Origins of SeenSend
In 2013, J.A.C founded SeenSend
J.A.C is the world's most downloaded 'En Plein-Air' Painter, and the only one in this years Lumen Prize nominations for Top 100 global artists. He leads a new movement of artists dedicated to painting outside with digital devices i.e. 21st Century En Plein-air Art.
See his 'Artists Statement' for more information about J.A.C.
See his 'Press Pack' for details on his profile and commercial practice
SeenSend's Focus
- Encourage those who experience the outdoors to share what they have seen with artists, and for they to receive a copy of the art they inspire free e.g. @jacswork
- Encourage the use of mobile digital devices to create art outside: via workshops delivered in person or remotely via #SeenSendShow . (N.B. If you are going up a hill to paint join a walking club. Click here for some excellent advice in terms of what to take with you)
- Promote those whose work celebrates the great outdoors, via live #SeenSendShow events and the #SeenSendGallery
Guide for Mobile Digital Artists
Sustainable mobile digital art market
Before talking about the market, it is worthwhile defining what we mean by mobile digital. By mobile digital art we mean art that can only be created at a location that will inspire the artist to create. For J.A.C, such places are open spaces and include mountains where use of conventional material is difficult ( i.e. on the side of a mountain at -5 degrees C). Also it is worth defining sustainability. By sustainability we mean the swift creation of small low resolution images that can be created on a tablet PC (e.g. 4"x 6" at 72 DPI) or smart phone (3.g. 2"x 3"at 72 DPI) i.e. art that can be created whilst in transit.
To help create a market mobile, digital artists need to create a web site where their artwork is visible and via which they can engage their chosen audience. SeenSend is one such site, but one can easily create ones own (using products like weebly). It advisable to drive traffic to it via social media and attendance as #SeenSendShows. Social media and digital art are made for each other: within minutes of completing a piece an artist can share it with a wide audience they want to inspire, and who, via their feedback, will inspire them. For example, one will find it useful to engage outdoor enthusiasts and destination promoters to identify locations from where art can be rendered. This said, it important to never go to a remote location to create art on ones own, and to always take a trusted friend and dress and equip oneself appropriately for the current and potential conditions.
Once an artist has created a piece it is important to promote via social media. Adding #walkingpaint to social media art posts will help those looking for mobile digital artists can find work via search engines.
Selling your art
It is advisable to sell only unique pieces, ether as files or unique prints. This will allow one to fund time outside creating art. When pricing work bear in mind two things. What it is worth to the buyers ones wants to engage, and the cost of developing a piece into something that may need to be printed.
As a guide. developing a 4"x 6" 70 DPI piece into a piece that one could print and sell at 10" x !5" and 300 DPI will take 10 hours. Bearing in mind additional costs such as printing, mounting, framing and selling and it is difficult to suggest that a digital artist should embark on creating print ready pieces items unless a person says they wish to buy a piece, or until an artist has established themselves as collectable. This said, as a guide, established artists can use the prices below as a guide for the selling of unique pieces:
12 x 17 cm / 4.7" x 6.7" (approx) = £120 inc VAT
30 x 40 cm / 12" x 16" (approx) =£495 inc VAT
40 x 70 cm / 16" x 28" (approx)=£995 inc VAT
150 x 200 cm / 59" x 78" (approx)= £24,995 inc VAT
Commissions
Remember, beyond ones skill and experience all one really has is time. If a patron wants to commission a piece of art, base its price on the time it takes to travel to and from a location - as well as the time spent at a location rendering art. It is a good idea to base an hourly rate on what a patron would pay for a professional adviser (i.e. £50+ per hour). Request and receive payment in advance of beginning a commission, and ensure commissions can be printed off well at 20”x30”.
Selling via third parties
It is highly advisable that one use promoter codes to enable those who want to patronise ones work to be recognised as being responsible for the sale of a piece. One can use these on online order forms (See Your Jacswork). It is important to recognise that selling costs will be around 25% of the price, so if a person sells an item, consider paying them 25% of the selling price. If a person needs to print out a work to sell it, pay them 50% commission on the sale (as they will have absorbed the print and selling costs).
Doing work gratis
If one renders art based upon somebody else’s experience at a location always differentiate it on social media by adding #seensend to the posting and attribute the work to the person or place who inspired it. It is important that one does not sell such works without the inspirer's express written permission. It is also a very good idea to send such art to the people or places that inspire it gratis, using email/social media. This creates an enormous amount of goodwill. If #seensend work becomes popular three wonderful things can happen:
- People and destination marketeers who are new to ones art will promote the artist to people they know
- One may be alerted to new places to render art 'en plein-air'
- People who are new to the great outdoors will go outside go for a walk and share their journey with an artist they like - in the hope and aspiration of winning a piece of their work gratis.
Guide for Galleries & Promoters
Do not attempt to lure mobile digital artists into providing printed work on a sale or return basis. Instead ask a SeenSend artist to produce three works that are only available via ones gallery, then use their social media skills promote these works to drive people to the gallery. Also signpost gallery visitors to a SeenSend artist's work on their web site, and ask them to use the promoter code provided to you by the artist to ensure ones gains a commission on a sale.
It is wise to invest in a 12" electronic photo frames to feature mobile digital works, and place them near the window of ones gallery - so one can sell such works even when the gallery is shut. This can be maintained via the artist posting web graphic images onto a remote server (i.e. dropbox).
Then sponsor the printing of unique pieces from work to test the commercial value of their printed work.
Encourage artists to sell only unique pieces, and encourage customers to verify the authenticity of pieces with the artist via their web site (See Your Jacswork) Finally, encourage established ‘en-plein-air’ artists to try out mobile digital art by having them attend demonstrations at SeenSend Shows.
Guide for Outdoor Pursuit & Destination Promoters
It is advisable to use a digital artist's willingness to be inspired by visitors to a location. This can be achieved by creating a visitor social media competition: where art is provided gratis to those who inspire a mobile digital artist. Simply ask visitors to add #seensend to their social media posts following a visit to a location one wishes to promote.
Consider holding SeenSend Art festivals in association with local galleries and accommodation providers with events space. Those galleries and accommodation providers with a very active marketing programme (traditional and social) are ideal. At such events, it is wise to encourage the accommodation providers to encourage local food and beverage producers to set up stall (food and art go well together). Orgnaisers will be able to charge an admission fee for entrance (to cover the cost of food and venue hire).
To test the market for such festivals consider holding pre-festival #SeenSendShows: where art and activities at a festival is pre-viewed with national and local media & VIPS.