Hello all.

I am very excited to find this website, and I look forward to getting some insight from other craft vendors and festival operators. I have been selling as a vendor for the past three years, and while I greatly enjoy the work, I feel like I am ready to expand. I would like to bring in more revenue.

I need information on art licensing. However, this is completely out of my area of expertise. It is my understanding that, to get my art licensed to sell at craft shows, I will need to get in contact with an art-licensing agent. I have also been told that the process can be quite tedious. I would love to hear from someone who has been through the licensing process. I do not even know where to get started or how to find a licensing agent. Can someone give me advice on how to get my foot in the door?

In addition, I have quite a few questions. First, I heard that I would need to send some of my artwork to the agent. Do I need to be worried about my work being stolen? I do not know if I feel comfortable with the situation. I also would like to know: is the cost and time invested in getting art licensing worth it?

I appreciate the chance to post to this forum and get help with my questions. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

Hello!  I would be glad to offer you a little bit of assistance with your questions.  First off, while you may need a business license if you expect to make a significant sum of money at shows, or to buy a booth or vendor permit for some fairs, you do not need a specific license to sell your art at trade or craft shows.  Typically, you will be able to sell your own art, though you do have the option to license it to a third party, who will receive a portion of all sales if you choose to do this.

Licensing your art is certainly a great new revenue source and one worth considering.  Many companies license art for use on everything from greeting cards to posters and more.  I would imagine that you are quite good if you are considering licensing, and I applaud you, as I understand how difficult it can be at times. 

While I work mostly selling my own items at arts and crafts shows, I do have a bit of knowledge about art licensing and will be glad to help you get started.  The worry of having your work stolen is something I think we all share, as our art is so personal to us, but by choosing the licensing company well, you will be able to prevent this.  Understand, however, that once they are given license to use your work, they will be able to use it however they see fit.

Honestly, whether or not it is worthwhile is up to you.  Many people long to see their work on cards, coffee mugs, and posters, while many others prefer to keep each piece original and offered only to one person.  While I prefer to work only through fair events and art dealers, I have made many friends along the years who have licensed their work and been very happy.  Let me know if I can help you any further, and I will gladly do so.

Hi ladies,  This is an incredibly interesting subject.  I think it sounds like a great way to get known as an artist as well.  I was searching the site here and found an interesting article at http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/articles/view/what-is-art-licensing/508.

I think the one thing I would be really concerned about is the copyright issue.  I wouldn’t want the art that I slaved over for hours to be stolen out from beneath me, so I would definitely carefully read over the agreement thoroughly.  Heck, I’d probably have a lawyer look at it too - just to be on the safe side. 

I really like the fact though that by expanding your business with this you have the potential to earn royalties even while your art is not selling.  This will definitely provide you with a new revenue source as well as funding to keep your art business thriving.

Thank you both for the information! In the past, I have only taken part in the smaller fairs and festivals of rural Georgia. I am very excited at the idea of expanding; however, I do not want to delve into something that I do not fully understand. I like the idea of licensing my art for arts and crafts shows, but I just did not know where to begin.

Craftylady1962 - thank you for giving me some insight into the process of licensing. The information you have provided is invaluable! You definitely have some excellent knowledge on how the behind the scenes part of crafts shows works. Thank you for your help.

Wordsyouwant - that link was so helpful! It really broke down the information about art licensing. I am definitely going to have to think long and hard before making any further decisions. I am also going to consider consulting a lawyer if I decide to go ahead with the licensing. That is an excellent piece of advice.

Hello everyone!

The previous posts are very informative, but I do have one thing to add to all of this, and that has to do with things like “clip art” files. A friend of mine takes vintage cards, bridge tallys, and other art deco type items and scans them to her computer. She cleans them up and burns them to discs as collections of clip art which she then sells at local craft fairs. Most of her customers use this art to make cards and objects of their own. My friend thought that she could license the art on the discs as her own because she did make some changes to size and also improve the color and condition, but was told by her attorney that such things are not possible.

My point in bringing this up is that many craft fairs are full of objects and items using copyright-free images, but the craft vendors selling these handmade goods will be fairly limited in the amount of protection they can acquire for their use of the graphics. What my friend did discover is that her original collages that incorporated the images were able to obtain a copyright and be licensed, but the discs were something she could not acquire any sort of exclusive rights to.

I would agree with wordsyouwant and have an attorney review copyright agreements of all kinds to ensure that the work is going to be completely protected.

Hey all,

Copyrights can be an extremely confusing row to hoe, that’s for sure. A friend of mine sells her art online, through Ebay actually, but she mails the original pieces to the winning bidder. She also allows friends and strangers to download the images of her original characters from sites like DeviantArt and Gaia, spreading her creations and talent through word of mouth and such.

Copyright hasn’t come up for me yet in the arts and crafts shows and fair events realm, thank goodness. But I’m glad that I’ve stumbled upon this post, because we all have something that we don’t want anyone to steal from us, I think. Art is so universal, and it’s so easy to run into overlapping themes, styles, niches, and likenesses. If you want that character to be universally recognized as your own, it’s probably best to keep it under wraps until you have that image legally documented as your creation.

Good luck all!

The question on licensing has been answered very well!  You know speaking of licensing makes me think about Thomas Kincade.  Say what you will about his art—he is possibly the richest and most successful modern day artist, and it’s all due to his licensing know-how! 

Anyway, if you’re still wondering about business licensing for crafts shows I did find some information for you.  Basically, you have to check with the local city to find out if they require a business license for that area.  (Or maybe the county if the city falls outside jurisdiction)  Call your city offices and ask them what department handles special event permits and or business licenses.  If you are traveling all over the place and doing good business, then yes, it’s best to check with each city as to the rules on licensing or a Sales Tax License.  You might also need a fire department permit (if you have anything flammable) or a Health Department Permit if you are selling any food. 

Licensing is really not that difficult, especially if you have good organizational skills.  I think it’s just a question of money.  If you’re making money, the government wants some of it!  I heard they could use some about now. ;)

You might already know this stuff, but since someone touched on business licenses for traveling craft artists, I thought I’d share what I found.  My cousin usually stays within the county, so she doesn’t have to worry about recurring fees.  Hope this helps!