Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Old Tires Don’t have to be in a Landfill!

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Old Tires Don’t have to be in a Landfill!

Make planters and other creations out of old tires. Customers will love that you are recycling and reusing them. You can cut, paint, twist, and design them into anything - just be creative. Auto service and parts stores will gladly let you remove their old tires, and probably even pay you for it!

What a great ‘business idea’, collect old used tires that you should be able to acquire free, or receive pay, to haul away for businesses. Turn the tires into items that last for a good long time, sell them, and make great profits. Because this is an excellent way of recycling an item that otherwise will end up as landfill, you will find many people that are recycle-conscious that want to buy from you to help in any way they can to help in the recycling movement.

You will need to be the type of person that likes using power tools, or hand tools if you prefer. Cutting these tires is the hardest part of creating new items with them. You can paint, form, or cut them into whatever you choose to make. In addition, you can attach decorative items to them after all of that and use them in numerous more ways. You will have superior durable items that are not too complicated to create.

You might be asking yourself, “What in the world can I make with them, other than a planter?” You have to realize that the sky is the limit if you are a creative person. So far, you can find online how to make;

* Pottery that will not allow your plants to freeze and they don’t break
* Fountains, waterfalls, and pools much cheaper than the typical ones on the market
* Many types of back yard playground equipment (not just a swing)
* Raised gardening beds
* Attractive retaining walls
* Inexpensive lawn and garden edging
* Lawn art
* Compost containers
* Much more

These are all items imaginative people have designed with a product that should not cost you anything. What better resource to use; one that you can recycle and receive free.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money getting started with this venture, you should only have to invest in tools that will allow you to cut and form the tires. Then you may try first selling your newly made items from your home, especially if you live in an area frequented by many people passing by. This business will also require that you have a good size area to store your tires, your finished items, and an area to work on them too.

If you decide that you want to sell your recycled items from your home, you could display one or two of each of your items in your front yard in a tasteful way. By showing how practical your items are; people will be impressed. Display a sign stating that you sell these items and call or knock if interested. You could even offer to decorate other people’s yards that live in prime areas, if they let you advertise too. If you do this, you should stock these advertised items if you have the space to store them, or take orders from people and fill the orders as quickly as possible.

Offering your items on the internet is a great idea too. Take detailed photos of your items so that people can see them well. Give a good explanation of what your items are made from and stress that they are recycled too. You can just take orders from your site and ship the items to your customers.

Resources:

http://www.ponyswings.com

http://www.tirecrafting.com

Make a Fortune on Talent

Thursday, December 4th, 2008

If you or someone you know can paint, sculpt, or draw well you can earn a lot of money. It is easy, fun, and you will be doing exactly what you love to do. So, what is this mystery business? An art gallery! Even if you yourself have no talent in the arts, you can find those who do and open a gallery, selling their work on commission.

To begin your business, you need a space and talented artists. If you are the artist, you can fill the gallery with only your art, or you can bring in others to add variety. Should you be using only outside work, I would suggest a few different artists to appeal to a wider audience with varying tastes in artwork.

As for the space, any decent location will do. Your gallery can be fairly small to start out with, there is always time to expand later. If you live in a good location, your garage or an extra room could be easily converted into a gallery. It is important to have good lighting in a gallery, either natural or artificial. Consider in your opening budget the cost of small spotlights, which can be placed above or near each piece of artwork. Check, the minimum distance from objects before buying the lights, you don’t want to set your merchandise on fire.

A gallery should have an appealing and appropriate atmosphere. Walls should be plain, not attracting any attention. You can choose music according to the mood you want to set, lighting as well. For a darker, more somber feel, you might put on classic music, dark walls and no overhead lights, only the spotlights. A brighter feel can be created by painting the walls light and allowing a lot of light in the room. As you expand, you may end up in a building with many rooms, which allows you to create different moods in each area.

If you are selling your own work, you can set the prices at whatever you feel is a fair attractive price. However, selling other people’s art requires a little different technique. Usually the artist will tell you how much he wants for his work. You should add between 15-25% to this price as your commission. If the price will be too high, you will need either to renegotiate with the artist or find a new artist.

Publicity is important, especially if you are a little off the beaten path. Advertise anywhere tourists will see your advertisement. Hang attractive flyers basically anywhere you can. Art interests many different types of people, so don’t aim at just one market.

Hosting events in your gallery, such as a wine-tasting evening, can bring in good publicity as well. You can set these up or offer your space to businesses that would like to take advantage of your offer to host an event for them. Make sure that you stick to upper class events where no one will be drunk and in a destructive mood.

An art gallery can take a while to get off the ground, so be patient, and start your marketing early, before you open the doors. With publicity and great art, you will be a success.

Sources:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/29771_art-gallery-location.htm

http://www.fabjob.com/ArtGalleryOwner.asp

http://www.125aday.com/books/304/start-art-gallery.cfm?gclid=CPXk6Y6GipQCFSY1agodxB9HWw

http://www.artslant.com/sf/main/about

http://www.ehow.com/how_2069216_open-art-gallery.html

How You Can Draw on Walls and Make Money

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

How You Can Draw on Walls and Make Money

Some people look at a blank wall and see just that-a blank wall. Others look at that same blank wall and see an artist’s canvas, imagining sweeping mountain ranges overlooking the ocean, the sun’s golden rays mirrored in the still water.

If every wall you see is a blank canvas, then paint yourself into business by creating spectacular wall murals for clients. Decorative wall murals change an average room into a conversation piece - and they are the perfect touch for homeowners looking for ways to add a special, unique touch to their homes. They are also great for children’s rooms - whether their parents want a calming backdrop for their infants or a fun educational mural for their youngsters.

Stenciling isn’t only for walls - you can also stencil on doors, windows and floors. You are only limited by your own creativity and imagination.

Stenciling will allow you to flex your creative muscles while making money too. But, just how does it work? If you’re a very creative soul who loves to draw and design, you might consider creating your own stencils. However, you can also purchase stencil designs from various online outlets including these places: Stencil Search, Stencils Online, Stencil Warehouse and Better Homes and Garden’s Free Stencils.

Tips for stenciling:

* You can use any type of paint for stenciling. However, the most popular type of paint used is acrylic (fast drying, easily clean with water and comes in hundreds of colors) and dry-brush oil (no smearing, no bleeding, works on any surface.)

* You should always ensure the surface you will be stenciling on is clean before starting to work.

* The best way to hang your stencil is by using any type of repositionable contact spray adhesive.

If you’ve never stenciled before, there are plenty of online resources to help you get started. You can start your search by visiting: Stenciling Instructions, Stenciling Tips and Techniques, Wall to Wall Stencils, and Sten Source International.

Once you’ve done some reading on the finer points of stenciling, you’ll want to do some practicing before you start offering your services to clients. Practice on your walls, floors, or windows or ask friends and family if you can create murals on their walls. You can also practice on fabric.

After you practice and start to feel confident, you will be ready to start marketing to clients. If your family or friends have allowed you to create murals on their walls, take photos of them to show your potential clients. (When you create more murals, you can create a portfolio to show to potential clients and then post them on your website.)

When you’re ready to start marketing, make sure you have a website with samples, prices and a form that allows potential clients to write to you requesting a project quote, or to ask a question, etc. You can also market by attending local home shows - take photos of your work, set up a table, and introduce people to your mural business. You might even have a fishbowl for people to drop their names and phone numbers into - you can then pick one at random and the winning person receives a free mural.

Contact your local newspapers and television stations - this is a unique fun business and you should be able to get some great publicity with it. Once you have a few clients under your belt, you will likely start getting clients because of word-of-mouth.

Decorative wall murals are an excellent way to use your artistic skills and creativity while also making money. Even if you’ve never stenciled before, there is plenty of free guidance available. Try it! You might have fun and make good money while you are at it!

Helpful Resources:

www.rexart.com

www.essortment.com/all/muralspainting_rwjd.htm

www.naturesvignettes.com/murals.html