Zazzle Blog

Martin, aka Zazzler editionha, answers some questions about his inspirations, and his time at Zazzle. Check out the interview below and don’t forget to check out his store editionha!

Zazzle: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Martin:I am a 50+, male, and happily married for more than 30 years. We have three great, grown up kids. After studies in forestry I was meant to work in the woods, but I became self-employed as a sales rep and trader of raw materials for paper industry in Germany.

About 12 years ago I decided to get serious with my interest in art and took a number of workshops and a long distance training class in drawing and painting. In 2006, I started to exhibit and sell my hand printed monotype work under the label of Edition Handdruck.

Zazzle: When and how did you first become interested in art?

Martin: As for most people the roots go back to childhood. I recall the little Santa Claus that my dear Dad drew on Christmas evening on the chalk boards we got as little children. Also, there were these wonderful illustrated books that inspired me. Before I went to school, I remember that I tried to draw my plastic toy horses, and I still can do the silhouette of my favorite one today.

Zazzle: What’s your inspiration for your designs?

Martin: Landscapes, rural and urban, are an important source for my prints and drawings. As often as possible I go out to draw and sketch from life – my favorite subjects are trees. I need this activity to keep body and soul in balance.

A second important source of inspiration, are my favorite book stores. I always get inspiration and ideas by looking at new art and graphic design books. I like comics, graphic novels and illustrated books too. You can easily imagine that I have a bit of a collection of art books and exhibition catalogues. These sources together, along with some art and illustration blogs I read, certainly influence the cartoon part of my work.

Zazzle: What’s your favorite medium to work in?

Martin: Pen and ink, oil colors and gouache (opaque media) are my favorite materials.  At present, all of my work is on paper either in sketchbooks or on sheets.

Zazzle: Any artists you look up to when it comes to designing?

Martin: I could write a kilometer list of names here. I admire many of the inventive young illustrators and graphic designers you can find on the net nowadays, like Dominique Goblet, Pietari Posti or David Foldvari.

As a bookworm, I need to mention Celestino Piatti here too! I have a special fancy for Giovanni Piranesi and Albrecht Dürer. Maurice de Bévère, better known as Morris, who gave us Lucky Luke is one of my heroes too, just as Pierre Alechinsky.

Zazzle: What’s your favorite Zazzle feature? How do you use it?

Martin: I enjoy the possibility to combine images in one product design. In many of my products, for example in t-shirt designs, I have 3-4 images, sometimes even more graphic elements, in a kind of montage that customers can re-arrange as they like by customizing the product. This Zazzle feature inspired me to “invent” the Modular Comic T-shirt (MCT), which contains a set of graphics that can be put together to individual versions by the customer. Also, this feature made me play with combinations of my designs, which has become an important and always surprising source for new design ideas. At present, I am exploring combinations or layers of background images with hand drawn patterns. There is so much potential in this feature, and I really want to take that to new level in future.

Zazzle: What got you interested in selling your art on Zazzle?

Martin: Organizing shows and exhibitions with original art work in brick and mortar galleries has become very difficult and costly where I live.  Zazzle is the ideal platform to present my work to a global public 24 hours a day. The many different products on Zazzle multiply the chances to sell my work to an interested audience. Selling with Zazzle offers freedom and chances which go far beyond what the “traditional” art market allows. On Zazzle there are no gatekeepers, nothing can hold back the artist.

Zazzle: What tips can you give someone who is just starting out on Zazzle?

Martin: Do not get nervous when there are no sales in the beginning. It might take 4-6 months and 200-300 products in your store until something happens. Keep your images and products well organized. Spend time and thought on your product titles, descriptions and keywords.

People will buy only when they find your work, so a lot of external marketing is necessary with blogging, websites, and social media. Keep an eye on the Zazzle forums and be nice to your colleagues, they will be helpful.

According to my experience, customers are looking for something individual, personal and unique. They want to see this in reflected in the work. So the best and fun thing to do is to let your creativity run wild.

Thanks Martin!

This entry was posted on February 3, 2011 at 12:47 pm and is filed under General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.