Folk Art Painting
nhagen
Is there anyone who is interested in Folk Art? How do you go about
selling your pieces? How do you determine the cost of the pieces you want
to sell? Has anyone attended a conference?
Nat.
T.L. Gemmil-Mugrage
Nat:
I run an internet mailing list for tole painters around the world. Most
of the people selling finished pieces sell in "craft malls" or
consignment shops. We have a lot of information about folk
art/decorative/tole painting on the web site at http://www.tolenet.com
When you ask about conferences, are you referring to conventions?
You asked about pricing, in my opinion, you determine cost in the same
way that any business does. You need to consider several factors: The
cost of materials (i.e.; surface, paint, mediums, sealers, harware -
some of these costs will be divided among several pieces that you
complete), the time it takes you to create it, including time spent
designing a pattern, cutting wood, etc., the hourly rate you think is
fair to pay yourself for this type of work and finally, what other
people are charging for similar items in your area.
One reason that many craft businesses fail is because they undervalue
their own time, or they look at a finish project and guess at what it
should sell for without considering the other factors. Doing this will
help you determine whether you are getting a reasonable return on your
time, and whether your prices are competitive for the quality you are
delivering. If you want to make, for example $10.00 an hour for your
time (this may be low or high for you, I'm only using it for discussions
sake) and a piece takes you four hours to create, and your cost is
$5.00, you should charge $45.00 for the piece. However, if your
competitors are selling the same piece for $25.00, you can't afford to
make that piece! You either have to find cheaper materials (in cost,
not quality), cut down the time it takes you to create it or cut your
losses and not create that piece.
Hope this helps,
Tera
--
Tera Lee Gemmil - Mugrage, J.D. te...@netadventure.com
"Quality design - proven results"
The Internet AdVenture Company http://www.netadventure.com
ToleNet ("Bringing painters together")
http://www.tolenet.com
(714) 680-4510 (voice) (714) 680-3462 (fax)
nhagen
> nhagen wrote:
> >
> > Is there anyone who is interested in Folk Art? How do you go about
> > selling your pieces? How do you determine the cost of the pieces you want
> > to sell? Has anyone attended a conference?
>
> Nat:
>
> I run an internet mailing list for tole painters around the world. Most
> of the people selling finished pieces sell in "craft malls" or
> consignment shops. We have a lot of information about folk
> art/decorative/tole painting on the web site at http://www.tolenet.com
>
> When you ask about conferences, are you referring to conventions?
>
Yes, I am referring to conventions. One or two of the ladies that own the
shop where I take my lessons and buy my supplies go to these conventions
and teach at them. They rave about them and I am interested in other
people's opinions and whether or not they are worth it.