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The Art Licensing Playbook with Cat Coquillette

Licensing feels like one of those secret doors in the art world. You see other artists strolling through Target or Anthropologie like it’s no big deal, meanwhile, you’re wondering if your work is even licensable. Spoiler alert: it probably is. And today, Cat Coquillette is peeling back the curtain like the queen she is. 

This episode is basically an MBA in art licensing, except fun, honest, and taught by someone who actually lives the lifestyle. Picture Cat in Thailand, painting in Procreate, drinking Thai coffee, and collecting royalty checks while climbing literal mountains. Yes. That’s our girl.

Most artists think licensing is saturated or reserved for people with agents, connections, or some magical “brand”. But Cat started the way so many of us did. Posting her art on Instagram and POD sites because she needed a creative outlet after work. And then boom. Her “little illustrations” started paying her rent.

What I love most is how honest she is about the messy middle. The fear. The slow build. The contracts she didn’t understand. The sun illustration she created in under an hour that became her best-selling design worldwide for a few years running. The truth is, you never know which piece is going to be the one that pops.

And yes, we talk about money. The real numbers, the timelines, the pitfalls, and how to avoid those “less than one dollar” royalty checks that make you want to scream into a pillow.

Inside This Episode on Art Licensing

The Licensing Breakdown

Cat explains what licensing actually is in simple, accessible language. No jargon. Just clarity. She shows you how one piece of art can be licensed simultaneously for totally different products, from bedding to car fresheners, without ever giving up your copyright. 

The Misconceptions That Keep Artists Stuck

Cat calls out the two big lies we believe. One, the market is too saturated. Two, you’re not good enough. She dismantles both beautifully. Timing matters. Trends matter. But believing in your work matters most.

Pitching, Agents, and The Real Path In

Cat started with zero connections and still landed deals with Urban Outfitters and Target. She walks through exactly how to pitch, how to find manufacturers, how to read contracts, and when an agent becomes helpful.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your art doesn’t need to be perfect to be licensable
• How to identify trends without selling your soul
• The simplest way to pitch manufacturers today
• How royalty payments actually work
• And how to know if licensing is right for your art practice

Until next time, y’all!

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Have a question for Jodie? Ask it here: https://forms.gle/hxrVu4oL4PVCKwZm6 

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review so I can keep bringing peeps all the need-to-know about Honest Art®. We artists have to stick together, right? 

Interested in being a guest on a future episode of Honest Art®? Email me at amy@jodieking.com!

Resources Mentioned: 

• Extended! You can snag the Color Course for Rebels Bundle until January 1st. Enjoy the Color Course for Rebels 101+102, The Mother Color™ Course, and Instagram for Artists for just $207: https://www.jodiekingart.com/offers/FtkRAtLt/checkout 
• Check out Cat’s Website
• Check out Cat’s Full Collection Deck that she has graciously shared with us: https://catcoq.com/licensing-expo-2025  
• See the Courses Cat Has to Offer; Especially her course on licensing – The Art of Collections™
• View Cat’s Portfolio
• Learn More about Cat’s Private Mentorship Community, The CatCoq Collective™: https://www.catcoq-collections.com/ 
• Society6: www.society6.com 
• Jessi Raulet, who owns EttaVee, is an abstract artist who is successful in licensing her art. View her work. 
• Interested in attending a live workshop? Stay up to date on my upcoming in-person workshops here: https://jodieking.com/workshop
• Check out Cat’s Full Collection Deck that she has graciously shared with us: https://catcoq.com/licensing-expo-2025 
• Cat’s Agency: Jewel Branding
• Don’t create in isolation. Join a community of artists with the Honest Art® Society: https://www.jodiekingart.com/has

• Have a question for Jodie? Ask it here: https://forms.gle/hxrVu4oL4PVCKwZm6 
• How are you liking the Honest Art® Podcast? Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and let us know!    
• Watch this full episode on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMquJfuMsSg0fr46BRdia1cWd-81GThzF

Want more from Jodie?

Learn from Jodie:

🎨The Color Course for Rebels: https://www.jodiekingart.com/ccfr  

🎨Honest Art® Society: https://www.jodiekingart.com/has 

🎨Studio Elite: https://www.jodiekingart.com/studioelite  

See some of Jodie’s favorite resources:

✍🏻Check out my free guide on how to hang and wire a painting: https://www.jodiekingart.com/how-to-hang-a-painting 

✍🏻Get my top 10 studio tools here: https://www.jodiekingart.com/10-studio-tools-opt-in 

✍🏻Learn 5 things they don’t teach you in art school: https://jodieking.com/work-with-me#free-rescources.0  

✍🏻See Jodie’s favorite things: https://www.amazon.com/shop/jodie_king_ 

🧘🏼‍♀️Guided Meditation for Creative Clarity: https://www.jodiekingart.com/guided-meditation