How Art Licensing Works

To practice what I speak so to say, my goal is education and transparency in everything regarding this business. Hopefully, this will provide some helpful information in what it’s like to become an art licensor. Art licensing is when an artist (“Licensor”) gives someone (“Licensee”, in this case Pushroom Art) permission to use their artwork, usually for a specific purpose, time, or type of product, without giving up ownership of the art.

At Pushroom Art, this means an artist allows us to use their work on things like stickers, prints, notebooks, or apparel. The artist still owns the artwork, but we get the right to reproduce and sell it for a limited time.

In return, the artist earns royalties (a percentage of the profits) from each item sold that features their art. Here is the template contract we use.

What’s necessary to license artwork?

1. Original Artwork

You must own the rights to the art you want to license. That means:

• You created it yourself (not AI-generated or copied from others)

• It doesn’t include copyrighted material you don’t have permission to use

  • I use https://www.fontsquirrel.com/ for royalty free fonts

• It’s not under a contract with someone else (like an exclusive deal)

2. A Clear Agreement

You’ll need a written agreement (like the one used by Pushroom Art) that includes:

• What rights you’re granting (e.g. to reproduce, sell, modify)

• How long the license lasts

• What types of products it can be used on

• How and when you’ll be paid (e.g. royalties)

3. Payment Info

You’ll need a way to receive payments, such as:

• A Venmo account

• Your legal name and mailing address for records. We do require this as part of our agreement
  but will not use it for any other purposes.

• If you expect to earn $600+ per year from one company, you will need to fill out a W-9 form

  • We have this handy guide to explain W-9 forms and when they apply

  • We do ask for everyone to fill out this form as part of the licensing agreement

4. Digital Files of Your Art

To license your art, you usually need to provide:

• High-resolution files (PNG, PSD, or vector formats are common)

• Files with transparent backgrounds if they’ll be used on different product types

• Optional: title, description. If you don’t have these, we can work together (or I can do it alone) to determine this.

5. Professional Communication

A basic level of professionalism helps. We understand that disabilities can flare suddenly and cruelly. Please be mindful when you can to at least send a quick message notifying if you are unwell and unavailable for further communication. When feeling up to it, we expect you to:

• Respond to emails or forms clearly and timely

• Understand and agree to the licensing terms

• Ask questions if you’re unsure!