I see this question being asked all the time. I was once in this position too and I know what it’s like to really want your art on products.

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I licensed my first designs 10 years ago for an electronic accessories company. I was so excited then to have MY designs out there in the world! It was a thrill then and continues to be a thrill 10 years later!

So how to you get your first client? Some artists have found success by sharing lots of work on Instagram/Pinterest and art directors contact them for collaborations.

This doesn’t always work for everyone though. What has worked for me and other artists is cold-contact by email.

1. FIND

Where do you find companies to license your work to?

• Make a list of companies you’d like to work with. Check out their websites – they often have artist submission guidelines on them.
• Go shopping and look at the back of products you like – you’ll usually see a company name and a website. Take a note of this. Take photos of the products so you have a record of their style and see if your style fits their aesthetic.
• Check out Art Agents websites and see who their clients are.
• Follow lots of design companies on Linkedin – the companies sometimes post job openings or callouts for submissions.
• Follow designers on Instagram and Linkedin – often designers will post new collaborations or have a list of clients on their websites.

You can niche down to a specific area in art licensing, e.g. fabrics or you can approach different companies in different genres.

2. CONTACT

After you find the companies, check their website for any ‘Artist Submission’ details. Follow the submission guidelines exactly.

If there are no submission guidelines, check the website for contact details.

I use Linkedin to find the names of the Art Director. This person can also be called the Creative Director or Production Manager. If it’s a very small company, the art director is often the owner – check their ‘About’ page for this information.

You can try and find the email of the Art Director by phoning the company and asking for it. Sometimes you can use the company’s info@company.com email and just ask them to forward your email to the Art Director.

Your email should be short and concise – introduce yourself and how you feel your art would be a good fit for their products. Attach some jpegs or a PDF of your work (ensure your contact details are on each page/jpeg). Take a deep breath and press ‘send’!

At first, it is often easier to get licensed by smaller companies than by the larger companies like Anthropologie or Target. Larger companies get tons of submissions and some only work with art submitted through agents. Try contacting smaller companies first.

3. RECORD

You need to keep a record of all the companies you contact because you’ll be sending them regular emails. Use a journal, a spreadsheet or a database to record this – this can be analog or digital – whatever works best for you. You should reach out to each company every 4-6 weeks. You may not get a reply on the first email, but you might get one on the fourth try!

In the meantime work on your craft and try your best to stand out from the crowd – this is a highly competitive market and you want to offer art directors quality work.

Best of luck with finding your first client!

P.S. If you want a jumpstart into finding companies that accept artist’s submissions, check out my guides ‘Jumpstart Your Art Licensing’ and ‘Jumpstart Your Art Licensing 2’ – both have lists of Companies that work with artists and Bonus guides of resources to help in your career.