To ask for help pricing my artwork?

[namechangerandomnumbers]

Name change for this (it's all very outing).

I'm a teacher, but have always enjoyed painting as a hobby. I painted a watercolour for my god daughter's Christmas present and enjoyed it so much that I started doing more. A few friends/acquaintances have asked for commissions and I'm struggling to price my paintings.

I'm teach full time, so don't have time to do a lot at the moment (of anything!), but I'm starting to dream that maybe one day, I could launch a website and actually do this for a job (my husband says I must be realistic- I get carried away with these things!)

So my question is- please can you help me price my art? How much would you pay for original personalised watercolours?

Not really an AIBU, but posted for traffic as someone has asked for a quote for the fox and I don't know what to say yet!

The space under both wreath paintings is for a name.
Thank you!

Some artists charge by square inch and others charge by the hour+materials. I have friends who charge based on paper size. The best way to set a price is to look at local artists with similar styles and reputation (assuming local buyers are your biggest market) and price according to their prices. If you’re selling online only there’s an awful lot of work involved in marketing and your competition becomes global (including strange people who offer commissions for free) so it becomes much harder to judge.

If you start to sell through galleries your direct to buyer price should be the same as the price the gallery sells at.

I’m on iPhone app and can see them all. Very sweet OP

Obvioualy a glitch on the website, they show up on the app but I can’t see them when I’m on the desktop site.

I’ve no idea what price to advise op but they’re very sweet.

I buy from an illustrator. She sells her A3 limited edition prints for £50. A4 are £40 and A5 for £30. Theyre on good quality thick paper and she signs the back of them before sending.

I commissioned one of my DD when she was small. I paid £400 for it as an original watercolour and it is A3 in size. The artist asked if she could sell prints of it (it was very obviously my DD in the picture) and she refunded £80 once she sold several prints as I had purchased it initially as a one off with no prints. She exhibited it and hence being asked for copies.

Also my dad sells his watercolours online. He sells postcard sized watercolours. One off originals, no prints (only because he cant use the printer I bought for him ) . They sell for £35 each but he includes packaging and postage with that. He doesn't like to charge too much because he found at this price point people will buy 2 or 3. When he charged more at around the £50 mark people only ever bought 1.
A friend went on holiday to New York recently and saw one of my dads postcards in a gallery. They took a photo and sent it to him. He wasn't impressed, he prefers them to go to loving homes.

I recently commissioned an A4 watercolour from a woman I went to school with who has a small painting business and the cost was £55. For the type of pictures you're showing there you'd be as well producing prints. But you could commission pieces and charge more. Lots of local people want portraits of kids and pets done for birthdays and Christmas

I can see the images on my mobile app and on my laptop, but not on my phone through a browser. I'm going to try one more time here and then I'll stop spamming my own post with failed attempts to use technology...

@Huntinginthedark That is incredibly helpful advice - thank you!

I take your point RE oils/acrylics. I've been painting with oils on big canvases for years, but they take AGES and cost a fortune to make and I don't really enjoy the process - I am extremely self critical and they make me feel like shit the entire time. I never know when I'm finished. I do enjoy the challenge, in a sort of... masochistic way, but don't think that it's enormously good for my self esteem. The watercolours are just so much more fun and I just love doing things for children

I can't see them.

I used to sell mine on Ebay, priced them according to how long they took but always on auction and starting at a price I would be happy with if there was only one bid. Haven't listed any for a while as they are packed away after moving house.

Commissions for the starting price I would have put them on Ebay for, or a bit more depending on what they were. Some went for around £100, some for £30. Ebay used to be a good place for judging prices but not so much now, look at completed listings/sold listings.

Sorry only just saw your pics. I think they will be for a specific market, children's rooms etc which is very popular. etsy is very good. But you need to do a lot of research and what you'll find of etsy is the successful people have built a brand, it's all about brand, selling a lifestyle.
Great photography of your works, taken in a room that everyone wishes they had, you get my drift.

My only advice after my complete waffle, is you cannot be half hearted about it.

It also look like you would be very good at illustration. Or unique individualised works with people's names etc. Which is a good sell.

the price you could ask is nothing to do with your ability, but your brand. Same as any industry

I would say small, framed £60 currently.

They are quite sweet actually.
No idea on prces, sorry.

Forgot to attach.

Watching with interest as DH dabbles in some sort of art, (its not paint I don't think, but is ink work with poetry and it's huge, around a metre by a metre) and money is tight but he doesnt know what to price his at.

Oh they’re lovely!

I think Etsy and Redbubble for starters. Maybe Not on the Highstreet?

Can’t help you with a price but check Etsy / eBay / Depop etc for similar artists and what they sell them for. I think it depends on the canvas size, the personalisation, if a frame is included, other added quality factors etc.

They're very cute and very commercial. I especially like the one of the fox. Have a look on etsy or notonthehighstreet to get an idea of what similar stuff is going for.

I have three similar to this. The frame is a 50x50 Ribba from Ikea, the print was £15, he was selling them framed too although I don’t remember how much for.

Totally different medium as his are oils, but I know his original canvasses he sells for about £130, and they’re big. At least as big as the whole frame of that one.

No idea if that helps but just another view I guess!

I was thinking on the high street. But I don't think you can just offer them things.

I would say etsy for sure. But just do tonnes of research

Instagram is also quite a good place to sell things that aren't crazy expensive. Just got to work on hashtags and followers!!!

I'm an artist, its um, rather niche and mostly digital sketches and characters, but something like you're selling, as an original 'traditional' piece, in my art circle would go for about £25-£40 depending on complexity.

Giving you an honest answer, from someone who isn't arty, but if I looked at that for my son's nursery (when they were little) I'd expect to pay £15-£20 undreamed.

*unframed not undreamed!

I'd imagine the easiest and less labour intensive way to make money out of them is to sell them as personalised prints of a watercolour rather than as original watercolours.

There are lots like them on etsy and not on the high street ..dont be disheartened it means there is a market and your work is certainly good enough .
Look at getting a decent scanner and A3 printer ...I'm an artist and use Canon they have been fantastic for me have produced thousands of cards and many prints ...look at someone like Daisy and Bump for style and price comparisons for prints ...

Original artwork will always sell for more but prints are a good way to start the ball rolling ..I would put your framed originals at the £60 with a4 prints at £10_£15 .. Anything under £20 is a good selling price and if you have multiple designs in say A5 A4 and A3 it can soon add up .

I'd say £20-£30.

Have a look on Etsy and see what other people charge. I presume you'd be almost mass producing them. A set number of designs that people choose from a "menu" and then you just put whatever name in so it would be faster to do.

You'd have to sell an awful lot to give up a teaching job. Even artists who are producing really detailed paintings and can sell for thousands struggle to make a profit.

Ok. I'm so glad I asked here first! I was going to ask for £40 for the originals and £15 for personalised prints but maybe £40 is way too much!
At the moment, the materials aren't costing me anything as I use my Grandmother's old art supplies (she died suddenly and it is the most precious thing that I inherited - half the joy of this is using her tools and thinking about how happy she'd be that they were being used!).

squoosh I think you're exactly right about that. Now I just need to work out how best to scan and print them. I have an SLR camera but no scanner or printer.
Does anyone have any advice for making prints...? I'd want to paper to be of quite heavy stock like the originals.

I'd say £10 - £15. They are really cute but I don't think they are professional looking. More of a talented amateur. I'm not knocking them though.

The problem with art is that it's not always feasible to price it and cover time and materials as well as get a profit. It doesn't matter if it has taken hours if it ends up too expensive to sell.

I'd sell cheap and see how it goes. It's more fun to have a turnover than sit watching your art sit on your shelves. If it goes well you can up the price (a bit)

I’m go to art websites like art gallery etc. And it would depend on the size of the canvas, medium, etc. I have paid £250 -500 for original water colours