What to bring to an art show: a vendor’s supply guide

ARTIST VENDING

Getting into an event as a craft vendor is an important achievement. You learn so much about yourself and how people will receive your artwork. But if you’ve never sold as a vendor before, what materials do you bring to set up? Here’s everything you need to know when preparing for an art show.

 

YOUR ART

The most important part, right? You have to decide which pieces or products to bring. If you’ve got a limited supply of artwork, this could mean you bring everything. If you’ve been an artist for five years and have canvasses piled up to your eyeballs, you’ll have to leave some behind in the studio.

Consider how much space you’ll have at the event. Is it a 6ft x 6ft space with access to a wall for hanging things? Is it a tiny table in the middle of the room? Think about how much you’ll realistically be able to fit. If you’re not comfortable estimating this, bring more than you think you’ll need. It’s better to leave supplies in the car than have an empty and sad looking booth.

Also consider what type of crowd there will be at the event. I know I have art that is darker or more vulgar than others, which may be unwelcome at a craft fair chock-filled with children, but embraced at an after-hours bar show. Think about the audience when deciding which pieces to exclude. This will get easier as you gain experience and learn what it is people will pay for, what type of person is truly interested in your style, and what things people dislike about your work. Also think about which pieces (if any) you submitted in an application to get accepted into the show and remember to bring those. Obviously the host of the show thought they fit well.

It’s a good idea to bring artwork in various sizes, prices, and on products like mugs or stickers if you have them to make your booth more accessible and interesting for those who may stop to look at it.

HANGING MATERIALS

You’ll need supplies for hanging, setting, or otherwise displaying your beautiful illustrations so that they get the most attention possible in an appealing way. Here are some supplies you might need and tips for each.

Frames: Frames make your art look a million times more professional. They also cost more, making your work cost more, and they usually require a type of hook or wire to hang them. It also sometimes requires that you put a nail or command hook into whatever wall you’ll be showing at, so don’t forget that knowing your space is important.

Frames also bring a sense of convenience to your customer because they can hang it up immediately when they get home without making an extra stop to the store.

Good quality frames can be expensive, but you can find them at the dollar store as well. I personally only buy frames if my work is to be hung in a gallery, in which case I head to the local Family Dollar to get matching black plastic frames. If you don’t mind mis-matching, you can find wooden ones at local thrift stores. If your piece is an odd shape or a non-standard size, you’ll likely have to get a custom-made frame, which means more effort and a heftier price tag.

Clips and grid boards: Bring clips to hang your work if you’ll be using a metal wire grid board (or chain link fencing, which works almost as well). These grid boards look professional, allow people to see through to the other side and are available in varying sizes at most art stores. Clips can come in the form of metal office clips, clothes pins, or anything that will pinch a thin piece of artwork on to the metal frame. This hanging method works best for selling prints, photographs or thin canvases. 

Hooks and peg boards: Hooks are used mainly when you’re expecting the vendor space to provide a peg board to hang your artwork on. The most popular ones I’ve seen are S-hooks — they literally are just shaped like an S and hang on to the hole in the peg board with one curve and the painting with the other. Using these hooks is easiest when your painting is wire-framed. Peg boards are generally easy to work with — I once used spare screws to hang up my work when I ran out of S-hooks. They hung on like a charm! (#innovation)

Command hooks are also awesome, especially if there is no peg board or no device on the wall for hanging. Command hooks stick to the wall with a tape-like backing and allow you to put your wire-framed picture up on practically any surface. They are strong enough to hold heavy paintings, but they are also strong enough to rip paint off of the wall, so beware.

Wire: When event-planners require that your work is “framed and ready to hang,” what they usually mean is that you’ve attached a thin hanging wire to the back of the picture frame. Hanging it on a nail in the wall or a hook is easier with wire — those little grooves that come with the frame backing don’t always cut it. Unsure how to attach the wire? Check out this wire-framing tutorial.

Tape: Tape is my all-time favorite hanging tool. I practically never frame my illustrations and tape costs very little, so I can keep my prices as low as possible. Using thicker cardstock paper means tape sticks securely to the back of each print. It’s easy and light to carry in your purse or bag and has uses outside the studio, too.

Regularly using tape also means you can print non-standard sizes or shapes without dealing with custom framing (although you may be passing that burden onto your customer if they prefer to frame).

The downside is that upon removing the tape from the back of prints, a thin layer of the paper may rip off with it. Damage can be avoided if you put your illustration prints in a clear plastic sleeve or laminating before hanging it. Regular tape doesn’t always stick to walls, so if your pieces keep falling I suggest grabbing a damp rag or towel and wiping the display wall down to remove dirt and grime, then trying again. Tape doesn’t stick well to canvas or acrylic-painted objects (unless your use something heavy-duty, which I don’t recommend).

There are stronger types of tape that are specifically made to avoid damaging walls or objects and you might want to invest in these to avoid problems.

Nails: Nails or thumbtacks work best for canvases. The lip on the back of a gallery-style canvas is made for this purpose — no frame needed. Just be careful — not all event spaces allow you to nail holes in their walls. If you plan to take this route, shoot a quick email to the organizer or host and ask if it’s okay. They will be glad you did.

TABLES AND OTHER PROPS

Not all work can be hung and not all vendor spaces provide walls for you to hang on. Be prepared to use other props if this is the case for you.

Tables: Some places charge an extra fee for table rental; some provide them for free first-come first-serve. Some places don’t provide them at all and you’ve got to bring your own. I grew tired of this gamble very quickly and bought my own folding white 6 foot table that fits in my car and is light enough for my to carry. It cost about $30. TOTALLY worth it every time. I highly recommend doing the same if you plan to participate in craft shows often.

However, I would not suggest buying anything longer than 6 feet — that’s a common length limit and bigger tables may be prohibited (nobody likes a space hog!). Of the places that don’t allow tables, some will allow stools or tiny tables, such as TV-trays.

Racks: Racks or shelves are perfect for spare prints or small painted knick knacks. These can be the things you allow people to touch or rifle through — people love to touch things before they buy them. I bought black metal mesh racks so that I can set them on tables and even string wire through them for hanging when necessary. You can find them at any office supply store.

Display cases: If you put your illustrations onto other objects like painted dolls, rocks, or postcards, display cases can attract positive attention to your artwork and allow you to set more things on your table at once. Think of jewelry boxes, glass cases, or even cake stands to beautifully hold your work. Remember that every prop you bring you have to carry and have space for, so don’t get carried away with this idea.

Lighting: Some venues are poorly lit, especially if you’re showing in a non-traditional or low brow setting like a bar or night club. If your illustrations include tiny details or use darker colors, you may want to bring your own lighting.

A small lamp or spotlight will do the trick but not every venue will have enough outlets for each artist. Make sure to notify the event organizer ahead of time and calls dibs on a space with an electrical outlet. Or, if you’d rather avoid the headache, buy a small light fixture that’s battery powered. You won’t have to worry about the brightness of the room or where you’re stationed during the event if you have one of these on hand.

DECORATIONS

The last thing you want is for your craft booth to look drab and boring, catching no one’s eye and getting passed up. Decorate it! You’ve got to be creative in your own way with this one; stay in line with your brand and be as flexible as possible. Here are some ideas to get you jump started:

• table cloth / sheet
• tapestries
• string lights (outlet needed)
• sculpture props
• live painting (not exactly decorative but will catch the eye)
• interactive things (email signup sheet, business cards to take for free, a laptop set up with your website to scroll through, a DIY craft for customers)
• promotional banner with logo

You’ll come up with your own ideas as soon as you realize what is and isn’t possible with event spaces. Cherry-pick a few of these ideas at a time and tweak as needed.

MONEY

Don’t forget to bring change! Small cash bills are essential. Don’t be the person that doesn’t make the sale because you couldn’t give the buyer change. It hurts. Trust me, I know from experience.

A great alternative to cash is a money transfer app. You can sell with Cashapp, PayPal, Venmo, and more. I’d download as many of these as possible (make it easy to buy from you!) and have them pulled up on your phone before the show begins. With these apps you can sell art quickly and easily — no change needed. 

A more important alternative would be a card reader. Most people carry cards over cash these days and you want your art to be as accessible as possible. I use a Square reader, which easily plugs into my phone and connects to an app that processes card payments. It’s a quick swipe and signature away from a sale, and avoids a customer having to count cash or recall their Cashapp login. 

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

As an artist, you are your own best marketing agent. Make sure you have your name and contact information available. You want to have a prepared answer for any question such as “Where can I find you online?” or “How can I contact you later?” These things will help:

Business cards: These are the go-to for becoming a serious seller or owner of any type of business. Include your logo to help people remember you alongside your brand. If you don’t have an established logo yet, include on the cards a picture of an illustration you created or a photo of your face. Add your name, your title, and your contact information. Mine is double-sided. This is what my card looks like:

 

Business cards can be made cheaply online (I recommend Vistaprint) and should be given out for free. Handing these to anyone who walks by your artist booth is a great icebreaker for conversation, too. Everyone takes one. And no one will do your word-of-mouth marketing for you if they can’t remember your name. Business cards are genius.

Price stickers: Promote the cost of your artwork. Don’t force people to ask you, because they might be shy and never ask. They might assume your work is out of their budget, especially if the other vendors are.

I buy small, quarter-sized round price stickers to stick to the wall next to my illustration prints or right on the glass of the frame. People can see the price immediately when they look at the piece and it looks clean and uniform.

Having a price sheet laid out also works. If many of your pieces are priced identically, it makes sense to have a sheet that reads, “Prints: $20, Bookmarks: $5, Stickers: $3,” and so on. Just make sure it’s clearly displayed.

Regular stickers: Before I decided to sell my work as stickers, I used to pay to have them made and then I handed them out for free. Not profitable, but I encouraged people to stick them on their laptops, notebooks, give them to others and so on. It worked like a free advertising program, and helped word to spread about my artwork. I absolutely loved hearing, “Oh I saw this drawing as a sticker up at the gas station,” or “My niece loves this drawing and put the sticker on her toy box, she looks at it every day.” Seriously a good feeling. It’s worth the money to give them away.

THINGS TO PROTECT YOUR ART

Constantly lugging around your precious illustrations from your studio to your car to the venue and back again can naturally cause some wear and tear. For the sake of quality, you want to avoid any damage. It’s best to buy some sort of briefcase or box to put artwork and props in while transporting, but if your artwork is awkwardly shaped, you might have to improvise. Sheets, plastic cases, totes, bags, or portable filing cases are all options at your disposal. Do what you do best and get creative.

The one pro tip I have for you when it comes to protecting your artwork is MAKE IT WATERPROOF. Last thing you need is a soggy, ruined masterpiece.

Outdoor events: If the whole art show is outdoors, preparation and protection reaches a whole new level. Not only will you need protection during travel, but you’ll need to make sure the weather can’t touch your hard work for the duration of the show. Rain might be lucky on your wedding day, but it’s not on craft show day.

You’ll need a tent. Not a camping tent, but one of those roof-only white tents you see at all the street fairs. You’ll need stakes and weights to hold it down to prevent the wind from carrying it away. If your artwork is paper-thin, you’ll want to check out the weather and bring weights for that too — you don’t want to chase prints around all day.

It would be an extra precaution to bring tarps to set over your tables (tables are mandatory outside — you can’t set everything on the ground. And if you do, bring a rug instead.) in case of sideways rain. Some people strap tarps to the sides of their tent and roll them up or down like retractable walls.

For the customer: You don’t want someone to accidentally damage their new purchase on their way out of the show and be bummed. When someone buys from you, provide a plastic slip, a gift bag, a box, or something else to keep it safe until they can get it home. You can make these pretty and brand them to fit your style. Buyers will appreciate you.

BE A CUSTOMER FIRST

The best way to know what you want to bring to prepare for your artist show is to be a customer at someone else’s.

Go to any local art fair, craft show, or creative vendor event. Look around. How are the artists’ booths set up? What did they bring? What kind of spaces are they given? What could you do with that space?

When you see a display you like, ask yourself what draws you to it. Is the item functional? Is it beautiful? Can you wear it? Does the vendor match the vibe of their booth?

Buy an item — any item — and see how the seller handles the transaction. Are they fumbling for crinkled cash in their pockets, do they offer you to swipe a card, are they using money exchanging apps? Are they polite? Do they try to have a friendly conversation with you? Upsell you? Give you a deal?

Truly study the way others conduct business, identify what you liked and didn’t like, and then emulate accordingly.

AFTER THE SHOW

Pass out thank-yous after the event as frequently as you passed out those ready-made business cards. Email, call, or say it at the end of the night. Make sure to thank anyone who you borrowed supplies from or any friends that came out to see your illustrations. Show gratitude to the organizers and your fellow vendors who kept you company.

Think about what vendor preparation tactics you tried and what worked for you. Plan to make the next one even better. Make a list of what you wish you had during the show and keep it until next time.

Tally up how much you spent getting into the show or spent on materials like getting prints made or new decorations, and tally up what money you made selling art. Did you make a profit? Keep track of this every time. Aim for improvement, not perfection. You want this to be a hustle, not a hobby.

I’ve written a whole article about what to do AFTER an art show and it’ll help you stay organized. Once you get in the regular cycle of working gigs, you’ll need to work these practices into your routine. 

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