I have been thinking about this topic since that is quite a difficult subject for artists and many of us are not top sales or marketing people. The following conclusions :-
1. Study marketing by yourself. Get marketing books and do your own research. Maybe you get a new idea or concept.
2. Keep on knocking on the doors of the commercial galleries. Just go there once in a while and show your work. The day comes that there is an open door.
3. Explore auction houses especially those that auction artworks.
4. Try contemporary galleries for limited time exhibitions either by yourself or with a group.
5. Update your website and all related links.
6. Keep selling your art at your house.
7. Put a price on your artwork - do not let it go cheap. Get the mental picture of a good price fixed in your mind. Identify with it fully. Price some of your work at home accordingly.
8. Be open to ideas from other artists and the related industry.
9. Exhibit regularly with all galleries open to you - be there!
10. Improve your artwork! There is a market for good art. But in improving it be real - do your own work, original and honest art because in the end that will work!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
AUTOGRAPHING OR SIGNING YOUR OIL PAINTINGS AND DATING IT.
Two issues are significant here. The one is how you sign your artwork and the other is if you should date it or not.
Autographing or signing – should you sign it very “professionally” or artistically or hide it? That it blends into your color range? Many questions, but the one you should answer is what are other artists, which are painting similar works as yours, what are they doing? Do you find reason in it?
I think the best option is to blend your artistic signature and date that the worked was completed into the artwork in such a manner that:-
1.It does not draw attention to itself.
2.It does not compete with the focus point or main area of interest of your painting.
3.It still contributes somewhat to the balance of the painting or at least does not skew the balance.
4.But it must still be clearly seen on inspection.
If you should do it differently like contrasting color or bright or very noticeable style etc. however, that is your prerogative.
Some artists only put their initials while others put the whole name and surname and even some only the name. If the style is very significant and can easily be distinguished then that could be done. Some artists also sign their work or index their work at the back of the painting as well as dating it.
As to dating your artwork – the older you are, the more important dating becomes. The problem is that you cannot go back to some work that now hangs in a gallery or in another country or in some unknown house or study. By dating it retrospective exhibition could be managed a little easier at a later age. The verdict? I think it is good to date your work.
Final thought and this is just an artist’s opinion – do you want to leave a legacy of artwork? Properly sign it somewhere and date it – alternatively if you only just want to make a sale then do whatever your artistic mind can come up with. Just be consistent or strive more or less to come to some place of doing it with some reason.Or make some artistic statement!
Autographing or signing – should you sign it very “professionally” or artistically or hide it? That it blends into your color range? Many questions, but the one you should answer is what are other artists, which are painting similar works as yours, what are they doing? Do you find reason in it?
I think the best option is to blend your artistic signature and date that the worked was completed into the artwork in such a manner that:-
1.It does not draw attention to itself.
2.It does not compete with the focus point or main area of interest of your painting.
3.It still contributes somewhat to the balance of the painting or at least does not skew the balance.
4.But it must still be clearly seen on inspection.
If you should do it differently like contrasting color or bright or very noticeable style etc. however, that is your prerogative.
Some artists only put their initials while others put the whole name and surname and even some only the name. If the style is very significant and can easily be distinguished then that could be done. Some artists also sign their work or index their work at the back of the painting as well as dating it.
As to dating your artwork – the older you are, the more important dating becomes. The problem is that you cannot go back to some work that now hangs in a gallery or in another country or in some unknown house or study. By dating it retrospective exhibition could be managed a little easier at a later age. The verdict? I think it is good to date your work.
Final thought and this is just an artist’s opinion – do you want to leave a legacy of artwork? Properly sign it somewhere and date it – alternatively if you only just want to make a sale then do whatever your artistic mind can come up with. Just be consistent or strive more or less to come to some place of doing it with some reason.Or make some artistic statement!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
PRICING YOUR ARTWORK
The pricing of your works are really up to you. That’s the fact – you choose your price!
But you must remember that a good marketing person can sell your work for much higher amounts. However for you to be a serious artist and to avoid later problems with resale values or with "investors" and galleries, it is better that you determine your price. Whatever somebody else then sell it for has nothing to do with you. If works are overpriced and sold by a good salesperson and later are sold again and the price are significantly less, you as an artist get a bad reputation and it will influence your sales.
So how do you price your artwork?
The starting point is twice what it would have cost you to frame it. As your art style and quality of your work increase and you begin to sell more then increase it to two and a half or three times the framing price and later on raise it again. You will get a feel for your price! Beware though of cheap thin plastic frames - rather frame it properly! If a work does not need a frame but can hang as a board or canvass just like that ask yourself what it would have cost you to frame it and start with that.
If one work is of a much greater artistic value than some of your other work because it is just a better work, ask your price and motivate it that way! You are the artist - you ask your price! Sometimes the price can simply be doubled and your sales can increase if you have started with less rather than more!
It is always better to see your art being sold again by the original buyer for higher prices than lower. This way you get a good reputation and your work could enter certain markets as investment art! That is the ideal! This is why you must determine it carefully if you are a serious artist! You don't want to upset old customers and collectors!
Price your work carefully and be consistent and treat your customer with integrity!
But you must remember that a good marketing person can sell your work for much higher amounts. However for you to be a serious artist and to avoid later problems with resale values or with "investors" and galleries, it is better that you determine your price. Whatever somebody else then sell it for has nothing to do with you. If works are overpriced and sold by a good salesperson and later are sold again and the price are significantly less, you as an artist get a bad reputation and it will influence your sales.
So how do you price your artwork?
The starting point is twice what it would have cost you to frame it. As your art style and quality of your work increase and you begin to sell more then increase it to two and a half or three times the framing price and later on raise it again. You will get a feel for your price! Beware though of cheap thin plastic frames - rather frame it properly! If a work does not need a frame but can hang as a board or canvass just like that ask yourself what it would have cost you to frame it and start with that.
If one work is of a much greater artistic value than some of your other work because it is just a better work, ask your price and motivate it that way! You are the artist - you ask your price! Sometimes the price can simply be doubled and your sales can increase if you have started with less rather than more!
It is always better to see your art being sold again by the original buyer for higher prices than lower. This way you get a good reputation and your work could enter certain markets as investment art! That is the ideal! This is why you must determine it carefully if you are a serious artist! You don't want to upset old customers and collectors!
Price your work carefully and be consistent and treat your customer with integrity!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
VALUE OF THUMBNAIL DRAWING
The thumbnail drawing is made on very inexpensive paper and the drawing is made very roughly emphasizing the tonal values only in three – areas of white, dark and medium scale. Many of these drawings can be made so that one can find the ideal composition as well as the basic tonal values. The maximum size of the drawing is about 5cm by 10 cm but can be smaller. I choose this size because it easily fits on A4 ordinary printing paper and clipboard and therefore easy to handle out of doors. I also very roughly scale the drawing so that I can transfer the outline to my canvass or board.
The value of the thumbnail is simply this – if it works on this small scale in three tones and it makes sense, then it will work on a larger scale. Once it is transferred to my larger canvass, I work very intuitively and make further adjustments but I always have my reference material in the drawing and the actual photo. I have deliberately not just transferred a photo to my canvass – I first draw and already prepare my mind on problem areas when I am going to actually paint it.
The value of the thumbnail is simply this – if it works on this small scale in three tones and it makes sense, then it will work on a larger scale. Once it is transferred to my larger canvass, I work very intuitively and make further adjustments but I always have my reference material in the drawing and the actual photo. I have deliberately not just transferred a photo to my canvass – I first draw and already prepare my mind on problem areas when I am going to actually paint it.
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