Starting My Art Business

How I transform digital art into physical art and sent it to your home.

After many months of preparation, I finally launched my art business Phantom Flux.

Here are the basics to get you started.

• Step 1: Create your art!

The most important step to having an art business is having artwork! Get creating! I make my artwork digitally using Procreate on the iPad. Make sure your color settings are CMYK if you are printing from home. You can also take quality pictures of your physical artwork and edit them in photoshop.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Do I want to print and ship my own artworks?
• Should I use a Print on Demand service instead?

Printing and Shipping your own Artworks

Printing and shipping your own artworks allow you to add your own personal touch for each customer that most print on demand services do not offer. While the initial startup cost is much more expensive. It will be valuable to have full control and profit, while print on demand services will take large percentages of your sales.

Supplies for Printing at Home

You will need:

• A high quality printer
• Thick paper
• Flat Mailing Envelopes
• Cardboard Backings and plastic sleeves to prevent damage while shipping
• A label printer
• A website to sell your artwork

Do your own research on what supplies are best for you. How big do you want your artwork? How much will ink cost if I run out? What quality of prints do you want to make? (tip: if you want to sell large poster prints, and do not have a large customer base, a print on demand service is your best bet as the startup because the printer and ink costs will be very expensive.)

Make it Personal

Use printing and shipping from home to your advantage. Sign your artwork. Deck out your packages. Include handwritten notes of gratitude. Give them stickers with your logo on it. All of these touches make the selling process more personal (and more work). It makes customers feel like they are buying from YOU, not a factory or big business. Use this to your advantage for a lasting impact on your customers.

I hope this introductory guide works for you. Personally, print and ship my smaller artworks from home and use a print on demand service for large posters (until I can grow my customer base and take full control of my business.) If you want to ship bigger prints from home but do not have the means, consider consulting your local print shop.