Any artists on here who sell their work? Come and tell me about it please!

[ImSoNotTelling]

My first foray into this topic - hello everyone!

Basically this is a question which is a favour for someone in my family. He is an artist and paints wonderful pictures - he has a masters in fine art etc - and the work he produces to my mind would sell - I have some up in my house and people always ask about it - he has done some work on commission for friends and family etc.

The problem is that he wants to sell to a wider audience, but he is totally crap at marketing/chatting/doing anything except painting. Which is where I have stepped in as I'm teh organised chatty type

Anyway the problem is that I have no idea where to start! The things I have thought about are:

Local galleries (commission based?)
Local exhibitions/art club type stuff
Internet??? Have looked at some sites but there's so many and I wonder how effective they really are

And my mum has suggested putting something in to - is it the royal academy? - where you pay a fee and if they think it's good enough it goes on dispay in the big exhibion, and the stuff that doesn't pass goes into a different exhibition?

Anyway, basically we are all foundering really. I want to help him but don't know where to start. I also thought about setting up a website for him, which is still on the cards I think. It's hard as he just swans around in a daze and when I suggest something he says "hmmmm maybe" noncomitally and wanders off!

Any help or ideas at all would be greatly appreciated

Hiya!
Where abouts is he? London? I know London basically, but I guess the approach is similar wherever you are. A good start would be to approach local Art galleries with a portfolio of his work, i.e. really good photos of his paintings, not tiny snaps, but nice clear at least 5 X 7 size shots presented well, in clear plastic sleeves in a folder or mounted on card in a portfolio, accompained by his CV, biography, i.e. where he studied, where he's exhibited, commisions he's done. Or if the works not too huge and unweildy then take it along. They may then be interested in including his work in their gallery. You can ask if they'd consider him for a solo show also. Expect them to charge huge amounts, i.e. sometimes taking 100% commission, but that's the deal; they pay the rent on a gallery, they smooze the customers, they do the publicity.
Or.. there are plenty of galleries that you can hire out and do your own exhibition. I know ones in London but assume this occurs elsewhere. You pay a hire fee and have it for a wek or two. They often have a mailing list that they claim will get you lots of rich folks to your Private View Night (the opening night of the exhibition where friends, family and anyone you've invited flock to the show, eat nibbles, sip wine (paid for by you!) and hopefully buy his work or commision some . You should invite press to this opening night. If you're somewhere outside of London then local papers will probably be very interested in including you in their listing of upcoming events and in coming to the Private View night and doing a write up of it. You should send them a Press Release way ahead of the date of the opening of the show and invite them to come; phone them a week later to make sure they got the invite and talk them into coming. A press release is a short few paragraphs announcing this exciting new exhibition, singing his praises, making it sound like it's too good to miss and including some good quality photos of his work that they may be able to include in their write up. Having the images on disc so they can be emailed to press makes it handier for them to include the shots.
As I say the gallery may promise a good mailing list, but they often don't deliver, so you must concentrate your efforts on getting anyone to come that you think might be in the market for buying. Leave invites in piles in local posh establishments, even do a push them through the door campaign in posh neighbourhoods. You can get cards printed with good colour images and text on for not a lot of money, Printing.com for example. Ask EVERYONE you know to come to the Private View night and ask them to bring friends. Ask them to raid their adddress books for anyone who might buy. Friends are your best asset as an artist.
So...create a stir in the press, get a HUGE gang to your first night opening, more press follows. Make sure folks know he takes commissions.
What tyoe of work does he do- landscapes, portraits?
Bit rambling but hope some of that's useful. I'll post later if I think of other ideas. Good luck

Oooh thanks hillygirl that is really comprehensive! I am going to print this off and take it to my family and sit down with them and talk it through.

It's so hard as I really want to help him - but don't know what to do - and he is the opposite of a self publicist!

He does landscapes - his older stuff (which I prefer) was (well I don't know all the terms) but more modern and recently he has done a whole stack of more traditional lanscapes as he thought they might sell better (?) but to who? That's the problem.

When I have looked on the net I do think he's really good - his work is obviously "good" but also accessible without being chocolate-boxy IMO.

He is supposed to be emailing me photos of some of it - I will have to remind him to do that.

Oh and at 100% commission!

Maybe share the rent of a gallery with another artist and do a joint show if the cost is too great, or if his work isn't enough to fill the place. Maybe get a sculptor to exhibit with him, so the floor space can have sculpture, the walls his paintings.
You obviously may have to do the smoozing for him on the night as it doesn't sound like he can. Most artists aren't great at the marketing, self publicising bit of it.
I don't think internet selling works well for painters if you are looking at websites that sell art, but it would be handy to have a website for him so if folks get the invite through the door they can check out his site to see if it's of interest to them. You will probably have to write the blurb for him and make up some flowery nonsense about his inspiration, etc.
I should add that I DON'T do any of this myself; I'm not a fine artist, but many of my friends are, so I'm telling you what I've seen them do. Hope it helps.

Thta's brilliant hillygirl, really really helpful. A lot to think about!

I think you are right that he needs his own website, but actually trying to sell through dedicated art sales sites is not the right move.

Exhibition is exciting and interesting idea, I don't know if we could pull it off, I will talk to them all about it. Maybe best to start out with talking to local galleries and so on and build confidence, get in teh swing of it, and take it from there...

Thanks loads

A friend of ours has sold some of his paintings and gained commissions by having an exhibition at our local library as it has an exhibition space in the cafe part and also allows you to hold a launch party/private view (covered by the local paper too in his case). He made sure that his details were on display, together with business cards so people could contact him direct.

He has also had work in local cafes and restaurants.

Another friend (a photographer) was looking into exhibiting her work in a hospital foyer and a huge health centre -OK, thats probably not everyones cup of tea or intended audience but it gives you an idea of places that have high 'traffic', enabling the work to be seen by lots of people.

Good luck!

Thanks norbert.

I'm thinking, dig suit out, get his portfolio together, hit the high street!

Oooh garden centres Some of his recent stuff done with sales in mind might sell in that sort of setting. There's quite a bit of money round here as well so the cafe etc idea could be a goer.

Loads to think about on here!

Oh yes, and on the night have a Comments Book for folks to sign; folks usually write great complimentary stuff, and Write in it "Please let us have your contact email address so we may keep you informed of future exhibitions"
Folks will be happy to give their contact details as everyone loves to get an invite! Voila you have a mailing list for his next show!

Hi ImSoNotTelling - I know this is an old thread but I could have written the op myself. In my case it's my husband that I'm trying to "market" (or at least, going to be trying...) and the big difference is that his stuff isn't fine art as such, more BD-influenced children's prints.

Anyway, Hillygirl's comments are useful, and I'd love to hear how you are getting on?

A friend of mine, who is an artist himself, has a brill website for setting up e-shops and websites for artists.
theartistshop.co.uk
Might be worth doing alongside hillygirls other suggestions.

A friend of mine, who is an artist himself, has a brill website for setting up e-shops and websites for artists.
theartistshop.co.uk
Might be worth doing alongside hillygirls other suggestions.

gah!

Thanks GeoriesGirl - I'll look at that link.

i have an artist friend who paints pictures of local attractions eg castles/mountains/seaviews. his most lucrative initial venture was to shrink them and put them on classy cards with cutouts seal them (go eg to society for all artists/jackmans)...and tote them round local shops /castles ...people then started showing an interest in what he did and approaching him for different cards/full size paintings

also a magazine called artists and illustrators..they have reg articles on selling work

(he now has reg solo exhibitions in ireland btw)

artists and illus is about £30 a year and gives you discount on jackmans catalogue

See if there is an Open Studios event in your local area, where you put up a load of paintings in your house or his studio and the public come round and view (and hopfully buy) them.

I've been a designer/craftsperson for over 10 years, and I find the best volume of sales come when you put on a bit of an event. Hire a gallery space and put on an exhibition for a couple of weeks. Spend a couple of hundred pounds on advertising and promoting it if you can afford to - it will be well worth the investment. Plan your advertising well in advance, write a press release and send to all local or relevant publications, you might want to pay a small amount for a better listing in the main local paper. Then print some attractive invitations and send them to absolutely everyone you know, put them in libraries, cafes, any local tourist attractions etc.

The first exhibition I did, and promoted in the ways listed above, attracted over 100 people to the private view, 200 more over the course of the exhibition. I practically sold out of everything, and got commissions for lots more work afterwards. I'm sure your friend can do the same.

One thing I would say if you do this is to have a good range of prices of his work. If everything is £100+, people will be put off, but if you have cards for £2, prints for £10 - £30, framed prints for a bit more, then the originals ranging upwards from there, then there will be something for everybody's price range and he'll get more sales.

Good luck!

Brilliant - thank you

Come back come back ImSoNotTelling - I want an update! (please)

Our local restaurant lets artists display & sell their work It's great going in every couple of minths and seeing new work.