Introduction

When I started painting I came across numerous resources that were helpful. Organizations, people, websites and videos all contributed to help me get my start.

On this page I will try to collect and provide links and information about some of my favorite resources. Contributions are welcome. You can email me if you would like to make a suggestions Contact Me

Look for this section of the site to continue to expand as I collect and share more information.

Use the tags above to limit your results and focus on the resources you are most interested in.

Pricing Your Art

The best way I have to think about how to price your art starts with this analogy:
Grow your work like a garden.
Prepare the soil
Sow the seeds / low prices
Tend your career so your prices can grow
Let it happen organically

Don’t price with pride and emotion
Overpricing is worse than underpricing

Start low, grow upwards – but don’t undercharge, cover your costs, and value your work
start by considering your audience, what are their expectations

  • how long have you been an artist
  • what is your medium
  • what is the market like from comparable artist
  • how has your work been selling
  • where are you showing your work

look at your contemporaries, what are their prices?

  • Visit their websites
  • Go to galleries and shows (often there is a price list)
  • Go online and compare with other area artists

Adjust for your C.V.
Adjust for the size of your work.

Where to start?
Pricing Models
square inch method (height x width x $per square inch)
- simple example: $2.50 per square inch
4 x 4 = 16 square inches x $2.50 = $40
8 x 8 = 64 square inches x $2.50 = $160
9 x 12 = 108 square inches x $2.50 = $270
16 x 20 = 320 square inches x $2.50 = $800
24 x 36 = 864 square inches x $2.50 = $2160
30 x 40 = 1200 square inches x $2.50 = $3000

options:
Have a minimum. “I won’t sell a painting for less than $120”
Have different multipliers:

  • under 100 square inches use $5/sq. inch
  • 100+ to 800 square inches use 3/sq. inch
  • over 800 use $2/sq. inch

Pricing per size plus materials (framing, canvas, estimate for paint etc.)

linear inch method (height + width x $ per linear inch)
- simple example: $20 per linear inch
4 + 4 = 8 linear inches x $20 = $160
8 + 8 = 16 linear inches x $20 = $320
9 + 12 = 21 linear inches x $20 = $420
16 + 20 = 36 linear inches x $20 = $720
24 + 36 = 60 linear inches x $20 = $1200
30 + 40 = 70 linear inches x $20 = $1400

Time and Materials + markup
Give yourself a $ per hour and track your time
Track materials costs
Optional: Add a markup percentage to cover other costs (marketing etc.)
            $20/hour
            20 hours = $400 + $30 canvas + $20 paint and brush + $80 frame = $530

problems:

  • No relation to market pricing
  • What if you paint a 9 x 12 in 20 hours and a 20 x 24 in the same amount of time? Same cost?
  • What if you paint two 16 x 20 and one take 3 times as long? 3x the cost?
  • What if other artists are charging different rates for their hourly cost, or different prices using different methods? Your cost can be too low or high for the market.

Links for more good information:
http://www.artbusinessinfo.com/options-for-pricing-art.html
http://www.artbusinessinfo.com/terminology-and-formulas-for-pricing-art.html
http://www.artbusinessinfo.com/art-experts-on-pricing-art.html
(see links at bottom of above page for more great articles)

Generally speaking
Paper-based art sells for less than canvas-based art.
Oil paintings sell for more than acrylic paintings

More tips:
Track your expenses (for pricing and tax purposes)
Price your work before anyone sees it!
Determine your price and stick with it “State your price, then shut up!”
Don’t be talked down
Keep the same price regardless of venue/gallery commission
Have ONE retail price (you can very selectively discount for repeat customers)
Control your pricing. Don’t let a gallery or someone else do it for you.
Don’t pad your prices.
Add for shipping, custom framing.
Charge more for commissions. It will be more work.
Remove emotion. Stick to a method regardless of the piece.

When to raise your prices:
When you can’t keep stock on hand (1/3 to 1/2 sells in the first 6-12 months)
When your work sells faster than comparable contemporaries (incremental increase 10% - 15%)
When you feel “resentment” after a sale for having sold it so low
When you notice similar works by similar artists selling at higher prices (consistently)
As your C.V. grows and you get more exposure, a greater following

Why You Want To Price Consistently
1. Build Credibility
Buyers and collectors pay close attention to pricing and expect consistency. Questions and concerns will be raised if your pricing has no logic behind it or if it’s not clear. Be careful not to deter potential buyers with erratic pricing. Consistency builds credibility!
2. Avoid Legal Issues
Sometimes you will have to explain your pricing to insurance companies, the IRS, estate executors, etc. It will be difficult to justify your pricing if it’s all over the place. And this could lead to unwanted legal situations.
3. Make it Easy for Buyers
Experienced art buyers - like collectors, dealers, and consultants - often compare the price of similar artworks. Make it easy for them to evaluate your work - and have confidence in you - by establishing pricing that makes sense.
4. Establish an Excellent Reputation
Establishing yourself as a trustworthy, professional artist is paramount - especially for emerging artists. Buyers will want fact-based pricing that can be explained. Leave the more emotional-based pricing for when you’re a recognized artist.
5. Get Paid for Time and Materials
Consistent pricing ensures you get paid for the time and money you put into creating your artwork. You deserve to at least be paid for the cost of materials and a reasonable wage for the hours you’ve invested.
6. Maintain Positive Relationships with Galleries
A standard pricing model guards against disparities across venues. Galleries expect 100% consistency - they don’t want to be undersold by somewhere else. Dependable pricing is necessary to maintain positive relationships with your galleries.


Resources
Some of my favorite resources

Artist Coaching and Business Guidance
http://theworkingartist.com

Art Business Info. For Artists
http://www.artbusinessinfo.com

The Abundant Artist – Focused on Selling Art (for artists): http://theabundantartist.com

ArtShow.com
http://www.artshow.com
http://www.artshow.com/juriedshows/

Art Biz Blog – Alison Stanfield – Artist Coach
http://www.artbizblog.com

Lori McNee Fine Art Tips
http://www.finearttips.com

Stapleton Kearns Blog – best oil painting blog on the planet (I think)
http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.com

Gurney Journey, site of artist James Gurney
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com

All things related to the business of being an artist:
http://makingamark.blogspot.com

A great section on good art books
http://makingamark.blogspot.com/p/the-best-art-books.html

Terrific Podcasts with established artists:
https://savvypainter.com/?post_type=podcast

Living A Creative Life: http://melissadinwiddie.com

Reverse Image Search: http://tineye.com

One site for submitting online competitions
https://www.lightspacetime.com

Artwork Archive: A tool for archiving your work, but has a wonderfully informative blog https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog

Public Art Call for Artists:
http://www.publicartist.org/index.cfm?
http://artdeadline.com

Website building tips, comparisons and reviews in-depth:
http://www.websitebuilderexpert.com