All the things I thought about when deciding to sell my illustrations as prints and gifts
Isn’t there enough stuff in the world?
When I first started thinking about a career in illustration, I had imagined that it would be an extension of my Graphic Design work – ie that I would find people to pitch to who needed artists to create specific illustrations that they would then use in their business. In short, that I wouldn’t be creating anything tangible myself. This appealed to me on a number of levels, because it meant that – assuming I was able to choose my clients wisely – I would be crafting a new career that also allowed me to stay true to the basic principles of environmentalism (reduce, reuse, recycle), rather than creating more ‘stuff’.
Having tried my hand at home sewing over the years (simple pieces of clothing for my daughter when she was little, household items, etc) I had also had an idea in the back of my head for some years that I could design fabric. By licensing my surface patterns through Print on Demand companies like Spoonflower and Contrado, I was ensuring that there was minimal-to-zero wastage (the clue is in the title – items are only printed when a customer has bought something, meaning there’s no pre-printed stock hanging around), whilst making some extra income.
So, as you can see, I had never really expected to be in the market for selling ‘stuff’. But as I’ve become more confident in my illustration and shared it more via Pinterest and Instagram, I’ve started to hear more comments about ‘that would be lovely as a print’, or ‘I can just imagine those drawings as a set of cards’.
Buy less, buy better, buy handmade
With this quote from the recent campaign from Folksy (the UK’s biggest marketplace for makers) in mind, I decided to do some more investigation into manufacturing my own range. My red lines for creating and selling physical ‘stuff’ would be:
I wanted to work with a supplier who took sustainability seriously (including in how they packaged their products for delivery)
Ideally, I wanted this supplier to be based in the UK and for the materials they used to be sourced here, too
I only wanted to print very small quantities of products, to attempt to eliminate wastage
But I still wanted this to be achievable at a price that meant that people could afford to buy my work, if they were so minded
UK-made, ethical and sustainable
Fortunately, I found all of this in Wraptious: a small - but growing - company set up by Simon and John-Paul in the North West in 2013, to provide independent artists and makers with a platform to create beautiful products, in small print-runs, using sustainable resources, eco-conscious packaging and working to end morden slavery. They even plant a tree each time someone makes a purchase.
“At Wraptious, we believe in making a positive impact in all that we do. All businesses have a responsibility to challenge the status quo, and we are committed to continuously looking at how we can give back to our artists, the planet and its communities.”
All of the company's paper and timber products are made from sustainably sourced or recycled materials and where possible they even re-use boxes and packaging from their suppliers to send products to customers. Most impressively, they don't use plastic bubble wrap and their greetings cards can be bought 'naked' or in a biodegradable cello wrap.
Beautiful things, made with care, thoughtfully curated
I ordered some samples of ceramic mugs and tea towels to check that I was happy with everything – and they’ve arrived!
I’m so pleased with how my artwork looks on both products – the printing is really crisp. The tea towels are a very generous size (44cmx72cm) and made from 100% organic cotton, whilst the ceramic mugs (made in Stoke-on-Trent) aren’t too heavy and have a lovely shine.
I’ve now placed a first order for a terribly small quantity of mugs, tea towels, cards and coasters to feature my Colours of Berwick and Coastal Birds of North Northumberland collections.
Although I really liked the Wraptious Art Prints, I’ve decided to go with another specialist supplier for these so that I had more choice about paper stock and environmentally-friendly inks.
Both ranges will be available to purchase direct from my website, as well as my Folksy shop, by the end of April – but sign-up to my mailing list to be the first to hear!