TAG | kat wisniewski
21
Ask an Artist: What is it like to be a B3 Designer?
2 Comments · Posted by Jenna in "Ask an Artist" Series
We introduced our new “By Artists for Artists” at The Bead&Button Show this past year and have since received a number of applications from interested artists. As we get closer to being able to fully launch the program and begin working with these artists, we want to share the experiences of one of our established B3 Designers, Kat Wisniewski, regarding creating products for Blue Buddha.
============================================================================
When did you start designing for B3? 2008. Glass Caterpillar Bracelet
In your opinion, what makes B3 tutorials distinctly “B3”? The fact that there is a photo for each and every step, which showcases how to hold the weave, where the pliers are and the path the ring should go through.
What is the hardest thing about writing instructions? The text must very accurately describe what is going on in each photo. The photo editing can take a lot of time and adding in arrows that make sense is tricky for sure.
How do you come up with new projects? I spend hours thinking about and testing what weaves I know, seeing how I can alter them to make them very different. Other times I try a brand new weave that already exists and then see how I can alter it to be very different. Many times think about shapes and figures that I enjoy and see how I can adapt those shapes into jewelry designs.
What have you learned from being a B3 designer? To set myself apart from other designers, I decided to specialize in chainmaille with glass rings. I’ve learned tons about photoshop editing, photographing jewelry, and writing clear and concise text.
Do you sell the projects/instructions you created for B3 on your own? Yes, after the exclusivity period, I have sold the instructions on my own through my shop on Etsy. I sell anywhere from 2-5 per week and notice that there is a great demand for quality chainmaille and wirework tutorials. I have international customers and domestic customers that have made multiple tutorial purchases from me.
What do you feel it means to be a B3 ambassador? I feel good about supporting a local craft business that employs other artists and works hard to help customers learn the craft. I am thankful for the support they have given me to be a designing artist for the company. Being an ambassador means that I showcase my support for the company to my students and customers in a variety of ways including using them as my primary supplier, being a knowledgeable expert while using reference tools from B3, and producing high-quality and inspiring products for the company.
What characteristics do you think make for a successful B3 designer?
1. You have to be a truly knowledgeable expert, which means it is not just what you know about chainmaille, but that you make a very strong effort to know everything there is to possibly know about chainmaille. If the advice and technique you share is limited to what is only your experience, you credibility will certainly be challenged and possibly lost when other experts find your errors and lack of expertise.
============================================================================
If you’re interested in becoming a B3 Designer, learn more about the program and how to apply here. To find out more about Kat’s experience, post your questions in the comments section below, write the on our wall on Facebook or Tweet them to us.
Ask an Artist · b3 designer · by artists for artists · glass caterpillar · kat wisniewski
18
Two great chainmaille projects by B3 Ambassadors in the new Wirework Magazine!
2 Comments · Posted by Jenna in Media Mentions, Other Artists, Wearable Chainmaille
The newest issue of Wirework Magazine hits newsstands this week and we are thrilled to announce that it contains not one, but TWO great chainmaille projects by B3 Ambassadors! Pick up your issue and try your hand at Kat Wisniewski’s Celtic Diamond Pendant or Vanessa Walilko’s Art Deco Necklace (…or why choose? Make both!) We will not be selling kits for these projects as of yet but we will of course be selling everything you need to complete them including 20mm Crystal Rings and Crystal Triangles. Check out our magazine projects page for your shopping list for these projects and more (we’re working on doing some major catching-up/updating to this page in the coming weeks so check back often for even more project supply lists.)
ORDER YOUR COPY OF WIREWORK FALL 2011
===========================================================================================
Celtic Diamond Pendant
by Kat Wisniewski
Customize this project a million different ways with our top-quality jump rings and shiny glass rings. Note: the sizes in the magazine are incorrect! We’ve tested this piece heavily in our ring sizes listed on on the magazine supply page, and it works perfectly.
===========================================================================================
Art De
co Necklace
by Vanessa Walilko
We’re selling these dazzling large crystal rings and crystal triangles, especially for this beautiful project. Make it impossibly light with our bright aluminum rings, or pair these glittering crystals with our impeccable sterling silver rings for a real show-stopper.
See a project in a book or magazine that we haven’t made a supply list for? Send us an email at community@bluebuddhaboutique.com! Our interns LOVE testing new projects and can help take the guesswork out of your next project.
B3 Ambassadors · chainmaille projects · Fall 2011 · kat wisniewski · vanessa walilko · Wirework Magazine
18
Learn from the experts: how to price your crafts!
6 Comments · Posted by Jenna in "Ask an Artist" Series, B3 General News, Business, Other Artists
Calling all Chicago crafters! Interested in knowing how veteran crafters price their goods? This Wednesday, April 20th come on out to the Chicago Craft Mafia’s Spring Craft Racket and hear from the experts. Step out for an evening of socializing, talking shop, and sharing a snack or two with fellow crafters at Beans & Bagels on Montrose. Make sure to bring one of the products you make/sell, as well as the story behind why you created it. The Mafia will lead an informative exercise to help you see how the value of your work might be seen in the marketplace, and what you can do to ensure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. A few years ago, the Mafia conducted a similar pricing exercise, which Rebeca wrote about in the student newsletter.
CCM CRAFT RACKET – Spring, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 6-9 pm
Beans & Bagels
1812 W. Montrose
Chicago IL
Cost: FREE!
Please RSVP by emailing chicagocraftmafia@gmail.com
========================================================
For those of your that can’t make it to the Craft Racket because you, oh say, don’t live in Chicago *wink*…here’s some information on this subject from Rebeca, B3 Ambassador Kat Wisniewksi, and recent “Ask an Artist” contributor, Melissa Banks. Feel free to post additional questions on this subject in the comments section of this post or ask us on our page on facebook.
========================================================
Rebeca’s advice on pricing your crafts from Blue Buddha’s FAQ section:
http://www.bluebuddhaboutique.com/faq/58_Crafters.php
========================================================
Kat’s advice on how to price your jewelry
(excerpt from “Ask an Artist: How can I get started selling my chainmaille jewelry?” – for even more advice, read the full article here.)
Pricing is so important to my business because it is the perceived value of my work that indicates how exceptional it really is! I calculate the wholesale price in such a way that I still make a livable profit on each item, even if it’s sold wholesale and not at the higher retail price. The math is relatively simple:
True materials cost + The hourly wage I want to earn + Small % of overhead costs + What will get reinvested in business** (MULTIPLY this total by 2 to get your retail price.)
(**this includes money to buy more materials, packaging, office expenses. If you are a new or a relatively new business then anywhere from 15% to 20% of each item you sell at wholesale rates should be reinvested. If you are a more stable business with more of a steady flow of income than this amount should be higher & could be up to 40%.)
========================================================
Melissa’s advice on this subject
(“deleted scene” from Melissa’s “Ask an Artist” article – read the original article here)
Always have a formula for pricing your work. Always. Then you will be sure you are paid for your time. With chainmaille, it’s all about labor! And don’t short-change yourself! I started out WAY underpricing my work, even though I did have a formula (this was engrained in school). Then when I realized I needed to increase my prices as my time became more valuable, and even though I am confident in doing so, I always worry about customer response. Best to set your prices correctly to begin with.
This is the simplified version of what I do:
Labor x hourly rate + materials = Wholesale price
Wholesale price x 2.2 = Retail
This is what I’ve read you’re SUPPOSED to do:
Labor x hourly rate + materials + overhead + PROFIT = Wholesale price
So…..when I design a piece, I will make a second one and time it from start to finish, at a normal pace. That’s my labor. Now set your hourly rate. (Using my formula, you have to include overhead and profit into your hourly). I started out giving myself an hourly rate of I think $20? Sounded good to me at the time, but wow – you can’t live on that as an artist! Remember, you’re not getting paid for a 40 hour work week, guaranteed. You might work 80 hours a week but only sell/make money for 20 of those hours, AND you have to run a business (overhead) AND pay yourself a wage. Forget it. So the hourly I give myself is now much higher, but after overhead and how many hours I put in, it’s not nearly my actual wage – who pays me to do paperwork? Oh right – nobody. So you have to try and keep everything in perspective when you consider your formula, and don’t skimp or your overhead and/or lack of profit could be your downfall.
Then….there are some pieces where “perceived value” comes into play, and that’s something you will learn over time. I may make a necklace with a very simple design that I can make very quickly, but am I going to really sell it for $20 according to my formula? No way. I’ll sell it for $60 because that’s what people expect to pay (perceived value), and I still sell a ton of them. That’s just a bonus profit margin, and might make up for other extra costs/expenses. Hint: If people are constantly telling you your prices are too low, then your prices are too low!
* On a side note, I like to mark up 2.2 for retail because many stores don’t like to just double the wholesale price to get their retail price, they mark it up a bit more. This helps keep all pricing consistent as possible, so a customer that sees my work at an art fair, on my website, and at a store will see pretty much the same price! Easy, no confusion, and you want to avoid hearing, ”why is it (this price) here, and (that price) at the other place?” And FYI, the term for doubling a wholesale price to get retail – straight x2 markup – is called “keystoning,” something I didn’t learn for quite a while and would be a good word to keep in your business lexicon.
Also, I cannot stress enough the importance of having both a wholesale and a retail price that will make you a profit! You cannot formulate your prices at retail first and disregard the need or possibility to sell to a brick and mortar store at wholesale, you are working backwards. In fact, that hurts other artists! When I see people selling crafts for $12 it kills me because it brings the selling margin down (#1) and it also becomes very confusing for everybody, most importantly for customers, if they see your work for double the price at a store because the store has to mark it up (#2). So your wholesale and retail price cannot be the same – I see it happen – stop doing it, people! ;)
A good thought to end with would be this: It would be much easier to maybe come down on your prices a bit if your pieces don’t seem to be selling well (not that I’m promoting overpricing your work), than to keep raising them if you find out you are underpricing your work. Best to start with a formula that makes sense that you can stand behind and feel good about – so be confident in the value of your work, and just as important – your time! You’ll find you are going to put in much more time that you realize once the business moves ahead, and bottom line is you have to be compensated for it. Good luck!
chicago craft events · Chicago Craft Mafia · craft advice · kat wisniewski · melissa banks · pricing crafts · Rebeca Mojica
Depending on your locale, the world outside may not exactly be full of colorful life but with spring right around the corner, we’re inspired by the knowledge it soon will be! This spring’s color palette is inspired by blossoming flowers, swimming pools, and gentle skies. These luminescent colors are best found in our enameled copper, anodized niobium, and glass rings.
As you’re planning your next project, consider using one of these suggested combinations or print out the palette and play around with mixing and matching your own.
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
Consider trying out this palette with one of our new artist-designed kits that use these rings to create weaves that are reminiscent of spring flowers.
Coiled Bracelet by Rebeca Mojica
This delightful bracelet uses Rebeca’s signature technique of “coiling,” which mimics the look of coiled wire by stringing tiny jump rings onto larger rings. A simple technique, but the possibilities are endless!
Features Anodized Niobium
Akimbo Bracelet by Kat Wisniewski
A little off-kilter, staggered and definitely akimbo. This intermediate level pattern feels like a warm sunrise with rays of complimenting color.
Features Enameled Copper & Glass Rings
=============================================================================
March is National Craft Month! What better time feel the creative spark and tackle that project you’ve been dreaming of?
chainmaille kits · color · color forecast · color palette · colored jump rings · inspiration · jewelry kits · jump rings · kat wisniewski · Rebeca Mojica · spring 2011 colors
Even though many folks around us here in Chicago are in full, post-holiday hibernation mode, we’re not letting the weather scare us away from venturing out to get our weave on with you folks. Check out what we’ve been up to the past couple weeks!
At the end of January, B3′s Kat Wisniewski had the great pleasure of teaching a workshop at the Chicago Craft Social. This event, which features crafts of all kinds, happens a couple times a year here in Chicago and the event on January 22nd was, in Kat’s words, “insanely busy for us.” Insanely busy also means hugely successful as people clamored to make the Japanese Cross Earrings from CHAINED for the entire 3 hours of the event.
Kat actually said some people waited for almost 2 hours just to be able to sit at her little 5 foot table (a tight fit for the 6 crafters we were able to squeeze around it at a time!) While Kat was rightfully exhausted at the end of the event, she was thrilled that everyone was so excited about the project and that she was able to introduce B3′s unique take on the art of chainmaille to so many folks. (More pictures to come from this event – stay tuned!)
=====================================================================================
On the same day in another part of the state, Rebeca had a super-successful book-signing at A Beadtiful Thing in Aurora, IL. Lot’s of folks came out to have their book signed by Rebeca (seen right with ABT store owner, Karen), enjoy refreshments, and shop for CHAINED kits. 
Preceding the signing, Rebeca piloted a new advanced project tutorial for her Beaded Fire Wyrm design (shown left). Students (shown below) were challenged by the project but left with smiles on their faces as they learned to create this beautiful weave. Rebeca will use her experience teaching the project to perfect the tutorial which will be released by B3 in the coming months.
=====================================================================================
Not long after this very busy B3 day, Rebeca was boarding a plane to LA to attend the Craft & Hobby Association’s Winter Conference and Trade Show where B3 was honored as an Innovative Retailer. Rebeca spent a couple days checking out the conference and trade show and even ran into some folks from home. Lindsay Obermeyer, a fellow Chicago Craft Mafia member, had booth in the artist’s Licensing and Design section and B3 designer & teacher and founder of Kali Butterfly, Vanessa Walilko was there as the winner of the CHA Fashion Fever contest this summer.
B3 was considered along with 4 other retailers for the top honor of 2011′s Most Innovative Retailer at last night’s Moonlight Mixer event and while we didn’t win, Rebeca still had a great time rubbing elbows with some “celebs” at the event *grin*.
Now Rebeca is off to Arizona to teach a few classes and have another book-signing before she heads back here to snowy Chicago. How did she manage to plan to be somewhere sunny while we’re bracing for what could be the worst blizzard in Chicago’s history? Let’s just chalk it up to chainmailler’s intuition.
Want to take Rebeca’s classes in Arizona? Registration is still open. Sign up today!
arizona · CHA innovative retailer · chainmaille classes · chicago craft social · kat wisniewski · vanessa walilko
