Diane Eichler's blog

Burton & Burton

2011-08-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Athens Georgia to work with Burton & Burton on my upcoming baby collection! Burton & Burton is the nation's leading supplier of balloons and coordinating gift products, and I am so excited to be working with them! You can check out their web site at http://www.burtonandburton.com

Look for my licensed products in their 2012 catalog!

here I am with Maxine Burton at their beautiful offices in Athens

SURTEX booth#617

2011-04-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

Stop by the Painted Planet booth at Surtex to see my latest collections!

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

May 15-17, 2011

booth #617

2011 Atlanta Giftware Show

2011-03-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted anything, but I guess that shows what a busy year it's been so far!

I attended the Giftware Show in Atlanta in January where Painted Planet was exhibiting. I had several great meetings, and lots of follow-up when I got back. The Licensing and Design area was much larger this year, and we had a prime spot right at the front.

It was great meeting Gina B, and visiting her showroom to see where my product was prominently displayed!

Houston Quilt Market

2010-11-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

The Houston Quilt Market was at the end of October, and although I couldn't go, Jan from Painted Planet sent me these photos from the Red Rooster exhibit. Someone made a quilt with my Little Critters collection! The fabric will be available in quilt shops this spring. To see the complete collection, visit Red Rooster's web site: http://www.redroosterfabrics.com/fabric/upncoming.php

First Samples!

2010-07-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just received first samples of my new fabric line for Red Rooster Fabrics, and also a group of cards for Gina B. designs!! Check them out!!

Respect the Process

2010-04-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Research, thought, and reflection

Recently a friend of mine who is not in the design business asked me, "so how do you come up with your designs? Do you just sit down and start drawing?" It got me thinking about the process of design, and where ideas come from. Sometimes a client has something specific in mind, but mostly designs come from research, thought, and reflection. One thing I do is collect images from different publications I subscribe to, and create trend boards. This helps get a lot of ideas pertaining to the same theme in front of me for inspiration. As I'm collecting the images, I start thinking about what I can do with the theme, and then I start sketching. After putting some ideas of my own down on paper, I let it percolate for a bit. Sometimes I just need to go outside and take a walk, get away from the office or studio. I find that when things get hectic, my mind is so bogged down and I can't be creative. If I can relax a little bit, take some time to refresh & rejuvenate, then the ideas start to flow!

Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market

2010-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

I went to Atlanta this weekend for the Giftware show where my licensing agency was exhibiting. It was great meeting with the people from Painted Planet and getting to know them better. Their booth looked great, here I am with my banner front & center. They tell me it attracted a lot of manufacturers who were looking for children's artwork. Hopefully this show will help get me more business!

2010-01-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

2010-01-13T08:15:00.000-08:00

Looking Back

2010-01-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

In thinking about my New Years Resolutions for 2010, I have been reflecting back on 2009 and what I wanted to accomplish. My main goal was to get into art licensing. If you are also interested in licensing, here are some things to consider:

Research:

What kind of product would your art look good on? I spent countless hours researching on line and looking at companies who use licensed artists to design their products. I looked at artists' web sites, trade magazines, catalogues, and in stores to see where my artwork would fit.

Education:

Find what you need to know about contracts, fees, royalties, copyrights and everything else. I attended seminars on art licensing given by artists and manufacturers as well. I also invested in books about how to get started, and read every blog I could find.

Reflection:

Decide what works best for you in your life today. Do you want to go out on your own or work with an agency? For me, an agent was the best way to go. I would rather spend my time designing and let someone else handle the trade shows, contract negotiations, art submissions, etc. It's worth it to me to split the royalties!

Pound the Pavement:

Whether you're looking for a great agent or trying to find companies who want to license your artwork, you need to get out there and find them. I attended The Atlanta Gift Show to look for companies, and tried making contacts on my own before deciding I wanted to work with an agency. I researched a lot of licensing agencies, submitted artwork, had telephone conversations, and then made a few appointments to meet with them in person at Surtex.

Be a good listener:

I went to Surtex on the last day of the show hoping it would have cleared out by then and the agents wouldn't be too busy. I had scheduled appointments with some, but there were others who I just met for the first time that day. A few didn't want to talk to me out of respect for the artists they represent, but most of the agents I spoke to were more than happy to take a look at my artwork and give some advice. I heard some of the same comments consistently from different agents, so I took notes and made revisions when I got home. I sent artwork back to a few of the agents I felt were promising, and was lucky enough to find one to represent me! I now have a licensing deal in the works for a fabric manufacturer, and my licensing agency will be launching my new collections at the Atlanta Giftware show this week!