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how to sell (1 Viewer)

Surreybirder

Ken Noble
My wife has done some paintings of birds... which I think are good. Has anyone any tips on how to go about selling them? Ebay is a possibility, I suppose--though it's a bit of a lottery. Our local gallery says that there's no market for bird paintings. She doesn't expect to make a fortune but she has put a lot of work into them.
Ken
 
if a lot of time goes into each pic and they are top notch have you considered scanning them somehow and turning them into postcards/christmas cards or something similar for ebay? might be a good way to maximise return for effort (although would require an initial outlay.
 
Thanks for the thought Isurus. It's a possibility but would involve quite a lot of work despatching them, if it took off. I was thinking more of how to sell the originals.
Ken
 
Try your local library!!

They are usually very keen to display art by local artists, and though they may charge a bit of commission on any picture sold, it is nowhere near as much as a gallery would charge. It is also much less elitist than a dedicated gallery and has a much larger footfall so more people who may want to buy actually get to see the pictures.

Darrell
 
Ken, You should post some photos of the paintings. I'd like to see them. Best thing I can say as an artist myself is that no matter what, a person needs to try to create a niche for themselves. I myself do wildlife carvings (I posted a few pics here in the Wildlife Art section) and if I tried to compete with everyone else with carvings exactly the same as what they were doing, it drastically reduces your market. So trying to create some type of niche for yourself is important in being able to sell pieces consistently. Hope that helps a little.
 
Thanks for the ideas.
I have taken a couple of digital photos but they don't really do the paintings justice... they're too bland. But I'll put them up anyway. (the originals are about between A4 and A3 size).
Ken
 
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I don't know how universal this suggestion is, but in my town there is a local artists' group that sells out of a small downtown gallery. You could try looking up local organizations -- maybe they do something similar or hold regular exhibits.
 
Hi Ken,
Have you thought about a web site? If your wife regularily produces paintings a web site might pay off. Relativly low cost, no commission to worry about, post and packaging can be added to the price of the artwork.... Also it can attract a large number of potential buyers,
 
marcbarger said:
Ken, You should post some photos of the paintings. I'd like to see them. Best thing I can say as an artist myself is that no matter what, a person needs to try to create a niche for themselves. I myself do wildlife carvings (I posted a few pics here in the Wildlife Art section) and if I tried to compete with everyone else with carvings exactly the same as what they were doing, it drastically reduces your market. So trying to create some type of niche for yourself is important in being able to sell pieces consistently. Hope that helps a little.

I think this is the best advice. Finding a niche, whether on the net, or in your local town, or wherever, is the best way to go. Trial and error. And of course, with anything bird related, unless it is functional, it is catering to a very specific group of people. I love working in clay, in sculptural form, but that is hard to sell. So I throw pots and decorate them with bird motifs, still doing something that I love, but it reaches a few more people. So maybe the cards wouldn't be such a bad idea...
Lovely pictures, tell your wife, no matter what, to keep on painting.

Best
elizabeth
 
The only way of successfully selling pictures comes down to luck at the end of the day. You can maximise the number of people who will see the pictures by going round galleries, using the internet etc, but at the end of the day, you need to make contact with somebody who actually wants to buy the picture. This is quite rare. In the past year I've only sold one painting, which is why I work in a chip shop!

Best of luck though, your wife has put a lot of effort into these pics and it shows. Pereseverance at the end of the day is the best thing to do.
 
Ken, your wife's work is beautiful! I'm an artist, as well. I'm a member of a local art club (37 members) which puts on 2 large exhibitions a year. There really are no galleries around here that will take local art. For the last few years, I have entered work in various juried, judged, or non-juried shows within say, a 2-2.5 hour driving radius. Besides the possibility of selling a painting, there is occasional prize money. Might not really be worth it, except that I go with artist friends, to share gas costs, it's some exposure beyond the immediate locale, and it's just a lot of fun. It takes time, but the more places your wife's art can be seen, the better chance of people recognising her name, and wanting to buy her art. I've been painting since 2002, and aside from sellingseveral paintings through the aforementioned shows, I'm starting to get some commissions. Another idea, when she gets enough completed paintings, is to find a place to hold her own solo show, and then really get the word out.
One more suggestion: I belong to an artist's website - www.wetcanvas.com - where there are not only forums for just about every media, but also for marketing your work, etc. She might enjoy checking it out!
 
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