Determine Sizes for Prints
Brooke Shaden
Lessons
Class Introduction
19:06 2Storytelling & Ideas
27:34 3Universal Symbols in Stories
03:19 4Create Interactive Characters
02:16 5The Story is in The Details
04:13 6Giving Your Audience Feelings
05:49 7Guided Daydream Exercise
04:20 8Elements of Imagery
02:19The Death Scenario
01:47 10Associations with Objects
03:01 11Three Writing Exercises
06:39 12Connection Through Art
30:35 13Break Through Imposter Syndrome
07:40 14Layering Inspiration
23:13 15Creating an Original Narrative
07:42 16Analyze an Image
04:12 17Translate Emotion into Images
04:31 18Finding Parts in Images
06:02 19Finding Your Target Audience
04:05 20Where Do You Want Your Images to Live?
12:01 21Create a Series That Targets Your Audience
32:43 22Formatting Your Work
06:08 23Additional Materials to Attract Clients
07:24 24Which Social Media Platforms Will be Useful?
04:17 25How to Make Money from Your Target Audience
11:27 26Circle of Focus
07:55 27The Pillars of Branding
06:18 28Planning Your Photoshoot
09:05 29Choose Every Element for The Series
07:38 30Write a Descriptive Paragraph
09:37 31Sketch Your Ideas
17:27 32Choose Your Gear
02:50 33How to Utilize Costumes, Props & Locations
26:18 34What Tells a Story in a Series?
13:06 35Set Design Overview
01:43 36Color Theory
19:50 37Lighting for the Scene
12:05 38Props, Wardrobe & Time Period for Set Design
06:00 39Locations
04:31 40Subject Within the Scene
07:26 41Set Design Arrangement
05:46 42Fine Art Compositing
03:46 43Plan The Composite Before Shooting
10:29 44Checklist for Composite Shooting
18:52 45Analyze Composite Mistakes
12:11 46Shoot: Black Backdrop for White Clothing
10:42 47Shoot: Black Backdrop for Color Clothing
08:36 48Shoot: Black Backdrop for Accessories
08:17 49Shoot: Miniature Scene
09:59 50Editing Workflow Overview
01:57 51Add Fabric to Make a Big Dress
08:35 52Edit Details of Images
08:09 53Add Smoke & Texture
10:47 54Blend Multiple Images Into One Composite
24:58 55Put Subject Into a Miniature Scenario
17:55 56Location Scouting & Test Photoshoot
22:10 57Self Portrait Test Shoots
22:30 58Shoot for Edit
04:21 59Shoot Extra Stock Images
10:01 60Practice the Shoot
25:07 61Introduction to Shooting Photo Series
03:33 62Shoot: Vine Image
10:40 63Shoot: Sand Image
09:50 64Shoot: End Table Image
04:59 65Shoot: Bed Image
06:18 66Shoot: Wall Paper Image
05:54 67Shoot: Chair Image
08:02 68Shoot: Mirror Image
06:57 69Shoot: Moss Image
05:48 70Shoot: Tree Image
07:33 71Shoot: Fish Tank Image
04:09 72Shoot: Feather Image
09:00 73View Photo Series for Cohesion & Advanced Compositing
07:35 74Edit Multiple Images to Show Cohesion
36:55 75Edit Images with Advanced Compositing
29:33 76Decide How to Start the Composite
09:35 77Organize Final Images
21:37 78Choosing Images for Your Portfolio
08:19 79Order the Images in Your Portfolio
16:28 80Why do Some Images Sell More Than Others?
16:03 81Analyze Student Portfolio Image Order
11:42 82Framing, Sizing, Editioning & Pricing
02:19 83Determine Sizes for Prints
16:44 84How to Choose Paper
13:56 85How to Choose Editions
07:18 86Pricing Strategies
18:59 87How to Present Your Images
13:26 88Example Pricing Exercise
09:39 89Print Examples
08:23 90Licensing, Commissions & Contracts
04:44 91How to Keep Licensing Organized
06:07 92How to Prepare Files for Licensing
07:28 93Pricing Your Licensed Images
12:33 94Contract Terms for Licensing
12:07 95Where to Sell Images
04:55 96Commission Pricing Structure
08:23 97Contract for Commissions
12:17 98Questions for a Commission Shoot
08:45 99Working with Galleries
08:58 100Benefits of Galleries
07:39 101Contracts for Galleries
10:32 102How to Find Galleries
05:22 103Choose Images to Show
08:53 104Hanging the Images
03:38 105Importance of Proofing Prints
08:04 106Interview with Soren Christensen Gallery
21:59 107Press Package Overview
04:35 108Artist Statement for Your Series
18:20 109Write Your 'About Me' Page
09:04 110Importance of Your Headshot
03:55 111Create a Leave Behind & Elevator Pitch
20:19 112Writing For Fine Art
04:44 113Define Your Writing Style
14:49 114Find Your Genre
06:41 115What Sets You Apart?
02:25 116Write to Different Audiences
05:10 117Write for Blogging
39:57 118Speak About Your Work
14:21 119Branding for Video
07:37 120Clearly Define Video Talking Points
14:27 121Types of Video Content
31:45 122Interview Practice
13:22 123Diversifying Social Media Content
22:32 124Create an Intentional Social Media Persona
24:48 125Monetize Your Social Media Presence
18:46 126Social Media Posting Plan
04:01 127Choose Networks to Use & Invest
02:57 128Presentation of Final Images
19:13 129Printing Your Series
09:16 130How to Work With a Print Lab
13:39 131Proofing Your Prints
10:11 132Bad Vs. Good Prints
03:32 133Find Confidence to Print
10:50 134Why Critique?
06:55 135Critiquing Your Own Portfolio
10:39 136Critique of Brooke's Series
16:18 137Critique of Student Series
40:07 138Yours is a Story Worth Telling
02:09Lesson Info
Determine Sizes for Prints
We're going to talk about sizing first because that is the simplest one that we can nail down and I want you guys to do this along with me right now. Figure out your sizes, figure out your editions and try to get it down on paper because if there's one thing that I've learned about galleries, it's that they don't want to waste their time with somebody who has no idea what they're doing and it will happen. You will find galleries who are totally willing to work with artists and help them out and do whatever, but if you're trying to get into better and better and better galleries, you really need to know all of this information right upfront. If you put yourself in a mindset of gallery owner, and you're the person maybe I'm coming to you and saying, "Hey, I have a portfolio, I'd love to show you. I'd love to have an exhibition at your gallery." Wouldn't you be way more likely to take me on if I'd already knew every size that I offer, every edition, every price of my prints and stuff like...
that, rather than me coming and saying, "Oh, I've never done this before. I don't know what sizes I need. I don't know what my editions are." That's so much more work on your end to try to figure that out. So, sizing. How do we do this? First of all, simple, simple, simple first rule is never print larger than your resolution will allow. People do it all the time, all the time. And there is some latitude there. You can definitely stretch a little bit. For example, I typically will print triple my natural resolution. So, let's just say that I have an image that is naturally... And I'm going to be talking in inches 'cause that's the country that I live in, so convert to centimeters or whatever you might use in your head if you don't. But, in inches, let's say my final work is 20 by 20 inches, then I'll probably be pretty comfortable printing that image up to 50 to 60 inches, even though that's not the natural resolution, and this is just been my personal experience, it might not be what you find is true for your work. Maybe you think, "You know what, that's too much for me," or you might say, "That's too little for me." And it all depends on the medium as well. So, if we're talking about fine art prints, this is my limit: triple the size of my resolution. Let's say that you want to sell your image for something else and it's gonna be on billboard. Well, then yeah I would probably print it a lot bigger because you're not gonna be right up close to that billboard. You're gonna see it from quite a distance. So, the resolution just isn't going to matter as much in that situation. Although, it always matters to me in some way. You just have to sort of grate it for yourself. So, triple the natural resolution is how I tend to print my works, and of course, smaller and everywhere in between that as well. Not just triple the size. That'll be a little crazy. And then, standard is 300dpi, which is what printers will often ask for. Unless, your experience is different and I want to keep saying that because this is just, what I've been through with my printer and picking sizes and choosing my editions, you might have a different experience and that is totally okay. There is no rule book for this insane fine art world. Which, I wish that there was, but there simple is not. So, if we move on then let's talk about how you determine sizes. The first thing that I do if I'm unsure of how big or how small I should make my work, I go straight to my printer. The man who prints my work, not the machine and I say to him, "How big do you think this can go, realistically?" You know, you might think, "Oh, well he has something to gain if he tells you something really big," right? Because that means that he'll make more money from me, but it's good to have a really nice relationship with your printer where you can have those open discussions of, realistically, when will this image stop looking good? When will the pixels be too stretched? When will it become too blurry? All of those things. So, always just ask, just asked. And even on the small side, too, you can print your work as small as you want. This is just a fact. You can print it, you know half an inch big if you wanted to, which some people do and maybe that's your cup of tea, but I like to get a second opinion especially from a printer to say, "How small do you think this image could go and still retain the details that this particular picture needs?" That's a really good thing to ask. People don't often think to do that, but it's really good. The next thing you have to do, once you know how big and how small your work can go, is to ask yourself, not your printer, not anyone else, "How many sizes do you want to offer?" And, I have a certain range that I usually go with and I'll share that in a moment, but it's really important for you that you don't get caught up in this line of thinking which is, "I have to offer a ton of sizes because what if my sizes sell out?" That is the wrong way of thinking about this. So, if you're trying to determine how many sized prints you want to offer, don't think in terms of, "One day down the road, this print might sell out and then I'll be really sad, so I wanna have lots of sizes." Because sizing is sort of like, like the artist loophole, in a lot of ways, 'cause you could add a size to your lineup and just sneakily by like, "Oh, I'm just gonna add this 25 inch print in here even though I didn't have that originally." And technically, you could do that, so you could just keep expanding your editions that way just by adding in new sizes. I highly do not recommend doing that because that's a little bit deceptive, I think, and probably not the way that we want to go in our careers. So, choose how many sizes that you want to offer right away. And then, think about the ease of printing. And I mentioned this because I have found printing to be an extremely complicated process, and we're going to talk a lot more about printing later, but think about it this way: I have four main sizes to my prints, and I'll be sharing all this information in just a little while here. And when I print a small print, a small 10 inch print, which this right here is a 10 inch print. So, we've got this framed image here. This is 10 inches and you know that's about this big. Just a small print. So, if I print that tiny little print it's really easy to handle. It's on thick paper, it's not gonna bend easily, it's not gonna roll. It's really easy, I can fit it into my hand, I can put it into my suitcase wherever I need. Really, really simple and really easy to package, too. You'll just sandwich is between some cardboard, send it off to wherever it needs to go. The bigger the print, you know I have some prints that are about this large and that's really difficult to deal with because at that size, the paper starts to roll on itself, it'll bend really easily, you're more likely to scratch it when you're trying to transport it and it's just a really difficult process. And there are times when somebody will order a really large print and the first thought that I think is, "No-o-o," because I don't want to go deal with the print itself because it's a really laborious process. So, just think about that for yourself. How big is too big for you? How big is just too much to deal with, with packaging and shipping and moving around and handling and... And then the other thing is, do the printers that you use, can they handle that size? Because a lot of standard printers will be 44 inch printers and to have a printer bigger than that is not as common within printing establishments. So, if you want to do let's say a 60 inch print, well it's very unlikely that you'll be able to do that in a standard printing situation. So, always call ahead to your printer that you're thinking of and say, "How big can you go? Not just how big can my print go, but literally how big is your machine that will print these photos?" Same with paper. Make sure that you're using paper company that provides paper that's that big. Sometimes they don't. So, things to think about for sure before we even get into that. Okay, so we have an acceptable size variance, I would say two to six. Two to six different sizes is going to be a really good range to be in if you're offering prints to your clients. And I would say that the lower end is better. I tend to be of the opinion that the fewer size prints you offer, the more money you can charge for those prints because you don't offer a wide range of products. So, it becomes more selective. And, this will all come into pricing later on in terms of how many sizes you offer, what your editions will be, things like that. It gets a little complicated with all the different variables that go into this, but just to start with sizing, get it in your head right now, what kind of sizes you feel comfortable with. And also think of the range of sizes, too. You know, how much of a difference do you want between your sizes. I would say standard is about 3-4 sizes is typical for an artist to offer. And if you think about it in terms of small, medium, large, that makes sense, right? Or small, medium, large, extra large, so that could be the sizing of the prints that you offer and you have a range within those different labels. So, that might be a good range. I think. For my general works, these are my different sizes. So, I've got 10 inches, 20 inches... Can you see the pattern? 30 inches and 40 inches. And these were my sizes that I'd decided on at my very first exhibition that I ever did and I remember before that I had never had an exhibition. I had never properly printed my work and I had no idea what I was doing. So, the first print that I ever sold, that I've never sold another of that image, was 25 inches. It was not one of standard sizes that I offer now. And I didn't know what I was doing and I could've stuck with 25 inches and that would have been okay. You know, it would have been fine. But I decided I'm just going to make this so easy on myself and everyone else and just do round numbers. Easy, easy, easy in different steps. But as I look back on that choice that I made, I would actually have done things differently. Especially, you know sometimes it take a little bit of separation from your own business and your own work to see how you should have done something and I look back and I kind of think that if I had done it again, I probably would have gotten rid of that 30 inch size because it's not one of my best selling sizes in general. You know, it depends on what the galleries want and what they're really pushing, but my best selling size is 20 inches, and 30 inches is awfully close to 20 inches, is awfully close to 10 inches. They're all very, very much in align, so I would probably have limited myself to these three sizes in the end, just make a little bit more of a gap between my medium size and my large size. And, that's just me. Maybe you want something different. You can offer, you know, eight sizes if you want to. You can offer one size if you want to. It doesn't really matter, but what you need to think about to inform your decision is where you're trying to go with your work. Exactly where do you want to be. Not just right now, not just in one year, but in 10 years, in 20 years. Where do you see your art going? And if your answer is high end galleries or museums or things like that, you might want to consider right now in limiting your sizes. It can't hurt to do that and I guarantee you, it's not as easy as one might think to sell out all of your editions in all your sizes. It's actually quite a challenging thing. People ask me all the time, "But what if you sell all your work?" I'm like, "Guys, I've got 700 images. I'm not gonna sell all my work. It's just not going to happen right now." You know, I'm looking forward to that time when maybe I'm dead and all my work is selling like hotcakes and then, you know, someone will maybe benefit from that, but not me. So, right now this is what I wished that I had done, that I did not do and I'm okay with that and you can always take a size away later on if you decide, "You know what? I've got new images out now." You can change your sizes for a particular series or a particular set of images and that's okay, but good to have a sizing structure for general works. That's what I think. So, this is my, my sizing for my Fourth Wall series. So, the new series that I've created that has been on display this year, for the first time, I have eight inches and I have 42 inches. Just two sizes now rather than four sizes and you can see the huge size discrepancy in there from really, really little to really, really big. And, I really enjoy doing it that way because it sort of forces the person viewing it to say, "Whoa, what experience do I want to have with this art?" Either I'm going to have the full experience or I want a more intimate experience, and they're two very different ways of viewing art. So, instead of giving too many options, I'm giving only two. It's sort of like, you know if you walk into a department store and you have huge shelf of socks and they're all just slightly different from one another you're gonna have a way harder time choosing your socks than if you just have two pairs that are really different from one another. And, I tend to think that people are more comfortable purchasing something in that position, when they don't have so many options, but when they just have a couple of options that are really different. So, I think that's pretty good. So, fewer sizes at a higher price is generally what I would recommend. And I'm not telling you put a huge price tag on your work right now necessarily. It depends on where you are in your business and your career, if you would consider yourself an emergent artist, a mid-career artist or an established artist, these are all things to consider, and we'll talk about what that means exactly, but in general, fewer sizes, higher price. The more sizes you have, the more sales options there are, if you think of it that way. So, you can go with the sock analogy and you know, you're gonna have an easier time selling to some people if you have fewer options, but this really depends on what kind of artist and what kind of business you want to have and be. So, you could be the type of artist that says, "You know what, I don't even care about having editions. I don't care about limiting what I'm putting out there, I'm gonna sell to anybody who wants have it." Do that! I don't care, it's just a choice that we make and that's totally fine. So, if you have more sizes, technically, you have more sales options. You know if there's a client who's really picky or maybe they have a space in their house that they're looking to fill. Maybe you have a size because you have lots of sizes that will fit in that space in their house, but in general, people like to be pushed into their decisions. Maybe you guys have experienced this. Maybe you're one of those people. Maybe you have friends like that, but I know, I have a lot of very indecisive friends and the more choices you give them, the more they shut down. So, that's been my experience. I say you can't sizes and I what I mean by that, since I already told you, "Oh, you can change sizes if you want," within a single image, if you've already started selling from that image, from those sizes, then you can't change your sizes. So, it's very unprofessional if I were to sell this image that you see up on the screen here, if I were to sell that image, you know, maybe I start selling a 10 inch of that print, it would be really unprofessional for me to then, two years later, say, "I'm just gonna add in another size here. I'm just gonna add in this other size and just keep selling and making money off of that print." So, it's really good to just say, "Nope, I'm not changing my sizes." That's always good. I would also recommend that you consider the paper that you're using when you're choosing your sizes because paper is going to look different at different sizes. So, if I have a small 10 inch print it's very likely that I'm going to see a lot of the texture from that paper a lot more clearly on that small print versus a really big print that has the same texture running through it. So, just be really aware of exactly what the paper looks like at different sizes.
Class Materials
Ratings and Reviews
April S.
I tuned in for most of Brooke's lessons in this course and watched some of them more than once as they were rebroadcast. First I want to say that Brooke is a very good instructor. Her easy-going, friendly, down-to-earth, somewhat quirky manner cannot be mistaken for unprofessional. She is very prepared, she speaks well (not a bunch of hemming and hawing), she is thoughtful, she is thorough, she is very relatable and at ease, and she is definitely professional in her presentation. I really thought when I first tuned in that it would mostly be background noise while I was at work, sound to keep me company. Not because I didn't like Brooke but I really didn't think I was into fine art photography nor did I think I cared about the business side of things much. Not now anyhow. I was really wrong. Brooke sparked a deep interest in me to delve into fine art photography, to consider creating images for myself, from my imagination. In fact, I realized that this was something I'd been thinking about for a couple of years though I hadn't put a name to it (the idea of creating pre-conceived images based on my own creative goals). I gleaned many little treasures from her about image sizes, working with printers, different types of paper, selling, interacting with galleries, and so much more. I may not need all of what she taught right now because I'm definitely headed in another direction at the moment, but she planted ideas and information in my head that I know will be useful at some point. Things I may not have thought of on my own, but that seed is in my head now so when the time comes, I'll know. I'd really like to buy her course but at the moment, with the holidays right around the corner, it's not in my personal budget. I'm grateful to have caught the live and rebroadcast lessons though, and her course is on my list to own. I think it's a great reference to be consulted over and over again, not watched once and forgotten. Kudos Brooke for really putting together an excellent course.
Ron Landis
I'm retired now, but spent decades in the people and training business. Brooke is extraordinary! Even though this course is extremely well organized and she's left nothing unattended, she moves through it with friendly conversational manners and without a sense of it being stilted. It's as though we are all her friends, not students, as she shares her heart and passion with us. What a joy it is to listen to her. And what a clear, unambiguous command of her subject. Wow! She explains it with such ease using explanations and techniques that won't overwhelm artists just starting their portfolio or the Photoshop-squeamish among us; but despite its simplicity her resulting art is breathtaking and beyond original. I wish more of my professors at school were as engaging. This was by far my best buy at Creative Live yet.
Angel Ricci
When the title says comprehensive, it means comprehensive! I loved every part of this course. It's inspirational, motivating, and insightful towards creating art work. Even if you are not necessarily considering a fine art specialty, the concepts discussed in this course are applicable to many areas! I find this super useful as a videographer and photographer and look to apply all of these exercises and concepts for my personal and business work moving forward. It is lengthy, but you will not regret a single minute. Brooke Shaden is an amazing artist and educator. I recommend keeping up with her work, presentations, and any future courses that may come in the future.