Patinas are acids. You should wear gloves while doing this work.
Cleaning
After cleaning the solder beads, wash the panel off with warm water and a little dish washing liquid to remove oils and other residues. When washing use a very soft scrubbing brush to get in all the little crannies.
Dry the piece with a soft old towel. If the piece is framed in zinc, make sure that any trapped water is eliminated and the piece is entirely dry. Often letting it stand overnight will be sufficient. A panel with no moisture will help the polish of the solder lines to be more even.
Application
Pour a small amount of the patina into a small container so as not to contaminate the rest of your patina. Do not pour the remainder back into the bottle, as it will begin to neutralise the main supply.
Apply your patina with a small flux brush reserved for the purpose, or a piece of a rag. If you use a rag, renew it frequently. Do not be afraid of putting too much on. If you are not happy with the colour when dry, you can rub the solder over with a 400 gauge (also known as 000) wire wool to abrade the surface. Then give it a further coat. Rub with a soft cloth to a shine.
Preservation
To preserve the desired finish, a coat of beeswax helps, but you must remember that copper will oxidise over time no matter what you do. It is this that gives it a rich deep antique lustre.
Friday, 31 October 2008
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Applying Foil by Hand
There are a number of tools and machines to assist centering the foil on the edge of the glass pieces. Sometimes, though, you want to do foiling where use of the machines is not convenient. This describes a method of doing foiling by hand without centering tools.
Clean the edges of the glass of any powders, or dust from grinding and oils from handling to ensure the foil sticks tightly to the glass. You do not have to be particularly careful about marks on the surface of the glass.
Keep your hands dry and clean while foiling, as oil or moisture on your hands will prevent the foil from sticking to the glass.
Start foiling on a straight length of glass. If the glass is only curves, begin the foiling on an outside curve. If the end of the foil wrap doesn't meet perfectly with the beginning, you can trim off the uneven overlap with a sharp craft knife. Only light pressure is required to trim the foil. Be careful not to scratch the glass, which can happen if your blade is dull, or you apply too much pressure.
To centre the foil on the edge of the glass, hold the piece vertically and look on both sides of the glass while you apply foil to the bottom edge with the sticky side of the foil facing you. This enables you to judge the evenness of the application. It may take a bit of practice to look down both sides of the glass as it requires overcoming the habit of using the dominant eye. To practice, you can look down the side that matches your less dominant eye and judge the amount of foil that overlaps the edge. You can switch your concentration from side to side to determine the equalness of the foil overlap on each side.
Burnishing the foil onto the edges and then on the upper and lower surface with a fid will help the foil adhere firmly to the glass throughout the soldering.
Clean the edges of the glass of any powders, or dust from grinding and oils from handling to ensure the foil sticks tightly to the glass. You do not have to be particularly careful about marks on the surface of the glass.
Keep your hands dry and clean while foiling, as oil or moisture on your hands will prevent the foil from sticking to the glass.
Start foiling on a straight length of glass. If the glass is only curves, begin the foiling on an outside curve. If the end of the foil wrap doesn't meet perfectly with the beginning, you can trim off the uneven overlap with a sharp craft knife. Only light pressure is required to trim the foil. Be careful not to scratch the glass, which can happen if your blade is dull, or you apply too much pressure.
To centre the foil on the edge of the glass, hold the piece vertically and look on both sides of the glass while you apply foil to the bottom edge with the sticky side of the foil facing you. This enables you to judge the evenness of the application. It may take a bit of practice to look down both sides of the glass as it requires overcoming the habit of using the dominant eye. To practice, you can look down the side that matches your less dominant eye and judge the amount of foil that overlaps the edge. You can switch your concentration from side to side to determine the equalness of the foil overlap on each side.
Burnishing the foil onto the edges and then on the upper and lower surface with a fid will help the foil adhere firmly to the glass throughout the soldering.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Are you ready for a wholesale show?
This gives some guidance on deciding whether to take on wholesale work.
Body of work
Do you have a 'body of work'? If someone picks up one of your pieces, and knows that it is yours rather than anyone else’s, then you have an identifiable look/style/technique = body of work.
Repetition
Can you repeat the colour/style/technique accurately? It's fine that colour varies, but within a very small range. Repeatability is important when a buyer is looking at your sample and expects to receive an exact copy. Most buyers choose from samples. They do not expect one-offs.
Production processes
Your processes must be robust enough that you can produce the quantity that retailers order with the quality that they expect. Figuring ways to make quality pieces quickly is necessary to be profitable.
Profit
Is your product such that you can double your material costs and give yourself a healthy hourly wage? Remember the buyer will need to double or triple the wholesale price and still sell it to customers. If not, you need to determine what can be done to reduce your expenses and time. You also need to consider what you can do to increase the desirability of the work.
Cash flow
You need to create samples, pay the booth fees etc, make the work that is ordered, pack and ship, and get paid a month or two after the buyer receives the work. You need to have the reserves to meet the ebb (up to six months before the show) and flow (three months after the order or longer, depending on production time scales) of cash.
Marketing
You have to like the marketing of your products, as well as the creating, producing and selling.
Customer relations –
This relates to after-show communications and information, in addition to what you do on the show floor.
Promotion –
Getting into the right publications is important to create a visible profile.
Advertising –
This is another expense, so research carefully the publications and media that will be used by your potential buyers.
Catalogs –
Not only do you have to have a catalogue and a line of products you can produce that is distinctive and desirable to the buyers, you also have to guard that catalogue and only issue it to genuine buyers to avoid rip-off merchants.
Next steps
If you are still interested, find wholesale shows, get an artist’s pass and look at:
travel, accommodation and food cost of promotion – catalogues, advertising and other marketing cost of samples – materials and preparation
Body of work
Do you have a 'body of work'? If someone picks up one of your pieces, and knows that it is yours rather than anyone else’s, then you have an identifiable look/style/technique = body of work.
Repetition
Can you repeat the colour/style/technique accurately? It's fine that colour varies, but within a very small range. Repeatability is important when a buyer is looking at your sample and expects to receive an exact copy. Most buyers choose from samples. They do not expect one-offs.
Production processes
Your processes must be robust enough that you can produce the quantity that retailers order with the quality that they expect. Figuring ways to make quality pieces quickly is necessary to be profitable.
Profit
Is your product such that you can double your material costs and give yourself a healthy hourly wage? Remember the buyer will need to double or triple the wholesale price and still sell it to customers. If not, you need to determine what can be done to reduce your expenses and time. You also need to consider what you can do to increase the desirability of the work.
Cash flow
You need to create samples, pay the booth fees etc, make the work that is ordered, pack and ship, and get paid a month or two after the buyer receives the work. You need to have the reserves to meet the ebb (up to six months before the show) and flow (three months after the order or longer, depending on production time scales) of cash.
Marketing
You have to like the marketing of your products, as well as the creating, producing and selling.
Customer relations –
This relates to after-show communications and information, in addition to what you do on the show floor.
Promotion –
Getting into the right publications is important to create a visible profile.
Advertising –
This is another expense, so research carefully the publications and media that will be used by your potential buyers.
Catalogs –
Not only do you have to have a catalogue and a line of products you can produce that is distinctive and desirable to the buyers, you also have to guard that catalogue and only issue it to genuine buyers to avoid rip-off merchants.
Next steps
If you are still interested, find wholesale shows, get an artist’s pass and look at:
- Which booths get most interest
- Try to isolate the important elements
- booth appearance
- uniqueness of products
display of samples - quality of interaction with buyers
- marketing ploys
- literature/catalogues
Write all these down as you discover them, so you won’t forget anything.
Determine the costs:
If your answer to all the bold headings are “Yes, I can do that”, then you are ready to design your booth and apply to a selected wholesale show.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Selecting Craft Shows
Not all craft shows are equal. Some are stupendously good, while others are poor. You won't have any advance guarantees which it will be. Some shows that appear to be terrific turn out to be a waste of time. Other shows that seem ordinary are some of the best ever. Although you will always have a few of these surprises, there a few guidelines that will help you guess what a show will be like.
Seasonal
Christmas shows are best, and the closer they are to Christmas, the more you will sell. It's not that summer shows are bad - some are great. It's just that outdoors can be dangerous at any time of year – rain, wind or worse.
Admission
Shows that charge admission will usually have more sales than those that let people in free.
Rent
At higher rent shows you will usually sell more expensive work than at lower rent shows. It doesn't matter how much the space rent is, just how much you sell from that space.
Juried Shows
Because "juried" shows are selected, they usually have high-grade work. Customers come to these expecting to find high quality, expensive work. These shows also attract a higher ratio of customers to browsers.
Community and charity shows, on the other hand, usually get customers looking for very cheap goods.
Festivals
Shows that are attached to some kind of festival (like music, harvest, etc.) are usually poor - especially if the craft is only a secondary part of the show. But, then again, these are the shows that are most likely to surprise you.
The full article by Dennis Brady.
Seasonal
Christmas shows are best, and the closer they are to Christmas, the more you will sell. It's not that summer shows are bad - some are great. It's just that outdoors can be dangerous at any time of year – rain, wind or worse.
Admission
Shows that charge admission will usually have more sales than those that let people in free.
Rent
At higher rent shows you will usually sell more expensive work than at lower rent shows. It doesn't matter how much the space rent is, just how much you sell from that space.
Juried Shows
Because "juried" shows are selected, they usually have high-grade work. Customers come to these expecting to find high quality, expensive work. These shows also attract a higher ratio of customers to browsers.
Community and charity shows, on the other hand, usually get customers looking for very cheap goods.
Festivals
Shows that are attached to some kind of festival (like music, harvest, etc.) are usually poor - especially if the craft is only a secondary part of the show. But, then again, these are the shows that are most likely to surprise you.
The full article by Dennis Brady.
Monday, 27 October 2008
Promotional materials
There are a large number of items that you can have personalised - pens, pencils, key chains, mouse pads, mugs, etc. - with the intention of giving them away and providing a permanent reminder of your contact details. These have their place in trade shows but probably not at an art or retail show. However most of these items are of poor quality and do not last long, reflecting poorly on your business. Also remember that by doing give-aways you are reducing your profits. Even if you give the item with a purchase.
A business card, or an elegant postcard is a far more sophisticated solution. Money is better spent on a high-class business card. Make it one that they want to keep. If it has a picture of one of your products on it they will keep it before a plain one. You can have magnetic cards printed for you or you can buy the magnets and stick your paper card to it.
Postcards showing an item of your work with details on the back are also important promotional items. Creating a series can make an interesting collection for people who come back to you.
The advice of an ex-insurance agent who believes in promotional items is that you should not waste your money on pens. Create a unique card.
A business card, or an elegant postcard is a far more sophisticated solution. Money is better spent on a high-class business card. Make it one that they want to keep. If it has a picture of one of your products on it they will keep it before a plain one. You can have magnetic cards printed for you or you can buy the magnets and stick your paper card to it.
Postcards showing an item of your work with details on the back are also important promotional items. Creating a series can make an interesting collection for people who come back to you.
The advice of an ex-insurance agent who believes in promotional items is that you should not waste your money on pens. Create a unique card.
Friday, 17 October 2008
Packaging Glass
Wrapping the item
Panels –
Wrap each panel in several layers of bubble wrap or corrugated paper, then add a layer of foam board insulation at least 12mm on each side.
3-D -
Make sure you have padding (bubble wrap, corrugated paper, or foam sheets) between each item. Then make sure they are fastened tightly together in one bundle. Make multiple nested pieces into one big unit, then wrap that so it's well padded.
Boxing
Panels -
Ship stained glass panels in a wooden crate. Make a wooden box and line it with foam, on all sides. The ends of the box should be of substantial timber, making the box at least 100mm (4") thick. Use lightweight, thin wood, but stiff enough that it remains durable. Screw wood on the front and back of the edge of the framing timbers. Fill the space so the glass is in the middle of the box. The most important thing is to minimise flex. You also must minimise shock from a drop.
3-D -
Line the box in bubble wrap or corrugated paper. Put a layer of filler in the bottom.
Set the piece in the middle of the box, then fill all around with more filler. Press the filler firmly so the packaged items can't move and shift in the box. Allow at least 50mm of packing around the contents and ensure the contents cannot settle through the box filler perhaps by placing a cardboard pad on top of the fill before placing contents in the box.
Filler
Filler is material that will fill the space between the wrapped items and the sides of the box. This can be shredded paper, bagged peanuts or foam sheets. Bubble wrap with peanuts is sufficient, but don't use peanuts unassisted. They have a habit of vibrating off to one side of the package, leaving the cargo unprotected on the other side. Mix the peanuts with either wrapped newspaper or excelsior (shredded paper) or place them in numerous small bags so they can't shift.
Double boxing
Many people double box everything. This involves putting the boxed items inside another bigger box. Suspend the inside box within a larger box, bigger by at least 50mm on all six sides. You can use cardboard strips to make an 'X' to put in the bottom and top and small pieces of foam on the four sides to keep the inner box from shifting. Fill the spaces in between the two boxes with something that will absorb shock or impact, like shredded paper. For a very fragile piece the outside box might be made of 6mm plywood.
Caution
One caution on packing: Don't overdo it. If you force so much packing material (peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.) into the boxes, the whole thing (inner and outer box) becomes a solid mass and the force may still transfer to the piece and break it. When packers say "float," they mean it. You want enough packing material to hold the stuff in place well, not so much that it becomes part of the piece.
Panels –
Wrap each panel in several layers of bubble wrap or corrugated paper, then add a layer of foam board insulation at least 12mm on each side.
3-D -
Make sure you have padding (bubble wrap, corrugated paper, or foam sheets) between each item. Then make sure they are fastened tightly together in one bundle. Make multiple nested pieces into one big unit, then wrap that so it's well padded.
Boxing
Panels -
Ship stained glass panels in a wooden crate. Make a wooden box and line it with foam, on all sides. The ends of the box should be of substantial timber, making the box at least 100mm (4") thick. Use lightweight, thin wood, but stiff enough that it remains durable. Screw wood on the front and back of the edge of the framing timbers. Fill the space so the glass is in the middle of the box. The most important thing is to minimise flex. You also must minimise shock from a drop.
3-D -
Line the box in bubble wrap or corrugated paper. Put a layer of filler in the bottom.
Set the piece in the middle of the box, then fill all around with more filler. Press the filler firmly so the packaged items can't move and shift in the box. Allow at least 50mm of packing around the contents and ensure the contents cannot settle through the box filler perhaps by placing a cardboard pad on top of the fill before placing contents in the box.
Filler
Filler is material that will fill the space between the wrapped items and the sides of the box. This can be shredded paper, bagged peanuts or foam sheets. Bubble wrap with peanuts is sufficient, but don't use peanuts unassisted. They have a habit of vibrating off to one side of the package, leaving the cargo unprotected on the other side. Mix the peanuts with either wrapped newspaper or excelsior (shredded paper) or place them in numerous small bags so they can't shift.
Double boxing
Many people double box everything. This involves putting the boxed items inside another bigger box. Suspend the inside box within a larger box, bigger by at least 50mm on all six sides. You can use cardboard strips to make an 'X' to put in the bottom and top and small pieces of foam on the four sides to keep the inner box from shifting. Fill the spaces in between the two boxes with something that will absorb shock or impact, like shredded paper. For a very fragile piece the outside box might be made of 6mm plywood.
Caution
One caution on packing: Don't overdo it. If you force so much packing material (peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.) into the boxes, the whole thing (inner and outer box) becomes a solid mass and the force may still transfer to the piece and break it. When packers say "float," they mean it. You want enough packing material to hold the stuff in place well, not so much that it becomes part of the piece.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Images for Juries
Images of work
Uniform neutral backgrounds and accurate colour make the artwork jump off the screen and easy to evaluate. Images must be sharp with good contrast. Matching backgrounds for a uniform presentation are recommended. Some advocate black borders around the image (which includes the background); in any case there should be a dark border to fill the projected space. White backgrounds that don’t fill the frame are extremely white and make it difficult to define the work easily. Review any automated scanning to ensure the image is up to standard.
Distracting elements should be kept to a minimum. A few are variable background colours and textures; variable border colours, or none; low contrast; too much white in the images and background; and fuzzy images
Booth images
The booth seems to be artists’ weak spot. The booth images should be as set up for a show. They should be actual rather than digitally created. Some sense of scale needs to be included.
Learning
Because jury images are the artists’ most important asset, attending an open jury viewing is important. It allows you to see a variety of presentations and learn the best and make notes of what to avoid. So if the opportunity presents itself, attend an open jury viewing.
Based on information from Larry Berman
Uniform neutral backgrounds and accurate colour make the artwork jump off the screen and easy to evaluate. Images must be sharp with good contrast. Matching backgrounds for a uniform presentation are recommended. Some advocate black borders around the image (which includes the background); in any case there should be a dark border to fill the projected space. White backgrounds that don’t fill the frame are extremely white and make it difficult to define the work easily. Review any automated scanning to ensure the image is up to standard.
Distracting elements should be kept to a minimum. A few are variable background colours and textures; variable border colours, or none; low contrast; too much white in the images and background; and fuzzy images
Booth images
The booth seems to be artists’ weak spot. The booth images should be as set up for a show. They should be actual rather than digitally created. Some sense of scale needs to be included.
Learning
Because jury images are the artists’ most important asset, attending an open jury viewing is important. It allows you to see a variety of presentations and learn the best and make notes of what to avoid. So if the opportunity presents itself, attend an open jury viewing.
Based on information from Larry Berman
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
The Exhibition Agreement
In the world of visual arts, it may sometimes be thought that formal agreements are unnecessary because they might restrain the creative processes or indicate a lack of trust.
But conversations in which important things are decided are open to interpretation or misunderstanding unless they are formally recorded. Although in theory a verbal agreement may be legally enforceable, in practice it cannot be relied on because of problems of evidence. The advantages of having a signed written contract will usually easily outweigh the risks of not having one. A contract can be drawn up by either an artist or an exhibition organiser.
The following checklist takes the form of a number of headings that both artist and exhibition organiser need to consider and negotiate around whilst they plan the exhibition. In this way, the checklist can act as a comparison to any document provided by the gallery itself, and to identify the areas where specific negotiation needs to take place.
The checklist
1. Who are the parties to the exhibition agreement?
2. What is the purpose of this agreement - to hold an exhibition showing of particular works, so list them in an appendix.
3. What is the nature, scope and intention of the exhibition?
4. Where will the exhibition be shown?
5. When will the exhibition be open to the public?
6. When will the preview take place?
7. Will the exhibition tour?
8. Who will deliver the works to the venue and return them afterwards to the artist?
9. Who is installing and de-installing the exhibition?
10. Who is taking care of loss, damage and insurance?
11. How will works for exhibition be selected?
12. Publicity and promotion
13. What fees and expenses are due to be paid?
14. Will work be for sale?
15. Copyright and reproduction rights
16. Moral rights
17. Who owns the work?
18. Who is sponsoring the exhibition?
19. Governing law - what jurisdiction
20. Force Majeure
21. Can you change the agreement?
22. Whole agreement?
23. Appendices - The List of works and Tour schedule form an integral part of the agreement.
24. How can the agreement be terminated?
25. When should it be signed?
The full version of this checklist is at Artists' Newsletter
But conversations in which important things are decided are open to interpretation or misunderstanding unless they are formally recorded. Although in theory a verbal agreement may be legally enforceable, in practice it cannot be relied on because of problems of evidence. The advantages of having a signed written contract will usually easily outweigh the risks of not having one. A contract can be drawn up by either an artist or an exhibition organiser.
The following checklist takes the form of a number of headings that both artist and exhibition organiser need to consider and negotiate around whilst they plan the exhibition. In this way, the checklist can act as a comparison to any document provided by the gallery itself, and to identify the areas where specific negotiation needs to take place.
The checklist
1. Who are the parties to the exhibition agreement?
2. What is the purpose of this agreement - to hold an exhibition showing of particular works, so list them in an appendix.
3. What is the nature, scope and intention of the exhibition?
4. Where will the exhibition be shown?
5. When will the exhibition be open to the public?
6. When will the preview take place?
7. Will the exhibition tour?
8. Who will deliver the works to the venue and return them afterwards to the artist?
9. Who is installing and de-installing the exhibition?
10. Who is taking care of loss, damage and insurance?
11. How will works for exhibition be selected?
12. Publicity and promotion
13. What fees and expenses are due to be paid?
14. Will work be for sale?
15. Copyright and reproduction rights
16. Moral rights
17. Who owns the work?
18. Who is sponsoring the exhibition?
19. Governing law - what jurisdiction
20. Force Majeure
21. Can you change the agreement?
22. Whole agreement?
23. Appendices - The List of works and Tour schedule form an integral part of the agreement.
24. How can the agreement be terminated?
25. When should it be signed?
The full version of this checklist is at Artists' Newsletter
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Consultation and Design Fees
Consultation and design fees can be difficult to calculate and ask for, but you are trying to make a living. When you call your accountant or lawyer for advice the clock starts ticking as soon as they start listening. You should not be a whole lot different.
Establish at the beginning that the project includes a specified number of hours of planning/survey/meetings, of agency management, and of creative work. Other things may be added as the project requires. Also establish that exceeding those hours by 10% (or 5% if it’s really big) will incur additional charges.
Once into the project give weekly updates on how much time has been used and the progress achieved. That way, if the client starts adding things or changing their minds, they understand the consequences. If they think it’s worth paying for, great. If not, take it off the table. You can always be generous and waive the extra fees, but giving clients that kind of choice saves a lot of resentment (and time) on both sides.
Establish at the beginning that the project includes a specified number of hours of planning/survey/meetings, of agency management, and of creative work. Other things may be added as the project requires. Also establish that exceeding those hours by 10% (or 5% if it’s really big) will incur additional charges.
Once into the project give weekly updates on how much time has been used and the progress achieved. That way, if the client starts adding things or changing their minds, they understand the consequences. If they think it’s worth paying for, great. If not, take it off the table. You can always be generous and waive the extra fees, but giving clients that kind of choice saves a lot of resentment (and time) on both sides.
Monday, 13 October 2008
Consignment Agreements
Consignment (Sale or Return) agreements are to protect both Artist and Gallery, and ensure each understands the other’s expectations.
The agreement should relate to each item and include at least the following information:
- Artist’s name and address
- Gallery’s name and address
- Name and signature of the owner/manager of the gallery
- Title, medium, dimensions of the work(s), edition number
- Retail price
- Artist’s price
- The commission taken from the retail price
Additional information that is advisable to include:
- Each work is to be offered at the stated retail price. Any discounts shall be from the retail price, not the artist price.
- Each work sold should have a bill of sale copied to the Artist.
- The Gallery shall send to the Artist the stated retail price of each work less the stated commission, within a reasonable time after sale, and not less than 1 month after the sale. In the case of exhibitions the payment should be made not less than 1 month after the close of the exhibition.
- If a work is lost, damaged or destroyed during the period of the agreement, the Gallery must notify the Artist immediately and pay him/her the stated retail price, less the stated commission.
- Insurance of the work –a statement of when the Gallery’s insurance takes effect. The Gallery normally provides insurance upon receipt of the work(s) and signs a document to indicate safe receipt of the item.
- The Artist shall retain all rights in and title to the works until sale, at which point the title shall pass directly to the purchaser whose name and address the Gallery shall give to the Artist on written request.
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