Art Licensing Deconstructed

My entry into the mixed media world was through the licensing world.  I thought I would take you through my latest licensing project, which was designing this platter for for My Kosher Gift Collection.

The process started when I was contacted by my client about creating a platter for cookies.  The platter would be shown on the same page as other products, and so the color scheme had to work with what was already on the page. 

The client wanted traditional Purim cookies, as well as other cookies, to be shown on the platter. So my first step was painting a bunch of different cookies.

Once we had the size platter we wanted, I laid the cookies out in Photoshop.  Then, we went back and forth, adjusting the arrangement of the cookies, and revising the border.  (This is why I paint "spots" of art - so they are easy to move around on the computer.)  Initially, the client wanted the cookies to look tossed upon the plate, but as we worked together, we decided that arranging them in columns looked more contemporary and interesting.  The platter went through 8 revisions until we reached a final design.

Once we reached a final design, I prepared the artwork for the factory in China that will be manufacturing the platter.  This required creating different files for the artwork that will be handpainted (the sprinkles on the lip of the plate and the bottom hamantaschen (triangular cookie on the left), and decaled.  The different files look like this:

To make sure the factory is using the same colors that I have in mind, and so as not to depend on computers, I "call out" the colors using a Pantone fan deck.  The embossing artwork is the artwork that will be raised and hand painted.  The decal artwork is like a photograph of my original artwork, which will be imprinted onto the ceramic platter.

Sometimes it's a long process; you have to be patient with the back and forth as it is really a collaboration between me, as the artist, and my client, who knows her clientele better than I do.  Once the factory makes a sample, I comment on colors, and make any adjustments required.  Because Purim is in March, the process for this platter took place all in one week!

 Hope you enjoyed this peak into my licensing work.

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