How to price your artwork

This article has some good advice and some bad advice --- but the key rule is: NEVER, EVER compete with yourself -- that means that you MUST keep your prices consistent and not all over the place... that only hurts you (and if you're represented by a gallery or dealer, their reputation, and thus yours...).

There is a well-known Oscar Wilde quote that goes, "When bankers get together for dinner, they discuss art. When artists get together for dinner, they discuss money.”

As an artist, you understand the making part of your job like the back of your hand. You could probably paint blindfolded and come up with a decent-looking piece. You have spent thousands upon thousands of hours honing your craft. What we often struggle with is the part that comes after we put that last final touch on an artwork—pricing.

Pricing is awkward. Setting a price on something that is so deeply personal and doesn't have a set market value is even more awkward. 

Especially at the start of your career, or if you don't have a nest egg to fall back on, you want (and need) to make sales, but you also don't want to sell yourself short. 

So, how do you start setting the prices for your artwork so you can get the salary you deserve? If you don't have a consistent history of selling your art in a particular price range or in a particular market, follow these seven rules to get started.