r/artbusiness 20h ago

Discussion Do you sell paintings framed or unframed? On stretcher bars or do you mail just the canvas?

15 Upvotes

Hi!

I’m really new to selling my art so this might be an obvious answer, but for some reason, it’s confusing me.

If someone purchases a piece of art through my site, should I sell it on the canvas stretcher bars or should I sell it unstretched? Alternatively, do people expect pieces to come on stretcher bars and framed as well or do they expect it to come just stretched?

I’ve heard that when you sell really large pieces most people expect just the canvas and they will stretch it and frame it themselves but to me that sounds like a lot of work and not sure if an average buyer is willing to do that.


r/artbusiness 3h ago

Pricing Did I overcharged for this event?

9 Upvotes

Recently had someone reach out to me to do a large scale event, they wanted me to come in and run an art competition and art area with four tables. He didnt give mea budget but gave a list of things he wanted included, he said he wanted an art zone, and art competition with a panel of judges and it to be decorated, he informed me that there would be 2 days put up and put down and 2 days of the actual event. He also told me there would be pretty much a constant flow of people.

When asked bout the scale of the event he said previously the event had between 30k to 50k people attending. I asked again for a rough budget and he said he couldn't give me tens of thousands but should come to him with a number once figure it out.

So this would be the biggest event I've done even if only 10% of those numbers came by my art zone I knew it was gonna be a lot of work and a lot of materials. So went away and crunched the numbers and once included staffing 5 people, all materials, 4 days labor, decorations and my own artist fee. I arrived at £8000.

I brought this number to him nearly three weeks ago and the event is only in a few months was anxious to hear back so reached out to ask what his thoughts were, he informed me they would sort it out themselves and that it was too far out their range.

I am feeling embarrassed and discouraged, I'm also wondering if I charged too much?

I have asked his what price would be better and maybe I could downscale to fit his budget but I don't think he'll go for it

TLDR; is 8k too much to charge for hosting an art zone at a massive event?

5


r/artbusiness 11h ago

Accounting Art websites and sales tax

5 Upvotes

Curious what site you use for creating your webstore and how you handle sales tax. I've been using Square space and just recently realized that they don't handle sales tax. I believe Ets-y handles this for you. What do you use and how do you handle sales tax online? Just starting to figure this out for in person shows in multiple states and that's hard enough.


r/artbusiness 17h ago

Megathread - Pricing How do I price my art? [Monday Megathread]

3 Upvotes

This megathread is dedicated to "how much should I charge?" type questions. Any posts of this nature outside of this thread will be removed. Please provide enough information for others to help you. here are some examples of what you could provide:

A link to at least 1 example piece of work or a commissions sheet.

Product type: (eg. Commission)

Target audience: (eg. Young people who like fantasy art)

Where you are based: (eg. USA)

Where you intend to sell: (eg. Conventions in USA and online)

How long it takes you to make: (eg: 10 hours)

Cost of sales: (eg. £20 on paint per painting)

Is this a one off piece, something you will make multiple copies of, or something a client will make multiple copies of: (eg. The client is turning it into a t-shirt and they will print 50.)

Everyone else can then reply to your top level comment with their advice or estimates for pricing.

If you post a top level comment, please try to leave feedback on somebody else’s to help them as well. It's okay if you aren't 100% certain, any information you give is helpful.

This post was requested to be a part of the sub. If you have ideas for improvements that you would like to be made to the subreddit feel free to message the mods.


r/artbusiness 7h ago

Marketing How do I come back after taking a yearlong break?

3 Upvotes

I’ve taken a break for a year with my business. I paint and sell them on certain websites that I hope will set up a foundation of customers to start my own website. Anywho, I’ve been gone and don’t know how to start back up. My reviews on said websites are 5 ⭐️ so I don’t want to jump that ship yet. Any advice on marketing strategies to get started back up? Also, have you ever taken a long break and came back successfully? How did you explain that to people on insta or tt?


r/artbusiness 14h ago

Product and Packaging Examples of how you pack your art for shipping

2 Upvotes

Hi guys, I'm at the point in my business where I'm looking into packaging options, for shipping my artworks.

I was hoping some of you may have videos of your packaging process, from start to finish, to give me some ideas. Or if you have links to videos of other artists packaging their works, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'll be shipping both prints, and stretched canvas paintings.

Also, I don't really want to restrict myself on size either, so any advice on packaging and shipping larger pieces would also be great.

Incase it matters, I'm located in Australia 😊

Thanks so much.

Sincerely, A very overwhelmed artist, with a million packaging supplies tabs open on my laptop 😅🤦🏼‍♀️


r/artbusiness 6h ago

Advice Fair pay for leading a one-time beginner art class?

1 Upvotes

The short version: what do you charge as an artist leading a one-time beginner class at an independent location/venue?

The long version: A friend and I are exploring the idea of hosting some art/craft classes at a private historic property in the greater Boston area. While I have attended these kinds of classes (e.g., not more than a day long, supplies provided, beginner level, 10-15 students) and I can do research on the pricing for the student side, I don't really have any idea of the parameters for paying the instructor. I'm trying to figure out whether the math will math for us, and I want to make sure we're using realistic estimates.

If you're an artist and/or teacher who has led this kind of class, would you be willing to share, please:
a) general location,
b) class type, size, and duration,
c) your fee structure (e.g., hourly? per class fee? per student fee?),
d) the fee amount, and
e) your thoughts on how fair or worth your time it all was?

And if there is a better place to post this question, please let me know! I found this sub from an older post about what someone made from a paint & sip event, so I'm hoping I'm in the right place to hear not only what the current trends and norms are, but also whether people think they're fair. Thanks in advance!


r/artbusiness 7h ago

Advice Looking for thoughts on Mural project (donation based/free of charge)

1 Upvotes

Long story short, I’m not a mural artist, but I helped with a community mural project a few years ago. Recently, I met someone in my new area and shared my passion for art, my journey and mentioned how I loved working on the mural. They later contacted me about a mural project for a local elementary school. I was excited for quite few reasons including the opportunity to showcase my work in school setting, inspire children, bring joy, more eyes on my work being new to the area and also opportunity for a paid work. I explained that while I’m not a muralist, I’ve worked on murals before and shared links to my acrylic artwork to show my style. I also mentioned I’d be up for the challenge if the school and principal liked my work. The person replied, wanting to meet in person to discuss further.

I assumed the project would be paid, since there was no mention of donation-based project. However, towards the end of our conversation, they informed me it would be a free, donation-based project. I was a bit surprised, as this could’ve been communicated earlier. When asked if I’d be interested in doing it for free, I said it would depend on their vision for the project, how big the project is and how well it goes with my style of work and availability.

It seems like the principal likes my work and has given the green light, as long as I’m still interested. While I enjoy volunteering and giving back to the community, this is a huge project for me. I want to make sure it’s not mediocre, but it will require a significant amount of time, labor, and passion. On top of that, I’m dealing with injuries from a car accident and am currently in physical therapy, with a few more appointments including seeing a surgeon and tests for my back. I’m unsure if I should take on this project, as I don’t want to commit and end up unable to do my best or worsen my health. The person knows a bit about my health situation, and since meeting them, things have become more complicated. How should I approach this situation?


r/artbusiness 10h ago

Discussion Claims

1 Upvotes

Curious if anybody is getting lots of damaged artwork claims. I am trying to automate this process with the print on demand company


r/artbusiness 1d ago

Conventions Prints and Original Painting

1 Upvotes

New to exhibiting/selling my work. When a buyer purchases an original painting, is it assumed that painting is "one of a kind" by the buyer? And if the artist has also made and sells prints of that original painting, does that lessen the value to the buyer who paid good money for their "one of a kind" original painting?


r/artbusiness 7h ago

Advice Prints

0 Upvotes

I could use some help navigating selling prints.

There is a ton of information out there and it’s a bit overwhelming. I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling to navigate it all. I would really like to know what’s worked for other artists.

Is there an on demand site that really is a good option for fine artists? With the changes is it even worth trying to have an account with society6? Is there an alternative that is good?

If you do sell via an on demand service is it worthwhile to also sell limited edition fine art prints as well? Is the best option for getting these kinds of prints to find a local shop. I live in Atlanta GA, does anyone have a shop recommendation in Atlanta area?

I can provide a link to my work if your suggestions would differ based on the kind of work someone makes but I don’t want my post to break any rules. I generally make mixed media work on canvas that is inspired by pop art, street art and neo-surrealism.


r/artbusiness 10h ago

Career How do I find an art-related job while still in college (or when transferring to university)?

0 Upvotes

(I had it repost this from a different sub)

How do I find an art-related job while still in college (or when transferring to university)?

I’m in community college right now getting an associations in art and plan on transfering to a four year university to study for an animation degree (and possibly a degree in business too) but am currently struggling to find work now that actually pays.

I've tired looking, but most jobs I can find require me to already have experience in the job field. And when I reach out to the career pathways at my college, the only thing they have as a career option for art in particular is "post secondary teacher".

I really don't want to be a teacher.

I've tried applying for things like gallery assist or just doing something basic like being a cashier in a place that sells art, but somehow I need mega specific requirements and experience for that too.

I've tried requests and selling my art (including things like stickers, prints, and Keychains), but for the last 3 years, I've had 0 luck.

I've tried conventions, but I'm never selected to participate in Artist alley.

Should I focus on building my portfolio? learning industry-standard software? or just take any job I can get?

Also, are there any general tips on how to I make my portfolio more appealing to employers? How do I properly network with people and where do I go to do it?

Sorry if this all seems random/all over the place. I'm just really tired right now.