Art licensing is a contractual agreement by a manufacturer (the Licensee) to use artwork on a product in exchange for compensation. The artist does not give away their rights to the artwork. Essentially the artwork is "rented" for a specific product for a specific period of time.
The artwork could be used on wallpaper, china, placemats, tapestries, calendars, greeting cards, rugs, paper products or whatever lends itself to artwork and makes the item more attractive and marketable. Often manufacturers do not have their own art department to design the artwork. Sometimes they do have an art department but like to license artwork because of the perceived added value of licensed art or the desire to acquire a particular look or style that their department cannot bring to the table.
Compensation to the Artist is usually on a royalty basis,meaning the Artist receives a percentage of the manufacturer's sales from products containing her/his artwork. |
