Want an Art Licensing Deal?
I remember when I first heard about art licensing back in early 2017. You get to make pretty artwork, but someone else deals with putting it on products, marketing it, and distributing it??? Sounds AMAZING!
Except…it’s kind of daunting to get started. Where do you even begin? Who might want your art? I’ve got you covered: let’s talk about how to get your first art licensing deal!
Step One: Find Companies Who License Art
Okay, the first step is actually to make some art, but I’m going to assume you’ve got that part covered. Once you do, finding companies whose products feature art similar to yours is your next step. What kinds of companies license art? All sorts, but maybe start with wall art companies if you paint landscapes, greeting cards if you’re big on hand-lettering or creating cute characters, or fabric companies if you think your work would be perfect for quilting. You can also search for stationery, garden flags, gift wrap + gift packaging, home decor, and more.
This could really be an entire blog post (or book?) all on its own, but notice what products you like when you’re out and about, where you see art that is somewhat similar to yours, and where you can imagine your art.
You can also skip all that and simply google, “companies who licensing art.” That’s how I find my first art licensing deal, but more on that a little later.
Step Two: Contact the Company
Here’s a secret: You will never get an art licensing deal if you do not reach out to companies. Perhaps if you’re some super famous artist on Instagram a company might reach out to you, but I doubt you’d be reading this article if that was your personal situation. Look to see if they accept artist submissions and/or look for contact info for someone in charge, such as an art director or creative director. (Grab your free art licensing tracker at the bottom of the page to keep track.)
Now here’s the hard part of this step: Actually contacting the company. For a long time I had a list of companies I could contact, but did NO contacting. That does not work. Make yourself a schedule (I’ll contact three companies a week or 15 companies a week or whatever works for you) and stick to it!
Step Three: Keep Going
Once you start submitting to companies, there might be a lot of silence. You may get rejected. And sometimes, yes, you’ll get a yes! While those are wonderful, keep in mind that persisting along this path is key. I spent so much time–years!–barely doing anything, and when you barely do anything, nothing happens.
It gets easier. I used to be terrified to send emails to companies, now it’s no big deal. No one is going to write back and tell you you suck. When you find a company you’d love to work with, and your art is a good match, follow up a month later with new artwork.
You can do this.
Some Final Thoughts on Getting Your First Art Licensing Deal
You’re good enough. You’ll get better over time, both at art and connecting with people. This is not a one and done thing, it’s a lifetime of growth and change.
Want to hear more about it, or just prefer videos? I gotcha covered!
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