Sarge, you asked about “pricing” your artwork so I thought I’d mention that you can’t base it upon time spent on a painting X cost per hour. It must be based upon the quality of the work and the level attained by the artist (i.e. beginner; emerging artist; professional artist; regionally known; nationally known; internationally recognized). Under these criteria an artist like Robert Bateman can charge $125,000.00 to $250,000.00 for an original while a fellow such as myself “tops out” at about $5,000.00 to $10,000.00. I do not have the acclaim that a Bateman has … nor have I tried hard enough to get there. I merely appreciated getting paid modestly for doing something that I love. If I were to depend upon my earnings as an artist I’d starve or get hungry enough to pursue it harder. As it is, it is just a nice little supplement to my income.
If you start your prices too low, or if you give away too many pieces, you will find it terribly hard to get your prices to rise over time. Donating is fine only to a point ... after that it begins to devalue your work!
