The art fair is complete and now it is time to take a day off and relax after a busy weekend. If you have a full-time job use a vacation day, as you will be tired and regroup. I always use the day after to catch my breath but also get everything in order. Depending on when I got back from the show there are the tasks of putting away all the pieces of the booth in a storage area. As discussed in a prior post the tents and walls can retain value if properly taken care of while you own them. If the show was in a park you will want to clean off the artwork as dust may have gotten into your work even if there is a frame and backing. This may include swapping out the bags holding bin work since they can easily get dirty. Remember, presentation is very important and the cost for the plastic bags is not that much.

Take some time now to get your sales numbers in order since sales tax receipts will be due soon. The earlier it is done, the less hassle it will become. For me this involves entering everything into my accounting software, filling out and sending in sales tax forms and a trip to the bank to deposit cash from the show.

Figure out what pieces of your work sold from your receipt book and determine how you will replace these pieces on the wall as well as in the bins if you are using them. You may have noticed people looking at specific pieces as well or commenting on those, note those pieces as by doing so you can find out what are the more popular pieces you have in your booth.

During the day jot down notes from the weekend of what you thought worked well and what did not work in your booth. Continue to do this for a couple of days and then review your notes. It is best to think everything out over a few days instead of jumping into action right then.

There are a few online communities to check out to network with other artists who are doing shows, look for used booths and tents or just to get a feel of the community. Check out the following sites: Art Fair Insiders, Art Fair Sourcebook Forums, and the Art Show Photo for information on art fairs. I also recommend following the Art Biz Blog by Alyson Stanfield.

After your first show it does get a little easier however don’t be over confident, as this is when mistakes can happen. Good luck in the world of art fairs.

It was a nice end of the week weather wise here in Denver, and now for the weekly rewind.  The following image was taken while out walking to some meetings on Wednesday.

Indie Arsenal is gearing up with some events later this month as well as into the month of April.  If you are a creative in the Denver area, be sure to check  out this networking group.

I received an official copyright registration in the mail this week for a group of photographs from the Library of Congress which were registered earlier this year.  This is a step which should be part of your digital workflow. Check out this copyright tutorial for some more information.

Just a few weeks until Strictly Business 3 kicks off in Chicago.  Chicago is the final stop for SB3 so if you are a photographer check it out, especially if the statement above this is still a question in your mind.

Congratulations to Liza Voll who was randomly selected from blog comments to win a Lightroom 3 book by Nat Coalson.  This week Nat provided an interesting link on his blog to a new app for the iPad which will allow you to edit your photo in Lightroom.

Facebook Fan Pages changed their layout this week with photos at the top of the fan page, take a few minutes to check to see the images showing on your page. (via @roshsillars)

Random Fact: The fastest fish which is the sailfish (68 mph) is speedier in the water than the fastest land animal (cheetah).

Lastly… I am sure you have heard daylight savings starts this weekend in the majority of states here in the United States.  The extra hour of light in Colorado makes it easier to hit the trails at the end of the day, however this also translates to a longer day if photographing both at sunrise and sunset. Don’t forget to change your clocks Saturday evening.

After all the preparation for the art fair, the day of your first art fair is now here.  You are probably nervous and excited at the same time.  Instead of jumping into the day of the show details lets start before the day of the actual show.

You have all the pieces for your booth and the artwork you will be showing is ready, however take a moment to make sure you have everything in one place.  The last thing you want to do is forget an important item.  Prior to the show you will want to review any documentation sent to you from the show organizer, have directions to the location, know the sales tax rate you need to charge and of course if needed rent a van or trailer to get all of your items to the show.  If you are traveling out of your home city, double-check those hotel or RV park reservations as well.

One item I did not include in the last post is the need for a sales tax license. In Colorado you obtain one from the Department of Revenue and the best choice is to get a multiple event license if you are planning a few shows.  Check with the Department of Revenue for the most up to date information and what paperwork is needed.  Each city is different on how tax will be collected and almost always the show will give you the necessary information for taxes required on top of the state tax.

The easiest way to ruin a show is to damage your artwork on the way to a show.  Spend time packing your work so it is protected and will not get damaged.  There are numerous ways to do this from standard packaging materials, boxes and even using foam pipe covers on the edges of the frames (yes you need to cut a slot for them to fit on the frame).  It is easy to overdue the packaging for the transport of your work, however also realize there is limited store items as well at the show and your vehicle may be blocks away.

In addition to protecting your art you will want to protect yourself.  Dress in layers as weather can change during the day.  Some of the things you will want to include is a rain jacket, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.

Setting up your booth is an exercise on its own which is why practicing is a must before your first show or when any major changes take place to your booth.  Depending on the show you may be able to set up the afternoon before the first day but with most shows it is the morning of the show when you set-up your booth.  Depending on where this is happening controlled chaos happens as a large number of vans and trailers attempt to get into a small area at once.  Your booth location is normally provided ahead of time so you may want to check out the area if you can to get some ideas but even with that you may be at the mercy of others to get to your spot.  When setting up your booth take advantage of all the available time, as it is better to have some extra time available between set-up and the open of the show.  A pair of gloves can be helpful to help keep your hands clean when it comes time to hang the artwork since the tent pieces can be dirty additionally they act as protection on those cold mornings from chilly metal pipes.  A small ladder is also good to have when assembling your display.  Depending on the time of year, you may start to sweat as well in assembling the booth so be sure to factor this in if set-up is the morning of the show.

With most art fairs you will set-up your booth in a traditional manner as people will enter from one direction, however some venues like the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder can differ in traffic flow since there traffic flows on the backside of the booth as well.  In this example you will want to welcome people from both directions as best as possible to maximize your visibility. Just remember to respect your neighbors and don’t pile items outside of your area or where it is noticeable.  It really is a balance of what works best at the show especially if it is viewable from all sides.

When the show starts and when people start to arrive at the show can be two different times especially if you are in an area with other shops.  Don’t be surprised if you have some customers stop by 30 minutes before the show officially starts.  Another reason to get set-up as quickly as possible.

As people visit your booth be sure to greet them, engage them as needed and discuss your art as customers will want to know more about the art.  During the show you are a salesperson!

The show is a long day so it is best to be prepared by having food available for you to snack on as well as meals. I handle this with a smaller cooler I refill each day.  You need to be in your booth as much as possible, however leaving for a 5 or 10 minute break is also possible.  Two ways you can manage this is to bring family members to help with the booth, or use a booth sitter which are provided at the shows so you may use the restroom or just walk around for a few minutes.  If the show is busy the time will fly by, but it can also drag in towards the end of the day.

Be sure to have your booth open until the specified closing time.  If a show goes into the evening and it is slow, you may be allowed to shut down a little early however don’t assume.  If the show is overnight you want to take anything valuable out of the tent.  Security is provided during the overnight hours, however you don’t want to risk anything.  Depending on the location you may decide to take down your artwork and place it in the middle so it doesn’t fall in the middle of the night, take it all with you or just leave it as is.  You should judge the area and know the consequences if someone or something bumps into your tent in the middle of the night.  The sides of the tent will be zipped up, making the following morning a surprise on if any damage did take place overnight.

By the time the show ends you are ready to go home.  It has been a long day and if it is summer most likely has been warm as well.  One show I did last weekend was the hottest weekend of the year.  If the chaos at set-up was interesting it is even more chaotic at the end of the show as everyone wants to leave. Take your time in packing up your artwork, as this is when it is easiest to break or damage a piece.  You want to get home, however you need to be smart about this as well.  Develop a strategy for getting everything taken care of in your booth and follow it.  If you have people helping you need to direct them in what you want them to help with as you are the only one to blame for any damaged work.

Congratulations, you just finished an art fair and you are probably excited about the weekend but also exhausted.  Once you get home unpack your vehicle and put as much away as you can.  If there is a place in a garage to store your items leave it there until the next morning and rest.  In the next art fair post, I will wrap up the art fair process and give you some additional resources.

After submitting your work and you have been accepted to an art fair, congratulations you now have a 10 x 10 piece of concrete or grass assigned to you so the question is now what? There is plenty of preparation before a show and even more prior to your first. Your job at the show is to convert this space into a gallery in the matter of hours using some of the items below to make your job easier.

Tent. This is one of the most important items you will need at an art fair. The tent will provide shade in the summer sun, keep your work dry from any precipitation and also help protect your work overnight. There are a few options you can go with for your tent, the first being an EZ-Up. While the EZ-Up tent will work for a show you do have to be careful with these tents in the wind and other conditions. The tent I use is a Trimline by Flourish Company. This tent is around $1000 and I do recommend adding the rear door option, as it will allow you to create a place to get to storage or away for a little while. The Lightdome tent is also a popular choice by artists, which is about the same price. Whatever tent you go with make sure it comes with exterior walls which you can put up in the evening or during inclement weather, the most important however is make sure the tent is white. Yes it is boring, but this is the standard and booth shots with tents that are not white could keep you out of a show.

Weights. When you put up your tent, you are also putting a sail in the air. To help prevent your tent from flying away and possibly knocking into another booth or hitting someone you will want weights on all four corners of your tent. Most shows require a minimum of forty pounds on each corner. You have plenty of options for the weights however the one recommendation I have is to make them look nice as they will be noticed at the corner of the tent. I created my own weights using 4” PVC pipe, concrete and a metal hook. This was pretty economical and gets the job done. Other artists use old gym weights, thin metal rods or water containers as a starting point.

Walls. Don’t confuse walls with the sides of tent, these walls are where your artwork will hang. The most popular (and expensive) walls are by Pro Panels located in Texas. With these panels your space will look professional and like the gallery atmosphere you want to create at the art fair. While the walls are light-weight they are also tall which means a trailer or van is needed to transport them to the show. For a normal 10×10 booth 9 panels are needed with the necessary connectors. The nice thing about theses walls is that you can set them up different depending on what is needed for the booth. You can also pick the color for your panels as well from 8 options. I ended up purchasing plan B, but use one or two different set-ups depending on the traffic flow of the show. Hanging artwork on these walls is done either with the hook system Pro Panels sells or with inexpensive curtain hooks. Grid walls can also be used for your booth while it may not look as nice as the panels it is less expensive. Another option to consider is the mesh panel system by Flourish, also less expensive and easier to transport than the panels. I encourage you to look at other booths to get some ideas of what works best for you, however this is a case where nice can help your booth attract customers.

Prior to purchasing a tent or walls check to see if anyone nearby is selling either, as you may be able to save a little money. Your best source is either Craigslist, art related online forums or your network of artists who may know of someone selling one. These items do retain most of their value but usually you can save on shipping which is not cheap.

Artwork. Of course you will need to have your artwork for the show. I won’t get too much into this however make sure you are showing what was selected for entry into the show. I have yet to see or hear any instances when your work in your booth is compared to what you submitted in your application, however if you entered artwork of landscapes and are now showing clowns it will bring some attention. The other point is make sure your presentation is professional and not just inexpensive frames from a discount store. People look for quality and this may cause you to lose sales.

Bin Items. If your artwork can be made available as a matted piece sold in a bin, you will want to include this as well. While pieces will sell off the wall, the majority of customers will opt for work available from a bin as the piece will complement something in their house which can frame as they wish. Be sure to have different size options available, I found the 11”x14” size sells best however smaller also sells if they would like to do a series of images. Mat your work to standard frame sizes as the customer will not be happy if they purchased a bin piece from you only to spend three times as much for custom framing. Also use archival materials when matting your work. The plastic bags for the bin work can be obtained from Clearbags, when purchasing these be careful when as the size you will want for an 11×14 is a little larger than that size. You may want to consider the environmentally friendly bags, however if the bag will start to biodegrade in the sunlight then it may not be your best option for an art fair. If bin work will be included in your booth, be sure that you have a bin to hold the work.

Tags. Make it easy for customers to know about your work and the price. Many times people will not ask and will walk away. Additionally, you could be busy with other customers and not available to answer questions. You want to be the easiest person to do business with at the art fair.

Payment Processing. When you sell a piece of work, the most important part for you is a method of collecting the money. Accepting credit cards at your booth is a must! This can be done in a few different ways. The most common method is using a merchant services provider, which is similar to what is used in a retail store. The least expensive up front costs with a merchant services provider is using a “knucklebuster” or for a little more money you can transmit your sale via a wireless device. The percentage in transaction fees you will pay will be less with a wireless device, however there are additional costs in your monthly fee as cellular service for the device is required. The most common device for this is called the “Nurit” which can be rented or purchased from your provider or can also be bought used on eBay. If you purchase one via eBay the device will need to be programmed for your provider. The newest way to accept credit cards is by using Square or one of the other services available on smartphones. Prior to selecting your services think about how often you will need the service or if there are any limits to the amount of money that can be processed per month.

During the sales transaction, you will need a receipt book to allow you to create a receipt for your customer and also for your records. As part of my sales process, I have a supply of paper bags used for smaller purchases of bin items as it provides a professional feel of buying something from a store. Some may argue you are losing sales opportunities as a customer is not displaying your work to others as they walk around the show. It is your choice on what is best. I don’t recommend having a physical cash box as it is one more item to worry about disappearing during a show, I carry cash on me at all times.

Promotional Items. At your booth you will want materials prospects and customers can take with them to contact you at a later date. I use business cards as well as a promotional piece. Additionally, have a sign-up sheet for people to subscribe your mailing list, if someone likes your work they will want to become a fan and an e-mail list is an easy way to communicate. If you don’t have one yet, look at the free options by Mailchimp (aff).

Chair. An art fair can be a long day and you will be standing a lot of the time. A good art director chair will help you get some rest but will also put you at a high enough level allowing you to talk to customers without them having to look down to you.

Miscellaneous Items. It is a good idea to have a storage bin with some tools you can use if something needs to get repaired during the show. I have a storage bin with some tools, zip ties, extra wire, pens, clips, rubber bands, a-clamps, band-aids, Velcro and more just in case. Invest in a tarp to have during the show. This can be used as a clean place to store art during assembly of your booth, or to quickly protect items during rain or unexpected sprinklers.

Practice assembly!!! This is the most important aspect you need to do prior to the show. Know how to assemble your tent and walls ahead of time. The morning you are setting up the tent is not when you want to find out that you don’t have a piece or spend time reading the directions. When you are setting up it should be second nature to you and practice will get you to be in that position.

Visit other art fairs prior to the ones you will be doing to get ideas for your booth as well. From layout to display methods you will find a little of everything which may want to try out in your own booth.  There is a little bit of work prior to the show, but now we are nearing your first art fair.

I hope the post yesterday on considering a season of art fairs did not change your mind in making the leap, nothing in the world of art is easy and I just want to make sure you are prepared.  If you are still interested in art fairs, the next step is to research the available art fairs and find what shows would be best for your work.

Even before looking at the list of shows you should take a look at your work and determine what demographic will match what you will be showing.  If you have a series of images of farmland then maybe a show in a mountain town is not the best option, likewise pictures of lighthouses may not work in some parts of the country.  However there are some scenes that work well all over the country, so it is important to find what will work for you.  I mostly show images from around Denver, Colorado so my area of focus is near Denver as a buyer in Chicago may not be as interested.  It is perfectly fine to have multiple series of work submitted on two different applications to a show, just be prepared to show whatever is accepted and if both are you will need to select one to show at that show.

Look at the body of work you chose and select four or five strong images, remember to ask others to get their input as well. These selected images will be what you will submit to be used in the jury process.  A recent tip I received is show only color or black and white in the case of photography, as mixing the two may not be well received by the jurors.  From the images selected place them in a natural order with great opening and closing images.  The jury process is a little different from show to show, where some will show all of your images at once and others will go through them one by one.

As part of your application you will need a picture of the booth you will use at the art fair, which is referred to as a ‘booth shot’.  This can be difficult in your first year, as you have not done shows in the past.  Some shows will allow you to use an image from a gallery, or let you describe your booth.  There are also photographers in most areas of the country who will set-up a booth and take photographs with your artwork hanging for a fee.  The booth shot is quite important, as it will put your work in context and also show you will have a professional looking booth if accepted to the show. Be sure the images you will be submitting are a representation of your work is included in your booth shot.

Once you are ready to submit your work, it is time to find what shows are out there.  You have already determined the areas where you be focusing on when you selected your artwork.  Finding the shows in the area can be found using some online resources some of which are free and other that cost a little money.  The easiest method is to create an account on Zapplication, which is free and where you will apply for most shows.  On this site you can search for shows by area and quickly get a list. Not every show uses this service, so you will want to check and see what else is out there.  If you are looking in Colorado be sure to check out the Colorado Artist Tour, which costs $10 per year.  The Art Fair Source Book is the main guide out there and covers the whole country.  You may also get ideas from any search engine. Search for shows you have visited in the past or look at the websites from people you have seen at shows as normally they will lists their schedule.  One word of caution, most likely you will want to avoid any show which includes craft in the name.

The normal thing to do is shoot for the best shows out there and avoid some of the smaller shows.  When starting out you want to make sure you look at all shows as you don’t only want to show your work but also get experience doing an art fair as well.  I found last year one of my best shows was a small show where I was one of two photographers.  The other shows I did had more traffic, but you are vying against many more talented artists as well.  My advice is to mix it up with both and find out what audience works best for your work.

Upon submitting your work there are two sets of fees for almost all shows, an application fee and a booth fee.  The application fee is paid when you submit your work and ranges from $25-$40, where the booth fee is due upon acceptance to the show and can be between $250 and $500 with some shows being even more.  If a show is using Zapplication you will pay the booth fee once you are notified of acceptance, other shows may ask for a check for the booth fee when submitting your work. This is more so the case when you have to mail your information directly to the show.

If you notice there are shows on the same weekend be sure to hedge your applications by submitting for both the shows.  It is not a problem to decline an invitation if you are accepted to multiple shows on the same dates, however if you look at deadline dates they will fall close together in most instances so you can not wait to hear from one and then apply to the other.

You do need to be ready for rejection and if that is a problem, then you may want to reconsider doing art shows as it can come quite often.  Some shows will get hundreds of entries and others much more, however there is only a limited area of space at an art fair so you may not get into the show.  Don’t take it personally!  The jurors for the show this year may not judge your work high enough. However next year there will be different jurors, which can end up with acceptance to the show.

One last piece of advice prior to submitting your application make sure you have read all the information on the application and be sure to include everything required as you have one chance.

Tomorrow it is time to get ready for the show and what you will need to include in your preparations.

A little over a year ago I decided to add a few summer art shows to my schedule.  This was something I was considering for a little while as another outlet to show my personal work and 2010 was a good time to add it to my business plan.  One of the considerations in my decision process was having an inventory available for art shows due to my gallery. There are many start-up costs you will have as you start art shows and inventory is one of those costs not only during start-up but also the duration of your art show career.  With the gallery I rotate artists every month or two, so there are periods when my work is available for other venues.

You may want to consider doing art shows to gain exposure, allow for networking, meet potential clients for commission work, or see it as a way to travel the country however the main reason to do art shows should be to make money.  If your goal is not to make money then you should consider a different method to get your work out to a large audience, as it will cost less and take likely take less time then an art show.

Hopefully you haven’t been scared off and are still considering art shows. The next step is to do your research and consider what work you will be showing.  The last time you walked through an art show, do you remember the types of work you saw in your medium?  In the case of photography there was most likely a handful of nature photographers.  If this is your primary focus, will you be able to compete with the other nature photographers out there and what will make your work different then them?  You may want to consider a portfolio review before committing to doing art shows as well.  We all have people who love our work, but your family (sorry Mom & Dad) will not be the ones at the event buying your art.

Have a mentioned enough this is a huge investment in time and money, so be sure to answer the following questions before you commit to art shows:

1. Determine why you would like to do art shows and if there is another method which may work better to reach your goal.
2. Ask the question, why should people purchase your work. What is unique and different to others about your art?
3. Have someone else (who is not a friend or family member) review your work and provide feedback. You want to have great images and a cohesive body of work prior to moving forward.

Once you have answered these questions you should know if art shows are right for you and your work.  Check back tomorrow, as I will cover planning for a season of art shows and finding art shows right for your work.

During the course of the week I post on Twitter and Facebook items which do not always make it on the blog.  Based on some feedback, I have decided to do a weekly rewind of some items which I posted or shared elsewhere.

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia for the Strictly Business 3 conference, with the above view from my hotel room.  This conference covered the business side of photography at all levels and was a great experience.  Getting back late on Sunday, I was energized from the experience and was following up on networking and new tasks for most of the week from this event.  I have come across a couple of recaps of the events by photographers Felicia Perretti and Brian Kaldorf if you would like to find out more about this conference.

Today is the first Friday of the month, which means artwalk time here in Denver.  Having a Photography Gallery in Denver, I am biased to the Tennyson Arts District Art Walk.  As the Month of Photography kicks off with a bang, gallery nrc is featuring a collection of juried images from the Denver Photowalk Meetup Group.  This show continues though March 12th.

You may be familiar with Camera Obscura here in Denver which after 32 years will be closing at the end of April.  Starting later this month will be the final show which will include the life’s work of Hal Gould the director of the gallery as well as a retrospective of Loretta Young-Gautier. Currently a silent auction is taking place on some selected pieces of work in addition to a book liquidation sale.

If you have not yet made a comment on the Lightroom 3 blog post, today is the last day to do so and be eligible for the free book drawing.  Even a quick ‘Hi’ will get you entered.

Random Fact: 7.5 million toothpicks can be created from a cord of wood.

Lastly… my aha moment from SB3 last week was “Be Useful, Be Specific, Be Nice” as stated by Colleen Wainwright during her keynote. This is just something so simple, obvious and needed.

For the past few months I had a contest for those traveling through the Denver Airport.  As part of the Creative Colorado exhibition, two pieces of my work were on display at Concourse A since the beginning of November.  By taking a photograph of the work and sending it to me you were entered in a drawing to win a matted print of one of the images.  With a little assistance from my gallery neighbor Kelly Schurger, one entry was randomly selected… Chris and Julie Rice.

Thank you for all the pictures and the feedback as well.

These two pieces will now be part of forty pieces of art which will be on display at the State Capitol through June.  Once the transition takes place, I will post some additional details.