How much do paintings go for

Thank you so much for this information. Pricing is always a stumbling point for me and my fellow artists. It is great to have some guidelines to help us. Frames and shipping are additional. This way of figuring out how to price seems crazy. So you can have a painting that took twenty minutes to make, and one that was detailed and realistic, and they may be priced the same?

If you make a variety of types of paintings say if you do acrylic pour paintings and detailed oil portraits and loose watercolor landscapes then it probably makes more sense to charge based on an hourly rate and cost of materials. I have been selling art for years. The price per square inch is the best in my book.

I have done watercolors for years and with them I added the frame, mats and glass plus I cut my own mats and assembled. I look also at my education what its worth. I now do paint pouring and do the same. Some I frame with a front loading frame that my husband makes and I paint and stain.

So I still use the per inch method of pricing plus the price of the frame. Great information and thank you. I do pourings and abstracts on 78 vinyl records. How would i price these and also how does one determine shipping costs? Any help is appreciated. Thank you. How do others feel about pricing pieces where the supplies used were low to middle cost? This was very helpful and had some great tips! This definitely helped give perspective. Verbena, this article was apparently written for acrylic pours, so unlikely to be overly detailed and realistic.

Reason able Rules! Too many have taken up this genre…………. The thing is anybody can pick up a cup and POUR paint on a canvass.. I have been only doing this for about 9 months. I have accidentally sold upwards of 20 paintings. They seem to love the unpredictability of it. I posted my art on my FB just to keep a personal record of them for myself. Keep trying! I want to begin pour acrylic art…ur information will help me a lot…so many tips given by u for selling art….

Help me…how can I register in ur site and decide my arts price? Hi, Re: chosen multiplier when using the linear inch price method How does one decide on their chosen multiplier? What does it actually mean? Also, what things should be written in the discount policy? Although I have used builders tape on the back of the frames, on some of my pieces, paint has dripped onto the back of the canvas. I thought perhaps I should discount those pieces.

It depends on your experience and reputation. In this formula for pricing artwork, the artist decides how much they want to get paid per hour.

Jean Carlo Emer via Unsplash; Canva. If you are unsure about pricing, then go to some local art exhibitions and fairs to get a feel for how much other people are selling their paintings for. If you are just starting out, go to art club exhibitions and see if your work could sit alongside those pieces and how much they are charging. But again, you need to consider that many people who are members of local art groups are not necessarily doing it to make money.

If you are starting out as a professional, then go to bigger exhibitions. There are many held in large towns and cities throughout the year, so perhaps the year before you may be ready to exhibit, go and see what is on offer, how it is presented, and what prices artists are charging. You should take the cost of the paint into account when pricing your artwork. Because oils are more expensive than acrylics and also last longer and are more difficult to work with, oil paintings tend to be more expensive, too.

Every artist has different needs, costs, and skills, so most artists have their own particular formula for pricing paintings. Above, I list many of the considerations you should take into account. There are several formulas to choose from when calculating a price. Above, I share two: one based on the size of the work, the other based on hourly rate. Certain places have hotter art markets than others, it's true.

Also, hidden venue costs like overhead, commission, and entrance fees may also affect pricing. As stated, every individual artist has individual needs, costs, and talents, so there isn't a simple one-size, one-price rule. It's important to keep your prices consistent. Buyers and gallery owners will be upset and confused by different prices in different places.

If you sell your painting for less at your studio than you do at the gallery, you're basically punishing the gallery and those who shop there.

Try to keep your prices consistent. Don't sell yourself short! Take shipping and commissions into consideration when pricing your artwork the same way you consider materials costs and your time and effort. Deciding on prices for your artwork is a very difficult and personal decision.

Some people say start high and you can always bring the price down. However, if you price work too high, you may not sell it—it is so difficult to judge. From experience, there are a few things that I can say for certain, no matter how you price your work:. If you are not selling, then that may be due to a number of things. Are you marketing your art to the right people and in the right locations? You may need to get objective feedback from somewhere to find out why your art is not selling.

Price is really only one factor in selling art, so don't think that it is the be-all and end-all. Obviously, if you want to make a living, you need to charge a decent price but you also need to make sure you have what people want to buy. Check out prices of other similar work at art fairs and exhibitions.

Question: If someone is commissioning a painting from me and making special requests, should I raise the price? Thanks Thelma, I think that is a great idea for you to sell your husband's paintings. I think as artists we can sometimes be almost a bit embarrassed to ask for what the painting is really worth so having someone else do it works well! This is a great hub and useful as well. It is always difficult to give price to the paintings my artist husband painted especially when they are friends.

There are many things to consider. So, I thought that I should not sell out cheap if I want my painter to have a recognize name in the art world. Thanks for sharing. Shared in fb. Anything to do with art fascinates me. You have some good ideas here, and of course the art market fluctuates with the economy.

Thanks again! A question I have for you guys; I see a lot of artists websites where prices are not displayed. I do think displaying prices is a good thing. I am starting out and have been asked to do some pieces for people.

I value my work but always felt like any price I set was too high. I have used your linear inch pricing method and feel a lot more confident! Thank you for the great tips! During the last four weeks I 14 paintings. I am a not a trained artist a 1 ,nd was wondering how about pricing.

What would be a good multiple for me to use? Acrylic on Canvas. How dose a non-trained price there art compared to a artist that has art training? Thank you so much for the advice! The linear pricing feels so much better. I do have a question about pricing for the use of a painting. If someone wants to buy the rights of an digital image of one of my paintings to use on a website, how much should I charge? What a concise and helpful post about pricing art. Hi, I was wondering about pricing for an emerging artist.

I am an art major and my strength is graphite. I took a painting class though, because I knew it would benefit me. It was a nice landscape painting though. The buyer responded by saying he was surprised at that price, but happy. Did I undercharge?

What is reasonable for someone who is just beginning? Melissa, Thank you so much for this article, It was really helpful not only on how to price my work, but how to not feel apologetic about it! With that being said I will take your advice…I will not undercharge myself and what I state for prices I will stick to with no explanations!

Thanks again for writing this! Best, Lina. WOW, Thank you for all the wonderful information on pricing your art. I also am in the same situation of pricing and will use the linear pricing method. I have been painting for 25 years and have never felt this confident about a pricing method.

Thank you so much for this information. When I first started with sterling silver, labor-intensive jewelry I priced items too cheaply. The lesson I learned was this — how ever cheaply you price your work there are always people who will want it cheaper. I think that it also reassuring to customers to know that the heft, feel and appearance of your work is in-line with the prices that you are charging. Hello Melissa, thank you very much for this amazing article. It was full of great advice and I have to reread it at least once to truly catch every subtle nuance, but I saved it for the future because it is so incredibly helpful.

And so I was thinking — you must have spent a lot of time in the art biz, cuz you seem to be very knowledgeable… right? May I trouble you, then, to ask you about pricing? I studied painting at art school. I am just an every-day person who happened to study art a loooong time ago, and was not trying to pursue it after school at all. I moved on and I do something else; to be honest, I returned back from work to go to university, which means my funds are very scarce, almost non-existent.

I am really in a bad need of some money, and I am willing to sell my paintings at all cost which is probably a bad thing , cuz I really need to eat. How much can I want for them when they are this small? I want to sell them somewhere abroad. I would also like to know if they are any good.

My friends like them, but they are no measures of quality, you know, they are my friends and they might lie out of sympathy or friendship. I want a honest opinion to know if I can sell them at all. Could I trouble you to look at them? They are displayed on DeviantArt. But I like some of them. Could you gimme a brutally honest opinion and an advice? Thank you very much, and thanks for your time. Thank you so much for your advice. I have been painting many years and decided recently to start marketing my art work.

One issue I have is that I frame my work according to the subject matter and colors in the painting. Sometimes this gets rather expensive because different pieces merit nicer framing. I paint in oils, and in layers and glazing.

So yes, my work is time consuming but at least I come out with a nice painting. Thank you again, I would really love to hear from you. Maybe we can share a piece of work from time to time. Also, for paintings, what multiplier do you suggest I use for the very first paintings I sell. Hi Julie, we wrote a blog post on pricing prints.

As for your first multiplier, start low. Do some research on other artists similar to you and just set something that will get you started. It should make you feel a little nervous, but not so much that it prevents you from moving forward. I need something new to put in my home. However, in order to do so, I need to get rid of what I already have. I want to find out how much the resale value is on it.

Should I list it at its old price or lower? Jessie, you might reach out to a local auction house, art dealer, or even a website like Lofty. Ive never really sold or exibited.. Are we homogenizing the work of someone who labors for weeks on a portrait vs. Or beginner vs. Thank you so much for our answer. Thank you for all the work and information you provided, I have one question. I understand the difference in calculating size, but why does the multiplier change? Use the multiplier that works for you.

I am doing linear as well based on your article and love that. Best pricing help I have found yet regarding pricing so I thank you for putting this out there for others to find. I do have a question. I am doing the linear pricing.. How would you figure that out? Hi I am new here. I love to sketch and paint landscapes and trees. My medium is pencil and Acrylic paints I watch tutorials and try to paint the same.

I need assistance. I have just stumbled upon your website when I was looking for ideas on how to charge for paintings. Great advices and ideas!

Thank you for this information. I have done a ton of research and still cannot decide on what price to charge per a linear inch which is what I want to do. I paint acrylics and I am just starting to sell my work. Anyone have a good to put this at? This is very much down to you, and there is no definitive answer. However, one common way is to decide an hourly rate for yourself, then price each artwork according to the time it took to create.

You may also want to factor-in costs such as sales commission and framing. You might find it useful to compare your prices with those of artists similar to you. This is a very informative discussion. Hi Melissa, thank you so much for this post. I learned the hard way back in the 80s and 90s with tole painting on wood. So when you are trying to start selling your painting what would be the easiest way to price them. Price definitely is the hardest part, we struggled a long time while setting up our prices.

Size-based is a good idea. Unfortunately the issue is always coming up with the value of x in either square or linear. I paint mostly abstracts but also semi-abstract landscapes in acrylic. I paint various sizes. I have a one month solo art exhibition coming up next week and I really want to sell my original work.

And how would I offer this — on the placards? Or on the bio hanging on the wall? Thank you for any advice. Hi Melissa, thank you for this useful article. Even We use dimensions wise pricing at our website. Thanks for pointing out that art prices tend to be quite fluid and always up for negotiation.

If I can get a pieces from the same collection that would be great as well since they will have some form of uniformity among one another. I think the biggest quandary is the multiplier.

What is a good multiplier for a newbie? Using the linear formula. I think those of us starting out would really appreciate your suggestions. What is a good starting point so we are not undervaluing our work? Hello everyone.

I loved this site and the topic is a never ending topic. As an artist I would like to share with you 2 extra aspects to always consider. The first one is about painting superdetailed and a lot of time dedicated mixed media on masonites miniatures.

The size and quality of the art piece works differently with the final pricing. And the second aspect is the aesthetic problem solved in the painting or the intellectual challenges for example in the solution of the composition or with heterodoxal handling of glazing techniques and the overall proposal of the art piece. Some clients value this things the most and one never knows when we are fortunate enough to find someone who values this important things in our art creations.

Have a nice day. This is incredibly helpful, and I especially liked hearing your stories. But this helps. Your email address will not be published. The only problem? Now I was going to have to come up with a price…. Your mileage may vary with this: start to pay attention to whether you tend to undervalue or overvalue your work, and adjust accordingly. Comments You are so right, especially about never being apologetic for your prices! Also if I make a piece that is then used in a logo or advertising how do I adjust for that.

Lori, I just read your post on varnishing watercolor. Thanks for sharing that. Lori, I love having you around the community. This is good stuff. Hi Lidia! I love it. If you could give each me your thoughts on this it would be very helpful since I am getting ready to put my work in a gallery Thanks Shelba. See my formula in the article for how to calculate linear inch pricing. I am a photographer and sculpter.

How would I price my art? Holy moley, this is fantastic! Good luck with your exhibitions. This was a very helpful article. Pricing my art has always been a challenge for me. Great info!

Your scale for really time-consuming work may be 2x or 5x or 10x your scale for faster styles. The point is to create a system that works for YOU. Pricing by sq inch and linear inch is a great idea. Thanks a bunch, very inspiring!!! Can this formula work on color pencils as well? This is very useful information, thank you!!! Thank you so much for the great tips!. You will lose everytime! I look forward to hearing about progress!

Please advise! I have to submit my price list by tomorrow! Charge your new rates. Stick to your guns. The best I can suggest is to just keep doing your research and working on your pricing mindset.