The Art of Pricing Your Work

A Guide for Emerging and Experienced Artists

Whether you’re entering your first exhibition or have been creating and showing art for years, pricing your artwork can be daunting. It’s one of the most common challenges artists face—and you’re definitely not alone if you find it confusing, uncomfortable, or even terrifying at times!

From worrying about charging too much or too little, to wrestling with imposter syndrome, there are emotional and practical hurdles that make it hard to confidently put a price on your work. Here’s a look at some of the most common struggles - and a few practical steps you can take to approach pricing with more confidence.

Common Pricing Challenges

• Fear of Getting It Wrong

  Many artists—especially when starting out—worry about asking too much or too little. If you’re used to giving your work away to friends or family, switching to ‘sales mode’ can feel awkward.

  
  

• Imposter Syndrome

  That little voice asking, “Am I really an artist?” happens to most of us!  At different points in their creative journey, Artists often question their worth.  That self-doubt can make it hard to truly value your work.

  
  

• Judging Your Own Work

  Being objective about your own art is tough. Without outside unbiased feedback, it's easy to either undervalue or overvalue a piece and base the price on emotion rather than facts.

  
  

• Not Understanding the Market

  Pricing can be wildly subjective.  It changes depending on your location, audience, style and medium. Without understanding your specific market, pricing will be just a stab in the dark.

  
  

Practical Pricing Tips

While there’s no perfect formula, here are some guidelines to help you price your artwork with more confidence:

1. Do Your Research

Take time to look at what other artists in your medium, style, and experience level are charging. A word of caution: don’t compare yourself to a full-time professional with decades of gallery representation if you’re just beginning. Look for artists at a similar stage in their career.  Social media and personal websites are really helpful for this, since many galleries don’t list prices.

2. Know Your Market and Location

Art pricing isn’t one-size-fits-all.  A painting that might sell for thousands in Sydney or Melbourne might be priced very differently in a smaller or regional area like the Whitsundays.  Understand your local audience—and price accordingly.

3. Track Your Costs

Keep track of what you spend on materials, framing, transport, marketing - and your time! Creating art is time consuming, and that effort deserves fair compensation. Many artists are surprised when they start adding up actual expenses.

4. Assess the quality of your work

Understand the quality of your work by seeking guidance from a trusted professional. Look for honest, constructive feedback - not just compliments!

Creative Connections provides a free mentoring service exclusively for members to help support emerging artists.

5. Factor in Commissions

Many galleries and exhibitions take a commission on sold work—sometimes up to 50% of the sale price.   Make sure your price includes that margin so you’re not out of pocket when your artwork sells.

Final Thoughts

Pricing your artwork is part art, part science, and part self-belief. It’s okay to try different price points, to adjust, and to keep learning.  Track what works (or what hasn’t), understand your market, and most importantly—value your time and talent. Your creativity deserves it.

Have you struggled with pricing your artwork, do you have a secret formular that may work for others? We’d love to hear your story - comment and share what’s worked (or what hasn’t!).  There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the art of pricing your work, but with patience and persistence, you’ll find the pricing strategy that fits your art and your audience.