This is a subject I’ve puzzled over for some time. Being someone who paints and deals primarily with original artwork of various sizes, I wonder whether in fact some images might be more popular as cards, rather than originals, on a site such as Folksy where (with all due respect) there is more of a focus on “usefulness” of an item, rather than being purely decorative.
I wouldn’t print my own…I’ve tried it and it wasn’t very successful…so that work would have to be outsourced. I already have someone in mind for that.
Is there much of a demand here for original art, or is it more so for reproduced items in the form of greetings cards? Very small art is collectable, I guess, and fits ok in the lower price ranges; but I have other stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily put on Folksy.
Hi Chris, personally for me, I like to see artworks made into prints and cards. It makes artwork more accessible to most people. I have also purchased original pieces too, so I think it’s probably prudent to list both in your shop if you can.
I’m not sure I totally agree with your comment about Folksy having a focus on “useful” rather than decorative items - if that was the case, my shop wouldn’t have been around very long! 
good morning Chris…as another artist I NEVER do prints…a lot of people do.
To me , why pay for a print when you can have the real thing and to me I could just as easily cut a print from a magazine. I have never ever sold a print.
ALL my work is original.
I have sold thousands and thousands of original paintings and over 1600 in my Folksy shop. YES, I know that I undersell myself and keep my prices at rock bottom but I am a prolific painter and can paint several items in a day, so I need to have lots of sales or I would be snowed under with art in my home.
The one thing that has always baffled me is that if I sell a painting for £5 ( say an aceo) and then put it onto card stock that costs extra money…the value of it is cut in half…weird but that is the way the public thinks. So yes original art sells well and so do original hand painted cards …this is one of my landscape cards that I only ask £2.50 for but I sell a lot of them and each one is an original that the customer can frame after use. x
Hi Chris,
Just had a look in your shop and was forced to buy one of your beautiful little pieces! 
I think I know what you mean about the market here on Folksy (and indeed most places at the moment), there does seem to be more of an emphasis on something useful or giftable being more attractive, perhaps just because there’s so little disposable income around for anything else. However, your little art works are very keenly priced and right at that point that an art and miniature lover like me will feel that it’s okay to treat herself!
I guess that the only thing that might stop someone from buying an artwork as an artwork as opposed to a card or something else with a use is the frame. A question I might ask myself is where is the best place to get a little frame for these? Maybe you could pin some options for framing to a Pinterest board and refer people to that on your listings? Would get you more traffic to your Pinterest account too and give you an opportunity to add more “insider knowledge” to inform art lovers who might need more guidance: pins about how to hang a miniature picture, arranging artwork displays in the home, that type of thing.
Hope you continue to create your little pictures, I’m keenly waiting to see what more little delights you produce!
Hi Chris,
Your little paintings are wonderful and I’ve certainly got my eye on at least one of them.
Like @teabreaks I paint and sell original work, admittedly nothing like as well priced as Brenda’s lovely work but original artwork none the less.
I’ve never sold anything bigger than an ACEO here though, I did get some artwork printed as cards to go that route but to be honest I ended up having to sell at a loss to get them sold in the end.
I’ve a feeling you’ll do ok here whichever way you decide to go though, your work is lovely.
Many thanks for all your replies:
Debbie, your query on framing the little artworks is a good one; in the past I’ve actually tried making small frames and it’s a nightmare without really good cutting and mitre tools. I can however cut mountboards for them if needed. I will have a good think through this and see what I can create for a Pinterest board…I’ve tended to consider only the paintings.
Brenda; if you’re prolific then your personal process sounds ideal for you; I’m not prolific, unfortunately, I take anything up to six hours to complete a larger artwork…would love to do several a day!
Dottery; I knew I would put my foot in it somewhere, I guess I always think pots and vases are useful items, wasn’t really aware of people making the hanging decorations that you have…
However…I shall take on board all that’s been said and have a think.
Thanks PaintedHorse; I have always found it difficult to fathom out what people really want, you try one thing and they end up wanting something else. I’ve got access to someone who does short runs of cards, so I shall have a thinko and maybe try a few “carefully selected” examples at some point, just to see what happens.
Chris… @smallartstuff .don’t forget to show your art on the “original art” thread on the forums…every little bit helps.x
Ah. OK. haven’t yet spotted all the secret wrinkles to the forum…
Hehe…you haven’t put your foot in it at all 
What other’s have said about framed work does actually resonate with me because the original artwork that I purchased on here before did come framed. I have several other pieces from quite a few years ago that are still waiting to go on the wall because a) I keep forgetting the dimensions of them when I am in a shop that sells frames and b) some are oddly sized. I think selling them with the option of mount board to take them up to a standard sized frame would be a good idea, especially for lazy people like me!
I’m sure that getting lots of prints done of your artwork may not be viable, cost wise (as some of your original artworks are very affordable anyway) but it would be nice to have a few cards made up of some of your more expensive pieces - I really love your Summer Garden painting and I think that would translate perfectly into a print.
The other artists on here probably know what sells better with original artworks though as although I have sold ACEO’s in the past, I don’t really sell anything bigger. I’m looking at it from the perspective of being a customer on Folksy. I am a sucker for cards!
My main aim is to sell my original art. But I have some prints too, and plenty of greetings cards. That gives me different price points. Hopefully if someone loves one the the originals but can’t afford it, they may buy a print or a card. And hopefully come back to the original later. Naturally the cards are by far the best sellers, but that keeps the shop ticking over and people coming in to browse.
I never sell framed work (only directly from exhibitions). Partly because of the expense it adds to the cost; partly because of the possibilities for damage in the post; and partly because I think people like to be able to choose their own frame to suit their decor and budget.
I do however, put all my originals in ‘standard sized’ mounts and back them with mountboard. That presents them better and adds to the protection in the post. Prints I sell plain, no mounts.
I use sixprint for my greetings cards, they have a great pricing structure so you can do small quantities, and they are fabulous quality.
Hope that all helps.
Some very good advice has been given already.
Personally I think prints and cards are a very valuable tool in the artists cupboard because they are cheap and cheerful. It makes good art and design accessible to all and acts as a form of advertising - people can buy your work for under £5.00 and save up for an original.
Because they are inexpensive they do sell quite well. .
To keep prints and cards affordable it is worth trying home printing. I do print my own cards and ‘fun prints’ (as opposed to giclée/fine art prints) and find it quite easy to get very good results BUT I do use top quality card and 300g watercolour paper.
The secret to good results when you print on thick paper or card is to use a rear feed tray if you have one on your home printer - this means as the card moves through your printer it is not bent too much. Then trim the cards using a guillotine and it also helps to use a creasing tool to give a professional central crease to cards.
I have some framed ‘home produced’ prints on display that are over 10 years old and the colours are still bright and vibrant - but I always recommend that all art works are kept out of strong or direct light to inhibit fading.
Hope this helps.
Hi Chris, lovely shop and items.
I don’t paint or draw, I make bears and hand embroidered keepsakes. I also would add both to your shop, when I started on Folksy and asked advice a couple of people suggested I make some smaller, more affordable pieces for my shop, at the time I only made my artist bears. So I started designing some embroidered items, which have now expanded. I find it is mainly collectors who buy my shelf bears,
Commissions are generally for high end gifts and my more affordable pieces sell well as gifts. As others have mentioned it is good to have different price points in your shop which means you will appeal to more customers.
There are plenty of sellers on Folksy who make decorative items and luxury gifts and who do really well, some of my bears are over £100 and they usually sell pretty quickly, there’s nothing to stop you listing some higher priced, larger items in your shop as well, customers can then see what you do and fingers crossed maybe a sale or two (or many more obviously 
)
I agree with Debbie @thecrimsonrabbit
I try to sell my more expensive original prints (not prints as in reproductions of original art) in mounts that fit a standard sized frame or specify what size standard frame they would fit so the buyer knows they can get an off the shelf frame.
I am not prolific either, some of my prints have taken me weeks and weeks so do have a couple I’ve had reproduced as cards, and a few original handprinted ones of which I need to add to.
Like everyone has already said a range of price points is a good thing
Standard prints aren’t something I particularly enjoy selling, I prefer originals and when a lot of mine aren’t super expensive, I don’t think the price difference is appealing enough. There are a few prints I have, but only of pieces that took me a long time, that I’m particularly proud of and they’re not something I could quickly paint something similar too.
They also add an extra cost as you have to get them printed (particularly if you’re adding mounts) and in my experience they don’t sell that much more than originals to quickly make that back.
If someone had originals in the hundreds or thousands, I can definitely see the benefit of prints, but for less expensive work I’m not as sure it’s worth it.
However, that is just about a standard print. Whether it’s an original or a print, both are decorative items and need to be displayed. Art lovers tend to have limited space on their walls as they’ve already got a lot of art, so it can hold people back from buying whichever it is.
As many of your paintings are smaller, you already have an advantage as in may be easier for people to find a space to squeeze a smaller piece in, and when they’re ACEO size they might just go in an album rather than needing to be out on display.
Your work is already affordable and easy to fit, so I don’t think standard prints would make much difference, but cards are a different kind of item. Like you say, they have a use and they’re a gifting item.
Art is a luxury, it can be beautiful, but as it doesn’t have a use, when money is tight people aren’t likely to spend on it. I find people often aren’t as comfortable gifting art either, as it’s purely a decorative item you want to be sure it’s someone’s style, particularly when it might be at a price range that is only for extra special gifts. But again, that’s when the tiny, affordable art can be an advantage as it feels less of a risk.
With cards, their whole purpose is as a kind of gift. Even when money is tight, there are people you may get a card and a little something for. With art, you buy a piece and that may be on your wall for years to come. With cards, no matter how perfect it is and how much the recipient loves it - you still need to get them another card the next year. There is a continuing demand, and although I feel people may be giving less cards than they used to, most people still probably have a few special people or particularly special occasions where they buy them.
I think it might be worth you trying some cards, but also highlight that your art is small a bit more. Get words like small and ACEO in your titles, and most importantly, get words like art and painting in your titles too!
Reply to all those I haven’t done individually…many thanks for your thoughts, it is all very useful stuff.
I buy artwork and I always like to buy originals. The only time I’d buy a print would be in a greetings card.
I have a James Green (@jamesgreenprintworks) Linocut print, which I bought a while ago, I had it framed, it’s lovely. I also recently bought a print of an original painting by James Green (not the same person!!) which I had framed. I like to buy prints and have them framed because I have a lovely lady who has framed several prints for me. Buying a print gives me a reasonably priced picture to put on my walls which I love.
thanks marg!
there are two distinct definitions of ‘print’, and maybe people should be clear about…
one is a copy/scan of a painting or other one-off artwork/painting/collage, which can be sold as a digital print or greeting card.
the other is an original print, which is a hand-printed piece, created in various methods (linocut, screen-print, etching, lithograph etc), and usual in an limited edition, but some are one-offs too…
i sometimes get asked at art fairs if i sell the originals of my prints, which i then have to explain are the originals! i guess it can be a bit confusing sometimes…
i’m sure you all know this, but thought i’d make it clear just in case!
cheers…
on a good note, I sold. 21 . hand painted cards on Folksy yesterday…xx