Income From Arts & Crafts, Ideas

Among artists there is a view and ongoing debate that Arts & Crafts are not art and yet there was a huge movement which brought art to ordinary household objects, from tea pots to lamps. The Arts & Crafts movement had a great influence which you can still see today.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Reproduce prints based on oil paintings which can be sold in stores, or flee market. If you know how to paint create paintings yourself or if not, hire a good artist to create these prints.

2. Draw cartoons to produce greeting cards, online comic strip, or to produce your own comic book. You can also send copies of your work to publishers of magazines appropriate to the subject matter of your designs.

3. Create miniature models. Decide on the best materials, based on quality and price, and price your finished designs accordingly. You can sell your work through local gift shops, collectors fairs, garage sales, or flee market, depending on your scale of operation.

4. Produce house names and numbers in wood. Paint them or varnished. Alternatively, have molds to reproduce a wide range of designs to make it easy to cast and paint them.

5. Paint house numbers on street curbs. Go door-to-door offering for a reasonable price to paint the house number on the curb to make it easy for emergency vehicles to find the house.

6. Create ink drawings of private residences. Canvas areas with a couple of drawings in your portfolio of different sizes and prices to allow potential customers a choice in what they would like to buy. You can work from good photograph of a home, and then sketch each one in the comfort of your own home.

7. Glass paintings. Before stained glass works were painted onto glass. Plan your designs on acetate using permanent markers. Promote your business to householders as a specialized custom design service, with every design being different. You could produce a range of designs which could be printed onto sheets of acetate, and sell them to customers as kits, including the paint, as a do-it-yourself craft product.

8. Make garden ornaments. New designs have the best chance of success, so don't be afraid to experiment with new ideas. Once established, you might consider expanding into the area of large garden ornaments and statues, for which there are ready-made molds available.

9. Paint or illustrate landscapes. Specialize in one particular medium such as charcoal, pen and ink or oil colors. Organize an exhibition and sell your work direct, or sell through selected art galleries on a commission basis.

10. Draw quick sketches of people, or funny caricatures. You could easily set up a profitable business, working on the street at popular areas, or busy shopping centers. All you need to get started is an easel, a supply of pencils and paper, and a chair for people to sit on.

11. Teach painting by running an evening class in figure painting. Nude painting is always popular, but all types of figure drawing are an option. If you can teach others how to draw and paint, or help them with their technique, then you can offer a worthwhile service.

12. Make and sell kites and paper airplanes. The Chinese have kite-making down to a fine art. If you can reproduce designs and techniques, you could sell them by mail or from a craft stall. Study various designs by referring to the relevant books, and any other literature available.

13. Reproduce, frame and sell old prints from books. There's a vast resource of pictures in used books that can be reproduced and turned into attractive framed prints. All manner of subjects are available. From Artists botanical sketches to painted Zebras. Almost any kind of interesting pictures can be framed to look even better. Apart from books, look at old magazines and calendars. Even greetings cards can be used for the smaller prints.

14. Produce and sell framed decoupage pictures. Decoupage is becoming popular again, and striking designs can be produced using this technique.

15. Make and sell cross stitch (embroidery) pictures. If sewing is of interest to you, and you find pleasure and profit in producing pictures using this skill. You can sell your designs at craft fairs and by mail order through craft magazines.

16. Design and make novelty paperweights. Small resin-casted ornaments, painted realistically, based around unusual or topical subjects such as croquet, archery, fly-fishing or more conventional sports like golf and tennis. The object could be as simple as a golf ball and club head mounted on a plinth or cast inside a clear resin.

17. Reproduce old prints using glazing and cracking techniques. Any print can be made to look old by giving it a yellowy stained effect, glazing it with varnish a number of times, and hitting it with a cloth covered hammer or mallet to crack the glaze. Add a suitable antique frame and hey presto!

18. Offer a personalized portrait sketching service. This would involve drawing pencil sketches from photographs of people or pets. Working from a photograph is generally easier, quicker and more convenient than drawing from a live model. Finished sketches can be framed, mounted and individually signed by the artist.

19. Make and sell dolls houses. An amazingly wide range of designs are available from specialist firms who can provide you with plans and materials to build these sought after toys. Design your own and make your own parts if you have the right tools.

20. Make and sell toy forts, castles, farms and garages. As an alternative to making dolls houses, you might prefer to cater for young boys. Although electronic gadgetry and games have become more popular these days, there's still a place for the more traditional toys. Check out the latest issue of the hobby supply catalog and associated craft magazines. If you're particularly creative, with a good eye for detail and drawing skills, you might also consider designing and producing your own plans for other craft workers to enjoy.

21. Produce and sell mosaic kits. With attractive designs and suitable packaging, your kits could be sold for mounting in frames, adding to pieces of furniture, such as table tops and food carts or trays, or even as special designs for incorporating into tiled walls and floors.

22. Design and make unusual bookends. Think of something that appeals to a large group of people, such as movie fans or football fans. Your design could be based on a pair of movie cameras perhaps or an icon from a famous movie. For example, a movie monster or a superhero. The bookends could be made to match or be completely different, as long as they work as a pair.

23. Buy and sell arts and craft books. Advertise for books through local and regional newspapers. Set up a regular stall at arts and craft fairs, garage sales and flea markets. When you have a sizable stock, start a mail order business and sell through craft magazines.

24. Make and sell garden gnomes. Still popular, particularly in Europe. There are hundreds of design variations on the well loved garden gnome. If you would like to make your own, find a supplier of existing molds and materials and try your hand at casting. Each one you produce will need to be painted. Consider making your own designs and selling them through garden centers as well as craft shops and craft fairs.

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