hubby as well as a trip to go "trend shopping" and see what colors and motifs are hot right now. It's fun!
I am a chocoholic and have never tried the Teuscher brand of chocolate, even though I've walked by their Newbury Street store many a time. This time, we went in. The window displays were so pretty, and I just love to see what the chocolate companies come up with to market their chocolate for one of chocolates biggest holidays, Easter, which is right around the corner!
See what the store looked like on entering. A beautiful wonderland of bright colors, paper art and chocolate!
Check out some of these lovely, colorful packaged gifts, ready for the kiddies and adults alike to enjoy on Easter Sunday!
"Frog Prince" paper art chocolate gifts
Easter Bunny chocolate gift boxes
I've mainly been posting essays and resource information of late, but not much in the way of artwork. Why? Because I've been hard at work on my art licensing portfolio. Unfortunately this is the type of work that I can't show-and-tell at this point. It's been a big undertaking. It's exciting to see my ideas come to fruition in the form of my portfolio. It's a thrill to be finding "my voice" in this arena, as well. But it's a bummer to not be able to share it with all of you! But, with some hope, hard work and good luck, I will make some deals this year. Then, I'll be able to share some wonderful news, as well as some of the art!
Over the past few years I've been studying art licensing quite a bit and with the help of some great people I've acquired the tools to seek out (or seek in, rather) what I could bring to this industry that is unique and unlike anything else that I see out there. As I've been working on my collections, I am seeing my own specific "art licensing style" emerging organically, and it is very exciting. I like what I see, and it's a great feeling to see my work in this light and getting ready for "prime-time".
I've been so entrenched in this work and I can't help but think of how crazy an artist must be while getting ready for a show such as Surtex. The amount of work that I've been putting into just ONE collection alone is astonishing. Central images, patterns, frames, borders and icons... and some of my collections only have some of the above! Anyway, to see my ideas come to life this way is awesome, and I know will be substantially MORE gratifying down the road. So I just wanted to say a BIG CHEERS to all of the artists I know who do this work and bring joy to so many through their art on product. I will be joining you soon and I am SO looking forward to it!
By: Paula Pertile,
on 2/25/2010
Blog: Drawing a Fine Line
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 greeting card done for Marcel Schurman (aka Papyrus)I dreamed about licensing my art last night. You know something is really on your mind when you dream about it! (Like those waitress dreams I used to have back in school, when I waitressed to pay the rent, and then dreamed about waiting tables all night long!). The reason I was dreaming about licensing, no doubt, is because I listened in on TWO teleseminars about art licensing yesterday. The first was a licensing class presented by J'net Smith, of All Art Licensing. She is the licensing agent responsible for making Scott Adam's Dilbert character what it is today - BIG. She knows her stuff. I've listened in on a few of her presentations, and have always been pleased with the information she shares. The other teleseminar was a talk about Branding by Paul Brent, presented through Tara Reed's Art Licensing Info series of seminars. Paul Brent is a BIG name in licensing, and the nicest man, and he shared so much really fantastic information in the seminar. Tara Reed is a licensed artist and super helpful font of information about the whole licensing industry. If you are interested in licensing your art, I would recommend checking out both Tara and J'net's websites for starters. I have some of Tara's ebooks on how to do repeat patterns and also her product mock-up templates, which are great! J'net has some product templates too, as do other people. (Product templates are 'blanks' of plates, cups, napkins, mugs, shower curtains, etc. etc. etc. for you to apply your art to to show manufacturers how your art would look on their products, so they will get all excited and license your art.)  greeting card done for NobleWorks
This is just a really brief post about all of this - I'll probably come back from time to time and share more info as I delve into this more. In the past I've licensed my art for greeting cards to a few companies, but would like to do a lot more. I'm quietly working behind the scenes to put together some collections and a body of work just for licensing. I'll add some links to sites and blogs here in the next couple of days.
But for now, its off to work I go!
Here is a piece I recently did as part of a group of art I am working on. I turned these into ornaments ( you can see this one here). They are so much fun! I am going to be doing a mailing soon of these cute holiday keepsakes! Isn't that a neat idea?
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holy flip! They are so cute :)
Oh thanks so much Megan!! :D They have that awesome plastic smell too that I remember from childhood! Hee hee! It's very special actually!! Happy in many ways!! :D
These are so cute! Congratulations on your new collection.