Which brings us to the issue of how best to describe and present the artwork you are selling. First of all, the appropriate use of keywords to describe the artwork is essential, because it is only through the title description that buyers are tempted to click and read more about the art and view images of it. Also buyers often search for the pieces they want by putting keywords into a search engine, so it advisable to second guess what they are looking for by deciding what the biggest selling points of are. For example, a title line for a painting of the Grand National at Aintree by a minor artist might attract more viewers if it reads “Grand National Winner Painting By Local Racing Artist” rather than “Grandstand View Of National Winner By Joe Bloggs”, and remember that abbreviations, conjunctions and prepositions are irrelevant as far as search engines are concerned.
Once you have chosen the right keyword title to attract potential buyers, the next thing is to have a good photograph of the piece. To avoid the glare of a flash, this is best done outdoors on a clear, bright day with the artwork propped up at one end and the light diffused so it doesn’t fall directly on the canvas. Place the camera on a tripod and check the edges of the painting are parallel with the edges of the viewfinder. Alternatively, it is a good idea to scan the artwork if it is small enough to fit on a scanner, because the quality of a scan is higher than most photographic reproductions.
After you have posted the image of the art work, you will need to write a full description of it, including its provenance, ownership history and any other details you consider necessary, such as a full description of the painting’s condition, measurements and whether it approximates the image of it that you have posted. Other critical factors to decide include the opening bid and reserve price for the picture and the time the auction closes, should you decide to post it on a site such as eBay. Be realistic with the low opening bid price and reserve, because you want to attract custom and generate a good number of bids, and choose a weekend closing time or an evening early in the week when most customers are likely to be online. Another factor to decide are the surface and air P&P rates for shipping to various parts of the world, whether shipping insurance is necessary and what your returns policy is. And be sure to welcome any questions and answer them in good order to ensure against misunderstandings arising at a later date.
If you have produced the artwork yourself there are numerous online auction collectives that list the artists they represent and display art for sale and links to the artist’s website so the buyer can buy directly from the artist themselves. Bear in mind that artists who belong to collectives are generally considered more reliable and trustworthy by buyers because they follow standard ways of shipping, pricing and handling returns of the pieces they have up for sale in accordance with the rules of the collective of which they are a member. A collective will also be able to handle any emailing requirements to give notification of any special offers or new artwork you have posted, which is a great deal more cost effective than the traditional method of direct mailing whenever a new show is opening.
Next >> Sell Fine Art Part 3
