How to sell prints of artwork online

Getting started

The thing about making art is that once you've done it, you want to either keep it or you don't. 

If you don't want to keep it, then you can try to sell it. If you're like me, you can't stop making art and you don't have space to keep it all, so I want to sell, sell, sell.

People don't value things that are free.

Drawings and paintings are what I do, mostly, so I will explain what I do and the process that it takes in the hopes that my giving away my secrets helps others sell their art.

It's never okay to steal art from someone and sell it. This advice is for people who make original art and want to offset costs or try to make a profit from their work.

It boils down to:
  1. Create a good digital copy of your work
  2. Upload it to a site to sell 
  3. Decide on pricing

Create digital versions of your work

To do this, generally you can choose to either scan your work or have some printing shop to scan it. 
Back in the day, I was able to find scanners on my college campus that were big enough to scan my drawings. However, that won't always be the case. Scanners can be pricey and take up space.

The scanner I used to have was a Mustek A3 scanner which had 11 point something x 16 inches of scanning surface. I do think that technology has progressed a lot with photos but it hasn't completely ruled out a good scanner. It is difficult to find a scanner for a reasonable price. If you know of any very big and high quality but at a low price -ones, let me know.

Time is precious. Waste it wisely.

What I do these days is this:

  1. Take a high resolution photo of the image in the shade of a building during the day
    • This allows the image to be brightened easily after the fact
    • It reduces harsh shadows and really bright or overexposed areas
  2. Import it into photo editing software 
  3. Clean it up by removing stray lines, adjusting the colors, etc.
    • There are lots of free applications you can use
    • If you want a free version of something that would work, search for GIMP or a quick favorite of mine is Sumo Paint. Sumo Paint has a browser option that is free and does the basics.
  4. Upload it to one of the print on demand sites that exist
  5. Post to social media 

Shouldn't I just get the prints made myself? Why would I use a print on demand site?

Yeah, you could do everything yourself. If you want to have complete control, don't mind managing the shipping, have a great printer, have a lot of ink, have a lot of patience, have lots of storage space to keep cardboard tubes and uline see-through bags, and don't mind dealing with everything else on top of that, go ahead!

This means having to pay for all the stuff upfront, keep track of your expenses, etc. To me, that is too much work. I'm over here trying to be efficient.

I prefer to outsource my printing so that I can focus on making the art. True, I get a smaller portion of the sales because the company takes a bit out. On the flip side, though, I don't have the overhead, the deadlines, I don't have to ship anything because I hate dealing with the post office. 

I think of it like Wal-Mart. You can either sell a lot of something for a smaller price or you can be Louis Vuitton and make your art elite so that only a few people get to buy it. Personally, I think art is for the masses and shouldn't have a barrier to entry that is in the Louis Vuitton range. It's more important to me to see a smile on someone's face who bought something they really connected with than to make a large sum on one item for one person. 

I suggest you make a list of pros and cons for whether you'd use a print on demand company versus doing it yourself. 

Tips and Tricks

  • Get on social media
    • Most artists don't even need websites anymore, they just use their Instagram
    • I would recommend creating a Facebook page for your work as well as an Instagram page. They can link together so as you post on Instagram, it automatically uploads to Facebook as well. Two birds, one stone.
  • On your social media, show how you work
    • People love watching the process unfold. Even if it's just taking photos of sketches that then turn into finished pieces, or short timelapses, share as you go.
    • You don't need to show everything. Show the stuff that puts your work in a good light. 
  • Share your story
    • Engage with your audience
      • Ask questions on Instagram, share to your stories, and lift other artists up!
      • Post a photo of yourself with your artwork, now and then.
      • Ask for ideas of what they'd like to see!
    • Don't sum up your work experience in two sentences. Talk up how you felt or where you were when you were drawing and painting. 
      • Customers want to feel like their getting something special, not something mass produced.
  • Use ads to sell your work
    • The algorithm is working against you. It wants to keep you on that app as long as possible so that they can show you ads. 
    • Be sure to spend a little bit of money so that your art can be seen and make sure that the links you are directing people to is actually a place you want them to go. 
    • If you just want them to "like" your page, that's fine. However, try to keep the number of clicks/taps down to get your customer to your shop as quickly as possible. 
      • If you want people to buy something, don't send them to your website and then your shop. Send them to your shop straight away!
    • I've found the most success with Etsy Ads because they already have a captive market. People on Etsy are already in the mood to buy, they're just looking for that perfect thing. People on Instagram aren't necessarily interested in buying things, they're scrolling to waste time.
  • Network with other artists
    • The more people you are following, the more likely you are to get followers by 1. pure reciprocity and 2. curiosity. 
    • You'll get inspired to try new things and get an idea of what's trendy (if that's what you're trying to get into doing)
  • Do marketing research 
    • Think about WHO you're trying to sell to. Use specific hashtags for that particular group that will be following the hashtag. 
      • Target specific holidays with hashtags. 
      • The broader the hashtag, the more hashtags there will be. The narrower the hashtag, the more chance for your work to shine. But also, people have to be trying to find that hashtag.
    • Are you trying to sell prints or original pieces? 
      • Prints can be sold by the dozen. You're better off having 'limited runs' so that you can bump up the price a bit.
      • Originals can be tricky to price, hard to sell, and hard to ship. In my personal experience, people are interested in the original if they know about your story. I've sold a lot of original paintings to people I know because they know how much time and effort goes into a painting. When someone sees your work online, they see the finished product and a price tag, not the story behind the piece or all the labor you put into it. This goes back to telling the story behind the art.
      • Offer free shipping. Nobody likes paying for shipping. Build that into the price they are paying.
  • Shamelessly self promote
    • Ask your family to repost your work. Leave comments on other pages that are useful but that have your artwork site information (website or social media platform) 
    • Don't be afraid of asking for help getting the word out

Bonus video of some good drawing advice:


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