How to Price Artwork: A Practical Guide with Formulas
Price artwork with a formula you can explain and repeat, not by feeling. Most artists combine three inputs: a size-based price, the cost of making the work, and the sold prices of comparable artists. Choose one formula, apply it to every work, and keep the same price wherever you sell.
This guide sets out the common pricing formulas with worked examples, a simple price ladder you can adapt, how to price prints, editions and digital work, how platform commissions affect your price, and when to raise prices. It ends with how to present prices clearly on your own website.
Start with three inputs: size, costs and comparables
A defensible price sits where your size formula, your costs and the market for similar work overlap.
- Size. Larger works take longer and fill more wall space, so most artists scale price with size.
- Costs. The price must cover materials, framing, studio time and the fees of the channel you sell through.
- Comparables. Collectors compare your work with artists at a similar stage, in a similar medium and size.
Check all three before you settle on a number. If your size formula gives a price far above comparable artists, the formula needs a lower multiplier. If it falls below your costs, the multiplier is too low.
Formula 1: price by size
Size-based formulas give every work in a body of work a consistent, explainable price.
There are two common versions:
- Price per square inch: width × height × your rate. A 24 × 36 in painting is 864 square inches. At $2 per square inch, it is priced at $1,728.
- Linear inch: (width + height) × your multiplier. The same 24 × 36 in painting is 60 linear inches. At $15 per linear inch, it is priced at $900.
The square-inch method rises quickly for large works. The linear method keeps large works more accessible. Many artists use one for small and medium works and review the largest pieces individually.
The rate or multiplier is your choice. Set it from your comparables and costs, then keep it the same across a body of work in the same medium.
Formula 2: price by cost
A cost-based price makes sure every sale covers what the work cost you to make.
Use: (materials + framing + hours × hourly rate) × a margin for overheads and selling.
For example, a painting with $120 of materials, $180 of framing and 20 hours at $25 an hour costs $800 to produce. A margin of 1.5 brings the price to $1,200. The margin covers studio rent, photography, shipping supplies and platform fees.
This method works well for commissions and for early-career artists without sales history. It undervalues work that takes few hours but reflects years of practice, so check it against your size formula and comparables.
Art pricing calculator: a worked price ladder
A price ladder applies one formula to your usual sizes so collectors see a consistent logic.
| Size (inches) | Square inches | At $2 per sq in | Linear inches | At $15 per linear in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 | 80 | $160 | 18 | $270 |
| 16 × 20 | 320 | $640 | 36 | $540 |
| 24 × 36 | 864 | $1,728 | 60 | $900 |
| 36 × 48 | 1,728 | $3,456 | 84 | $1,260 |
The rates in this table are examples, not recommendations. Replace them with your own, and round the results to clean numbers such as $650 or $1,700. Framing is usually added on top, or included and stated clearly.
Check your prices against comparable artists
Comparable sold prices tell you what collectors already pay for work like yours.
Look for artists at a similar career stage, working in the same medium and similar sizes. Use prices from sold works where you can find them, such as gallery sales records, sold listings and auction results, rather than asking prices.
Note the range, not one number. If comparable works of 24 × 36 in sell for $1,200 to $2,000, a price inside that range is easy to explain. A price far above it needs a reason a collector can see: exhibitions, awards, press or a waiting list.
How to price prints, editions and digital work
Reproductions should sit clearly below originals, and their price should reflect how many exist.
- Open-edition prints: price from production cost plus your margin; they suit wider audiences.
- Limited editions: a smaller edition supports a higher price per print. State the edition size and never extend it.
- Signed and numbered prints: price above open editions, with a certificate and edition number for each print.
- Digital work: price the original file or a limited edition by the same logic as physical work. Licences for reproduction are priced separately by use, duration and reach.
Whatever you sell, describe it precisely: size, medium, edition and what the buyer receives.
Factor in commissions and keep one price everywhere
Set one retail price for each work, and make sure it still works after the highest commission you pay.
Marketplaces and galleries take very different shares. A curated marketplace may keep 40–50% of the sale, while a sale from your own website may cost 0–10%. Our comparison of the best places to sell art online lists commissions for 20 platforms.
Keep the retail price the same across channels. Galleries and collectors notice when the same work is cheaper on your website, and it undermines trust. What changes between channels is what you keep, not what the collector pays.
When to raise your prices
Raise prices when demand is visible, in modest steps, and never lower them publicly.
Signs that your prices can rise include most of a series selling within a few months, collectors asking for work before it is finished, or a waiting list for commissions. New exhibitions, awards or press can also support a higher price.
Raise prices across the body of work at the same time, and apply the new prices to new work first. Avoid lowering prices: it reduces the value of work your collectors already own. If a work does not sell, consider a different size, venue or presentation before a lower price.
Fixed price or auction?
Fixed prices suit most artists; auctions suit work with proven demand from several buyers.
A fixed price gives collectors certainty and lets you plan. It is the norm for artist websites, galleries and most online marketplaces.
An auction lets buyers set the price through bidding. It works when several collectors want the same work, and it can establish a public price record. Without that demand, an auction can end below your usual price. If you do sell at auction, set a reserve price at or near your usual retail price.
Show your prices clearly on your own website
Clear prices on your own site help collectors decide, and keep each sale between you and the buyer.
Collectors hesitate when prices are hidden or inconsistent. A page for each work with its size, medium, edition and price answers the first questions before they are asked. See how to write artwork pages that give collectors these details.
Digital Original gives each work its own page on your professional website, with full-quality images and Deep Zoom so collectors can inspect the surface before they buy. Selling is built in, with 10% platform commission on Plus and 0% on Pro, only when a work sells; plans are on the pricing page. For the path from first view to purchase, read how art moves from discovery to direct sale.
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