building an etsy shop

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I'm thinking of setting up an Etsy shop - I did have one for prints ages ago but closed it down - now I'm thinking of putting small works on, with the odd larger one.

What do you think?

And what do you think of this for a banner and avatar?

I thought I'd do 3 pages :

  • Works on Paper - various sizes of sketches and more 'finished' pieces
  • Small Canvasses
  • Larger Canvasses
  • ACEO's (thanks to Chrissy's suggestion)

Feather. Vivien Blackburn, pencil sketch

I'd put small paintings on as well as sketches like the feather above - what do you think?

Feedback welcome :>)

Comments

laura said…
First, the feather is exquisite--looks like it floated down onto the page! An Etsy store sounds like a great idea--I for one go to Etsy anytime I have buy a gift, and just to browse for myself too! The banner is eye-catching; the colors in the avatar are beautiful, but I wonder if something more representational would catch buyers' eyes?? :-)
Jeanette Jobson said…
I think its a worthwhile idea. I've set one up and will monitor results after a few months. Nothing ventured...

The feather is wonderful, very fluffy and makes me want to stroke it.
my croft said…
hmmm, I think if I were going to do such a bold thing, I'd look into selling direct. There's man in Kentucky who does collages, and offers them for sale from a blog -- http://www.acollageaday.blogspot.com/

-- and uses PayPal as the payment system. I don't know what the parameters are for using PayPal, but if I had a sufficient amount of work to offer and brisk blog traffic (and a clearer head for business-y things), I'd look into that. I've bought some of his work and it all went extremely smoothly. It might be more bureaucracy than you care for, but it might not. My suspicion is that you'd keep more of the money, but I may be misguided on that.

Whatever you decide, I'm there.
Unknown said…
Hi Vivien, I would add ACEO's to that list, they are so popular at the minute - Great colours in the banner and avatar
vivien said…
Laura - thank you :>)

I thought about representational - but then it sort of fixes the subject matter maybe? and I wanted to keep the subject matter open .... I'll be interested to see what others feel on that

Jeanette - thank you - and I'll be interested in your monitoring and results - good luck :>)

my croft - I considered simply selling from the blog but Etsy would mean potential customers who are unaware of the blog - I also want to keep the blog a pressure-free zone as far as sales are concerned - I find I'm a bit turned off by those who merely list work for sale sometimes with no interesting stuff to read about the how/why/thoughts etc Thanks for the thoughts and ideas - it's all useful :>)

Chrissy that's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that as I've never done them - I'll add them and have a go!
Chris Bellinger said…
nice to see your creativity is back
The images for Etsy are your colour and will draw people in to have a look around.
Hope things are better or at leasdt under control
back here at blogger for a while as Wordpress through a wobbly!
site at wordprees still showes but i am locked out!
HI Vivien
Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Have you considered including cards too.
Colour always catches the eye first so colour should be the feature of the header etc.
Good luck with the venture.
dinahmow said…
Well,Vivien, you're certainly getting very interesting feed-back on this one!
My only suggestion would be to make the banner or avatar a different colour.Something like your red/pink poppies to complement the blues.
Aw, heck! It's your show;go with what YOU feel!
[And it's good to see you focussing on things other than hospital. :) ]
lmp said…
I think it would be fantastic. I am loving your book. :)
vivien said…
thanks Chris - I'll catch up with you back at Blogger

Shirley - cards may be a good thing to add - in sets of 6 or something? Yes, I agree - colour is important on the screen to catch the eye.

Dinah I did wonder about the banner - I'll see how it looks when I put work on and then judge how it works - if it looks too samey then I may well go with your suggestion :>)

Lisa - I'm so glad you are enjoying the book :>)

All this input is so helpful - thank you again everyone
vivien said…
thanks Chris - I'll catch up with you back at Blogger

Shirley - cards may be a good thing to add - in sets of 6 or something? Yes, I agree - colour is important on the screen to catch the eye.

Dinah I did wonder about the banner - I'll see how it looks when I put work on and then judge how it works - if it looks too samey then I may well go with your suggestion :>)

Lisa - I'm so glad you are enjoying the book :>)

All this input is so helpful - thank you again everyone
Lindsay said…
Vivien, so glad your site is moving forward. What a great idea! I'll be watching your site for more information on how this works out. The feather and derwent drawings are, of course lovely.

I sent you an email when I got back from vacation but did not hear back. Glad to hear you are making art and have ideas for selling. Thinking of you.
vivien said…
Hi Lindsay - I'm so sorry I didn't answer, I thought I had :>(

things aren't good at all sadly

I'm waiting to get 2 books from Glen - she's now got your book and is I''m really looking forward to seeing it :>) It's one of the things keeping me sane at the moment.

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