Seven Fun Ways Artists Can Productize Artwork

Make more money as an artist. Print and sell your artwork in ways that everyone can afford and enjoy! YellowDog will help you make it happen.

Hello! I’m an artist and illustrator in Denver with a brand called BirdHead Creations, and I also work part-time as an administrative assistant at YellowDog. This works out perfectly, as YellowDog is a wonderful print partner to me and to many others in Denver’s artist community. From my many years of experience printing my art into different products at YellowDog, I’ll share my favorites.

monetize your art with art prints

Art Prints

Creating reproductions of your art can be a fun way to sell more affordable and accessible versions of your art. You can get art made in many different sizes. Standard sizes to sell online are 8” x 10” and 5” x 7”. You can choose a nice “watercolor” paper (ask your Account Manager for “eggshell”), or a thicker 130# matte or glossy paper. You can also choose between a poster or a canvas print for your artwork.

productize your art with stickers

Stickers

Stickers are another fun thing you can make with your art! You can ask your Account Manager for any size round stickers (ie.; 1.5” or 2” or 3” round), printed on “pre-cut label” sheets. Promote your art brand with stickers that say “Thank you for your order!” or some that just feature your logo, and some that are small close-ups of your art. You can then package them into little bundles, and have tags printed for them. Voila! Ready to sell.

Another option is vinyl stickers for outdoor surfaces. These are waterproof and last a long time. You can have the shape of your design cut out following the edges of the art (you’d request “kiss-cut vinyl stickers”). You can also have packaging tags printed. Minimize your assembly time and have YellowDog score, fold and drill holes on the tags for easy wall display.

notebooks and journals

Notebooks and Journals

Notebooks and journals with artistic covers are also popular items! You can choose your size and have the interior pages be blank (like a sketchbook), or a grid, or a dot-grid, or lined, or anything else you can think of! I like having the outside cover be a nice “soft-touch laminate”, which adds a little more to your cost. However, it is so soft and gives the product a more luxurious and special feel. You can have notebooks bound using staples-called “saddle stitch” or go for the classic spiral-bound. The size is up to you – go as small as 3.5” x 5” or as large as 12” x12”! Ask your Account Manager to have the paper be printed on 100# GLOSSY cover stock. For a nice added detail you can have belly bands printed for a professional, branded touch.

greeting cards

Greeting Cards & Postcards

You can get your artwork printed onto a variety of folded greeting cards! A great size to sell is the A2 size; finished size is 4.25” x 5.5”. Or you can go larger or smaller. You can have them be blank inside, with an image of your art on the front, and your logo on the back, maybe with the title and media of the art. Remember to thank your patrons with a customized thank you card, featuring your art of course!

Having an art show? Well, turn to YellowDog for your postcards to be printed! There are many paper options available, just come into the office and request to feel the various papers. Have a mailing list? YellowDog can do a “mail-merge” for you, helping you skip that time-consuming task of handwriting addresses. You can even request to have YellowDog stamp them and place them in the mail on a specific day.

Wall Decals

Most art exhibits have the artist’s name on the wall. If you have an exhibit coming up, YellowDog can take care of printing your name for the wall as a vinyl wall decal. This makes for a quick, easy, and professional installation. Request “cut vinyl,” choose the font and color, and YellowDog will get it custom cut, weeded, masked, and prepared for installation.

Calendars

Do you have a series of twelve works of art? Make a calendar! Calendars work great in either special sizes or the standard calendar size. These can make a very special and personalized gift to friends and family. For example, each year I make a calendar with all our loved ones’ birthdays already marked.

The Sky’s the Limit

Honestly, if you can think of something to get printed, YellowDog can do it! For instance, if you have a booth at a trade show or in an art festival, you can have table throws made, signage, backdrops of your art – anything! The nice thing about YellowDog (compared to another printing company), is that it is family-owned, small, and local (Denver). Even if you’re far away they can ship it for you. You will be assigned an Account Manager who has worked with professional artists and knows what your needs are. You can make an appointment with them to discuss the hundreds of projects you’d like to print, go in to feel a variety of paper stocks, and you can also request proofs of your project, ensuring quality control.

Also, if you don’t have graphic design skills, they have an entire team dedicated to design. Want to redesign your artist website professionally? They can do that too! AND you can also hire them to plan out a marketing campaign. In short, working with YellowDog will provide you with all the answers you need for the business side of your art.

Sara-Lou Klein

Sara-Lou Klein

Sara-Lou Klein, the artist behind Bird Head Creations, is part of the YellowDog family in more ways than one! She has worked with Jenny and Dan for years as a nanny for their two daughters. Then, as they grew up and needed less watching, Sara-Lou joined YellowDog as a part-time administrative assistant. These roles have been to support her true calling as an artist. Her whimsical mixed-media art can be found at EDGE Gallery in Denver, on her Etsy store, and at local boutique retailers such as Willow and Toulaire.
Better business cards, designed and printed by YellowDog
Matt Hunter

Better business cards

Why waste money on a piece of paper that’s bound for someone’s trash can? Short answer: don’t.  Who needs business cards in a digital world?

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