| |
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
Note: For additional art database help please email Metis Development.
- Artists
- To create a new artist, click new, and enter details such as name, language, region;
- To record paint or canvas sales, enter information in Notes. The notes field can hold unlimited information;
- To enter an exhibition click on More Info and then enter the Exhibition Details;
- To preview a biography, make sure that the artist photo has been added and then click Preview Biography;
- To print or email a biography click Print Biography or Email Biography;
- To view artist artworks sorted by Consignment, Sold or Stock click on the type and click View;
- To view artist payments or payments due click on the Artist Payments, Sold Awaiting Payment or Unsold Artworks Reports;
- To view artist list, click Artist List;
- To view artist artworks in the artwork screen, click View -> Artworks;
- To update the Artist Code select "Update"; the result depends on whether 0, 2 or 3 is selected in Info -> Artist Code; if 0 is selected, the Artist Code will be blank, if 2 is selected the code will be two charaters long, and if three is selected the code will be three characters;
- Artworks
- To create a new artwork, click new, select artist, size, medium and type, enter the title and story, enter a price (click pricing and enter wholesale price);
- Remember: An artist has to create an artwork. First add the artist and then create a new artwork;
- To add or change the price of an artwork select "Pricing". This opens the Prices & History Artwork Page, add/change the wholesale price. The other prices update automatically to reflect direct and retail ratios and artist payments;
- To insert an artwork photo right click the photo container and click "Insert Picture...", select a photo from the computer;
- To zoom the artwork photo click on the right magnifying glass, click on it again to go back to normal view;
- To add a new artwork size click on Edit next to artwork size, then click on new and enter Size, Type and Price;
- To add an artwork to a Newsletter select "Newsletter", to add an artwork to the Website (if enabled) select "Available on Web", to add an artwork to a group of photos for email select "Email Set";
- To add an artwork to a collection click "Add to Collection", click on Unnamed to change the collection name;
- To preview a Certificate of Authenticity select Preview -> Certificate;
- To print or email a Certificate of Authenticity select Print -> Certificate or Email -> Certificate;
- To email a high resolution photograph select Email -> Artwork Photo;
- To look at the consignment or sale history of an artwork select View -> Prices & History;
- Enter "Date Artist Paid in Full" and "Date Artwork Sold" in Prices & History;
- To quickly find out the status of an artwork select Search -> Unsold Artworks, Search -> Sold Artworks, Search -> Consigned Artworks etc;
- To sell/consign/return an artwork click on Sell/Consign/Return to Stock. If the button contains "Sell Artwork ()" then go to transaction and set a current transaction; if the button contains "Return to Stock" then click the button to return the Artwork to Stock;
- Customers
- To create a new customer, click new, enter name, contact, state, address, email, website etc;
- Select Individual, Institution, Gallery, Resort, Art Centre, Market as Customer Type; the customer type changes the default transaction type;
- Create a new transaction for the current customer by clicking "New Transaction";
- If your art centre has a large number of quick small sales consider setting up a customer called "Local Sale" or "Credit Card Sale" etc, this saves the Art Centre from entering every customers details; only use this customer for quick sales, not for all sales;
- To view the customers transactions in the list select "Consignment, Direct, Retail or Wholesale" and select "View";
- To add a customer to the email list select "Email List", this adds the customer to receive your newsletters by default;
- To view a list of all customers select View -> Customer List;
- To view a list of all customer transactions select View -> Trans. List;
- To preview customer reports select Print -> Customer Payments, Print -> Overdue Payments, Print -> Customer Consignments etc;
- Transactions
- A transaction is a sale or consignment - an artwork is either in stock, on consignment or sold;
- To create a new transaction, click new, select customer, contact, state, address, email, website etc;
- To finalise a transaction enter a payment date, now the transaction cannot be modified (you can still change the wholesale price of an artwork, but not the sale price);
- To view a list of all transactions select "Transaction List";
- To view a list artworks for an exhibition consignment select View -> Exhibition List;
- To view a list artworks to go on consignment select View -> Exhibition List;
- To print an Invoice select Print -> Invoice;
- To email a transaction note (Invoice or Consignment) select select Email -> Invoice/Consignment;
- To apply a discount to a transaction select "Discount";
- To view all of the artworks in a transaction in the artworks page select "View Artworks";
- To remove an artwork from a transaction click the * (cross) next to the Go Button, or select "Go" and then select "Return to Stock";
11/04/2006
- Reports
- Limit report dates by selecting "Report Start" and "Report End";
- Select the default printing type, "Print", "Preview" or "PDF"; all reports will go to the default automatically;
- To run a report click on the report name;
- To update the website select Functions -> Update Website;
- To email the "Email Set" of Artworks select Functions -> Email Artworks;
- To add/edit Newsletters select Functions -> Newsletters;
- To add a Newsletter select "New", enter Title, Recipients, Type and Text;
- Information
- Enter Art Centre Information including Logo, Name, Contact; this information is used throughout the database, on certicates, biographies, invoices and consignments, making a change here will change the whole website;
- % Art Centre and % Artist show the breakdown in payments to the Artist and the Art Centre;
- Retail and Direct Markups are the Markup amounts from the Wholesale Price; they default to 1.2 and 1.5;
- The Centre Discount is the standard discount amount, the default is 0.1 (or 10%);
- The Quality Multiplier sets the increase in price from a Average to Good to Excellent artwork;
- The Framing Select Box specifies whether the user will use framing, if so then a different invoice is generated;
- The GST Select Box specifies whether whether GST is paid on sales;
- Skin Name can be changed on Certificates and Biographies; some centres do not use the expression Skin Name, enter a new expression here, eg Anangu Name, to replace skin name on those certificates;
- Artist Code is either 0, 2 or 3; this sets the length of the Artist Code in the Artist Page, when the user runs "Update";
- To update the way the Artwork Code is displayed change Type; None is the default;
- Troubleshooting
- When you want to change a percentage, you need to use a decimal amount, eg to set % GST = 10%, enter 0.1;
- I cannot edit the artwork price? In Artwork select "Pricing" and add/edit the Wholesale Price; other prices will be adjusted accordingly;
- Transact Artwork
- Customer Page: If the customer does not exist, Add a new customer, otherwise find the customer;
- Click on Add Transaction;
- Transaction Page: Enter transaction information; select Consignment, Wholesale, Retail or Direct;
- To add artworks to the transaction select "Current Transaction. Add Artworks";
- Artwork Page: Find the artwork(s) to add to the transaction, click "Sell Artwork" or "Consign Artwork";
- If the customer does not exist, Add a new customer;
- Transaction Page: The artwork is added to the transaction;
- Return to Stock
- Artwork Page: Find the artwork(s) to remove from the transaction, click "Return to Stock";
- Update Website
- Have you purchased the website plug-in?
- Artwork Page: Find the artwork(s) to add to the website and select "Available on Web";
- Repeat this step for every artwork that you want to add to the website;
- Reports Page: Select Functions -> Update Website;
- Pricing Predictor
- Helps set default prices for artworks, there are several steps to get this right; the calculation is the standard price for an artwork of a given size * artwork quality * artist's commercial value
- Info Page: Set Quality Multiplier (default 2); the multiplier sets the differences in price between canvases of the same size depending on whether the artwork is adjudged Average, Good or Excellent; if the multiplier is 2 an artwork of Good quality will be 1.5 times a Average Artwork and an Excellent quality artwork will be 2 times the price of a Average Artwork;
- Artist - More Info Page: "Multiplier" This sets the commercial value of the artist; should be between 1 and 4; experiment with this value;
- Artwork - Size Edit Page: Ensure that all sizes have a standard price eg 110 * 50 (Price = $150);
- All of these values need to be entered in order to predic the price of an artwork, while there is some setup work associated, after a little bit of editing you can go straight in and look at the estimated price;
- Artwork Page: select "Pricing";
- Artwork Prices & History: select "Quality";
- A price should now appear in bold in "Estimate: Wholesale";
- Select "Set" to set the estimated price as the wholesale price;
|
|
