Learning to Stretch My Paintings a Little Further
—A hopeful roadmap for launching my first print editions
Why I’m Doing This
Up to now I’ve relied almost entirely on selling originals—those one‑of‑a‑kind oil paintings that leave the studio and never return. That’s thrilling (and a bit terrifying), but it also ties my income to every single sale. Diversifying with limited‑edition prints feels like the next smart step: more people can collect my work at approachable prices, and I gain a steadier revenue stream between original sales.
Choosing the “Hero” Paintings
I plan to let Instagram do the talking. By watching which pieces draw the most comments, saves, and “Tell me when that’s for sale!” messages, I expect two front‑runners:
Capturing the Art (the “don’t‑skimp” step)
My plan is to book a session at Barry Norris Studio in El Prado. Barry will photograph each painting under calibrated lighting, then we’ll proof until the ochres, indigos, and warm pinks match the originals. I’m budgeting about $80 per piece—money I believe will be well spent, because muddy colors can sink a print release before it starts.
Printing & Costs in Plain English
- Paper: Cotton rag giclée (archival, slightly textured).
- Size: Same as the originals—12 × 12″.
- Edition: 50 each, hand‑signed and numbered.
- Printing cost (local shop): roughly $26 per print when I order 25 at a time.
- Packaging + mailer: about $2.
- Planned retail price: $125 unframed. That leaves room for gallery commissions while staying fair for online collectors.
The Launch Plan
- Warm‑up (4 weeks out): Post behind‑the‑scenes reels of the scanning and proof process.
- Wait‑list page: Embed a simple form—“I want first dibs”—on my website.
- Countdown (2 weeks): Share stories and polls (paper vs. canvas, signing timelapse, printing day).
- Launch Day: Go live on Instagram while I sign and number prints, then open the shop link to wait‑listers first and the public two hours later.
- Follow‑through: Ship promptly, tuck a thank‑you card with a 10 % code toward the next drop, and reshare unboxing photos.
What I Hope to Learn
- Cash‑flow cushion: If even half the edition sells quickly, that could cover rent plus studio supplies for a couple of months.
- Collector pipeline: Prints may act as low‑risk stepping stones—today’s print buyer could become tomorrow’s original‑painting buyer.
- Marketing rhythm: The structured rollout should help me plan content instead of posting only when I remember to wash the paint off my fingers first.
What Could Go Sideways
- Pricing too high and watching boxes gather dust.
- Under‑estimating packaging time (future me: order shipping tubes early).
- Color drift on a second batch—so I intend to keep a master proof on file.
Final Thought
Right now this is all game‑plan and hope—no proofs in hand yet, no prints stacked in the studio. But mapping it out already feels like smart stewardship. Originals will always be my first love, yet prints can let the stories of Taos skies, acequias, and faces travel further while smoothing out the feast‑or‑famine cycle creatives know too well.
Thanks for cheering me on while I learn to plant these new rows. Here’s to art that stretches just a bit farther.
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