16 Ways to Sell Your Art
There are numerous ways you can sell your art! For many of you just starting out, selling your artworks can seem like a daunting task.
At the end of the day, we all have the same goal and that is to create awareness, build a following of fans, become recognizable within the art community and basically get more eyeballs on your art. This all takes time, I get that, but you have to start somewhere and every little step counts. That's why I have created a list of 16 ways that you can explore to sell your artworks. Use a combination of strategies to suit your style and target audience.
#1 Galleries & Exhibitions
Holding exhibitions and selling your artwork in art galleries is the traditional way for an artist to sell their art, and also one of the more difficult ways to get started.
You will find that a majority of galleries work on a commission basis where you are paid when the painting sells. When an artwork sells the gallery takes a portion of the sale price and you receive the balance. A gallery can upwards of 30% commission.
Holding your own exhibition (or collaborating on a joint exhibition) can be a good way to start getting exposure for your work, but they are a lot of effort to organize and promote. Holding a group exhibition will help to ensure attendees as all participants will promote the exhibition to get people there. Make sure you send out press releases to get local media attention.
Look for local art societies - they often have exhibition space you can put your work in and may have the ability to hire their space for your own private exhibitions too.
Instead of targeting galleries you might consider approaching cafe's, home ware stores, hotels or florists (to name a few) to display and promote your work. These businesses might allow you to host your own event to showcase your pieces as well.
Also consider collaborating with other artists in your area with a similar target market and host your own event together.
#2 Social Media
Social media is a great way of building your audience of fans and customers who love your work. Most people see social media platforms as just that, social platforms, but it can also be used as a marketing platform for your business. You can sell directly through your social sites such as Instagram and Facebook and direct potential customers to your website so they can learn more about you and your artwork.
While many artists promote their work on Instragram, don't miss out on the opportunity to get your work on Pinterest. Pinterest is coming ahead in leaps and bounds for promoting your products and artworks. Unlike other social media sites, your posts have longevity and can continue to grow in popularity over time.
Tip
Make sure you pin your artworks from your website onto Pinterest so that it links back to your website, and ensure you have a good title and description with relevant keywords that would help someone find your work.
#3 Sell your Art as Prints
Another way you can make more money from your artworks is selling prints of your artworks. Archival & Giclee printing has made it possible for artists to sell high quality prints from their original work.
Prints enable you to sell more than one copy of each artwork, expanding the money making potential for your time creating the artwork. Also, people who cannot afford to buy your original artworks may be able to afford to purchase the print, especially if you offer it it a variety of sizes and price points.
There are many online marketplaces for selling artwork prints such as Saatchi, Fine Art America and BlueThumb (for Australian artists) that you can upload your artworks to. Remember the more places you put your work, the more opportunity there is to be found.
#4 Utilise Print on Demand Sites
Print on demand sites are popular revenue streams for artists. Print on demand vendors are manufacturers that allows artists to upload artworks that can be printed onto a variety of products. When a customer places an order it is printed and shipped directly to the customer and you will receive a commission from each sale.
This is another great way to monetize your creativity and a way for independent artists to have their art noticed globally. Plus you don't need to order a minimum quality or store the stock. Some sites will even let you sell their print on demand products through your own website.
Some popular Print on Demand sites include: Printful, Society6, RedBubble and Zazzle
Tip
It is important to make sure the quality of the products reflects your brand and target market. Test your designs and purchase some products from a number of different sites to check their durability, printing, quality control etc.
#5 Sell Your Art and Products Wholesale
Another avenue for selling your products and art is by wholesaling to retail stores. This will require you to get your own products manufactured. One way to do this is by finding manufacturers in China (for example), getting a sample made with them and then taking orders in advance. You don't always have to have minimum orders of 1,000's of items and sometimes you can even negotiate to split your order of a product into multiple different print designs. Check out our blog post on vising the Canton Fair to find manufacturers in China for some more tips.
When approaching potential stockists it helps to develop a small collection of products that work well together to tell a story. When these products are displayed as a collection they make a bigger visual impact than a single product alone. When you have a collection, there are more opportunities for customers to buy your products so your sales increase. Customers can create a whole coordinated look in one purchase. When this happens stockists are likely to reorder with you.
Products you can sell...
- Clothing & Scarves
- Handbags & Accessories
- Dinner wear
- Towels, Tea Towels, Bed Linen & Cushions
- Rugs
- Phone Cases
- Mouse pads
- Drink Bottles...
The list is endless!
Places you can sell to:
- Home ware & Furniture Stores
- Hotels
- Fashion Boutiques
- Gift Stores
Check out our blog post on the 7 Reasons Why Artists Should Sell Products.
#6 Set Up Your Own Website
Having your own website is an essential tool. Some people think you can get away with just having a social media presence and not having your own website. When someone discovers you and is interested in your work or your products, being able to view your website for more information is highly useful. If you only have social media profiles then they will only be able to see your most recent posts (unless they feel like scrolling for hours) and may not be able to easily find the information that they need.
Having a website is a good base for all of your social sites, as you can direct traffic from social media sites to your website and potentially even convert your followers into customers.
Having your own website might be a bit of work to set up, but it will give you a good base for selling your work and being found. It also makes you look more professional and will build more trust in you.
#7 Market Stands & Fairs
Markets are a great way to get started.
Hosting your own market stall allows you to talk directly to customers and build relationships. People love having a story behind an artwork that they purchase and being able tell others about meeting with the artist and the story behind the artwork will give much more meaning.
Different markets in different locations will have different success rates for you. There are also art specific fairs and markets and these may have better sales opportunities for you. Make sure you use the opportunity to build your followers on social media by offering an incentive such as running a competition to win a prize.
Participating in market stalls and fairs will also enable you to learn what your target audience likes and dislikes, what is popular, want they want to see more of and get valuable feedback directly from your target market. Use it to build your social media following, promote exhibitions or events you are involved in and have the potential to take custom orders and commissions.
There are art specific fairs that you can also participate in which are a more professional level, with art collectors, galleries and retailers coming to buy art. These are much more expensive to participate in, but can be an excellent way to sell your work once you are a bit more established. You can view a list of many art fairs around the world here https://www.artsy.net/art-fairs
#8 Hold Your Own "Party Plan" Events
This is probably a lesser known or thought of way of selling your art. "Party Plan" is a method of selling products by hosting a social event, usually at someone's house. The host usually invites their friends to the event and you will present your products to the group. Often small gifts are given to the host as a thank you for hosting and the more sales made at the party the better the gifts or discounts given to the host. Incentives are often provided for guests to host their own event, thereby helping you to book future events and reach new people.
Try to make the event fun and engaging - not just a sales pitch. You could even incorporate a small activity/art lesson into the event. Also utilise the event to tell your story and the stories behind the artworks, how you create them, what inspires you etc.
You could even partner with another small business doing party plan events and co-host your events.
#9 Sell on Etsy
Etsy is a popular e-commerce website that focuses on handmade goods and one off pieces. Etsy is a great way to share your products with customers from all over the world. It is a trendy shopping destination for a younger audience and people looking for unique pieces.
It's easy to use platform is simple enough for anyone to use and it allows artists to upload pictures, add descriptions and track online traffic.
#10 Sell Your Art on Amazon
Amazon is a great way to sell items with mass-market appeal and is one of the most significant online marketplace's in the world. With Amazon you can get your artwork in front of millions of potential buyers. There are two main ways of selling via Amazon:
- FBA: Fulfillment by Amazon, where you send your products into Amazon's warehouses and they ship orders for you; or
- FBM: Fulfillment by Merchant, where you list your products on Amazon's site, but you ship the orders to the customers.
You can sell virtually any product via Amazon's marketplaces - currently there is Amazon US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, India and the UAE. You can sell art prints and printed products via Amazon, but did you know you can also sell handmade creations??? You can apply to be included as part of their featured handmade artisan sellers here.
If the thought of selling on Amazon scares you take a look at their Print on Demand company Merch by Amazon. With Merch by Amazon you can make money through the sale of products designed by you.
Alternatively, other print on demand companies, such as Printful, integrate with Amazon, so you can list your Printful products on Amazon's platform.
If you are interested in creating your own illustrated books then Kindle Direct Publishing (previously known as CreateSpace) is for you. Kindle Direct Publishing, is a self publishing service also owned by Amazon and allows you to create your own print on demand books.. The main advantage to using Kindle Direct Publishing is that because it is owned by Amazon, your product is automatically listed in the Amazon catalogue. Being guaranteed a spot in Amazon's marketplace can mean a enormous boost to your sales.
Coloring books have become so popular over the last couple of years and instead of having a large volume printed I used CreateSpace to distribute my coloring book, Tropical Birds & Floral Designs Adult Coloring Book. Once an order is placed, it is printed, packaged and distributed to the customer. No need for you to carry inventory.
#11 Licensing your Art and Designs
Another possibility for making an income from your artwork is to license your artworks.
One way to do this is to turn your artworks into repeating prints which can be sold to textile manufacturers or product/fashion designers to utilize in their collections or use as packaging for their products.
Platforms like PatternBank allow you to sell your designs and is a database of patterns and prints that companies can buy or license and use for different purposes.
Alternatively you can list your prints on sites such as Spoonflower which is an on-demand, digital printing company that prints custom fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap.
If you're a traditional artist, you can still license your work. There are many art licencing companies which can help get your artwork prints sold in major retailers, put onto products and even featured in hotels/restaurants and more.
One such company is MHS Licensing, however there are many more. Generally you will have to apply to be represented and the artworks that they represent usually cannot be sold anywhere else.
Art agents are also always on the hunt for artists that meet their clients needs - so making sure you are putting your artworks everywhere you can so you can be found will increase your chances of getting discovered.
Artwork by Katie Scott
Artwork by Megan Hess
#12 Sell Design Assets Online
If you have some basic graphic design skills, you can create design elements such as backgrounds/patterns, textures, brushes, repeat prints that people can purchase to use in their personal or commercial projects. Creative Market is a popular platform to sell digital assets for just about any project.
Even if you don't create a profile and upload some designs it is a great place to visit for packaging designs, fonts and templates for your own products.
#13 Collaborate with Other Designers
Partnering and collaborating with others will not only open up new income streams for you, but will also expand your awareness and build relationships with other designers.
Artists often collaborate with Interior Designers, creating artworks for their projects. You can also collaborate with fashion designers by creating a signature print for their new collection and promote this on each others social media pages to create interest.
Don't forget you can also collaborate on marketing opportunities, promotions and events too - even if you don't co-create designs together.
Alternatively you could approach other small businesses about collaborating on projects such as create a home decor collection based around your prints.
Relationship building and networking is so important and working with other designers could lead to bigger and better projects.
#14 Partner with Interior Designers, Builders or Furniture Companies
Interior Designers and Interior Stylists are often looking for art suitable for their clients projects. Commercial interior designers need art to fill walls for office spaces, cafes/restaurants, hotels etc. Furniture companies sell large orders to hotels and resorts and some companies also sell collections of artworks to compliment the furniture. Perhaps you could contact a house staging company and have your products and art used to style open homes and show homes.
Home renovations shows such as The Block, House Rules, Masters of Flip, Fixer Upper (just to name a few) need art, cushions, rugs etc for room styling. This gives you massive exposure once televised and something to seriously consider.
#15 Paint Wall Murals
Large scale art, such as murals, enhance the environment and turns industrial areas into trendy hubs of creative activity. Check your local council for tenders regarding community art projects that you could bid for.
Also approach local shopping centers, restaurants, bars, hotels and retail stores and put forward a proposal to paint artworks on vacant walls. Why not do a time lapse while you are painting and post the footage on your social media pages.
Think outside the box... You could also produce artwork for music video film clips and backdrops and stage styling for theaters and stage productions.
Australian fashion label Kookai features artwork by artist Jai Vasicek in their retails stores.
#16 Collaborate with Authors and Editors to Create Illustrations for Books or Magazines
Childrens books are not the only types of books which you can be paid to create art for. Many authors, publishers, editors and even advertising companies are looking for artworks or illustrations for their publications. Artists such as Megan Hess and Katie Scott are both artists that create artwork for commercial clients. Their clients consist of T2, Nike, H&M, Universal Records, BBC, Converse, Mercedes-Benz and Cartier. There are many businesses that are looking for a point of difference when it comes to their advertising, websites and printed material such as brochures and catalogues and want custom artworks or illustrations.
Extra bonus method for selling your art:
Once you have established a following, you can start a membership program using Patreon, whereby you can create different subscription options for people to get different rewards or access to you/your content. You might share behind the scenes videos with your patreon followers, special discounts, share digital files or give other bonuses to your patrons.
Of course there are other ways of selling your art too... comment below if you have any tried any other methods of selling your art. For example, have you tried crowdfunding?
If you would like to learn more about creating art and products and how to sell your work, you might like to check out my online program Paint Art That Sells.
Tracy xxx
Would You Like to Make Money from Your Art?
Paint Art That Sells is an online program created by Tracy Saywell to teach you a variety of art techniques and mediums and show you a variety of ways that you can easily turn your art into products that you can sell. With inspiring examples and activities to get you on your way to creating an income doing what you love!
