Art question?

I am an artist who paints in oils. I am constantly being told that my art work is excellent, ( by art teachers) I love to paint pictures of English cottages, or very detailed work. ( along the style of Thomas Kinkade) How do I put a price on my art work if I want to sell it, and what kind of prices should I charge?. all my paintings are 16x 20 or larger, and framed.

Art question?
I've trouble with pricing as well, I usually charge what the market will bear, but that (normally) isn't much here, small town and all that. I'm a big fan of haggling, but it doesn't work if your art is going on a site, though it can do wonders at festivals. I suggest looking around at what other artists in your area charge for the same size and amount of detail of your pictures. Keep in mind you most likely *Won't* get the same amount as a Kinkade, because the value of his name is much higher. I usually put my prices a smidge under the competition, since I've a very small wallet, it encourages customers to do double-takes and they don't have to talk themselves in on 'wasting' quite so much money, as it seems like a good deal for the price.
Reply:Talk to a gallery owner.
Reply:usually if you are just starting to sell your work and your name is not known at all you will want to price it pretty conservitavly. Usually a safe bet would be to add up all of the costs of the canvas and paint, double it, then estimate how much you worked on it and try to figure it into the price.


So if the canvas cost 10.00, the paints you used were 30.00... and other expenses raised it to 50.00 total, then double it, and say it took you 2 weeks to create the painting, that it a substantial amount of time, so maybe I would charge another 50.00-100.00. That amount should be a pretty safe price if your art is good.
Reply:Good art is subjective and the time it takes to create good art will vary from minutes to hours to days to weeks independent of size. If a painting is not a stuggle, it's value as a piece of art...a good piece of art....one that puts you on a new level of understanding and control...is only as strong as what the market will bear. I do not charge by the amount of time it takes, but rather by how much satisfaction I got out of creating it. If someone really likes a particular piece, I am inclined to give it away, because it's "worth" becomes priceless. But I cannot do that without falling into bankruptcy and foreclosure. So, if someone really likes a piece and is willing to pay more than the cost to create, plus something for my time...I am happy with that. So my recommendation is to start twice as high as " a bit more than cost plus experience" then haggle to a mutually agreeable amount.
Reply:the minimum price for you is the price where you are ready to give it away





the right price is where buyer and seller meet





too high a price and you won't sell





you have to have the market decide





you can try uploading some paintings here for free and see if people are willing to pay your price





http://www.emergingpainters.com





good luck, peter
Reply:I think all these answers are too complicated, remember he is just starting out, he cant have the market decide, he's not even in the market yet.


Pricing your work in the beginning is very simple, it will just take a little research. Go to galleries and art fairs and look for work similar to your's, in style or subject and in quality. Price your work a little less than these other artists. If you dont have galleries near you pick up some art magazines and look through gallery ads, you can look on-line too.


For later on in your career, the general rule is to raise your prices 10 percent each year, (if your work is selling).
Reply:I remember studying this with a professor, he actually gave me an equation. Materials+Time Spent(kinda like $ per hour) x shock/wow factor=price Ex. No name artist spends $30 on materials and about 20 hours on a piece. At $5 per hour that comes to $130 x wow/shock factor. being he is a new artist, his factor is 1. Same principle with Thomas Kinkade (ugh) $130 x wow/shock factor so $130 x 12 (due to his "stardom" ugh) = $1560 More experienced you are, the better the rating, if your dead it goes soaring!!! :)

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