I want to make money from my art work, am I good enough and how would I do it?
I'm 15 so until August no-one will employ me and as I have now finished my GCSEs I've been drawing more than ever, so I wondered how do people go about making money from their artwork?
Firstly, am I good enough? If not, that's fine, say so, cos' if I'm rubbish it's best to find out now.
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
Secondly, how do I try to sell artwork?
Firstly, am I good enough? If not, that's fine, say so, cos' if I'm rubbish it's best to find out now.
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/c...
Secondly, how do I try to sell artwork?
Jonathan's Response
How to make money from selling art.
Other than what was said above...
Start going to art shows. Talk to other artist. Most importantly, tell them you would like to start selling your work and find out what is selling.
You will only sell what people are willing to buy. They will only buy what fills a need they have.
Here is where it gets interesting.
On a whim, I did some teeth. One was just a tooth actually. At the show, wouldn't you know that they both sold to dentist who said it is hard to get artwork for their offices.
So think of all the businesses, focus on just one, start creating.
Then move to the next.
Instead of thinking how you can sell your art, you need to think of how you can collect collectors.
If I sell 10 pieces at a show, I might make enough for a month or a year. If I collect 10 collectors from a show, I will be selling art to them for the rest of their or my life.
One collector would just about buy anything I made.
But first, start creating a body of work.
Also think of creating a blog. Post each work. Tell your inspiration. What the art is about. Why it didn't work if it didn't. Don't even think of making any money.
On my blog, I don't even have any ads. Not until I get to at least 100 visitors a day and probably not until 200. Right now, it is only in collecting visitors mode. It is collecting a following.
People love following people.
Once you start a following, you will be on your way. Then and only then will you start to think of selling.
Best wishes.
Jonathan, an artist among other things.
Other than what was said above...
Start going to art shows. Talk to other artist. Most importantly, tell them you would like to start selling your work and find out what is selling.
You will only sell what people are willing to buy. They will only buy what fills a need they have.
Here is where it gets interesting.
On a whim, I did some teeth. One was just a tooth actually. At the show, wouldn't you know that they both sold to dentist who said it is hard to get artwork for their offices.
So think of all the businesses, focus on just one, start creating.
Then move to the next.
Instead of thinking how you can sell your art, you need to think of how you can collect collectors.
If I sell 10 pieces at a show, I might make enough for a month or a year. If I collect 10 collectors from a show, I will be selling art to them for the rest of their or my life.
One collector would just about buy anything I made.
But first, start creating a body of work.
Also think of creating a blog. Post each work. Tell your inspiration. What the art is about. Why it didn't work if it didn't. Don't even think of making any money.
On my blog, I don't even have any ads. Not until I get to at least 100 visitors a day and probably not until 200. Right now, it is only in collecting visitors mode. It is collecting a following.
People love following people.
Once you start a following, you will be on your way. Then and only then will you start to think of selling.
Best wishes.
Jonathan, an artist among other things.
Check out Jonathan's Works!
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3 comments:
i personally disagree with this idea, of creating work for a specific collector, without a commission. any artist doing this is setting them self up for disappointment.
create what you love to create. when it is done, then find a home for it. Create the art you WANT to create, and then spend time figuring out who might want it. This also may attract people you would have never considered as collectors.
If you focus your creations to something too small, like dentist offices, you may have a career painting teeth. But when you are 85 and have artwork in a thousand dental offices, you are still going to wonder why you never stopped to create the work you wanted. Even if you only paint teeth for a year, that is still one year of creative effort spent creating something for someone, than creating something that really means a lot to you.
i do think it is a common attitude to find an audience before you create, and personally i think its a bad idea.
I have to agree and disagree with the previous comment.
As an artist you can paint and should paint whatever you like but if wish to sell you do need to consider the buyers wants and needs, I think the response about painting specific things like the teeth idea was meant to be seen as broader than what it was taken as by williamhessian.
You can still create amazing works using your own unique individualism and not end up selling your soul in the process.I do surrealist type works and it means I can still enjoy the process of painting something like a bowl of apples if it has my own unique twist which a basic still life of such would bore me rigid and not contain that x factor that actually sells the artwork. Collectors and curators can see the passion in work as much as they can see something that was painted to go with someone's curtains.
Its all and good painting artwork that you love and feel passionate about but if your subject matter does not appeal to people then don't expect to sell. I've seen many artist too rigid in this and therefore still wondering why their work doesn't sell. It's okay for those who don't need or want to live off their work.
I'd paint teeth if I thought there was a market for it here as I like teeth, I would not paint them like the writer of this blog does in that I would want to put my own touch to it, also in the same vein I wouldn't paint body organs or cars as I don't care for that sort of thing for example.
I feel this was a general comment that should be looked at deeper rather than literally!
Fantastic blog I'm a new fan of yours!
I have to agree and disagree with the previous comment.
As an artist you can paint and should paint whatever you like but if wish to sell you do need to consider the buyers wants and needs, I think the response about painting specific things like the teeth idea was meant to be seen as broader than what it was taken as by williamhessian.
You can still create amazing works using your own unique individualism and not end up selling your soul in the process.I do surrealist type works and it means I can still enjoy the process of painting something like a bowl of apples if it has my own unique twist which a basic still life of such would bore me rigid and not contain that x factor that actually sells the artwork. Collectors and curators can see the passion in work as much as they can see something that was painted to go with someone's curtains.
Its all and good painting artwork that you love and feel passionate about but if your subject matter does not appeal to people then don't expect to sell. I've seen many artist too rigid in this and therefore still wondering why their work doesn't sell. It's okay for those who don't need or want to live off their work.
I'd paint teeth if I thought there was a market for it here as I like teeth, I would not paint them like the writer of this blog does in that I would want to put my own touch to it, also in the same vein I wouldn't paint body organs or cars as I don't care for that sort of thing for example.
I feel this was a general comment that should be looked at deeper rather than literally!
Fantastic blog I'm a new fan of yours!
Collette
www.collette.co.nz
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