Selling Art

Faylum

Although the title gives off the illusion that i am selling art i am actually looking for advise for when it comes to selling art. I am not looking for exact prices but just help on how to sell art and how to assess value.

I am not a painter or a portrait artist but an abstract artist. I draw what can only be explained by a tedious 4 word sentence 'Abstract Optical Pattern Illusions'. Not all pictures are illusions and not all are Optically alluring, but the general bulk are intended to be both engaging at first glance but delicately intricate with very fine lined pictures. Majority of my pictures are done on a A4 page (not necessarily the entire page used but within an A4 size bracket). However i have also done larger A3 and even A2 size drawings.

I began using whatever i could find, originally mastering Biro which helped steady my hand, then that progressed to Pencil which helped with shading and texture and now to Fine Liner pens which is teaching me precision. The work has also improved, going from an abstract tablet of randomness to a very organized and intended design, that is completely abstract (yes a visual contradiction). However the time it takes to finish a drawing is a considerably long time and takes an almost inhuman amount of patience. Originally a standard A3 size sheet would take several weeks to complete but now the same size would take a few months. (Which is why the majority of my work is on A4 size)

On top of this, drawing for long periods of time can cause headaches, blurred vision and will no doubt damage my long term sight. Which is another issue as to producing masses of work. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about i will show you an old piece from an A3 size paper.

This is a distance shot:
http://img138.imageshack.us/f/cimg1075y.jpg/

And this is literally a thumb size piece up close:
http://img706.imageshack.us/f/cimg1076v.jpg/

The above picture is called Skin and took between 4 and 5 months of about 6hours a day to complete.

My first question would be how would i gauge this picture to value it and what would be fair enough not only to me but the person buying the piece? Or does fairness even qualify in art? Should size of a drawing make the price more or less? Even if you spend a large amount of time on a drawing does that make a picture worth more than one that took less?
To be honest i really need to get into the marketing artist mind set, should i value on how much it means to me or should it be rough estimate? Should the current economic climate challenge my estimates? Are there ways of negotiating sales of pictures with a client or collector and if so how would you negotiate?
Also would advertising via a website or business cards help, or should i stick to exhibiting work?


Ultimately i will be relying on art to fund my life and so as much as i dislike the idea of profiting from something i have intended to be seen by all, i am however bluntly beaten with reality and that to live, i must make money. So if anyone can give me some personal or just observation advise on how to proceed and how to not only manage my art but make a living from it and help me get into the business mindset, i would be most grateful.

Thanks in advance.

tanyabond

For how much would you be willing to part with it? There would always be a buyer for a E1 and a totally different one for a E1000. So put the tag that you feel comfortable with.

neelyohara

Exactly as Tanya said.

If you were to equate hours/energy/expense put into a piece into a financial figure you'd never manage to sell anything. By that I mean if I knit a pair of stockings - for example - and I give myself the minimum wage, times by the hours spent knitting it and then factor in the costs of materials you are looking at a couple of hundred euro for the pair of socks!

In your instance I'd look at making prints of the work that you could sell in addition to the original piece. Price the original art at a figure you would be happy with and then sell the prints for something like €15 - €20 each.

jackbarton

that's great!!!