Pixel perfect: product photography workshop

Local photographer Adrian Flower will show you how to get people hooked with your images

No matter how beautiful the items you make, if your website photos are poorly lit, too far away or not in focus, you’re not going to sell much online. If people can’t handle your pieces before buying, you need great photos to entice them to buy.

And if you (or we) want to publicise your goods to magazines, newspapers and other websites, they will want excellent images. This photography forum will focus on how to take great product shots without fancy gear such as studio lights and flashy cameras.

Local photographer Adrian Flower will:

  • demonstrate how you can achieve great images with a compact camera and basic equipment, whether you’re shooting food, jewellery, clothes or artwork.
  • show you how to use reflected light, the importance of the background, and how to take close-up details
  • cover the basics of editing your photos with free software that’s widely available.

If you want to go further and take some shots of your own products in Adrian’s studio, you’ll also have the chance to sign up for some hands-on workshops in smaller groups, at a special Makerhood discount.

The workshop will take place on Saturday 25 February, 10am – midday, and costs £15. There are 20 places available – for more information and to book your ticket, go to EventBrite.

Making a business out of making: video highlights

At the end of last year we held the first Local Makers Forum, entitled “Making a business out of making” for artists, crafters, designers and food makers. It was a chance to talk about challenges and opportunities, and hear from a great panel with a lot of experience. We covered a broad range of issues, from product decisions, to marketing and sales, social and physical networking and legal considerations.

So at we all start 2012 with new ideas and energy, we wanted to share the highlights with you.  The videos were taken by chance as one of our lovely attendees had a camera along, and will hopefully be a useful resource for those who could not come, and a refresher for those who did.

Introduction by Alison Branagan, consultant for creative industries: Do’s and Don’ts when starting a business, including networking, marketing, cost and income streams, and practicalities such as law and accounting.

Mo Bacchus, a high-end handbag designer: tips on pursuing a making or design business – high and low points, and what to focus on.

Sinead Koehler, jeweller and founder of  The Crafty Fox Pop Up Market: how to get selected for popular markets, plus advice on marketing, presentation and product mix.

Anne Fairbrother, founder of the Brixton CornerCopia: how local food makers can compete – ideas for success from Anne’s experience of running a local food shop and restaurant.

Tim Sutton, portrait painter and founder of the Urban Art Fair & Lambeth Open, reflects on art and trade fairs: how to find the right ones and get the best out of participation

Big thank you to our panelists for sharing their knowledge and experience so generously!

New makers

Let’s bound into the new year with an introduction to some of the newest makers on Makerhood. We now have more than 60 stalls, so make it your resolution in 2012 to buy local and support the local economy and creativity. Happy new year to you all!

Beards and Bicycles celebrates the combination of practicality, beauty and enjoyment found in…bicycles!
http://brixton.makerhood.com/beards-and-bicycles

Oishii~ital vegan delights is run by Yokunaru, who makes vegan, organic, fair trade food free of wheat, gluten and additives.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/oishiiital-vegan-delights

Imogen Paton is a Camberwell-based portrait artist who also makes necklaces, cushions, throws and baby mats.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/imogen-paton-artworks

Silka of Rubiccubestudio uses recycled materials in her pieces, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and jewellery.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/rubiccubestudio

Local Eyes is a photographer selling limited edition photos of “the less obvious and more interesting things around us”. See if you recognise any of the local scenes.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/local-eyes

 

Meet the makers: Chloe Morais

Chloe of Cheeky Suds makes bath and body treats, like soap in the shape of cupcakes, fried eggs and ice lollies, that could leave you foaming at the mouth!

1. You have a fascinating product range! What made you think of making soap shaped like doughnuts or coffee beans?
I buy most of my fragrance oils online, and you can get an amazing range these days – like birthday cake and banoffi pie! I made some soap for my brother that smells of freshly mown grass because he loves the smell. Chocolate is another favourite!

2. Do you have special facilities for making your products?
No – I use saucepans, a microwave and double boilers! It’s a challenge, as I don’t have space in my one-bedroom flat to hoard stuff, so most items I make to order.

3. What about safety and testing?
I have a cosmetics safety assessor who gives me lists of what ingredients I can use and in what combinations. If I stick to those I don’t need to test my products, but if I use other combinations I have to have them tested. I also have insurance just in case! I suffered from eczema when I was younger, so none of my products contain sodium lauryl sulphate, which is a mild irritant. I use everything I make myself, so I know they’re good for sensitive skin.

4. Do you have a background in chemistry?
No – my career has been in criminal justice, first as a prison officer, then in the probation service and youth justice! But then my contract ended, the public sector cuts came in and I thought I should do something else. I’ve always loved cosmetics, and I get bored easily, so this is ideal for me – I can experiment with different fragrances and ideas.

5. So you don’t get bored living in Brixton?
I’m originally from Manchester – I moved to London 14 years ago. In that time I’ve moved house 10 times – but I’ve lived in Brixton for the past eight years. Considering I get bored easily, there must be something about it that keeps me here! London is more multicultural and has a huge variety of restaurants. Whenever my brother comes to visit we try to go a different nationality restaurant.

6. Can you recommend some of the places you’ve tried?
The Gold Coast in South Norwood does good Ghanaian food and service. Bar Estrela, the Portuguese café on South Lambeth Road, does great mussels and paella. And I also like Asmara, the Eritrean restaurant on Coldharbour Lane. I love food. When I set up my own business I did think about baking rather than making cosmetics. And even now, when I see people selling food I feel a bit jealous!

7. And why did you join Makerhood?
My neighbour told me about it and asked whether I had any stuff on the site. I think it’s great for people to be aware that I’m in the local area, even if I don’t get many sales. And it’s good for finding out information – I was gutted when I was too late to get tickets for the local makers’ forum.

You can order Chloe’s gorgeous bath and cosmetic treats at http://brixton.makerhood.com/cheeky-suds

Online shopping can help revitalise the high street

Mary Portas’s review of the future of our high streets highlights that online shopping has contributed to the demise of town centres.

But the work we have done with Makerhood shows that online sites can also help revitalise interest in buying locally.

Makerhood market stall
Photo by Andy Broomfield

Launched in July 2011, brixton.makerhood.com helps shoppers in Brixton and nearby areas of south London find local makers and producers.

Our website currently lists more than 540 items from local makers, ranging from biscuits and greetings cards to T-shirts, prints and bedside cabinets. Prices start at 80p for a Brixton postcard and go up to £1,400 for a piece of wall art.

But Makerhood is about more than selling online. We worked with the Brixton Market Traders Federation (BMTF) to help set up the monthly Brixton Makers’ Market on the second Saturday of every month. The success of this has encouraged the BMTF to launch themed markets on other Saturdays.

And Makerhood has collaborated with other venues in Brixton too, including:

  • an exhibition of Makerhood artists at the Lounge
  • a sell-out local makers’ forum at the Living Bar, offering business advice from experts in markets and small design businesses to help their makers establish sustainable business practices
  • pop-up stalls in Brixton Village in the run-up to Christmas.
Makerhood makers forum
Photo by Andy Broomfield

These events all contribute to the revitalisation of Brixton town centre and its reputation as a creative hub of south London.

Kristina Glushkova of Makerhood says: “Small creative businesses often can’t afford a high-street shop, especially when they’re just starting up. As well as offering them an opportunity to sell online, we’ve helped set up the monthly Makers’ Market and pop-up stalls in Brixton Village.

Photo by Andy Broomfield

“There’s a real creative buzz around Brixton at the moment and we’re proud that we’ve done our bit to help put it on the map.”

Creative collaboration in Brixton

Photo by Owen Llewellyn

Makerhood member Eight B Design has collaborated with another Brixton business, Giant Sparrows, to produce a novel range of mobile phone cases featuring street art by international artists, including Banksy.  The designs were once found in the Waterloo area but have now been painted over by other artists, reflecting the temporary nature of street art.

Chris Patton, who runs Eight B Design, says, “Each piece of street art tells someone’s story and we may never find out more about them.  I found that thought very moving, and by photographing this artwork and turning it into designs for everyday objects such as mobile phones, it is valued and preserved.”

Chris was already using his photographs to create original greetings cards, gift tags and notebooks, which he sells through Makerhood and at local markets.  He met Christa Demetriou from Giant Sparrows at his stall at Brixton Makers’ Market one Saturday morning.

Giant Sparrows is a new Brixton-based company that allows people to personalise their mobile phone case with their own images or inspiring art and design from a growing roster of artists.

Christa says, “We’d been looking for great images of street art since we launched in September, so I was really excited to come across Chris’s designs right on our doorstep. We have an eclectic mix of artworks from Van Gogh and Hokusai to contemporary artists and film makers, so Chris’s work fits right in with our motto Find Art, Make Art, Share Art.

“The cases are made of high-quality, shatterproof polycarbonate with the image embedded deep into the cover so it won’t scratch, fade or peel off. This means that, as well as having ‘a little art history in your pocket’, your phone is well protected.”

We’re delighted that by working with Brixton Market Traders Federation and Brixton Village, Makerhood is helping to create opportunities for local artists, designers and manufacturers to get together, share ideas and create new products. This latest venture is further evidence that Brixton is becoming the creative hub of south London.

New makers

With Christmas almost on us, there’s been a rush of new makers signing up on Makerhood. A big welcome to some of our newest members!

Flo’s Dinners offers home-made, home-delivered baby food, nutritionally balanced and made fresh to order.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/flos-dinners

Cheeky Suds is the place to go for handmade novelty bath and body treats, all suitable for sensitive skin.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/cheeky-suds

Andry’s Flower Essences are made from plants and flowers of Snowdonia and come in gorgeous handmade silk or cotton bags.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/andrys-flower-essences

DairyLeiah offers handcut cards made by Brixton artist Leiah Callard.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/dairyleiah

Bezemymailan‘s colourful, graphic jewellery is made from wood and resin by a French costume/textile designer.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/bezemymailan

Hairy Jayne is selling gift vouchers towards stylish, low-maintenance haircuts in a private, quirky studio in Brixton.
http://brixton.makerhood.com/hairy-jayne

Meet the makers: Bronwyn Wolfe

Why did Bron come to London from Australia? So she could go to Paris for the weekend! Bron tells us about her love of travel, Brixton – and selling cakes and biscuits on her Wolfe market stall.

1. Like many Australians, you like to travel. How did you end up in London?
I came over here in 1985 because I wanted to go to Paris for the weekend! In Australia you’re so isolated – it takes so long to get anywhere. So I loved the idea that I could live in London and be somewhere with different architecture and language in such a short hop. I bought a one-way ticket to London and stayed with a friend – we’d go to Paris, stay in a cheap hotel, and spend a shedload on earrings!

2. So would you rather live in France?
We used to have a house in south-west France, but we sold it a couple of months ago. And I haven’t been to Paris for years! But I love London. No matter what you’re interested in, you can find it here – you just need to look for it.

3. And have you always lived in this area around Brixton?
Yes – I find Brixton endlessly fascinating, endlessly changing and evolving. This Friday food market [on Station Road, where this interview took place] is just part of that. The shopping is amazing – like all those shops on Electric Avenue where you can buy 2kg bags of cinnamon!

4. So how do you find being a market trader?
I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I’m really enjoying it. Having a market stall seems to give you a licence to talk to anyone and everyone! It’s a really nice group of people here. But if you’d told me a year ago I’d be a stallholder at Brixton market I’d never have believed you!

5. Because your ambition is to open a café?
Yes – I gave up my job at a shipping company to do this. I really hated the job, and I thought the worst that could happen would be that the café would fail. I never thought it would never take off in the first place! I’ve had problems finding a site – most of the places never come onto the market, and those that do have a hefty premium. But I’m still looking!

6. Is that why you joined Makerhood instead?
I got the email about Makerhood and joined up, thinking it could be a small income, though I never thought I’d sell much directly, as it can be difficult to sell cakes online. But it was through Makerhood that I heard about this market and got this stall, and now I’m selling to a couple of café s, so hopefully it will build up. And Makerhood has been really good for meeting people and making good contacts. It’s nice to have a web of other local makers to interact with.

7. Apart from finding a suitable site, what’s the biggest challenge you face?
My biggest worry is making the right quantities of food to sell. Some of the stuff that’s left over goes to an old people’s home for their tea on Sundays, and my partner Giles takes some to work on Monday morning – he’s currently the most popular person in the office!

You can order Bron’s yummy savoury muffins, cakes and biscuits at http://brixton.makerhood.com/wolfe. She also has a stall at the weekly Friday food market and the monthly makers’ market (second Saturday of the month), both on Station Road, Brixton.

Successful local makers’ forum

We had an excellent turnout on Tuesday evening for our first local makers’ forum at the Living Bar.

Our expert panel (photo by Andy Broomfield)

Our expert panel – Alison Branagan, Mo Bacchus, Sinead Koehler, Anne Fairbrother and Tim Sutton – gave excellent advice on setting up and running your own creative business, covering everything from pricing and legal requirements to applying for craft fairs and dealing with rejection.

Afterwards, everyone had the chance to network, meet other makers and share ideas. Living Bar laid on some excellent food, and Love Cakes London kindly provided a very tasty Christmas cake.

Also thanks to Lambeth Council for providing the funding for this event. Judging by the feedback we’ve had, people found it very useful, so we’ll look at how we can organise more workshops in the future.

In the meantime, don’t forget our Christmas party this Sunday. Even if you’ve already got your own Christmas cards, you can make some for charity, join in some games, listen to some great music, or just have a drink and chat. We hope to see you there!

Meet the makers: Elena Blanco

Elena Blanco of Dreamy Me Brixton waxes lyrical about her love of drawing and tells us why Brixton reminds her of Barcelona

1. Can you tell us a bit about your Spanish background?
I’m originally from Santander, but I moved to Barcelona when I was young and grew up there. Because of the different languages and strong regionalism in Spain it was like moving to another country. So I’ve always felt a bit rootless – always a foreigner!

2. Is that why you ended up in London?
I came to London 11 years ago to be with my British boyfriend – we now have children! I love London for its open multiculturalness. In Brixton especially, people are open to new things, like the Brixton pound – but you can still see the old Brixton in some of the market stalls. I also love Windrush Square since it was rebuilt – it reminds me of Barcelona!

3. You say in your profile that you draw every day. What is it about drawing that appeals to you?
Drawing is how I understand and communicate things best. It’s an emotional relationship – drawing something somehow makes it mine. It’s a journey of exploration, not just a means of producing something. It’s the same for many artists. I make a point of not carrying a camera, but taking my sketchbook everywhere. I remember trying to draw a giraffe at the zoo while everyone else around me was taking photos!

4. What do you like drawing best?
I like drawing everyday objects, trying to see them in a different way. I also love drawing people, but it can be embarrassing to do it in public! I think I would like to organise a drawing class or club for Makerhood, where we can sit and draw things without embarrassment. Many people say they can’t draw – I would love to help them get over that.

5. So what drew you to illustrating children’s books?
I read books to my kids when they were little, and it took me back to my childhood, so I started to draw. I took a short course on children’s illustrations at City Lit, which gave me lots of ideas. I love the freedom of illustrating kids’ books – you can put in whatever you want! And now I have three picture book projects that I am thinking of publishing as artist’s books, similar to my concertina artist’s colouring books. I’m also working on an ebook of The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, which could be quite interactive – you touch a flower on the screen and it opens up.

6. How did you get involved with Makerhood?
I heard about Makerhood through Locally Sourced, had a look at the website and went to one of the initial meetings. I was excited by the idea of selling, but the main attraction for me is the community – meeting people, attending workshops, learning about different events, setting up a drawing club! It’s a great, great idea, and I’ve met some interesting and very different people.

7. Finally, what’s your favourite place or experience around here?
I love Brockwell Park – the hill, the café, the walled garden. It inspires me a lot, as you can see from some of my illustrations!

You can see Elena’s illustrations of Brockwell Park and other subjects, as well as her popular colouring books, at http://brixton.makerhood.com/dreamy-me-brixton