What to charge?

[nolan]

to the PB family Bryce - you better hope your Aunt doesn't visit the forum 

[SunRai]

   If she does, Bryce, you better 

[thebryce]

[font=]   Please forgive this long winded response.
I am the nephew of a printer. I grew up in the print shop having to learn the printing business as a kid. By age 19 I ran away to become a salesman. Of course I know about type setting, graphic arts and page layout but I stayed in sales. I never tried to draw much after that.  A few years ago my aunt hired me to help her sell her stuff at fairs and conventions. I found that she only made a few dollars on her stuff until I purchased a bunch of cheap mats and upsold her pictures with some mattboard.   An item she could hardly sell for $5 suddenly was easy to sell at $10-$15 USA. Then I got on the computer one day and took the logo of the fair and spruced it up with graphics and told people that this new frame came with a limited edition Logo and would be a great souvenir for $45.   [/font]
[/size]Remember, originally the  print would have sold for $5 (@6x8 size picture and matting board @.48 us) Now I was getting $45 .  We just did our October fair and sold $35,000 usa in 10 days.   The trick is in the up sale, the venue, using a frame, and making it part of a souvenir or collection.  If you have a series of paintings people can purchase as you get to them you will get repeat customers too!
[/size] I am not a good artist yet,  but I hope I will be adequate some day. This is how I am going to sell my stuff and add value to my Aunts traveling studio.
[/size]
 

[ncwren]

  Bryce!  Enjoyed looking at your art posted in the gallery.

[Val]

Bryce, that is an excellent example of upsale marketing.  It is amazing how something as simple as matting a picture or painting makes it look so much better. I've seen examples of this where one fellow artist just sells her prints as they are, while another mats hers and puts them in a cellophane envelope and sells hers for 4x the amount. Both of these artists are of fairly equal ability. Presentation is a powerful tool. 

[nolan]

and when you add paintings to mix you guys are going to be cooking, awesome Bryce 

[thebryce]

I am on water color lesson session # 7 Clouds today.  I am hoping I can make sense of it.  In Arizona we have some amazing clouds and I hope I can get the technique down.  I am sure we can all sell our paintings for a fair price if we just find the right venue.

[Val]

I'm still working on the clouds...I have a difficult time with them. BUT practice makes (perfect) better? 

Best of luck with your clouds, hope you'll post some for us.

I am sure we can all sell our paintings for a fair price if we just find the right venue.

I'm certainly going to try once I nail a few of these lessons