Starting an Etsy Shop | Extra Research

After completing another narrative project and a previous one where I used decorative qualities and pattern it is more clear to me now that I am not as interested in pieces involving narrative. Pieces that can be editionable such as postcards, clothing prints, and applying designs to be merchandised. I have therefore furthered my research when it comes to starting up an Etsy shop. Having this extra knowledge on the subject will make it a more informed choice if this is something I decide to do. 

Theres a lot of questions I would need to ask myself before beginning the shop so that I have all my facts and everything is organised. A few of those being;

- Are there competitors out there and what can you offer that they can't?

- Do you know what it costs to make your product, how mush time it'll take, what yo need to charge to make a profit?

- Who is your target audience and how will they find you? Social media, referrals, word of mouth, business cards?

- Are you able to put in the time to maintain the shop and keep it updated?

Appearance of the shop online should be well presented. A visually exciting and engaging banner with an informative shop description. When I have a specific product idea this will be something that'll come easier. 

Much like other research and talks I have had, networking is only ever a good thing when it comes to promoting and putting the word out that you are producing work. Having a blog up and running and interacting with others that may have similar interests is going to work in my favour as I can make new contacts and respond and refer people in the direction of my shop whilst still making friends along the way. Answering queries or general questions about what it is that I do will put across a professional image to potential customers/ clients. 

Patience is very important especially when only just starting out. Regular self evaluation will help the success along. Sales will more than likely not be instant so sometimes going back to the drawing boards to reinvent certain aspects of the shop and keeping things fresh and inspiring to customers should be something that is part of a regular routine when it comes to my shop. 

When it comes to the money side of a shop, I will have to become more informed on this side to it. However, I know that good bookkeeping and an organised system will come in handy. I am in contact with an accountant so I will be asking them for advice when it comes to this aspect of the business. 

Helen Ward

Having a talk from Helen Ward proved to be useful and inspiring to me when it comes to her techniques an knowledge on the field. I had seen her work before and found the way she uses paints very interesting. I was able to gain further insight in to her processes and her professional side. 

She is particularly practised when it comes to imaginary animals. She has learnt from reference and built up skills to perfect the structures and how they move. She does however prefer to to make up her animals as they cannot possibly be wrong. 

When Helen is creating final pages for a book, she is sure to produce in non chronological order. Your style will always change slightly throughout the pages of a book so she does them this way so there is not a dramatic style change at the start and end of a book. If I make more books in the future this will be something I use so there is a better consistency throughout. 

She says that it is better if you can write your own books and stories as a writer will more than likely have an idea in their heads of how they wish the outcome to be and it could mean you veer away from your way of thinking and working. However it is still a goof idea to be connected and network with writers so that future opportunities are not hindered.   

Ward suggested that it is better to sell your ideas and work to a publishers if they already are familiar with the subject. For example, an adapted, well known fairytale. I can see why this would be true as a target audience would be already established and it is already a popular piece of literature so can therefore be easily sold. I definitely agree with this however, new ideas are still something I'd want to venture into. 

Onto Helens techniques and processes she has some very visually exciting work. I liked the idea of working on brown paper with black and white ink. I think the whites bring something different and capturing to these pieces so I would therefore like to experiment with this too. When creating her book pages she quite often draws a box so as to make sure her proportions are correct and it acts as a guideline space for her work. In terms of creating book pages I think this is always a great plan but in the general illustration sense I'd find it constricting. 

Helen had lots of interesting and inspiring thoughts and ideas which I will take on board and apply to my own practice. 

http://helenward-illustrator.co.uk