How to Sell Fine Art Online

Make money with your art by selling it online.

There's no reason to be a starving artist when you have the ability to sell your artwork globally. If you don't live in a city with a vibrant art scene, don't worry---you can still gain wide recognition as an artist. Paintings, sculptures, drawings... there are online venues to sell any genre of art. You'll need to strategize, however. Don't expect to put your art up on a website or two and have the fine art-seeking masses filling up your bank account. Selling fine art online takes a degree of finesse along with skill at online networking and promotion.

Things You'll Need

• Website
• Scanned or photographed images of artwork

Instructions

Getting Started Selling Your Artwork

1. Create a website to showcase your art. Hire a professional web designer to give the site an original, yet professional appearance. Organize your art by year or style to make the site easy to navigate. Include a contact form on your site.

2. Establish a niche for your work. The Business of Art website advises artists to "Define what makes you and your art unique. When you're starting out, that's very important for marketing success." Keywords are your online definition, so if you create beaded sculpture, for example, be sure to play that up when you are choosing keywords for your website and other online promotions.

3. Have professional photos taken of your artwork. Scan smaller pieces. Artwork featured online is only as good as the quality of the photo or scan.

4. Price your artwork. Alan Bamberger of ArtBusiness.com advises fine artists to "Keep fees reasonable. People are reluctant to spend big dollars online." Price your work to appeal to impulse buyers rather than to serious collectors.

5. Sell small pieces of art that are easy to ship and priced for a casual shopper on Etsy.com. For graphic arts, make quality copies of your artwork on archival paper and sell numbered prints of your most popular prints.

   Offer documentation of the authenticity of any print or other artwork you sell---include the title, date made and other crucial information on a certificate. Bamberger states, "Not only do buyers appreciate the documentation, but good documentation also tends to increase a work of art's value."

6. Upload images of your artwork to websites that sell prints or other appropriate sites. Artist Rising, a division of Art.com, is a good place to start. Upload fantasy art images to DeviantArt.com. See Resources for additional places to offer your artwork online.

Promoting Your Art

1. Post your artwork on Flickr.com. Tag your images with keywords that will help people find your work with the search engine. Include an active link to your website. Participate in the community---comment on other people's photos and art and they'll often check out your own.

2. Create a fan page on Facebook and use it to tell people about your work, and perhaps show photos of the process. Set up a Twitter account as well, and use it for updates. You can use both of these services to link to new work that you have published on your website.

3. Create a blog to develop your web presence even further. Link it to your existing website. Use the blog to post tutorials and useful information that people may be searching for about your style of art. Update the blog at least once a week to ensure visitors keep returning.

References

• The Business of Art: Your Art Website--Choose Your Niche
• Art Business: Art Websites that Work
• Art Business: Giclee Printing and Pricing for Artist Limited Editions

Resources

• Mashable: Artist's Toolbox--30+ Places to Promote Your Art
• Artist Rising
• Etsy
• Deviant Art