Even if you are a seasoned artist, pricing your artwork can be hard. Fighting the battle of wanting your art to be affordable but also making sure you don’t undervalue your work is tough. So, if you are just starting out selling your art, how do you decide on the price? There is no one size fits all solution, but below are some tips on things you should keep in mind when pricing your artwork.

1. Cover Your Costs:

You want to make sure that you cover your costs at the very least. How much the materials cost and the time it took you to complete are some things to bear in mind. You might also have to take into consideration things like framing costs. Lets say your materials cost £40 and you charge £10 per hour, spending 10 hours on the piece. You would need to charge at least £140 for the piece of art. 

It’s up to you to decide how much you feel comfortable with charging per hour. Also, if you want to sell in galleries, remember to include the commission in the overall price of your artwork. This can often be 50% in a lot of galleries, so keep that in mind.

2. Research Other Artists:

What are other similar artists charging for their work? Do some research into what other artists are charging to give yourself a better idea of what you can charge. Look at things like style, medium, size, experience, production rate and location to find similar artists. All these things need to be taken into consideration when you look for comparable artists.

3. Be Consistent:

Once you’ve set your prices, stick to them. It’s important you don’t raise or lower them depending on who’s buying them because it can make you look bad if anyone finds out. Galleries and buyers won’t be happy to find out you’ve been selling art for less on other platforms. Just keep the same price bands across all your selling platforms. 

4. Be Transparent:

You will have a better chance of selling your art if you are open and clear about the price. Some people might be scared to ask about your prices if they aren’t listed because they may feel they won’t be able to afford it. Having your prices readily available for potential customers cuts their journey down too as they don’t have to make any enquiries etc. to purchase a piece.

5. Keep Your Feelings Separate:

This one can be hard but it’s really important. Unfortunately, just because you really like a piece, doesn’t mean you can charge more for it, unless you have a legitimate reason. If you really like the piece, consider keeping it for yourself, or gifting it to a friend. THat way you can see it yourself and appreciate it. Otherwise, just sell it at the same price as your other work. Someone will buy it from you because they love it too, so either way it is going to end up going to a good home.

6. You Can Have Multiple Price Points:

To not cut off the new customers wanting to purchase some of your art, you can create a smaller, less expensive collection, to sell alongside your other, more expensive work. Another thing you can consider is creating prints of your work. This is a much more affordable way for people to access your art and a good way for buyers to test the water. If they like your prints, they might come back for an original piece.

These are some of the things you should keep in mind when pricing your art. Of course the decision is ultimately yours, but you want to make sure that you are covering your costs and making a bit of profit if you are planning on making a career out of it.

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