Technology, Humor and Cards: Artist Kate Harper

I had the great opportunity to show some of my new licensing collections to my local licensing group. It was my "debut" to this design industry and it was a thrill! The group is a fantastic one that was originally founded by artist Kate Harper – the group is called Bay Area Licensing Artists and its new blog was recently launched to help promote its artists. 

Kate has been very inspirational to many other artists. She has been sharing so many precious licensing tips, including a very comprehensive list of manufacturers she herself created. I am very happy today to host this great and informative interview with her.

Artist Kate Harper

The Moon from My Attic: Please introduce yourself –

I like to create designs that make people laugh. I believe that if we surround ourselves with humor, it brings us closer to others and our experience of daily life becomes more inspired. For over a decade I published my own line of humorous greeting cards and serviced national accounts such as Barnes and Noble, Whole Foods Markets and Papyrus. Now I currently license my designs with Recycled Paper Greetings, Leanin' Tree, American Greetings, Trader Joe's, Amber Lotus and several other companies.

I live in Berkeley, California and have a Master's Degree in Art Therapy. Before entering the design world, I taught "outsider art" at the local City College and Adult School.

© Kate Harper

TMFMA: What brought you to art in the first place? A writer friend of mine told me once, If I only had $50 in my bank account, that I should spend it on art supplies. I took her advice.

TMFMA: What's exciting about your creative work? What excites me at the moment is not what the gift market is ready for yet: Tech humor and the changes in culture, street art stenciling and using odd words in my art. It's the kind of thing I would buy, but bigger companies are hesitant to take a chance on edgy concepts. Perhaps later they will come around.

TMFMA: What's your favorite medium or tool/s you create with? I do things like put a blob of acrylic paint on a piece of plastic and then stick things in it, like yarn, rocks or onion sacks. From there I stamp those textures onto white paper and scan them into my computer. I like textures more than anything -- especially where edges are undefined.

TMFMA: Who or what has inspired you in your art? What inspires me is to be around a creative person who is living the life they were meant to live. Being a witness in those moments makes me feel that I am exactly at the right place at the right time. When I see people drawn to their own vision, it effects me greatly.

TMFMA: How long have you been doing art licensing? Approximately 4 years. Before that I ran a greeting card publishing business for about 15 years. I didn't realize I could do art licensing for royalties. Once I learned that, I approached one large corporation about licensing my line and they accepted it right away. After that, I decided to close my business since it was growing too large and I didn't want to relocate or manage staff.

TMFMA: Tell us about your creative process in creating art for licensing combined with words. I tend to start with words. I write my own words and also buy professional writer's and kids' words. Once I get the words, I draw around them.

TMFMA: What do you think makes words and images together so powerful? Well I don't know that they are powerful (LOL) but I can only hope they are! People tell me it is humor mixed with bright colors. I like to use colors that don't normally do together also, like lime green and burnt orange.

© Kate Harper

TMFMA: Tell us about a recent project where you used words and images to create your art. I'm currently working with an iPod app publisher who is expanding their current app to include a greeting card feature. I created 72 cards for their app in about two weeks. This was challenging not only because of the short time to make all new cards, but also because they had never worked in the greeting card business before and I had to help them learn all about the industry quickly, down to the basics such as envelope size standards.

It was one of the few times in my licensing career where it turned out to be easier for me to make the decisions on what kind of art a company should license from me, rather than having them be the ones to decide on design, sentiment and occasion.

TMFMA: If you were to mentor a new artist into licensing, what would you have her do as first thing? I think it's critically important to develop the kind of art you really enjoy doing, something you really get a buzz from and makes you feel like you are at home in your own body. After that, the art can be adapted to a product.

© Kate Harper

TMFMA: Please give us your analysis of the market based on your own experience and contacts. I still feel so new to this career, that once I think I know what is happening, then the opposite happens. My personal opinion is to look in the direction of tech. That is where the world is right now. Recently I bought a Kindle Touch for $99, yet the only flimsy skins (rubber cover) I could find started at $20! Interestingly, all of these skins had art on them. Common sense tells me these skins can be made very inexpensively, and yet people are buying them for this steep price. In my mind, that's the future.

Available as an e-book at Amazon

TMFMA: In your view, what was of major interest to manufacturers this year? Each one is so different. All I can say is they all want something safe, and that will sell. I think humor and pets are always a good theme.

TMFMA: What advice would you give other artists that are considering the art licensing field? Read my "Getting Started in Art Licensing article" on my blog.

TMFMA: Any other useful info that you'd like to share about art licensing? It's important to read, utilize and participate to the professional Art Licensing online groups; and it's also important to be action oriented, such as what you did when you made our first Licensing group blog/website! It's 4 years overdue!

Kate Harper Art Licensing | Gift Design with a Sense of Humor

Website: kateharperdesigns.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kateharperdesigns

Twitter: twitter.com/kateharpercards

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kateharperdesigns

Blog: kateharperblog.blogspot.com

Google+: http://goo.gl/nLz0a

Surviving in the Licensing Arena - An Interview with Licensed Artist Patti Gay

I have been experimenting over and over with different techniques and ways to create collections, trying to make my art suitable for commercial use. It's a "look," per se. It's not as easy as one would think. It's like a ... search ... for one's own identity in this arena of licensing. I asked myself this question: how will I survive this quest against so much competition? There are already so many skilled and successful artists out there ... so how does one make it through? Veteran artist and licensee Patti Gay helped answer my question with few simple words: continue to learn and grow!

Artist Patti Gay

The Moon from My Attic: Please introduce yourself - I graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with an illustration major. I started out in advertising. After moving to San Francisco I was hired as an art director for a greeting card company. That was my introduction into the whole licensing arena. Being an art director was a great way to see how things worked from a business standpoint. After leaving art directing I started creating my own work.

TMFMA: What's exciting about your creative work? What I love about being an illustrator is that I’m not boxed in. I can continue to learn and grow. I find that exhilarating. I also do work for different markets. I like doing work for licensing, children’s books and for hanging in shows. I am also trying to learn how to make interactive apps for children. Sometimes there is overlap. I think it keeps my creativity fresh and keeps me excited about what I am working on.

Two Can Art - © Noah and Patti Gay

TMFMA: What's your favorite medium or tool/s you create with? When I do traditional painting I work in oils or watercolors. I also am doing work in Photoshop.

TMFMA: Who or what has inspired you in your art? I have to say that the collection I am really excited about was inspired by my son, Noah, who is autistic. He loves to paint. I think the textures he creates are really beautiful and I have saved a lot of his paintings. I decided to scan them into the computer and create a collection called Two Can Art. All of the images are made entirely from the textures he has painted. I take the textures and put them into designs. I also made an e-commerce blog for prints on demand of several of the images. My licensing agent is also representing the line along with my other work.

Beach - © Patti Gay

TMFMA: How long have you been doing art licensing? I’ve been licensing my work for over 20 years. Amazing to think it’s been that long. Things have changed so much with licensing. It is a much tougher market then it used to be.

TMFMA: What brought you to exhibit for the first time and how many shows have you exhibited in? I’ve been represented by my agent at shows, but I have never had a booth on my own. It’s tough for me to get away for that length of time, and it is very expensive to do it alone.

TMFMA: Do you work with an agent or do you represent yourself? I do have a licensing agent. I work with JMS Art Licensing LLC.
 

TMFMA: Please give us your analysis of the market based on your own experience and contacts. I think it is a competitive market. With the economy in the state it’s in companies want to be sure they have products that will sell. I also have to say that sometimes you just get lucky and things get into the right hands at the right time. 

Two white bunnies © Patti Gay

TMFMA: In your view, what was of major interest to manufacturers this year? What do you think the main trends are for 2011-2012? I think companies are looking for something that they feel is a sure bet for them. I see from call outs that the subject matters haven’t changed all that much. There are some companies that are more adventurous, so it really depends on the company. I think trends are moving towards brighter colors, which I love.

TMFMA: How does a new artist find manufacturers that "match" their styles?

With the internet it is so much easier to see what companies like. You can get a feel for what they lean towards by looking at their current collections.

Memory box cover - © Patti Gay

TMFMA: What do you suggest new artists do to present themselves to the world of licensing for the first time? I think having a professional collection of images is the most important thing. Think about who you are presenting to as well. Research companies to see what might be a good fit for the type of work you do.

TMFMA: What advice would you give other artists that are considering the art licensing field and that want to exhibit in a show like Surtex? Look at company sites to get a feel for what kinds of products art is licensed on. Look at your work and think about how it might be used for product. Think about who your buying audience would be. Before doing a booth at Surtex be ready. It is a big step to show there and is expensive, so you want to make a good impression and you want to have collections that are marketable.

TMFMA: Any other useful info that you'd like to share about art licensing? I think those who are tenacious and keep growing are the ones who get the work. Keep at it. Keep learning, but most of all love what it is you are doing.