Selling your art online

Opening an online shop is a great way to make an income from your art or craft. I have been running my own shop on Etsy for a few years now, and it has helped me to develop my style, learn new skills and earn an extra income on top of my freelance work. Etsy has been a great platform to showcase my illustrations and it has opened up lots of opportunities for me, such as art commissions and having my designs stocked in galleries and gift shops around the world. I feel that at the moment I can't manage more than one online shop, but there's no reason why you couldn't have shops across a range of different platforms. 

If you're thinking about starting to sell your work on the internet, I have picked out some digital marketplaces for you to consider here:

Etsy
A marketplace for handmade and vintage products. I would highly recommend Etsy as I have found it really easy to use over the years and my customers on there are always super friendly and supportive. The brand has a lovely community feel and they offer different tools to help creative entrepreneurs manage and grow their businesses.

Look Lane
I only just recently discovered Look Lane, it's a new platform to buy and sell handmade items by indie designer makers. I love the interactive map and how you can browse through virtual high streets and stumble upon lots of pretty things that you wouldn't normally find. I am definitely tempted to open a shop here!

Folksy
Is an online destination to buy and sell work created by indie designers based in the UK. They also have loads of useful advice on their website to help creative sellers, like photography tips, blogging tips, SEO and social media. You can also join in with #folksyhour on Twitter for even more tips and to chat to other like minded creatives.

Not on the High Street
Home to more than 5000 creative businesses, from jewellery makers and engravers to visual artists and chocolatiers. They only pick the best creatives who have truly unique and thoughtful products so if you want to sell your work on this platform you will need to apply.

Cactus plant brooches

I am drawing and painting lots of plants recently, it must be because it's spring. Here are my new cactus brooches and each one has been painted individually on wood with an antique style pin glued on the back. I love these brooches because they are so cute to wear on springtime adventures- perfect to pin to your cardigan or backpack. If you want one, you can find them here in my Etsy shop.

Highlights of 2016

2016 has been quite a year, I started a new digital marketing job, had some amazing trips around the UK to The New Forest, Norfolk, Rye, Oxford and stayed in a yurt in Sussex. I also learnt how to crochet, got an allotment and dyed my hair pink.

Work wise, I began stocking some of my card designs in Paperchase and Scribbler via Whale and Bird. I worked on an exciting project for Lucky Dip Club, reached 200 sales and over 100 five star reviews in my etsy shop. Being interviewed by Just A Card was a great opportunity to share my work and I enjoyed illustrating a logo and lots of cakes for Rosina Makes. I made up a hashtag #girlswhomake to inspire and encourage other creative girls by posting questions on my Instagram and Twitter, it was fun getting to know everyone and I want to do more regular posts in the new year.

My new years resolution in the last year was to draw and paint more, which I did. In 2017 my goals are to improve my photography, learn how to sew and do screen printing. I also want to make more time for my creative work, get out of my comfort zone and collaborate with others.

Hello November

Happy November! Here are my favourite pictures that I have made so far this autumn:

- My new Christmas card design
- Squashes and imaginary pumpkin friends at the allotment
- Hey pumpkin #inktober drawing
- I painted fox brooches
- Pink hair don't care
- Strange but cute stickers I made
- Pattern and lettering for autumn sketchbook ideas blog
- Art for Girl Planet zine by Lucky Dip Club
- Autumn giveaway won by Tea and Crafting

Hand painted fox brooch

Embrace the changing season with a new handmade fox brooch! You will have the chance to get one this Saturday from my etsy shop. This super cute piece of jewellery is great if you're looking for something a bit different to wear in the autumn. It's perfect to pin to your woolly cardigan or coat and wear on woodland walks or trips out to sip on mugs of hot chocolate.

I have painted these brooches individually so each one is a unique piece of art. They have been varnished and finished off with an easy fastening pin on the back. Only five have been made so far - don't miss out on Saturday! 

4 ways to get more Etsy sales

Recently I reached my goal of getting 200 sales in my Etsy shop {yaaaay}. I still have a long way to go when it comes to increasing sales but here are some of the things I learned along the way to this milestone.

Add new listings regularly
This will increase traffic to your shop and keep buyers interested. You could set yourself a goal to add one listing per week or ten per month. These don't have to be brand new products made from scratch. They might be variations of items you have already made or re-listing products that have expired.

Take better photos
You don't need a fancy camera to take great product shots. Take your photos in bright natural light, such as near a window. Experiment with styling your photos, look at using different backgrounds, textures and props. If you don't know how to use Photoshop to edit your shots, try using A Color Story. I personally use this app when I'm on the go. It's very easy to use on my phone and iPad - perfect for cropping, lightening and enhancing images.

Celebrate your achievements
Did you make your first ten sales or get a five star review?
It's important to celebrate your successes, big and small. Take a step back and reflect on what you have achieved so far. Share the good news with your family, friends and social media pals. This will inspire others and make more people aware of your shop.

Write great product descriptions
Explain why your product is special and why your customers need it. Include key information like, the item size, materials used and where it was made. You can also add links in your product descriptions to other items or your shop sections.

Do you have any other tips? If so, share them in the comments.

*NEW* plant pal notebooks

I'm EXCITED to announce that I've made my first ever notebooks and they've arrived in my Etsy shop!!! They are perfect for you to fill with all your happy notes! Including lists, love letters, dreams, poems and stories.

Thank you for your support!

I just want to say thank you for helping me reach 200 sales in my etsy shop! I'm so grateful for your support which allows me to keep painting and making all the weird cute things.

Merry Christmas & thank you

Merry Christmas!
I'm proud of how far I've come during this year & I'm working hard to make my work better all the time! If you've read this blog / liked / commented / shared my photos on social media or bought something from my shop thank you so much for supporting my little independent business in 2015.

I'm taking a break from my etsy shop over Christmas. I'll be closing for the festive season on Thursday 17th December & I will post my last orders out ** First Class** on Friday 18th December so they should get to you in time for the big day (UK orders only). 

My shop will open again in the New Year!

I think you are really nice

I think all of my customers are really nice so I thought I'd tell them by popping these new business cards in with their etsy shop orders. The cute puppy wearing a jumper is one of my daily paintings from my small travel sketchbook & I painted the hand lettering separately. What do you think?

Grumpy rainbow pot

Look at this amazing rainbow pot Emma Carlisle made for me!
Isn't it the cutest thing ever?

I think Emma's new ceramic artworks are adorable so I was super excited when she asked me if I'd like her to make a pot based on one of my illustrations - obviously I said yes! Many of you will recognise this grumpy rainbow pot from my Cactus Club print. If you love collecting cactus plants this print is perfect to arrange with your cactus hoard....  And Emma's charming ceramics are awesome to use as planters.

I only started my cactus collection in April so I've been searching a lot recently for unusual pots around charity shops, car boot sales & Etsy. Where do you buy your cactus planters from? If you could recommend any indie shops or designer makers in the comments that would be great - I'd love to see your suggestions!

Catch up!

Ok so, here's a little update of what's been happening in my world lately.....

Christmas tags

Christmas gift tags now available to buy from my Etsy Store!