Any advice for an artist that want to start selling?

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   Robie Benveposted 13 years ago

   Hi, I've been painting for a while and the main destination of my art are the walls of my house. Some make it out of bounds, as gifts to friends, one I donated to a no-profit organization for a fundraising.
   
   Now I'm at the point where I'm seriously considering selling to the public... but where do I start?
   
   I'd like to hear your advice on what could be a successful strategy to approach the art market.
   Please share your art selling tips on this thread (or write a hub about it and post the link here).  )
   Ciao

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      Deborah Sextonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      _________
      
      Get a Free store and sell your art (and other things here)
      You get a lot of traffic here
      
      http://www.zazzle.com/inspiringcreations*
      
      Once in a while, I sell my art online at either of these two places
      
      http://www.artbreak.com/
      
      
      http://www.foliolink.com/sales.asp?gcli … 4AodCHg3AA
      
      It saves me having to do a lot of extra work

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      1. 84

         Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Deborah,
         I added them to my list of online sites to check out.
         Speaking of which, here it is:
         
         Deviantart.com     (5 million visit/month)
         Zazzle.com
         Fineartamerica.com
         Redbubble.com
         Imagekind.com          (200K/month)
         Yessy.com
         Artistrising.com           (50k/month)
         
         http://www.artbreak.com/
         http://www.foliolink.com

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   2. 77

      Dbroposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Robie, here is a hub I created in answer to your question.  I hope it's helpful to you!
      
      http://dbro.hubpages.com/t/2e4752
      
      - Dbro

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      1. 84

         Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Dbro, what an awesome hub you wrote, full of down to earth information, and practical advice.
         Thanks a lot! 

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         1. 77

            Dbroposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I'm glad you liked my hub, Robie!  I truly wrote from my own experience, so I'm glad it will maybe helpful to you.  My best advice is to stay encouraged and positive (even though it can be hard at times) and don't be afraid to try.  I know you will be successful if you believe in yourself!

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   penofoneposted 13 years ago

   Art world is a tricky business to start I would try to justify the time you spent making the paintings and figure in the cost of supplies etc.  If you truly believe you have the best of the art market maybe qualify yourself by going to art.com  and seeing if your work can truly stand the test of time. It is true that art sells itself but depending on the person  buying art is in the eye of the beholder as they say.  Beginning less time spent is the best measure of price. Try a local community center or coffee shop for their art is more appreciated at that level., if you are ready you can move to a gallery but you must have a portfolio ready. A certain style of art is the key if you have a style it goes a long way with a gallery. Personally I am a professional artist but keep my clients on a low profile and sell on average 1 per month at a couple of good galleries. $1000 for a small one and they take 40%.
   Difficult to measure the effect of a bad economy, even in a depression era art takes a hold of the inner circle of wealthy americans. Try to achieve a sale at a small art show or farmers market.
   We believe!
   
   Anish

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      Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Anish,
      you wrote a lot of great advice, I think that before approaching the galleries, I'll try local art association, artist groups and the alike. Setting a price for my own art is very tricky business. You don't want to overprice it, but not even under price it and make it look bad. Most of all for me it's about founding the courage to ask the amount for my art that would make me feel OK about separating from my "babies" - I wonder if the fear of separation is a normal feeling, I hope it's only for beginners, and it is not going to last.
      I have come of my work available for prints at fineartamerica.com, but I have not done much to advertise it and being active on the site, I have not sold a thing yet.
      I'm gathering that doing your own marketing can be quite an extensive work! 
      Ciao

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         penofoneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Love your sense of findng the right ideas to promote your work through a marketing campaign , I could use that strategy.  Don't fall into the trap of not going the full 9 yards to finding the perfect gallery to present your work.  In all of its worst days I find that finding your best painting is the most difficult. Selling isn't everything if you want to sell for instance, the frame can be hard to manage a price. Everything is available at fine art store to get the foot in the door as they say.
         For your treasures keep it to the best.
         All the best,
         Anish

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         1. 84

            Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you Anish, very wise and insightful
            Galleries have very specific styles and target audience, finding the right one is definitely important. And having a portfolio to show them is key.
            Soooo....
            First thing first: I need to get off my laptop and stand in front of the easel!
            Ciao
            R

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   Website Examinerposted 13 years ago

   I had been looking at this thread, Robie Benve, hoping someone could give you an answer. Fortunately, you got some suggestions. Good luck!

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   1. 84

      Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm glad I've got some suggestions here on the forum and  some more on the questions sections. It seems you can never know enough when it comes to sell your arts/crafts. Thanks for the support Website Examiner!
      
      the question is posted here:
      How do you get started selling your art?

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4. 81

   NiaGposted 13 years ago

   Have you tried Etsy.com? I've never tried it but have considered it.

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   1. 84

      Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Nia, I have heard a lot of good things about Etsy, there are sure a lot of handmade things for sale there, including original art, but I have never pursued it (yet).
      I'd like to talk with someone that has been using it successfully to sell paintings, and get the scoop and tips for success, especially because it's not free.

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         Peelander Gallyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Etsy's very inexpensive to sell on, but there's no guarantee that there will be a market for your originals in any particular place. Shipping paintings is tricky, too. I suggest researching what small local galleries are interested in and getting acquainted with their owners.

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         1. 84

            Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Hi Peelander, I checked Etsy out, and it's not as expensive as I thought. The good news (for me) is that I thought you could only sell originals on Etsy, but I've seen artists selling prints, which should be much easier to ship.
            
            Each listing on Etsy costs $0.20 USD
            And there is a transaction fee of 3.5% of the item price.
            
            I like the suggestion of getting acquainted with the local small galleries, it makes a lot of sense. Thansk

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   Lady Bo Chatsposted 13 years ago

   I think you should follow your dream you could be the next Mona Lisa!!!!! Enjoy sounds like a  great experience.

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      Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Lady Bo, I would have never thought that in my 40s I'd be following my dream, but I am!! Thanks for the encouragement!

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   kccampposted 13 years ago

   Very interesting thread. I'm in the same boat for wanting to sell my artwork. Just recently I've started to get more serious with my art again.
   From conversations I've had with a few artist friends, I was told to get involved with all the local art groups and gallerys around. Some I know go to all the different festivals around nearby city.
   I don't have alot of knowledge on this topic but for myself I need to first get a good portfolio/body of work together....then research and approach the different gallerys. And I also thought about maybe getting some prints made of my best work (good for doing shows and festivals).
   Selling over the internet is another idea I want to explore later....basically I want to use all the available outlets out there.
   Anyways I'm just brainstorming here.
   
   Good luck on your adventures in the art world!

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      Robie Benveposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      KC, thanks for sharing your thoughts and good luck to you too. 
      As W. Disney said: If you can dream it, you can do it.
      We can do it!

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   emimemoposted 13 years ago

   It seems to me that you already have a lot of informations selling art on-line. My paintings was listed at some gallery $1000- $1200, but didn't sell. I sold my paintings and postcards on ebay and traded a few oil paintings for dental work. (^^).
   I am interested to check those site you have listed. Thank you and good luck!

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