How to make your art WORTH MORE!

Imagine you are in a gallery, looking at two identical artworks side by side, both offered at the same price.

The one on the left is unsigned, has no title, no story.

The one of the right is signed by the artist in a legible way, it has a title on display. It has a card below it with a story about the art and the artist. This story includes all pertinent information about the artwork, it’s reason for being, the date it was painted, the materials used, the substrate, how to care for it.

Which would you buy?

In other words, the best way to earn more for your art is to give your customers more value!

SIGN IT
Sign it so people know who the creator is – not some vague scribble that needs an expert to decipher. See our other page here to learn more about signing your art. If a picture is worth a thousand words, your signature could be worth $1000!

TITLE IT
Imagine going to see a movie or reading a book that doesn’t have a title. Even if you can’t think of a really cool title, then call it “Untitled”. A work that is called untitled is still worth more than an untitled work because you just don’t know if an untitled work ever had a title and it was lost or forgotten or just never considered worthy of one.

DATE IT
Maybe you don’t like to date work for fear that if it doesn’t sell straight away it will look old. Sure, some may think that but to some it’s part of the story. If nothing else, keep good records. list the artwork in a journal, dated along with all the other relevant information. I do suggest we remove dates from reproductions to keep them fresh but originals are a different product all-together. Maybe, if you don’t want the date obvious, you can write it on the back or in code withing the art.

Remember, the more famous you become, the more important those dates can be. Think about the artists on the past, isn’t the date of the painting just as important to collectors as the title?

EXPLAIN IT
It’s important to some buyers to know a lot more about your art than you think. Keep it brief, it’s not an essay, a paragraph or so will do but explain what it is about, why it exists. Tell them what it means to you, not what it should mean to them.

PUT IT IN CONTEXT
Where were you in your art career when you made it, what or who influenced you? What music or book inspired you, what life experience caused you to create this artwork, this way.

DOCUMENT IT
Keep a good database of your artworks, everything about them from all of the above to awards they have one, where they were exhibited etc. This not only helps your current clients but your family when these records get passed on after you have!

LIST THE INGREDIENTS
The basics will do or as complex as you want. Also include care instructions and advice on framing if necessary.

A FEW LITTLE EXTRAS…

• Take a photograph of yourself with your finished work.
• Shoot a brief video of the work during creation.
• Keep a track of who owns your art – your database is the key to future sales.
• Pair each piece of work with an information pack about yourself, contact details etc and encourage the buyer to keep this and the artwork together so future buyers will know all about you.

Always remember… You can never provide too much information about your art and yourself (as long as it doesn’t get too personal) and the more you provide, the more you clients will pay.