The starving artist stereotype is slowly fading, thanks to just how easy it is to sell your art online these days. From online storefronts to fan conventions, artists have more options on how to make a profit than they had in the past. And, with the right printing service, it’s easy to sell art prints and custom merchandise. Whether you want to be a full-time artist or just have a creative side hustle, making your work affordable and accessible helps increase your visibility as an artist. Exclusively selling original pieces works for some artists, but the high price point might turn away potential customers. Digitizing your art and selling prints helps you increase profits. It also makes it easier to expand your presence without having to constantly be creating new, original work.
As an affordable alternative to original artwork, custom art prints let fans support your work at a lower cost. And the flexible sizes, materials, and formats help you best meet your customers’ needs. You can sell these items at conventions, art galleries, and craft fairs; you can also run an online shop, like an Etsy store, to sell your merchandise online.
Art Prints
Historically, artists have sold original, one-of-a-kind pieces at high prices, which take into account the production time and material cost. These days, most artists will also scan their work and sell it as fine art prints. There are multiple print options for wall art products. One is custom posters, which come ready-to-hang in a gloss or matte finish. You can order bulk posters or a single poster. Art posters are excellent, inexpensive home decor. For a more refined option with a similar paper stock, you can also sell framed art prints made with a semi-matte finish on photo-grade paper. These prints come framed in black wood for a sophisticated appearance. The posters and framed prints come in multiple sizes, so you can choose which ones best show off your work.
If you want your prints to maintain the appearance of an original, then custom canvas prints are the best choice. The gallery-wrapped canvas is made with a semi-gloss finish that results in a stunning art display. This material effectively prints paintings, as the canvas adds depth to your brushstrokes.
Many artists also opt to sell even smaller versions of their work at a lower price. The standard postcard is often used for mini art prints in 4 x 6, but you can also order custom postcards in sizes up to 8.5 x 11. Print multiple artworks on postcards and then sell them as a bundle for a fun collection. Similarly, custom bookmarks are a practical product you can sell as art prints. Both art postcards and bookmarks come in thick paper stock with a glossy or matte finish, allowing you to customize your art prints to fit your work.
These products are ideal for selling at fairs and conventions—locations where there are several artists visitors likely want to support. This provides a cheap option for them to purchase your work and hopefully entices them to check out your online store. You can also sell limited edition prints or prints personally signed by you to give your art prints a more exclusive feel.
Photo Books and Art Booklets
Single art prints aren’t your only option for printing your work. A custom photo book is a simple way to sell bound collections of your work. Ideal for photographers, an art photography book is an excellent way to display your work. You can include these in photo shoot packages, so you can, for example, offer newlyweds a photo book of your best wedding photography. The glossy photobook pages are ideal for a shiny photo finish. Photographers can also use this when they meet with prospective clients, who can browse the photos to see their style.
Other kinds of artists can also use custom booklets and photo books. Illustrators and cartoonists can use these mediums to print their own book, whether it is a comic book or a short graphic novel. Artists can also print art books for their super fans to see what they offer. Set it up at a gallery or on a table at a fair for people to see your visual style.
Custom Merchandise
Selling custom merchandise with your artwork lets your fans promote your work for you. Print your designs on custom t-shirts and crewnecks to offer people wardrobe items they can’t find at a mall. Artists who specialize in cartoons and illustrations can create cute graphic t-shirts with their art. Sell simple designs on trendy embroidered crewnecks. Choose a base color that matches your design for stylish art merch.
Another fun merch idea is printing your art on custom mugs. These are excellent gifts for people to purchase, and they provide them with a new way to support your work if their walls are already covered in your art. Available in 11 oz., 15 oz., and 18 oz. sizes, art mugs provide a unique space to display your work.
As an artist, you want to ensure that you are selling high-quality work. You’ve put in the creative effort, so you can let GotPrint handle all your printing work. We use full-color printing on premium materials to produce vibrant, long-lasting merchandise, making GotPrint the best print on demand service for artists. Our precise printing ensures that your art prints will come out looking as good as the original. Once you order your prints, it’s as simple as deciding where you want to sell your products. Most artists supplement their in-person sales by selling art prints online.
Before you jump into selling prints, make sure you’re also building out your community. Curating your social media presence alongside email marketing and art community engagement will help you get your artwork into people’s homes.
Make sure you’re prepared with convention and fair essentials. Print artist business cards — here are our free templates to get started — to hand out for people to make future purchases. You can also send thank you notes on postcards to include with any purchase. Now, you’re all set to start selling your art.