Beginning advice on starting out selling your work?

[Heather Myers]

I’ve been drawing and painting off and on for years, just because I found it fun. Since the Sketchbook Revival 2019 I have been drawing/painting at least one thing pretty much every single day, which is amazing for me! Since I got more seriously into art I’ve been pondering if/when/how to attempt to sell it. We are on a very limited budget here and even a hundred bucks a month would do wonders for us.

I’m reading a book called “How To Sell Your Art Online” by Cory Huff, which has some useful information. I’m slowly working through it. Thus far I’ve been pondering utilising Etsy or another online selling site (AC Moore is opening one I’m on the list for), but right now I only have a handful of things that I might put up on a site like that, and the whole idea of pricing, shipping (how to package things), and making prints is something that’s like a mountain I’m standing at the foot of. Do you sell your originals?  Should they be valued a lot higher than a print? I know there’s a topic in this board about prints and I’m making notes from that too, when I’m ready to do prints. I feel like a kid starting the first day of kindergarten or something. I hope you folks can give me some advice. Most of the work I would consider selling is watercolour, done on heavy (140 lb) watercolour paper. I’ve been wanting to try canvas board or something like that too.

Apologies if this is rambly or unclear: I did not get enough sleep last night and the caffeine/sugar from breakfast is not up to the task of waking up my brain. I feel like there’s more info I should be adding about where I’m at with my art, etc but … brain fizzle! >.> Anyhow, thanks in advance for any help, folks.

[Jennifer Roberts]

I just recently started trying to sell some online. I have been making cards by pasting my old watercolors onto blank cards with envelops. I am posting them on Facebook only right now (as posts, not as items to buy through FB itself because: fees), so my audience is only friends and family so far. I am a beginner artist so I am only charging $4-6 per card.

I have had one person request a set so far, so your mileage may vary with this approach, but for me it made sense as a free way to test the waters for now.

[Heather Myers]

Thanks for the reply, Jennifer!

[Stephanie Richey]

I have a website.  It doesn’t get as much traffic or sell as much as I had hoped, but I’ve been learning how to increase traffic recently.  I sell stuff through social media some, but my most successful sales come from Bazaars and Art fairs.  Recently however, we have had several co-op type stores open up and I’ve been able to sell art through those.  That’s more of a tourist season business though.

I had a long time artist help me figure out pricing for prints.  He said charge 3x’s what the print cost you.  My smallest prints cost between $5 & $6 to produce so I charge between $15 & $18.  As they get bigger the price goes up, but that seems to be about right for my area.  He helped me price my originals as well, but most people want the prints.

A couple other things to look in to is other products you can put artwork on.  I sell vinyl stickers and people love them.  I recently started putting my art on journal covers, and sold most of those in just a few weeks.  Those are some options that aren’t prints that people seem to like.

That’s probably going on tangents, but I hope something will be helpful, I wish you luck!

[Sandra Strait]

Very helpful advice, Stephanie!

[Ayla Gökçen]

Hi dear ,

Could you give examples and photos about your putting your art on journal cover please?