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How one DIY-er got her feet wet.

Friday Sep 23, 2005.     By Heather Blaha

Arts + Words Feed

While many artists have been showing at craft fairs for years, building up websites and even partnering with local businesses or other crafters to help sell their work, newcomers often wonder about the humble beginnings of those crafting pros. In an effort to motivate some up-and-coming Renegade hopefuls, I met with local artist Amy Berman as she embarks on her first Renegade show.

The annual Renegade Craft Fair, now it its third year, is about to prove once again that DIYers abound in Chicago. Berman, like many longtime artists-turned-entrepreneurs, began searching this year for a place where her designs belonged. Originally a painter, Berman realized that a more independent and casual market would be a better fit for her work than that of the fine art world.

Her early canvases blended geometric shapes, symmetric line formations and vibrant color experimentation, which she later transferred onto decorative furniture. Many dollars and countless hours later came the a-ha moment: Her skills in composition, line and color could be translated into the smaller scale of a more "needed" commodity: calligraphy, wedding invitations, announcements and holiday cards.

Her Art Nouveau- and Art Deco-influenced designs began multiplying, but just as her paintings and furniture before, the invitations and cards were mainly created for or seen by family and friends. One big, loving nudge from her mother led Berman to a small art and craft fair earlier this year, where she survived a private crash course in How to Run an Independent Art Business 101.

Getting ready for her first fair, Berman frantically created, ordered, spent, organized and presented her work while avoiding any significant loopholes along the way. To her surprise, though, she didn't feel in-synch with the rest of the fair vendors or their work. After two days of selling once again to mostly friends and family, Berman spent some time chatting with more experienced vendors. One woman encouraged her to check out Renegade Craft Fair, established for those crafters who don't quite belong in traditional craft fairs or fit the mold of the fine art circuit.

After packing up and barely breaking even at her first show, Berman checked out the Renegade website. Once confident that this could be the place for her style and independent spirit, Berman gathered up some of her favorite card samples and shipped them off with her application (along with a $100 fee) to the official Renegade ladies, Sue Blatt and Kathleen Habbley.

Upon hearing of her acceptance (300 crafters applied for only 125 spots), Berman began the laundry list of decisions to be made and supplies to be purchased. While she had leftover stock from the previous show, she was eager to make new designs and come up with different presentation strategies. Berman also considered her new and younger audience and decided that, in addition to the cards, she would create wooden frames for her drawings.

Berman blends her designs using colored pencil techniques then scans them into Photoshop for clean-up and reproduction. She then takes the files to a trustworthy printer to ensure the best color quality possible. Perhaps one of the trickiest and most avoided moments on her path to Renegade is finalizing a price list for the hand-drawn (not computer generated) works, a determining factor for the price of each piece. Although Berman has sifted through the going rates she sees at card shops, she must also consider the costs of materials, printing and labor, as well as any potential profit.

She also does a lot of shopping: clear plastic bags for packaging individual cards, bags for purchased items, display materials like small end tables, tablecloths, flowers and vases for decoration, price tag stickers, money box, pens, paper, calculator and business cards. Not yet knowing many other crafters to talk to, Berman scours the web for display examples from previous fairs. As with most things creative, though, Berman says she mainly uses her intuition.

As a final note to first-timers: Be sure to tap into the resources surrounding you every day. Berman has found that one of the best ways to cut costs is by relying on her amazing network of friends and family (her original audience): Josh is a skilled woodworker, while Roni is an enthusiastic and fierce promoter. Niki and Chris give moral support along with stellar packing and sealing skills, while Harry is the Photoshop Pro. And Berman's creative mother and designer sister offer advice during late-night phone calls, a much needed soundboard for a Renegade-bound woman.

Look for Amy Berman's booth of unique stationery, invitations and framed drawings at Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park, 1425 N. Damen; Sept. 24-25 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. You can contact Amy at abb_info@hotmail.com or pick up a custom-designed notepad (her alternative to a business card) at her booth. Read more on Renegade at Renegadecraft.com.