My husband got laid off from his job due to Covid and the last few months I have watched him spiral into depression. He hates the fact he isn’t “contributing” and it has had a very detrimental effect on his mental health.
A few months ago, I encouraged him to return to drawing as he loved it when he was younger. It seemed to help and he produced many amazing pieces. In a bid to improve his self esteem, I made him an Instagram account and he soon had people following and complimenting his work.
At the start of August, we booked a table at an art and craft fayre so he could possibly sell his work. My husband started panicking that he didn’t have enough art for his table so I jumped on and created a few of my own pieces to help “bulk it out”. By the time the August Bank Holiday rolled around, we had lots of art. Sadly the fayre was then cancelled but my husband still wanted to try to sell. I suggested Folksy and set up a shop but people are paying more attention to the art I have produced than to his.
I paint wooden boxes and canvases and jam jars which I guess is possibly more commercially viable. Here is an example of my work:
However, my husband’s art is more abstract and graphic. Is there anyway I can increase interest in his pieces? Which category should I put his art under? Are there any artists on here that could give me some suggestions please? An example of my husband’s work is below:
Any advice would be gratefully received as right now this whole “project fight depression” thing is on danger of backfiring.
Lovely to see others on here who live not that far from me.
Do you have a twitter or facebook account to promote his work. I much prefer twitter and stuff as many tags in the link as I can. I sell on many platforms so have regular orders coming in. How about printing his designs onto card - birthday cards, notelets etc. I think they would do well as people could always frame them afterwards. It wouldn’t bring as much in as the original art work but you may sell more of them and sell more that way.
I agree that these would work well as cards. Other thought is trying online markets. Good luck as is a difficult situation and is v. hard to get balance right between doing it for them and encouraging them feel ownership through doing it for themselves - especially when they can’t find the motivation.
Hi Tori, welcome to Folksy. I really like Steve’s style - it’s so distinctive! Just given you a follow on instagram - I love the owl sketchbook! Is that one of his designs? Instagram is a fab place to find potential customers - especially as his work is so different. Maybe try having a look for similar artists & see what hashtags they use. Agree with above that maybe try adding a few more options - if the trinket boxes sell could he decorate some of those? Or there are ACEOs - so mini artworks to add in some different price points.
I would also consider adding a bit more to your product listings. A customer would need to know how big the piece is, maybe the type of paper, how you will package & ship it. Also google will read the first paragraph of your listing so add some description of the actual piece, the colours & the style etc. I’ve always been told to describe the item as if the person can’t see it - & you never know, I have had a blind customer before! She even contacted me to thank me for writing clear descriptions
Good luck with it all. Hope things pick up & he’s feeling more positive soon x
I think your husbands artwork is fab, I love the shrimp one and it looks so clean/precise! Selling original art pieces can be tricky, which is why I make/print my animal drawings onto my own handmade items. I would suggest either having his art put onto items, or maybe he could try drawing on more unusual materials like wood/material to have a unique selling point. I could even see him combining his style with print making (starter kits are pretty cheap), that way he could create duplicate designs of the black areas/outlines but still colour in the missing white areas with gel pens ~
Maybe look for local art groups. I follow a few on instagram. They organise local sales, both online and locally. They also give lots of support to each other. I’m in Yorkshire but I’m sure there will be similar groups all over the country.
It does seem to be the way of things that art with a purpose (such as boxes and jars) will be easier to sell than just straight art. If the sketchbook is his then that seems like a good way to get that extra use that makes it easier for people to spend money.
I would agree with working on your descriptions though, as the Pshrimp piece doesn’t even mention a size. If the item is art on paper then people will expect it’s for framing, and even if you don’t sell it with a frame, it can be helpful to say something like “this artwork will come unframed, but will fit straight in an A4 frame” or whatever size it is, so it’s as easy as possible for the customer and they know what kind of frame they’ll need in advance.
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