A licensed artist provides artwork for companies to use on the products they create. The artist is simply giving the company the right, through an agreed upon licensing contract, to feature their art on the products the company makes. The artist retains the copyright; they are merely giving permission to the company. The company then pays a royalty (percentage of sales) to the artist on a quarterly basis.

So the artist creates art…..and that’s it.

I recently had a very sweet customer ask me this after she purchased some of my licensed products. She was very disappointed that the items were made in China and was curious why I didn’t make them here in the USA.

This goes back to the above question….we licensed artists have no control over where a company manufacturers their products. Of course, we could only agree to work with companies that make their products in the USA, but we would literally go out of business. I would love nothing more than to have all my licensed products made here in the states, but at this time it is unrealistic.

My husband and I had a small framing business. We framed prints of my artwork and sold them wholesale to gift shops across the nation. Around 1995-96 our competitors moved their manufacturing of framed prints over to China making it impossible for us to compete and we ultimately had to close our business, Primitive Folk. I saw first hand how manufacturing in China changed the game. If you didn’t "go with the flow" you couldn’t compete with the low prices your competitors could offer customers, therefore, leaving you in the dust. So, we can’t blame companies for moving production overseas. They, too, are just trying to survive.

There is an upside….eventually, as the workers in China demand higher wages, manufacturing will begin to move back to the states and create some much needed jobs! I recently spoke to one of my licensees and they just moved the manufacturing of their paper napkins back to the USA because it was more cost effective.

Back to question #1. An artist signs a licensing agreement with a company usually for 2-3 years. If the product sells well enough, they will not only continue to manufacture it but add more products. On the other hand, if it doesn’t sell well, they will quit making it. Again, we artists are powerless when it comes to this situation. We are at the mercy of the retail stores and the consumers.

Guess who holds some of the power? You, the consumer! Yes, YOU! When you’re out shopping and you see something you like by one of you favorite artists, if there’s room in the budget, purchase it! When the store runs out the items, they will re-order…. and the more they sell, the more likely you will see more products featuring that artists work from that company.

I loved painting the Primitively Whimsical calendar and I also loved the Angel Blessings calendar Legacy Publishing produced, but they didn’t sell through so they were discontinued.

It can be one of two reasons…..either the retailers didn’t buy the product for their stores (meaning you never even got the chance to purchase it) or the retailers bought it and the consumer didn’t purchase it. Either way, it’s the same outcome. The product is discontinued.

If I had a dime for every time I was asked this question, I could retire! For the record, I would love to see my art featured on scrapbooking supplies, but I have never had the opportunity to work with a scrapbooking company.