How to Sell Your Art Work
You've finally finished a painting or two or perhaps that sculpture or series of photographs. Now what? Selling your art can seem a daunting process, but with determination, hard work and the right networking skills, you can put a little money in your pocket as soon as tomorrow.
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Things You'll Need
- Camera
- Computer
- Access to the Internet
- Portfolio (digital version and hard copy)
Instructions
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How to sell your artwork
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Create a portfolio. Before you hit the pavement trying to sell your artwork, you'll need samples to share with prospective buyers. Using a digital camera, take pictures of your best pieces. Organize the photos onto a CD and make multiple copies. Be sure to include a Word document containing a short artist's biography and resume. Also include relevant information such as contact information and any exhibitions, galleries or retailers that have featured your pieces in the past. Many artists have both digital portfolios and hard-copy portfolios, so have prints made of the pictures and print copies of any Word documents. Compile these neatly into a binder to create a hard-copy portfolio.
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Create a website, which is a way to refer people to samples of your work and experience when you don't have a portfolio handy. You can create a free website through hosts such as www.bravenet.com or www.freeservers.com, but these services feature pop-up advertising. However, you can pay as little as $3.99 per month to eliminate pop-up ads. Most web hosting services provide simple templates and website-building programs that are easy to use.
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Pound the pavement. Art galleries are often in search of artists to feature in their collections. Open your phone book and call or visit any art galleries listed. Inform the gallery director of your interest and politely ask if you can send them a copy of your portfolio. If they are interested in featuring your pieces, they will contact you once they examine your work.
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Participate in area festivals or events. Many towns and cities have regular events, such as art festivals, that allow anyone willing to pay a small fee to participate as a vendor. Contact your city events manager to get a list of upcoming events and contact information to participate in those events.
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Take advantage of online auctions. Websites such as Ebay and Amazon allow users to put their products up for auction. You can control minimum bid amounts or feature a set "Buy It Now" price. Remember that listings with photos sell faster than listings without.
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