How do ya' sell art if you're a nobody

----------------------- Replay to Frasia2162: ----------------------- Simple backgrounds are okay if you want to bring focus to the center object. Usually works well with portret type images. If you want to spice it up, think about using re-occuring colors or shapes. In the images I used as example you can see the background uses the same color gradients as the girl. In the background you can also see her staff multiple times, it helps decorate the image in a easy way without spending too much extra time on it (just copy-paste, fill black & and add transparency) Even the chains refer back to the handcuffs she has around her waist buckle. The best you can do I to get ideas or a conceptstyles is to look at images of others and focus on the backgrounds. I owe a book with some interesting artists to look at: - Toshiaki takayama - Shiho enta - Fuyu no haruaki (often has empty/white backgrounds) - Akatsuki katoh http://puu.sh/jj3ba/758239b97b.jpg - Fuzichoco (very detailed & full backgrounds) http://puu.sh/jj36T/3c1c054281.jpg Sadly, my own drawing skills are sub-par at best http://puu.sh/jj3AN/853ecbb018.jpg http://puu.sh/jj3Fn/8e2e9896c7.jpg http://puu.sh/jj3LH/b63b9677fc.jpg I mostly draw buildings in 3d softwares http://puu.sh/jj3Q0/3548649533.jpg

I just advertise through friends. I mean, I used to sell art through a gallery, but that's more for traditional art and galleries are sometimes hard to sell in and always charge a commission fee (a certain percentage of your sale). Something you could try is investing in a few prints of your best art and getting a booth at local art fairs or craft expos. For online commissions, like I said, just get on every platform you have and advertise, make something that will show what people would be buying for how much, don't undersell yourself btw, provide contact information and a list of what you're not willing to create for people. When someone contacts you about commissioning you, be polite and professional, actually you should be like that through the entire process of advertising too. Make sure you have an easy way to accept payments. I use PayPal, which only charges a small fee per commission. If you choose to use PayPal too, make sure you read up on how to create an invoice (it can be a little tricky). BE PERSISTENT. Keep advertising, ask your friends to advertise for you occasionally, they're your friends and they'll want you to do well. It'll be bleak for a while, hang in there. I've made a few sales recently pushing my art online, but I also have made a lot of sales just by going out somewhere and doing some drawing in public. People are interested when they see someone drawing art around them, sometimes they ask about it and I always make sure to mention I take commissions. I suggest maybe getting some nice business cards with your contact information on them so you can hand them out. Good luck!

I don't know about how to go about selling on the internets but a painter friend of mine made this cool coffee table book of his work and he would bring that to as many galleries as possible. There are usually (at least in Portland) lots of small businesses that use the work of local artists to decorate and.... What's the word, commission? Help sell the work for part of the money made. Places like coffee shops are the most common but comic book shops do it as well. Even if they don't have anything up it might still be worth it to ask. As far as convention boots go be wary about jumping in to the circut. The overhead for artists and retailers at conventions is very high so it might be bed to treat like a part time job.

Get your name in the auction world or get a stand at a art festival or con or ebay depending on your style of art work and see if anyone wants to buy your stuff. You can also try selling your stuff to your friends and family and friends of friends. You can always posted your art for free on deviantart.com if your in to fan art or make a artist Facebook page or behance.net if you a designer/ graphic art/ graphic designer, that sites ran by Adobe them selfs.

Most of these are great advice. Again, the issue with selling to friends is that they don't really have the money or even deal with me a lot to assist (and i hardly have many friends that would give me the time of day). And family i have are very distant and could care less about others... -------------------- haikadee: You can inforperate your 3d rendering into your 2d work with lighting effects and good blanding. Then your art would be even more pleasing! *o* it would be an interesting thing to see too . ---------------------------- cadettealright: I already have everything nearly set up to that level. Also, not many places in Dallas are nice enough to let free-lancers or young artists in art fairs. Unless you're known through the line of artists, they could care less if you can paint circles around DiVinci. I post contact info, i post prices per type of work, and i really haven't gotten even as much as a like/favorite on any form of page. -------------------------------- michaelw: Dallas doesn't really have that many people willing to do that. Small business are VERY picky here.. they would hardly let people post flyers let alone do anything for their stores. and Art fairs aren't too kind to people like me.. if you're not a art teacher or a local artist, they could give a care less. The best bet for me is to do "young artist" competitions, but they don't really assist in anything besides getting you a neat thing to put in for college applications (and i am already enrolled into college...) -------------------------- Naotsugu: I have art sites/blogs etc, not real luck. but i never thought of auctions! i didn't even think of that as an option!!! thank you!!!

I sell my art work at auctions. It is always a good option for a artist, but you got to have what the people want and are willing to bid on.

Well, I mean it just seems like you're shooting down everyone's suggestions. Honestly the only way to sell art is to know how to sell stuff, have a really good product, and be persistent. If you're not getting feedback, you should try reworking what you have, look up some pointers on advertising. I sold Girl Scout cookies for years, in high school I'd convince people to pay to get their faces painted at football games to support our art honor society. I know how to push my stuff, maybe all you need is more experience and the only way to get that is to keep trying. You say they won't let you in craft fairs, well find a way to do it anyway. Giving up when your goal is blocked isn't going to help you, you have to push through it. It's super hard to break through selling your art, art is so readily available now, there's so much of it. You have to have your own thing that people will see and associate you with and then you have to ADVERTISE THE HELL OUT OF THE THING. Enter contests, post signs on local bulletin boards, find your market and cater to that market. Don't be so negative, you can accomplish this with work.

@frasia2162 Maybe there is a Dallas art collective group thing that would be more familiar with the market there and be able to give better advice. Or Craigslist?

Hmm.. well, if you're looking to sell art, networking will help you quite a lot. I mean, I get your drift when it comes to being the only striving artist in a bunch of peers who are fans of other artists- but heck, you're not looking for THEIR approval, you're looking for a way to get your art out there. The fastest, convenient niche for any artist with access is the WWW. Art sites, art forums, social media. Share your art there, gather your works into your own -watermarked- portfolio and flash your compilation to those looking for people who fall into your category. Some websites give out schedules for events that include Artist Alleys in their programs. You can inquire from those as to how much it is to invest in a table (like it or not, you'd have to spend to get stuff out there, too). Also.. try joining art groups that run independent collective publishings? Before you can sell, you need to have a name and a base, after all. The first step is to get your stuff recognized.