Learn how one reader started a thriving business in making and selling concrete sculptures. Information includes a concrete recipe, what kinds of concrete molds to buy and advice for selling the product.

The Myth of the Starving Artist

I've never suffered from a lack of creative ideas. In fact, you might say that I've got plenty of notions. Unfortunately, my brainstorms don't often pay off. I knew my luck had changed, though, when I encountered a classified ad that began "Turn Concrete Into Gold. I read on, and discovered that the ad concerned materials and instructions to be used in making concrete lawn ornaments. At the time, I knew little about concrete other than that it was heavy and made fine patios and driveways.

But I had noticed that it was composed of sand, gravel, cement and water.

Water was as close as the backyard hose, and it looked as though I might be able to start out in business without spending much money at all! After studying the booklet, I chose two designs: This proved to be a worthwhile expense: The paint protects the forms from constant contact with the abrasive concrete mix and with proper care — which includes cleaning and oiling after each use — I believe the lifetime of my molds can be extended indefinitely.

Since my initial excursion into the field, I've learned that there are several other types of molds besides the cast aluminum forms I purchased. Some are made from latex and others are fiberglass. Despite my initial ignorance, though, I believe I wound up with the best possible equipment. Latex molds are very short-lived and hardly worth the price.

Fiberglass, on the other hand, is sturdy — but the details of complex shapes tend to blur out. Therefore, although cast aluminum is the most expensive to begin with, it's by far the most practical.

If you expect to sell quality items and why bother getting involved in making any product if you can't be proud of it? Well, maybe somebody could do it, but I never had any success with that method.

I eventually settled for the old reliable hoe-and-wheelbarrow routine, and have been using it ever since. It may take a good bit of muscle, but it requires very little out-of-pocket cash!

To make a sturdier product, you can add "pea gravel," but there's no standard amount required. Whatever your recipe, though, it's important to make money selling sculptures the sand pile wet during the preparation.

Dry sand in the mix will inevitably lead to air holes in the finished product. Once the poured concrete has hardened, the ornament can be removed from its mold.

It'll be quite delicate make money selling sculptures unstable at this stage, however, and must be handled with great care. Soak it regularly with water for a minimum of three days, which will allow capital gains tax canada stock options process of bonding to occur.

Without this treatment, the concrete will be brittle and might well fall apart after a short time. The key to selling almost any product, of course, is to let people know that it's available. You won't need stock market investor training courses toronto hook up with a retail outlet to market your wares.

Simply display some samples in your front yard and make neat, attractive signs that are visible from the street. Put an ad in your local newspaper, too, and be sure to include your phone number and, if possible, a photograph of your work.

It's important, too, that your signs and ads reflect the fine quality of your handicrafts.

Remember, a messy advertisement will make a potential customer assume that your concrete ornaments will be messy as well. The income that your creations can bring in will vary, depending on the cost of materials in your area and the time and labor required for the design in question.

10 Websites to Sell Your Art Online | wugadukucevu.web.fc2.com

For the sake of example, though, here are some of my typical price tags: When you consider that the cost of the molds is a one-time outlay and that raw materials are relatively inexpensive, the idea of "turning concrete into gold" isn't so farfetched after all! At MOTHER EARTH NEWSwe are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources.

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