Anyone want to buy a painting? Anyone?
June 23, 2010 11:14 AM Subscribe
I am a self taught artist and I don't know how to promote myself. I want to sell paintings, how do I do it?
I have an Etsy store, but in two years I've only sold one painting.
What else can I do. How do I get a gallery to show my art? Should I take paintings to local coffee shops and ask them to hang them up? Is there a way to get an agent for a folk artist?
Here's the problem, my paintings are totally custom. I use the letters in a person's name to make up the abstract shapes, and then fill it in with color. I have done a couple with words like 'imagine' and 'create' so those could easily be hung and sold in a gallery setting, but the rest really need to be commission pieces.
Also, I have no idea how to price my pieces. I don't want to be too expensive but I don't want to undervalue my work either.
I don't have any delusions about becoming a rich and famous painter, but I would like to sell a few paintings every once in awhile.
I have an Etsy store, but in two years I've only sold one painting.
What else can I do. How do I get a gallery to show my art? Should I take paintings to local coffee shops and ask them to hang them up? Is there a way to get an agent for a folk artist?
Here's the problem, my paintings are totally custom. I use the letters in a person's name to make up the abstract shapes, and then fill it in with color. I have done a couple with words like 'imagine' and 'create' so those could easily be hung and sold in a gallery setting, but the rest really need to be commission pieces.
Also, I have no idea how to price my pieces. I don't want to be too expensive but I don't want to undervalue my work either.
I don't have any delusions about becoming a rich and famous painter, but I would like to sell a few paintings every once in awhile.
First thing you should do is make yourself a web-site.
Next, go around to local art galleries and stores that sell art, and see if they are willing to display and sell your stuff in their store.
You might even try going to a few off-beat type places. Sometimes you go into a dinner or something, and see a painting on the wall with a little sign in the corner saying it is for sale. If you sell it right, it could be good for you and the restaurant/store - the store gets original art on the wall and a percent of an sales - and you get exposure.
Ultimately, if you want to sell paintings - then you need to do all the difficult marketing and sales things. Cold call galleries, go to flea markets looking for vendors who could display your stuff. Beat the pavement and start promoting yourself.
posted by Flood at 11:26 AM on June 23, 2010
Next, go around to local art galleries and stores that sell art, and see if they are willing to display and sell your stuff in their store.
You might even try going to a few off-beat type places. Sometimes you go into a dinner or something, and see a painting on the wall with a little sign in the corner saying it is for sale. If you sell it right, it could be good for you and the restaurant/store - the store gets original art on the wall and a percent of an sales - and you get exposure.
Ultimately, if you want to sell paintings - then you need to do all the difficult marketing and sales things. Cold call galleries, go to flea markets looking for vendors who could display your stuff. Beat the pavement and start promoting yourself.
posted by Flood at 11:26 AM on June 23, 2010
A couple of suggestions:
One - do some common names, and some other words and have them available on your etsy shop. Do this on a variety of canvas sizes. You're going to want to aim for ease of purchase, here.
Two - look into local arts and crafts fairs. There will be a price for setting up a booth, but that will help guide you on what kind of price to set for the paintings.
Three - Local coffee shops are a good idea. I know that the halls of my local community center are lined with pieces by local artists.
Four - Make up brochures for yourself. Definitely make it pretty, with lots of images of your work, but more important is to include the average turn around time for a commissioned piece, what kind of customization you can do, various sized canvasses, that kind of thing. Distribute that like crazy.
Five - start a blog, and network with other artists. Is there a livejournal community for your area? Join it, ask about self promotions, and promote yourself.
posted by lriG rorriM at 11:27 AM on June 23, 2010
One - do some common names, and some other words and have them available on your etsy shop. Do this on a variety of canvas sizes. You're going to want to aim for ease of purchase, here.
Two - look into local arts and crafts fairs. There will be a price for setting up a booth, but that will help guide you on what kind of price to set for the paintings.
Three - Local coffee shops are a good idea. I know that the halls of my local community center are lined with pieces by local artists.
Four - Make up brochures for yourself. Definitely make it pretty, with lots of images of your work, but more important is to include the average turn around time for a commissioned piece, what kind of customization you can do, various sized canvasses, that kind of thing. Distribute that like crazy.
Five - start a blog, and network with other artists. Is there a livejournal community for your area? Join it, ask about self promotions, and promote yourself.
posted by lriG rorriM at 11:27 AM on June 23, 2010
There are a couple of books that walk you through these sorts of questions - as an example, one of them is How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist -
I'm not recommending this book in particular, but it's the one I read and I found it pretty interesting - whole chapters on pricing, finding gallery representation, etc. By nature it's a little outdated, but it has some solid advice about the business of being an artist.
posted by gyusan at 11:50 AM on June 23, 2010
I'm not recommending this book in particular, but it's the one I read and I found it pretty interesting - whole chapters on pricing, finding gallery representation, etc. By nature it's a little outdated, but it has some solid advice about the business of being an artist.
posted by gyusan at 11:50 AM on June 23, 2010
Since it's commissioned work, you might consider donating a commission to a charity gala's auction, one with a lot of upper-middle-class parents in attendance. Someone will buy it for their kid, you do the custom piece, and other people will be like, "That's neat, I want one!"
Worst-case scenario, you get a tax write-off for the donation and a lot of people see your work and pick up your business card.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:34 PM on June 23, 2010
Worst-case scenario, you get a tax write-off for the donation and a lot of people see your work and pick up your business card.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:34 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: I just updated my profile with a link to my Etsy shop and my Flickr site, just in case anybody wants to see what I've done.
These are really great suggestions. It looks like I need to make a lot more not personalized paintings and put together some kind of brochure that I can hand out and leave at local businesses.
I'll definitely start a blog and start going around to some local coffee shops. We actually have a few art festivals every year I'll call my city and see who I need to talk to about getting into one of them.
Any more advice would be appreciated.
posted by TooFewShoes at 1:35 PM on June 23, 2010
These are really great suggestions. It looks like I need to make a lot more not personalized paintings and put together some kind of brochure that I can hand out and leave at local businesses.
I'll definitely start a blog and start going around to some local coffee shops. We actually have a few art festivals every year I'll call my city and see who I need to talk to about getting into one of them.
Any more advice would be appreciated.
posted by TooFewShoes at 1:35 PM on June 23, 2010
Also think about how much you would be willing to give up in the creation of these.
One of the first things I thought was: If I had a commission for a modern or deco living room or entry hall or a really creative children's room I would so want to commission you to do this as a mural! If you don't mind having color dictated by the client and are willing to be flexible about the size of them, you may want to work up a sample or two (either do it in your own space and photograph it or render it in watercolor/gouache) and then leave your information with local decorators and designers. I could easily see this as a tone-on-tone triptych in my own office.
If you cannot find a local gallery willing to take you on as a regular artist and represent you, a lot of smaller galleries will charge you a fee to sell/present there for a one-off show. You may want to ask about it. You will have to do all of the promotion yourself and won't have access to their client lists, but it is nice to have the space and the name.
If you are near a large city, you could also get a street license and paint them in crowded tourist areas. There is an artist down the hall from me who does this in Chicago and he makes bank all tourist season.
Having donated a lot to charities myself, I would say that you cannot count on much of any return for the donation ($$ return, I mean. You still get the warm fuzzy feeling). I usually find that a 10% return - meaning one of ten who purchased something that you donated to the auction/event will return as a paying client. YMMV.
posted by Tchad at 2:41 PM on June 23, 2010
One of the first things I thought was: If I had a commission for a modern or deco living room or entry hall or a really creative children's room I would so want to commission you to do this as a mural! If you don't mind having color dictated by the client and are willing to be flexible about the size of them, you may want to work up a sample or two (either do it in your own space and photograph it or render it in watercolor/gouache) and then leave your information with local decorators and designers. I could easily see this as a tone-on-tone triptych in my own office.
If you cannot find a local gallery willing to take you on as a regular artist and represent you, a lot of smaller galleries will charge you a fee to sell/present there for a one-off show. You may want to ask about it. You will have to do all of the promotion yourself and won't have access to their client lists, but it is nice to have the space and the name.
If you are near a large city, you could also get a street license and paint them in crowded tourist areas. There is an artist down the hall from me who does this in Chicago and he makes bank all tourist season.
Having donated a lot to charities myself, I would say that you cannot count on much of any return for the donation ($$ return, I mean. You still get the warm fuzzy feeling). I usually find that a 10% return - meaning one of ten who purchased something that you donated to the auction/event will return as a paying client. YMMV.
posted by Tchad at 2:41 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: I am absolutely willing to do a mural peice! It would be a blast! The problem is that I rent, so I dont' have a wall of my own to do this on for a sample peice.
I'm also completely flexible with the color choices, I totally leave that up to the person who I'm making the painting for. If they want to give me swatches I'll be happy to match.
I'll make sure that I put something in the brochure and website about how flexible I'm willing to be on the size and colors.
Unfortunately it takes a lot of layers of paint to make these, so I wouldn't be able to whip one out quickly for somebody off the street. Maybe I can set up at the local farmer's market with some of the non-personalized paintings and then take orders (fingers crossed) for the custom work. I could sit and work on one of the paintings while I wait for people to come by.
I think I'll do a painting for each of my neices and nephews, their names are pretty common. That way if I don't sell them I will at least have a home for the painting.
You guys are amazing! You've given me so many ideas! If MetaFilter had a corporate office I'd totally send a free painting for the lobby!
P.S. If any body wants to give me suggestions for non-personalized words it'd be a big help. I've already got 'imagine' and 'create', and I was thinking I'd do 'family', 'love', 'good fortune' and 'hope' but after that my mind goes blank.
posted by TooFewShoes at 5:22 PM on June 23, 2010
I'm also completely flexible with the color choices, I totally leave that up to the person who I'm making the painting for. If they want to give me swatches I'll be happy to match.
I'll make sure that I put something in the brochure and website about how flexible I'm willing to be on the size and colors.
Unfortunately it takes a lot of layers of paint to make these, so I wouldn't be able to whip one out quickly for somebody off the street. Maybe I can set up at the local farmer's market with some of the non-personalized paintings and then take orders (fingers crossed) for the custom work. I could sit and work on one of the paintings while I wait for people to come by.
I think I'll do a painting for each of my neices and nephews, their names are pretty common. That way if I don't sell them I will at least have a home for the painting.
You guys are amazing! You've given me so many ideas! If MetaFilter had a corporate office I'd totally send a free painting for the lobby!
P.S. If any body wants to give me suggestions for non-personalized words it'd be a big help. I've already got 'imagine' and 'create', and I was thinking I'd do 'family', 'love', 'good fortune' and 'hope' but after that my mind goes blank.
posted by TooFewShoes at 5:22 PM on June 23, 2010
I read a lot of design and decor blogs, many of whom profile etsy shops. I would email some of these bloggers and drop them a link to your shop. Additionally, you might do a small piece to offer to one of these blogs as a giveaway for their readers, as that tends to drive a ton of traffic to your etsy shop.
posted by questionsandanchors at 8:15 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by questionsandanchors at 8:15 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: questionsandanchors: Could you send me the links to some of those blogs? Pretty please?
posted by TooFewShoes at 8:40 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by TooFewShoes at 8:40 PM on June 23, 2010
A friend of mine was invited to show at one of those exhibits in the center of the mall. The first day he sold nothing while those around him did well. As he was packing up for the night the guy next to him told him to add a decimal to all his prices. My friend did it and sold out the next day.
It's some weird psychological thing that may not apply so much in this economy but says something about the importance of valuing our own work before anyone else will.
posted by Pamelayne at 9:14 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's some weird psychological thing that may not apply so much in this economy but says something about the importance of valuing our own work before anyone else will.
posted by Pamelayne at 9:14 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Sent you a blog bundle via MeMail
posted by questionsandanchors at 1:04 PM on June 24, 2010
posted by questionsandanchors at 1:04 PM on June 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by griphus at 11:25 AM on June 23, 2010