As an artist, there are many options for you when it comes to selling your work online. Two of the biggest options are selling physical paintings, or prints of your work. You'll see a lot of advice telling you to lean towards one or the other. When it comes to print vs painting, which is right for you? Let's get into it.
Pros and Cons Of Selling Physical Artworks
When you look at selling your art online, you'll see that many advise you sell the original work to buyers. They say that it allows you to enter the high end world of art collection. If you're selling a one off piece of work, then you can start making a name for yourself this way.
What is it that makes a piece of art an original? They do need to meet a few different criteria:
- A certificate of authenticity: This is a document that shows that this work really is original, and that you'll only be selling one piece like this.
- An appraisal of the work: You'll need to have an expert fully appraise the work and put this into writing.
- Documentation of work: This is a record of what you did to create the piece, which again shows that its genuine and a one off.
What are the pros of selling one offs vs prints? There are some reasons why you'll want to consider it.
Make a name for yourself in the industry:
If you have your pieces being bought in the art collector sphere, then you'll be able to start making a name for yourself. The more well known you get, the more your pieces will be worth. That can make it quite profitable over time for you as an artist.
You don't have to sell all your pieces as originals:
You'll see that other artists create several pieces, but decide to only put one or two originals out into the market at the time. That means that less of their work is out there, making it more valuable. As they have other works too, they can use these to sell prints, diversifying their income.
You have control over pricing:
When you're selling originals, you'll have to decide how much you'll sell them for. As a newbie in the market, you may decide that you'll want to put a few more pieces up for sale at a lower price. Once you start becoming known, you can reduce the amount of pieces and increase the pricing to ensure you get what you're worth.
You can sell prints too:
While you're selling the original, you can actually sell prints of it too. That's something that you can take advantage of, to keep money coming in. This doesn't decrease the value of the original, as there's still only one of them and so only one person can own it.
As well as the pros, you want to be aware of the cons of selling your original pieces. Here's what to be aware of:
Cons – It'll take time to sell:
This is the biggest drawback to selling an original. The first time you put a piece on the market, you'll want to sell it as soon as possible. However, you will have to wait until the piece is found by the right person.
Cons – You'll have to work in a competitive market:
There's no denying that the art collector's market is highly competitive, and so you may find that it's difficult to stand out. You'll have to have something unique about your work that you can sell yourself on.
Pros And Cons Of Selling Art Prints
On the other hand, you have the option of selling art prints. These are always an option for artists who want to sell their work to those who aren't able to afford the original. What kind of prints can you sell as an artist?
- Giclee print: These prints are made using a digital image of the art, and are created with an inkjet printer. They can be created on paper and canvas.
- Lithographic reproduction: These prints are created using a photo of the original piece, which is transferred to a photosensitive plate. You'll also see these referred to as posters.
- Serigraphy: You'll also see this referred to as screenprinting, and it's where ink is used under a thin screen, making the ink stick to the paper underneath.
You'll see that serigraphy prints are considered ‘original' prints, and giclee and lithographic prints are ‘reproductions'.
So, what are the pros and cons of print vs painting, and when is it better for you? There are a lot of pros to the process, including:
Digital tech makes it easier to create prints:
This is one of the biggest benefits to prints, as an artist. If you want to create reproduction prints, you can make many of them using a printer or photosensitive plate. It's opened up the process to a lot of artists who wouldn't be able to sell prints of their work otherwise.
Make your work more accessible:
Here's another big benefit of printing. There are going to be plenty of people out there who'd love to buy your work, but they can't as they can't afford the original. Instead they can buy a print to display in their home, and that means you can still make a name for yourself.
Bring in more earnings, quicker:
This is fairly obvious, but if you're selling prints of your work, you'll be able to profit off it almost indefinitely. While an original will make more right away, you could earn more from prints over time.
Cons – Too many options:
For some, the idea of picking between different types of prints can be overwhelming. If you're new to selling your art, you may not know which kind of print is right, and whether you should do a limited run or keep selling prints.
Cons – Some may feel your work isn't as valuable:
There's a worry that if you're selling prints, then your work isn't as valuable as those just selling the originals. However, anyone who's in the art collecting scene knows that this isn't true, and your work is just as valuable no matter how you sell it.
Practical Matters of Print vs Painting Sales
You'll also need to consider the practicalities of selling your work, either as a print or an original. For example, how profitable can each be? Selling an original can take time, but you'll be able to ask for more for the piece. A print will cost less for a buyer, but you can sell many of them and potentially make money off it for a longer period. Typically, more prints are sold per year than originals, but of course the originals are more valuable.
How about shipping? This is where prints win out, as they're easier to package up and send out. You'll need to take a lot of care with an original, to ensure that it gets to the buyer in one piece.
The copyright of your work is something you also want to take into consideration. When you make a piece, you automatically own the copyright to it. When you sell it to someone else, you're selling them the work and not the copyright. In most cases, that means that the buyer wont' be legally able to copy your work and sell it on.
However, be aware if you're creating work for an art gallery or business, you'll give up those rights unless you've negotiated otherwise in the contract. You can also legally sell the rights to someone else.
You can help avoid having your work copied by buyers by including some copyright info on the back of the piece. Some buyers won't be aware of it, so by including it you're covering your bases.
Prints vs Painting: Which Is Better For Artists Wanting To Sell Online?
For many artists, they'll be looking to sell online now. It offers them a convenient way to sell their work, and reach a wider overall market. As such, is this easier with either print or original sales?
It is very easy to sell prints online, as you'll be able to set up a digital storefront. Customers will be able to buy the prints they want, and you can ship them out directly to them. That allows you to reach customers all over the world.
While a lot of original sales will be done in person, such as in art galleries, you can take advantage of online sales too this way. You can again reach more people, so you'll have a bigger market for the pieces that you create.
There's a lot to consider when you're thinking of selling originals or prints. As an artist, you want to make sure you get paid what you're worth. At the end of the day, both have their strong points, and you'll want to make the choice that most strongly aligns with your goals. Or, simply offer both option!
This guest post was provided by Sara Sparrow who is a marketing writer for Academized, where she works with those looking to find the right market for their product.
