5 Things to Know Before You Sell Your Art

Menziesartbrands
3 min readJan 25, 2022

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Have you ever wondered how to make art sales and earn money? Have you taken some work, but aren’t sure how it should be done?

Creating art can be fun but also challenging. Before you dive into art sales, here are some things to consider.

Art Valuations: How much should you charge?

It is hard to tell what to charge. This is because it is about what your time and talents are worth. Just do not undervalue yourself. When you place a price on your art, your client will value it according to how much they pay for it.

If you undersell your work, the purchaser will value it accordingly. If they pay $20 for something, they will not treasure it as much as they would if they paid $500. You tell your customer what your art is worth by the cost you put. If you sell it cheap, it may end up being discarded.

Is your skill level worth the price?

It is expected that if you are starting, you won’t be setting your price as expensive as someone with decades of experience.

Don’t set yourself up by promising what you can’t deliver. Be upfront, and make sure to show good examples of your work. It would be best if you only took jobs that you feel confident in doing, from start to finish.

Get your commission in writing.

The truth is it is easy to get hurt in this art business. Some clients will refuse to pay you. Some may deny the agreed price after the piece is finished. It’s essential to have an agreement and make it legally binding in writing.

You should be clear on what your client is expecting and what you are planning on creating. By properly documenting in advance, there won’t be surprises later.

Always ask for a deposit.

Not everyone will like your work. The client can also change their mind. They may cancel after you’ve spent your time into the artwork. Unfortunately, they may not want to pay you. A deposit ensures at least you get something for your time and effort out of the deal. And you can also keep the art.

Sign a contract when preparing fine art sales

Getting just two adult signatures and a date constitutes a legal contract. This carries a lot of weight and can act as a receipt.

Menzies Fine Art Auctions showcases the importance of seeing a beautiful work of art and sparking up prospective buyers’ passion. We also provide fine art auctions, art valuations, and art appraisals for personal property or artwork.

At Menzies, we take this approach to provide a unique auctioneering service and experience. We have handled and sold diverse contents from corporate art collections, contemporary art to rare paintings throughout our long history.

When it comes to knowing how to sell your art, one can lose a little joy and inspiration sometimes. Just be sure to continue to do inspirational artwork for yourself. And always keep a balance between work and fun.

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Menziesartbrands
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Menzies Art Brands is Australia’s premier fine art auction house, conducting specialist auctions of Important Australian & International Art