Pricing art can feel strangely personal. You can spend ten hours on a piece, love the result, then stare at the price box thinking, “What would someone actually pay for this?”
The answer should not come from confidence alone—or from copying the cheapest artist in your feed. A useful price has to cover your costs, pay you for your work, make sense in your market, and still feel reasonable to the customer you want to reach.
Start With the Price You Cannot Afford to Go Below
Before checking what competitors charge, calculate your floor to find the point where a sale still makes financial sense.
For original art, list direct costs such as canvas or paper, paint, ink, framing, specialty materials, and outsourced work. Add the value of your time. Depending on how you sell, you may also need to account for packaging, payment processing, marketplace or gallery commissions, and other selling expenses.
A useful starting formula is:
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