Free Art

Free Art Jar – You Pay Shipping

Monday, February 8th, 2010 by Alyice

Today, as I did a little blog hopping I discovered a blog (now defunct) by Stephen Davis in which he offered an occasional free painting to one his readers on a first come, first serve basis. The paintings ranged from ATCS to 8×10s to small canvases. All the reader had to do was pay a modest shipping and handling fee and the painting was his.

He wrote that he believed offering an occasional “free” painting would be a great way to build awareness—and possibly create a following. He also wrote that by moving the paintings out of his art studio, he freed up room for more paintings—which ultimately encouraged him to paint more.

Today, Stephen has a new blog, Davies Galleries Landscape Art, in which he sells his paintings for a modest fee.

I am not sure how well this little ploy worked as a marketing tool, but it did get me thinking about how much I’ve wanted to hold drawings for my art jars but haven’t done so due to a number of reasons:

I don’t want to attract “freebie” hunters; I want to attract potential buyers.
I don’t want my listings to be spammed all over “freebie” announcement boards and groups; I want legitimate link love.
I don’t want my hard work to go out into the world without so much as a mention; positive word-of-mouth sells art so I need someone willing to talk up my art—whether it be a blurb and a link on Twitter, a photo and a post on a personal blog, a mention on Facebook, or even word-of-mouth to a friend or colleague in search of unique, handmade gift ideas.
And finally, I cannot afford to shell out the cost (and time) of producing the art and still pay for packaging and shipping costs. Especially when a flat rate, Priority Mail box plus delivery confirmation costs $11.05—and shipping Internationally is usually double that.

With that in mind, I am going to test the waters, so-to-speak, and host a few “free art” drawings over the course of the next year.

However, there is going to be a catch:

The winner of the drawing must pay the cost of shipping and handling and any custom fees.
The winner must abide by the contest rules.
The winner must email me and tell me what he/she thought of the art once it arrives. Positive feedback will encourage me to keep creating and, with permission, make a great testimony for my sales page. Negative feedback will help improve my craft—though it may sting a little so I will ask that negative feedback be given gently.
The entrant of the drawing must play a little game with me—could be something as simple as tweeting about the drawing or leaving a comment in the post. Or it could require a little more legwork, like browsing the blog or the eMagazine to find an answer to a question. Or it could involve creating an art project, from the how-to section of the blog, and posting the finished project on Flickr, or a personal blog, with a link back to the drawing post.

I hope you’ll spread the word about this “free art” project.

Because to be quite honest, I really do love sharing my art with the world and I know that there are times when money is tight and we have to choose between a luxury item and a household item, a want versus a need, and a collectible versus more business supplies.

So consider this as my way of giving back to the art community…

Keep Creating

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a mixed media artist and freelance writer. Need web content? Want to commission or license art? Let's Talk.

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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproducted without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.