Getting Started On Your Artist Website, Merchandise, & More!
Over the last few years, I have explored the world of marketing my art, both online and in person, at various festivals and events. I’ve created a list of some of the best resources for artists to help you with everything from making your own website to finding professional artist opportunities! Let’s begin with my favorite websites for creating your own stickers, prints, and merchandise.
Sticker Ninja
Sticker Ninja is a great company for quickly and easily creating your own high-quality stickers! At Sticker Ninja’s website you can upload your own images to create custom printed stickers, die-cut stickers, and bumper stickers! Contagion Media loves the thickness and durability of these vinyl stickers. You can create die-cut stickers that are cut to match the shape of your design, and you can even create holographic stickers! Sticker Ninja has awesome customer service and quick delivery times.
Here are some stickers featuring my art that I have created and ordered in the past:
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Nations Photo Lab
I use Nations Photo Lab to order my quality art prints online! On their website you can choose from an assortment of different paper types, such as lustre, glossy, pearl, and linen. You can also order canvas prints along with other types of specialty printing and framing options! These prints have arrived quickly and beautifully each time I’ve ordered them. Here are some examples of the 8”x10” and 11”x14” lustre prints I’ve made:
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Shopify or Printful
Shopify is an e-commerce company that allows users to create their own websites to sell products. I chose Shopify for its drop-shipping feature, which is an order fulfillment method where the business does not keep its own inventory, but rather purchases inventory as needed from a third-party manufacturer.
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Because each item is made-to-order, dropshipping is a business model that can allow for a huge profit margin, due to saving costs on purchasing materials. You can also maximize your audience with the various marketing tools and features available on Shopify. Shopify offers a few different types of plans, as well as a free trial. The basic plan is $39/month, with your first month being only $1!
For my shop, I chose to mainly use Printful as my third-party manufacturer. There are tons of other manufacturer options you can choose from on Shopify, but Printful is among the most highly rated.
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Design by Lea Byrnes | Contagian Media
Printful is an absolutely amazing website that can be used on its own, or in conjunction with your Shopify site. Printful allows you to order customized clothing, accessories, phone cases, home decor, and more at their website. The website is incredibly user-friendly and makes it super simple to create customized products with your artwork printed on them. Here are few of the products that I have created using Printful:
Other platforms that you can try using to build a professional artist website include:
Free trial available, paid plans range from $12 and up per month
Free plan available, paid plans range from $14 to $56 per month
Personal plan is $4/month and Premium is $8/month (billed annually)
Finally, the following are a few resources to help you find professional artist opportunities and build your artist resume/CV.
Artlink
Artlink is an excellent resource for artists around the Phoenix area to find opportunities for juried exhibitions, Phoenix First Fridays, and calls to artists. You can sign up for free to be an “Articipant” on their website, which gives you access to promote your events, receive notice of artist calls and workshops, and much more.
College Arts Association Resume/CV Guidelines
When looking to be hired for any sort of artistic opportunity, having an awesome resume and Artist CV (Curriculum Vitae) makes all the difference. The College Arts Association has posted two very helpful links to assist you in creating these documents to ensure that you avoid leaving out any vital information or making any formatting mistakes:
For resume help
For Visual Artist Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Arizona Art Opportunities
For more art events and opportunities in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, be sure to check out the following:
Contagion Media
Contagion Media Art Agency specializes in artist development and commercial content creation, Contagion Media’s Blog is a great resource for artists looking for business and technical tips for artists of all mediums. Contagion Media has multiple blogs: Artrepreneur, Fashion & Beauty, Music, and Visual Arts.
I hope you’ve found this list of resources for artists helpful in your journey to becoming a successful artist!
My biggest advice to others who are looking to start selling their art but feel afraid is to simply take the plunge and dive right in. You never know what you are capable of until you try! You got this!!!☺
All art by Lea Byrnes Art
