
Kathleen answers:
You have to MARKET your art! The more people that know about your art will better your chances of people buying it! It takes approximately 6 months to 1 year to start seeing results of your marketing efforts! But remember, your artwork will only sell if it looks PROFESSIONAL, UNIQUE, OR IS IN DEMAND!
1. Even though its not required, you should still register your art with the copyright office because if you want to sue for damages for copyright infringement your work must be registered! Go to U.S. Copyright Office website for more info!
2. Buy the book, 2011 Artist’s And Graphic Designer’s Market by Mary Burzlaff Bostic at Amazon website or check out this book’s official website called ArtistsMarketOnline. This book is updated every year to include the current contact and submission information for tons of places, such as greeting card companies, publishers, art fairs, art galleries, and more. It will tell you how and where to sell your artwork.
3. Buy the book, Legal Guide For The Visual Artist by Tad Crawford (fifth edition) at Amazon website. This book gives in-depth information on legal issues facing artists.
4. Get a website so people can see your art! Pay for a website address through Go Daddy, Yahoo Small Business, SquareSpace, Pixpa, or another web hosting company. Google search “web hosting” to find more providers. Electronic Commerce is an extra feature that you can buy from your web host. E-commerce allows you to sell things on your website.
Or you can display your art on a free website such as Google Sites, Weebly, Blogger, WordPress Free Blog, Tumblr while you sell your art on Ebay or Etsy website.
Or you can display and sell your art on an art website such as ArtBreak, ArtByUs, ArtyBuzz, ArtQuid, ArtFire, Artist Rising, ArtSlant, ArtSpan, Artid, ArtWanted, CafePress, D’Art Fine Art, Deviant Art, Discovered Artists, Fine Art America, ImageKind, Original Art Online, Qoop, RedBubble, Saatchi Online, Sell-Arts Marketplace, Yessy Art Gallery, Zatista, Zazzle. Some (not all) of these websites allow you to upload a high resolution image of your artwork and the company will reproduce the artwork as prints and other items. They will create and ship the items to your customers and pay you when someone buys your items. Some of these websites allow you to sell your original handmade artwork or photographs also.
Learn “search engine optimization”, which is the process of improving the visibility of a website in search engines. If your website is ranked high in search results, it will more than likely get alot of visitors. Google search the words “search engine optimization” for more information or buy a book on the subject at Amazon website.
5. Mail flyers of your artwork and contact info to all places affiliated with art (art magazines, art museums, art galleries, art supply stores, art schools, art organizations). Also, mail samples to non-art businesses because these could be potential customers that would buy your art, Example: If you paint still life/food, mail flyers to restaurant owners/food corporations. There are tons of business addresses you can find on the internet or Google search “buy mailing lists”.
6. Open an account on photo sharing or video sharing websites (YouTube, Flickr, etc.) that gets high volumes of traffic everyday! Use as MANY tags as possible so your photos/videos can be found by alot of people! Also, if you post comments on other people’s account, they will more than likely check out your account as well. Don’t Spam! Your comment should be about the person’s picture/video! After each comment, type your name, Example: John Doe, Watercolor Artist. You can’t state that you sell artwork on these sites because they generally don’t allow commercialism, so simply type your email/website address under your profile, so people can contact you directly about your art.
7. Ask your family/friends to post a picture of your art and a link to your website on their personal website or blog site to get more exposure.
8. Always carry business cards with you! When the subject of art comes up or you think someone might like to know about your art, give them your business card. Your business card should have your contact info and a picture of your art on it.
9. Make a small photo book of your art and leave it in lobby/waiting rooms (doctor’s office, hotels, etc.) to get more exposure. Generally, a lobby has magazines there for customers to look at while waiting, so ask the business owner if its ok to leave your photo book in the lobby. Make a book at these websites: Blurb, Lulu Enterprises, CreateSpace, Qoop. You can also self-publish a book of your artwork at these websites and make money!
10. Create flyers and pass them out at high traffic areas (park, beach, shopping mall, on the street, in school/college). Your flyers should have your contact info and a picture of your art on it.