Category: advice for artists

  • New Year / New Craft Show Display

    Every January, of every year, I start to think about organization and improving our space here at Art Star.  This year is no exception but with Clover Market right around the corner, Erin and I have been brainstorming low cost and creative ways to improve our craft show display set up.  We also need to think about a display that is light weight enough and that breaks down easily so transport is not a huge hassle.  One of my favorite ways to start brainstorming is to go on pinterest.  I found some great display options that I thought I’d share here with you.  We have an entire board dedicated to Craft Show Display Inspirations.  If you are a crafter who needs a display make over like ourselves, please follow us on Pinterest!

    pinned from Flickr (Ken Marten)

    Since most craft shows use a 10’x10′ display footprint, we try to squeeze in as much merchandise as possible without making the space look cluttered.  I’m always on the look out for creative ways to create a variety of heights.  I love this rustic table paired with chairs and stools.  A light weight, simple, yet creative way to create different shelf levels.  I also love the neutral tones of the furniture and bright pops of color from the plants.

    pinned from frenchbydesign.blogspot.com

    This stack of crates looks great and is super easy!  I think we will actually do something like this with our display this year.  Plus, you can cart all your merch in the crates. That’s a nice bonus!

    from Leah Jackson ceramics and display at Mr. Kitly. Repinned from pinterest – no direct link

    I love the clean lines of this simple step shelf.  Fits a variety of objects without looking too bulky.  Plus, you could store extra merchandise underneath.  It would just have to be made to break down and then put together easily for transport.  It probably won’t work for our purposes but it is a great idea and would be really nice in a gallery show or shop!

    Pinned from www.sfgirlbybay.com via the october issue of inside out magazine.

    This is one of my favorites! I love the peg board idea for easily hanging goods and shelves.  Looks pretty simple and low cost to create something similar too!

    pinned from https://www.etsy.com/shop/SqueezeMyHand

    We are always looking for unique ways to display lots of little things, like stationary.  I have seen a few crafters use old library card filing cabinets to display cards.  Looks really great and keeps the cards organized and easy for people to flip through.  I could see a little tag for each type of card (ie birthday, anniversary, etc) labeled on the front.

    Pinned from Kellimurray.com

    It is very important to incorporate your shop logo into your display. We are always changing this up!  Here is a fun DIY for a Batic Dye Wall Hanging.  I could see this idea being put to good use as a shop banner.

    Welp, those were just a few of my favorite display ideas that I’ve found on Pinterest.  I’m going to continue to pin these to two of our boards: Craft Show Display Inspiration and Display Ideas (which is mostly for shop display ideas) but really any of these can be utilized in a retail space, your office or your own home.

    Are any of you crafters out there also upgrading your show display? If so, please share your ideas or pins in the comment section!  Follow all our boards on Pinterest!

  • How to Copyright your Art

    Being in the art biz for over 10 years now, I have seen so many artists get their work ripped off by either individual artists or companies.  It especially pisses me off when a big company does this b/c it seems like there is not much us little people (with little resources) can do. Recently, our friend & artist Jude Buffum posted some really great advice on his facebook page.  I wanted to share b/c it seems so simple & affordable.

    He says, “All artists can copyright their work for $35 online at copyright.gov
    Click on the eCO (electronic copyright office) link in the right column
    From there it’s fairly straight forward. Have JPG photos or scans (internet quality is fine) of your work ready to upload. You can include everything you’ve done to date in one $35 registration case file, just give it a title like “Jewelry 2006–2012” or “Paintings 2010–2012″ or something.  This is the single most important thing you can do as an artist. If and when someone copies your work, having your work registered gives you legal options you can’t even imagine, but not having it registered limits your options to the point no lawyer will take your case. TRUST ME it is the best $35 you will ever spend.”

    Thanks Jude!
    www.judebuffum.com

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