Have you, as an artist, ever envisioned your artworks exhibited in a prestigious gallery or praised by hundreds of people while gaining a livelihood from it? Learning how to start selling art can guide you to make your dream come true. Here are some simple yet effective steps to help you get there eventually.
Key Takeaways:
Irene Ruby, a self-taught illustrator and art educator from Cambridge, began her journey to pursue her dream of making a living from art with struggles. She had no professional guidance from experienced colleagues or connections in the field.
Although she eventually overcame the struggles, her story implies that an organized plan will make your journey much less stressful. So, below are some steps on how to get started selling your art from zero to hero.
Fame indeed puts you in the spotlight, but art enthusiasts always search for artworks. If yours are scarce, what is there to talk about or offer to people? So, creating as many artworks as possible is the main priority in how to start selling art.
By focusing on this, your art skills can be gradually improved as well, not to mention that you may invent your own style to impress others.
Also Read: How to Make a Website to Sell Stuff in 7 Easy Steps
This is how to get started selling art. People would not be amazed by your artworks if they could not lay their eyes on them. Start from your small circle, like friends and family, and gift your creation to be hung in their living room or workplace. If your art is impressive, people will definitely be curious about you.
Each art style usually interests a group of people, not everyone. For example, manga style often piques the curiosity of Japanese comic enthusiasts more than oil painting. Align your art style with the potential audience by considering their age and preferences. Then, you can connect with people more effectively to market your art.
After spreading your talent within your small circle, consider getting bigger. If so, try listing down your goals as realistically as possible to keep everything organized. For example, you target to gain recognition in a couple of local art communities by creating two paintings a month.
Aside from your offline interactions, making yourself known online is truly a must-not-be-overlooked. Social media costs you almost nothing, except for your camera phone, video editing, and photo editing, to reach a wider audience and people with similar interests.
Also Read: How To Protect Your Business In 2025
After gaining recognition, building your personalized website is how to start selling art. You can create one using WordPress, Weebly, or Carrd to avoid any expenses. However, if you find it daunting, some sites specifically help people to sell, like GumRoad, Fine Art America, Society6, and Patreon.
Yet, if you wish to avoid production costs, sites like Etsy, Vograce, and other print-on-demand sites only request that you upload the digital files of your work. The rest is theirs to do. You only need to wait for your compensation for each sale.
Too expensive, your audience will be reluctant; too cheap, you will barely make a profit. So, pricing is a bit challenging, but not impossible to do. There are four factors you need to consider: the level of your expertise level, artwork size, complexity, and material. You can also research the pricing in the market that some artists have put up.
When diving into the world of sales and marketing, networking and connections are definitely not to be avoided. You can start by attending art events and exhibitions to get to know other experts and art enthusiasts. Or you can collaborate with other artists online in projects to gain more viewers and expand your marketplace.
Also Read: Art Licensing: How to License Your Designs?
Who would not be attracted to discounts and special prices? But try to calculate your profit before deciding on them, like considering the cost of creating your artwork. In addition to that, you can add a personal touch by wrapping the order neatly, adding handwritten notes, or giving free shipping.
Doing business is quite tricky. Your customers can avoid buying from you and choose someone else because of one-time bad service. So, pay attention to how to treat and talk to your buyers courteously. Do not forget to inform everything accurately, including the best shipping options.
Also Read: How to Sell Graphic Design: 5 Tips to Market Your Design Services
Those are the steps on how to start selling art. But remember, nothing is automatically on your side. Sometimes, some ups and downs truly encourage you to put in much effort to see the rainbow after the rain.
In the meantime, you can make your business better known by creating readable logos with font collections for art on StringLabs Creative! The fonts are not only expressive but also legible to touch your audience’s heart at a personal level.
