Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a group of local artists in Prince William County in Northern Virginia dedicated to an appreciation of the visual arts and fine crafts of local artists and this is their Blog, Artistry Spin. Find information about and by PWAS, our events, our Scholarship Program, our artists, our art shows and exhibits plus much more. Many of our artists display art at locations all around Prince William County, Manassas and beyond.
Most
months, I like to ask the Prince William Art Society artist members what they
are working on, sometimes in various ways. What's on your easel isn't
always the right thing for every artist as they work in various mediums like digital art or sketching.
Nonetheless, let's see what the artists are doing at the moment and
what might be on their radars.
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
This is what I am currently working on/ what I have on the easel. It is acrylic on canvas, 24" X 24", It doesn't have a title yet...
PWAS Member Donna Liguria
I'm a big fan of Claude Monet. I've been wanting to do a Monet inspired lily pond for awhile, especially after seeing a few of Monet's artworks at the National Gallery when the Prince William Art Society sponsored a field trip awhile back (2024). We had a wonderful time and admired all the works...but Monet just lights up your eyeballs! Still in progress, here is what I have thus far and it is called "Monet Inspired Water Lilies" (of course). It is in acrylic, 16x20.
PWAS Member Mark Murphy
What am I working on? I continue to experiment with different watercolor styles. Here are some examples.
PWAS Member Lizzy Javier
I am always challenging myself by painting something different. It could be a different technique, medium, theme, etc. When I started this piece my intention was to change my style of painting to abstract. But sometimes your brain does not want to go there.
Title: All About the Vase
Medium: Acrylic
Dimensions: 14" x 11"
Price: $309.00
We LOVE seeing what everyone is working on and we hope you love seeing them as well. Drop a comment below on what you love about these! Until next time...
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.
Occasionally people will ask the Prince William Art Society members to create custom artworks that they would like an artist to paint for them. The question sometimes comes with who specializes in various mediums desired or subjects like pet portraits, children's portraits, or family groups. Wedding portraits or the family home, or even the koi pond in the backyard might be the subject. The PWAS art group has a lot of artists that paint commissioned paintings so let's look at a few of these artists and their art.
About Commissions
In the art world, there are a couple of meanings to the word "commission", the first being the percentage fee charged by an art gallery or show when artworks sells and is deducted from the selling price with the remainder going to the artist. The second is when a potential buyer contacts an artist and an agreement is made to have the artist create a customized original artwork for that buyer.
There are some different schools of thought on commissions. Some artists take commissions while others do not. Some artists charge more for a commissioned work and there are several reasons for these thoughts and points.
Artist Schedule: The artist may have a schedule of paintings or a series of artworks that they want or must accomplish for their specific upcoming shows. A commission, while potentially being very welcome, may alter the artist's schedule so that the additional artwork can be finished on time along with their regular artworks.
Time is Money: A commissioned artwork is a process that takes time. Back and forth communication with the client, commission contract agreements, sample or progress reporting as the art piece takes shape, setting up pickup, delivery, shipping, or installation must be arranged as well...also being a part of the cost toward the artwork.
Artistic Freedom: Artists are creative people and their artistic freedom of expression is a cherished part of what they live with and expect when they create their art. A balance may need to be struck between the client's vision (request) and the artist's interpretation of the subject of the artwork. It is so very important for both parties to be absolutely clear of the scope, expectations, the artist's style, when the client selects the artist AND the artist agrees to the request.
Important: Commissions will often require a non-refundable deposit upfront of up to half the price of the work. Artists cannot be left hanging if the client is dissatisfied or cancels the work when it is completed. It is up to the artist's discretion if the deposit may be applied to another work. The commission agreement should address any and all points.
The Commissions page on this blog for more info on how both the client and the artist work their way through a commission.
Holidays: For those potential clients considering approaching an artist to have them create an artwork for you, holidays (gift-giving-times) are often very busy times of year for artists so contact them early so you can get on their calendars. Some art mediums take a lot of time to "cure" (dry), and time needs to be allotted for their creative process, as well as research itself to configure the art as well. There are artists that know approximately how many pieces they can take on before that holiday's date/deadline.
PWAS Member Mark Murphy
Painting commissions can sometimes seem like a detour from our artistic journey because they focus on a subject that has special meaning to someone else, often a stranger. That being said, I've had a couple fulfilling experiences lately.
A woman approached me online asking for a rendering of her daughter's soon to occur wedding. To honor her recently deceased father, she will wed in Hawaii where he was working as a helicopter pilot. The painting portrays her and her deceased father holding hands on the beach where the wedding will be held (Tunnels Beach, Kauai) and clearly shows her chosen wedding dress. The really gratifying part was watching her mother break down in tears when she saw the result.
A man approached me at an exhibit and asked me to paint his boat. His wife's reaction was, "Oh no, not the boat". I was anticipating a modern fishing boat, but it turned out to be a half-submerged wooden rowboat in the marsh surrounded by lush grasses and trees. It turned out to be a compelling image. Finding this wreckage and documenting it over years with his son was a special memory for this family and their emotional response to the painting was so gratifying.
I also painted the Blue Ridge Country Store in Hume, VA. I found a photo of the long-time owner online and added him in with his arms outstretched welcoming people in. When his wife saw the painting, the tears flowed for quite some time.
You never know where your artistic journey will lead but letting others, even strangers, join in on that journey can be very satisfying.
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
Commissions: A Story
Many moons ago, a lady commissioned a watercolor. She wanted a
painting of a Baltimore street vendor with his horse before they
disappeared. The internet was nonexistent and very few photos were available.
I accepted the commission. I went to downtown Baltimore to find these
vendors. After asking around I encountered one who allowed me to take
many photos of him. I made a couple of sketches and showed them to the lady. She decided
for one but was not happy about the angle, so I made a couple more
sketches with different angles. She decided on one. We agreed on the
size and the price. She also decided on the frame
she wanted, which I purchased.
I started to work on it. The size was 18" X 24" on 140Lb. paper. It
took about 29 hours to finish. I also sprayed a matte varnish on it.
I showed her the final piece and she said it was too light, she
wanted me to make it darker because her decor was darker. I told her I
could not make it darker at which point she said she did not want it. I
had not collected a down payment of half the agreed
price, (BIG MISTAKE).
I told her I would not make a new one.
The story doesn't end there. I decided to find the street vendor. It
took a couple of tries until one Saturday morning I found him. I went up
to him and showed him the watercolor. He loved it and asked how much
would I sell it to him. I told him: "It's yours,
have it as a token for letting me photograph you". The smile on his
face was worth so much more than all the money that lady could had given
me.
If I had not varnished it I might have made it darker.
Unfortunately that is one of the pieces I never photographed.
A preliminary sketch of the commission
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
PWAS Member Donna Liguria
Commissions are artworks that I love creating for people when time allows and the subject is something I feel I can do justice to. I say that as I do not paint specific people knowing that it has to look like that person's loved one and not look like an alien. I prefer and welcome commissions on subjects like pet portraits, the places-landscapes, mountains, or gardens, the koi ponds, etc.
A series of 4 commissions painted by Donna Liguria called the Washington DC Four Seasons Series that were from a client in Washington DC. Above are the prints (sold individually or as a package) available on my Donna Liguria Art Etsy Shop. The seasons are:
"Cherry Blossoms, an Annual DC Event" (Spring)
"A Capital Summer"
"Lincoln Memorial in the Fall"
"White House Having a White Christmas" (Winter)
This was a commission the client wanted from a photograph he took. It was in his travels in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia. It is 11,870 ft. mountain that is reflected in the water...called of course, "Mountain Reflection"
This commissioned painting was for the Jeanette Pier at Nags Head, North Carolina called "Sunrise at Nags Head"
And this fellow was for a client to her son this past Christmas of their newest boxer named Budryk
Commissions are a GREAT way for art buyers to get personalized artwork for their homes or to give as gifts. The art decor in your home should reflect items you love, the places, the people, the scenery, and in the colors that bring you joy and coordinate with your interiors. Contact an artist near you today!
Drop a comment below and let the artists know what you think about their works!
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.
How
to sell your art online or in person is what nearly all artists ask
about at some point. This blog post is part 3 of the 3 part series on Selling Your Art.
NO ONE is searching for you or your art, your website, your art show.
YOU must be the one to get your art "out there" so that it can be seen and potentially purchased. No one else is.
UNDERSTAND your niche and style of art to build your understanding toward who your potential clients are in order to get your art in front of them and to TALK about your art.
Now let's take a look at the actual how YOU can sell YOURSELF.
There
are art spaces where your art must speak for itself - sort of. The art
gallery or exhibit you have your art in is run by staff and you are not
physically there except perhaps on the day of the art reception. In this
regard, you will or should be actively promoting your art on display on
social media, local event avenues, friends, family, art followers, etc.
Ask other artist where they were successful, what platforms they used, what art shows are good to attend, what typically sells at those shows and galleries.
Then
there are art shows, popup art shows, group art shows where you are on
stage. Your vendor booth is when you are the person tapped to make the
sale. Have a gander at this video:
Sales Tips for Live Art Shows by ArtsyShark Carolyn Edlund
5. Place item in their hands (a little tougher with a painting, any ideas with this one?)
6. Include everyone in their party
7. Eye contact!
8. Child with party? Bubblewrap diversion
I
would add to stand up when people come to your booth space. AND Stay off your
phone. Create a script for yourself so you can reference it, memorize
it. Many of us are not outgoing, so we need the help in speaking with
people so we can make the sale. These tips work well with individual
artist shows as well as art group shows.
"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess, of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of
conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see
done." - Mr Darcy. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Important to Remember: people do not always buy artwork because its the greatest artwork in
existence. They may buy artwork because of the artist. The buyer and
artist have built a relationship, a connection.
Budget-Friendly Art Market Tips & DIY Display Hacks for Art Panel Walls
Although the artist's ultimate goal may be the creation and selling of the own original artworks, there are other ways for the artist to earn income to support their art career. The sale of original artwork is a one-by-one process but these other ideas may offer ways to generate income as well. Do remember, some of these ideas will require a LOT of traffic, followers, and extensive marketing, as always - do the research and find what will work for you and your skills.
Teaching art classes and workshops.
Create and sell online courses.
Craft fairs, art markets, farmers markets, art festivals, art or gallery walks, art crawls - wherever you can connect with a variety of people, collect emails, get feedback, test products, and more.
Streaming / livestreaming your art process.
Sell digital downloads and templates.
Art commissions for pet portraits, family portraits, murals, and more.
Networking with someone writing a book that might need an illustrator, or write and sell your own art books, art guides, or e-books. Think book covers, cook books, children's books...
Offer limited edition prints and/or look into print-on-demand products.
Art merchandise customized with the artist's designs - mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, puzzles, and more.
Have extra space? Rent out studio space to other artists.
Offer graphic design services. Create a logo for someone, business cards, or flyers for a fee.
Offer private art lessons.
Be a live caricature artist, a face painter, a paint and sip artist.
Apply for artist residencies.
Licensing your artwork for commercial use - get royalties.
Sell NFTs or digital art tokens.
Build a membership site with a subscription fee presenting exclusive content.
Monetize your social media, newsletters, blog with sponsored content, affiliate links, ad revenue, and more.
Crowdfunding
Apply for art grants for an art project.
Feature "art sales" shows with square foot shows which are 12x12 artworks, each artwork priced the same and market the show extensively.
Go to your local gift shops and boutiques, that may sell local art.
Try selling at gallery gift stores, museums.
Watercolor greeting cards
Offering your artistic services such as:
An art show or contest Juror or Judge.
Art talks, event speaker or panelist.
A photographer - not only the weddings but think about offering your art group members professional photos of their artworks for a reasonable fee. Set up photo sessions on a scheduled basis for specific sizes, certain number of pieces - whatever works for you. Once you have the equipment set up, its a great way to move through the process before moving to the next size of artwork.
Another part of selling is following up when someone shows interest at a show, through email, through a DM.
How do you followup when someone sends an inquiry about your artwork? Do you have a process to followup with them?
Let's
say someone emails or DMs you on how much your artwork is. Don't get
nervous, don't panic, don't justify your prices. Don't say too much. No excuses like 'because of this or that'. If you panic, your potential buyer may go
silent. You'll be listening to crickets.
Instead: Have a followup process where you will be calm-cool-clear-collected.
Step
1: You will confirm to the buyer that you received their inquiry.
Confirm what they are asking about - which piece, which service, which
size.
Step 2: Very calmly and very clearly give them the data they requested.
Step 3: Now, you will add just one "trust detail". Say something like, "This piece is available now, and can be shipped within 2 weeks."
Step 4: And we can make the next step extra easy for them by saying, "Would you prefer local pickup or shipping?"
Step 5: Finalize by closing the loop with, "I can send an invoice and hold it for 24 hours."
Something like this gives you and the buyer a framework that is clear.
This video below, is a very straight forward look at art selling.
10 Tested & Proven Ways to Sell Your Art as an Artist (Complete Guide & Honest Overview) by Contemporary Art Issue (CAI)
Dress to impress is as important as always even when its terribly hot. Look professional!
Your attitude is so important. A happy artist with energy will help to sell.
I do suggest going down the rabbit hole for a period of time when researching how to sell art and your art business. There are so many great videos and art tip suggestions that you can learn so much from, and a ton of tips on this blog too!
The Art of Selling Art, Selling You, Selling Higher Priced Art
Alternatively, there are schools of thought that say in order to sell your art and to sell it at a higher price for the professional and established artists is to:
Find your target audience by posting you with your artwork with high quality photos and videos TALKING ABOUT your art - NOT trying to SELL it. Speak directly to your ideal Buyer.
Develop the script for each artwork saying WHO it may appeal to and why.
Do NOT send potential Buyers to a website link.
Always answer your DMs when someone asks about the price.
Post at least 3 to 5 times per week on your social media. Be genuine.
Build a communication line to the potential Buyers and a developing a relationship with them directly when they ask how much it is or what else you have. Be engaging. Ask what they love about your artwork.
Build perceived value by:
NOT offering the art merchandise that many artists do.
Don't offer any marked down pricing.
Have
at least several high priced artworks that are extra large, running
$5000+ and pose them in a very clean, very professional environment with
YOU in the pictures as well. Build trust.
If
a person says that those artworks at that level are unaffordable for
them, show them the 'more affordable' pieces that you have, say 16x20
and 18x24 medium to large range that are under the 5K. Perceived value.
Close the sale - learn the scripts and tactics to make the sale.
Let's
face it. If your followers and people commenting on your social media
posts are all other artists, you are not selling to them. They are
trying to sell their own artwork. Finding your Buyers and moving toward
making them repeat Buyers is the beginning of your marketing plan. As with anything, its up to you to learn the process of selling in order to sell well.
For Further Reading
Selling
your artwork is very hard, and yes - I heard that "Duh!" Each of us
will need to find what works best for each of us, our families and
obligations and the period of life we are in. Nonetheless, knowing what
we are getting into before we spend too much money or become discouraged
means to not only create the best possible artwork we can, but doing
the homework to learn how to make the jump into the art world as wisely
as we can.
14 Best Places to Sell Art to Make Money -
Etsy, Redbubble, local, Saatchi Art, Zazzle, Artfinder, Soiety6, eBay,
Shopify, gift shops, coffee shops, farmers' markets, social media
Top 10 Tips On How To Sell Your Art - Your story, website, show sold art, new venues, cohesive brand, SEO, social media, local shows, prints, positivity.
The Art of Selling Art: 10 Ways to Sell Your Art: A Beginner's 2025 Guide
- Optimize Portfolio, Social Media, NFT & Digital, Print on
Demand, Collaborate, AR, Participate, Email, Commissions, Voice &
Visual Search
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.
Snow is Cancelling the PWAS Meeting Set for Monday, Jan 26
The Prince William Art Society meets once a month on the fourth Monday of the Month but NOT this month! The upcoming snow storm is threatening inches and inches of snow so the artists are staying home and trying to dig out.
PWAS Art Meetings
Typically the art group meetings are held at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Road, but the Board has elected to cancel the meeting. The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 23, 2026 7:30pm and we look forward to seeing you then.
Tall Oaks Community Building in the Spring
Paint While Being Snowed In
Need some ideas to paint? We should do a snow challenge...10x10, or any size? What do you think?
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.
The PWAS Artistry Spin Blog is happy to post the PWAS
Members art shows and events, individual or group shows every month.
Each PWAS Member is welcome to send me info of any art event they are
showing in, if you let me know some details... hey, it is FREE promo for
your show! Let's see who has a show coming soon for you to check out! Some great art by some great artists!
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
The next show in the Prince William area that will show some of my pieces will be in the Manassas Central Library at 8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas from Feb 3rd till March 3rd. It will showcase pieces from various
series. Other confirmed upcoming shows:
Aug, 2026 - (solo show) The Dance Series, Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts,
813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Nov - Dec, 2026 - (solo show) The original Natives Series,
Manassas City Library, 10104 Dumfries Road, Manassas, VA 20110
PWAS Member Kwaku Ofori Yirenkyl
My solo exhibit at the Montclair Public library from Jan 21 to March 19th, 2026.
PWAS Member Otis Stanley
PWAS member Otis Stanley is exhibiting in a Veterans Art show in conjunction with the Arlington Artists Alliance.
PWAS
Members - You need to send me YOUR art show list at the end of each month to be posted FOR the next month. Dec for Jan 2026,
Jan for Feb...etc. I can't promote you if I don't know what you are up
to!
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment (below)! ...Remember, comments are monitored so they will not show up immediately.
How
to sell your art online or in person is what nearly all artists ask
about at some point. This is the second in a three part series on the multiple ways for artists to find art opportunities for getting their art seen and sold.
Art Show photo by Ken Meardon (a past Prince William Art Society member)
Here
is where doing the research seriously comes into play. There are plenty
of people that have success with various art selling platforms and
there are probably even more artists that do not. Any of these platforms
can get quite expensive if you launch into something head first and
don't know what you are getting into.
With
the increasing turn to selling art online, the internet has become a
very busy place. There are tons of fine artists, craft artists,
painters, photographers, sculptors, and digital artists in every nook
and cranny at every career stage and every style and genre.You'll need
to clearly articulate where and what you do to find your best fit.
Hard
work? Yes. There are some ways to make life easier like scheduling
posts, so research art tips, tricks, hacks, money saving ideas and
suggestions to make what you can easier but as always, being consistent
is key.
A Professional Website
Do
you need a website? It is generally considered that a professional
artist should have one. This is your personal store front, your main
source where people go to learn more about you. Keep it clean, keep it
simple, clearly show your artwork.
About quality images for your website:
Show your art straight on (NO background, trim the image)
Show from different angles
Take close up shots of the art showing details
Have shots of YOU with the art
Show the are in a different room or two so that the viewer can imagine it in their own environment.
It
is important to remember that on the internet Content is King. Content
Matters. Keywords and Key phrases are how you find information online
AND how people find information about YOU. An image without TEXT is a
dead end. Thus, you must provide text as well as images.
On Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X / Twitter, TikTok, and perhaps YouTube
Artists
might use Facebook Marketplace to sell art or via their own website.
Some artists use social media as a feedback platform and places to post
upcoming events. Involve your viewers in what you do so that people get
to know you and always provide links to your main storefront, for
whichever platform you may use.
Create a consistent plan that you can stick to and manage when posting content. Create a schedule and post with purpose.
There
are many of them with a variety of services, pricing, ease of use - you
name it. Ask around what other artists are using, their opinions, and
success rates. As always, updating and working your information is a
daily, if not several times weekly, hands-on art task toward selling
your art. Here are some choices:
Amazon,
Etsy, Shopify, Fine Art America, Saatchi Art, eBay, ArtPal, Artfinder,
Society6, Redbubble, Artsy, Singulart, DeviantArt, Artplode, ArtStation,
1stDibs, ArtSpace, Kooness, Artistics, Artsper, UGallery, Pictoclub,
Rise Art, Zatista, Artmajeur, OpenSea, SuperRare, Mintable ... to name a
few.
New ones come in and some fade away. As always, do the Research, research, re....
Have a Newsletter
Create
and send out a periodic newsletter. Collect emails and schedule your
time frame (at least quarterly, if not monthly). Your fans can opt-in to
receive your content and opt-out if they change their mind. The
potential is toward building a loyal and supportive community fan base
that want to learn more about you.
Be genuine, start simply, offer exclusive content.
About Blogging
Talk
about what you are doing, how you are doing it, what you have new, what
you are working on. Write about your inspirations, your studio, your
tools, your upcoming projects and shows. The blog is a subset, a link on
your website. Share your blog with your social media to help promote
content. See Tech Series 4: The Blogging Story
Being Online
Consistency is a MUST, you will need to do something everyday to promote your art online, some how, in some way, even if in only a small way.
Look into QR Codes perhaps vs. Business Cards. Personally, I like have a card with a QR Code AND using QR Codes as well. See Artist Documents - What Do I Need?
Remember
that online on social media, the algorithms change. This means that
although you may find your art sales may be going well at some point,
when the website platform makes a change, you may see a shift in your
sales one way or the other which might then trigger adjustments. Nature
of this terrible beast.
How to Actually Sell Your Art Online : FREE Strategy for Artists - Studio Wildlife
Obviously, becoming an artist and trying to sell your artwork can be looked at as a daunting, if not expensive path to take. Start off small (if need be) and look for so called "free" or less expensive art opportunities, have a budget, and build your career. Talk to more experienced artists, follow blogs like this and always be learning.
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
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