Hi Garry.
The great thing about art is that someone, somewhere is going to like it. They have to find it of course. So, for SEO, I would say more about what the paintings are about at the beginning of your listing. As you havenât mentioned locations, I assume theyâre imaginary landscapes, so you should mention that. Put a description of the painting at the top of the listing and your processes further down. Google tends to pull the first part of a listing, so in some cases Google might be pulling all the detail about the paint colours youâre using and you might be appearing alongside tubes of paint on Google! Personally, I wouldnât say in your description that you painted your palm trees after watching a Youtube tutorial. You might be encouraging people to do the same, rather than buying yours! Others may disagree with me on that one.
I would make more use of social media. Instagram has been good for me. Pop your Instagram handle here New sellers, leave your Instagram link here. Folksy member are a good bunch we will follow you and do what we can. Instagram is nothing without hashtags, itâs how you get found. Use things like #originalart#acrylicpainting#oilpainting#mountainlandscapepainting#imaginarylandscape. Look at other artists on Instagram who do similar, what hashtags do they use? What hashtags did you use to find them? Could you use them yourself?Follow them, they will likely follow back. Some of their followers might be buyers. Use Instagram too to tell a story of your work, perhaps do some âwork in progressâ posts so that people can see your process. People like that!
Social media is a must but it is a marathon rather than a sprint. Todayâs follower might be tomorrowâs buyer.
I would be inclined to call yourself a âdevelopingâ artist, rather than a new one. We are all developing after all.
One more thing. Perhaps experiment with smaller works, perhaps 12" x 8". People donât have the wall space they once had. My 16" x 12" are my slowest sellers (to the point I rarely do them now). 12" x 8" sell well and I go smaller still (and they sell).
Hi Garry
As Grayson Perry has said more than once âa career as an artist is a marathon not a sprintâ. Youâve done a lot of work in a short space of time. Chris Stone @ChrisStoneArtist has already offered sensible advice so apart from following his suggestions if I were you I might kick back and relax.
Hi Garry,
Welcome! Iâm also new to Folksy (about ?6 weeks) and I think @ChrisStoneArtist has provided very good advice. Here is what I would say:
become a PLUS member in order to be able to relist as often as you want. Basically, if someone just wants to browse paintings, rather than searching for something specific, if you have recently re-listed you will show up nearer the top of the results.
-maybe join in the 365 challenge next month? We all click on each otherâs work and help to promote it. See the May thread for details.
-maybe rename the collections with themes rather than sizes, e.g landscapes, mountains etc. Dont forget that a work can be in more than one collection.
I would agree with Chris about not calling yourself a new artist. If people like your work, thatâs whatâs important- itâs not so relevant how long youâve been doing it or whether you have âprofessional trainingâ (I have been painting for about 18 months and have no formal education in it, apart from GCSE 20+ years ago!). If you advertise yourself as solely a âhobbyistâ I reckon people arenât as inclined to buyâŚi.e they may think if its a hobby itâs just for your enjoyment- why should they spend their money on your hobby? My painting is also âjust a hobbyâ- I rent a studio, which might make me sound more âseriousâ but thatâs more because I like having the space to spill acrylic everywhere :))
Hope that helps
come and join us on the art chat thread on the forumsâŚlots of other artists who will give you good adviceâŚeveryone is lovely and there is always someone there to help you
@GarrysPaintStudio I think the changed description âpainting is my passionâ sounds so much better (people pay for passion- as it were!)
I like the effects you have done on a couple of pictures with mountains, showing snowy highlights and the slope faces.Maybe try out some heavy body acrylics sometime with that kind of thing, they donât blend like oils but it could be interesting to try painting techniques without blending. Just a thought anyway. Happy painting
Hi Garry, perseverance is the key, believe in what you do and dont forget you paint because you enjoy it first and foremost.
Your work has a touch of Bob Ross to it, I mean that as a complement. Also, I think your prices are rather low for an original oil, when you consider the materials and time needed to dry and store. Could this be working against you?
Thanks I really appreciate it, Itâs nice that to hear nice things about my work
Itâs funny you mention price, itâs the biggest umm and aah that I have. I never know quite what to charge.
Thereâs a big part of me that thinks that my paintings should be at a higher price⌠but thereâs another part of me that thinks if I do it will put people off.
