It all started a couple of years ago when I walked the SURTEX show for the first time upon the advice of a licensed artist. It was a fabulous but overwhelming experience - there was so much beautiful art and so many diverse styles to look at!

Greetings from Cathy Heck Studio, a family-run design team based in Austin, Texas. In the past, we have shared some tips for booth design by Leonardo DaVinci, himself, and we have offered some suggestions for SURTEX After the Lights Go Out.  This year, for those of you assembling a booth as we speak, we have a little bit of pre-tradeshow encouragement.

We are new to SURTEX this year, and our journey is worth sharing. Like any journey, it started from ground zero, when we first wrote down “SURTEX” as a goal on our business plan a couple of years ago. We have stayed focused, diligent and creative to reach our goal, and here we are, just over a month away from our debut at SURTEX 2013.

If you are an artist who has been trying to figure out how to make this dream of yours happen, we are here to inspire you with our own experience.  Following are the three main obstacles we confronted during this process, and how we overcame them. More...

The art licensing business has changed rapidly. With easy access to imagery on the internet, shorter life cycles at retail, less emphasis on just a few blockbuster artists, and an explosion of artists competing to be licensed, licensors need to be prepared. The good news? The heart of the art licensing business model remains the same: the selection, curating, development and presentation of relevant, on-trend artwork for product manufacturers who are looking for designs beyond what they can produce in-house.  More...

Pink Light Studio has been researching the runways, home décor and the gift industry for the key trends for 2014! To be successful in licensing, make sure to not only KNOW the trends, but also SET the trends, and also find fun and interesting ways to translate key trends into your artwork. Pink Light Studio would like to share just a few of the key trends for 2014 with you! More...

 

As artists, we spend so much time and energy getting ready to go to SURTEX that sometimes we forget to think about what we will actually say to manufacturers who come to our booth.  The last thing you want to be is tongue-tied when a manufacturer approaches you and asks you questions!

One of the first things you need to be able to communicate well is what sets you apart from all the other talented artists in the room.  This is where an “elevator speech” comes in handy. More...

Color Correct
Color is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. It has the power to create a mood and drive a storyline. Consider how powerful it is in the marketplace. When strolling through a department store full of racks, you really can't see much of the construction details of the garments. It is the color that pulls you over to a particular rack to investigate further. Use our visceral reaction to color to your advantage to interest and engage buyers.  More...

By Alex Colombo, designer & licensed artist currently represented by Montage Licensing, and host of an art blog featuring other artists from around the world, The Moon from My Attic

I've been publishing interviews and articles about SURTEX since the end of May after returning from the show. It has been great learning and fun to get multiple views of the show. I was pleased to host an informative interview with Lance Klass, President of Porterfield's Fine Art Licensing, who has shared with us his views as an art licensing agent on the SURTEX 2012 show, as well as other licensing topics. Read more...

Greetings from Cathy and Ellen Heck, a mother-daughter design team based in Austin, Texas. Last year, we shared a few tips for booth set-up–in a nutshell: color, creativity, and comfortable shoes. So, this year, we decided to share our best bets for the hours after the SURTEX lights go out.

When we return to our studios after our trip to New York, not only are we filled to the brim with new ideas from SURTEX client visits and neighbor exchanges, but we have filled our extra suitcases with “research” loot from our favorite creativity-boosting stops in Manhattan. Here are a few or our favorites combined with some new places we plan to add to our after-SURTEX dessert-for-the-soul list. What are your favorite inspiration destinations? Please share them with all of us in the comment box.  Read more...

This May will be my 3rd year exhibiting at SURTEX® and although it does get easier to prepare each time I exhibit, there's always still a ton of prep work to be done before showtime! Creating new art, figuring out how my booth layout and visual displays will look, booking flights, lodging accommodations and of course getting the word out and letting folks know that I will be exhibiting. Right now, it seems as if my To Do List is rolling right off the table! And at the top of that list is... How do I stand out from the crowd? Make an impact? Get noticed? Read more...