How to price your art: a simple guide for artists

To price your art, add the height and width of the work in centimetres. Multiply that number by a price per cm for your medium and career stage. Then check that the price covers your costs and is close to what similar artists charge.

1. Measure. A 70 × 50 cm painting: 70 + 50 = 120 cm.
2. Multiply. For paintings, use about €8 per cm when you're starting out, and €16 once you're emerging.
3. Check. Does the price cover your materials and time? Do similar artists charge about the same?

So that 70 × 50 cm painting comes to €960 if you're starting out, and €1,920 once you're emerging. Our free art price calculator does this sum for you. This guide shows how it works, so you can explain your price to anyone.

The 3 common ways to price your art

Use the first method to set your price. Use the other two to check it.

1. The size formula: your starting price

This method works best for flat work: paintings, drawings, photos.

The formula: (height + width in cm) × your price per cm.

Your price per cm depends on your medium and your stage. These are the rates our calculator uses, in euros:

See all 7 mediums

Medium	Hobby	Amateur	Emerging	Advanced
Painting	€8	€12	€16	€21
Mixed media	€6	€9	€13	€17
Drawing, works on paper, watercolour	€4	€6	€8	€11
Photography	€2.50	€6	€11	€17
Sculpture and ceramics (+ cost of materials)	€3	€7	€14	€21
Original prints (etching, lino, screen)	€3	€5	€7	€10
Reproduction prints	€1	€2	€3	€4

The stages:

• Hobby: just starting, no shows yet
• Amateur: selling a little
• Emerging: a few shows or sales
• Advanced: showing regularly with galleries

Rates for painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture and reproduction prints come from the index tables of Contemporary Art Issue. The others are our estimates, based on the closest medium. The calculator covers 13 mediums.

Read more

Add €1 to your price per cm for each of these: the piece took more than 40 hours, you used costly materials, or it comes in a high-end frame. On this painting, each one adds €120.

For sculpture and ceramics, add the real cost of your materials on top.

Your fair range. The calculator also gives you a range: from 15% below your price to 20% above. That is your room to move. At emerging level, this painting's range is €1,630 to €2,300. If you're unsure, start at the low end. Raising a price later is easy. Lowering it is hard.

2. Cost plus time: your lowest price

This check makes sure you never lose money on a piece.

The formula: (hours × your hourly rate) + cost of materials. Count only the hours you actually worked on the piece.

See the example

Example: a 30 × 40 cm acrylic painting.

• 20 hours × €15 per hour = €300
• Canvas, paint and varnish = €60
• Total = €360

The size formula prices the same painting at €560 (hobby) or €1,120 (emerging). Both are above €360, so both cover your costs and time. Never sell below €360.

If a gallery takes 50%, your lowest price doubles: here, €720.

3. Comparables: check the market

• Find 5 to 10 artists like you: same medium, similar size, similar experience.
• Look first at work that has sold. Prices on works still for sale online are often too hopeful.
• Note their lowest and highest prices. See where your price falls.

See the example

Example. You find six painters selling 70 × 50 cm oils. Their prices go from €1,400 to €2,200. You have a few sales and one group show behind you. So €1,800 is a fair price. It also sits inside your size-formula range (€1,630 to €2,300). When two methods agree, you can trust the number.

If your price is far above or far below the others, adjust it.

Which method should you choose at your stage?

• Just starting (hobby or amateur): size formula with the lower rates, checked against cost plus time. You don't need to sell cheap. You need a price you can keep.
• Emerging: size formula as your base, checked against comparables. If you sell steadily, raise your price per cm.
• Advanced: your past prices are your best guide. Never go below them.

At every stage, pick one method as your base and stick to it.

How to price different formats

Originals

Use the size formula. Every other format is priced in relation to your originals.

Prints

Prints should cost clearly less than your originals, so they don't compete with them.

See the example

Example: an A3 giclée print (42 × 30 cm) costs you €18 to produce. With the reproduction print rates, the calculator suggests about €70 at hobby level and €220 at emerging level. Always charge at least three times what the print costs you to make: here, at least €54.

Signed, numbered limited editions can cost more than open editions, as long as you never reprint them.

Commissions

Start with the size-formula price for an original of the same size. Then:

• Add 10 to 20% for the extra work: meetings, sketches and changes.
• Ask for a deposit of 30 to 50% before you start. Agree in writing that it can't be refunded once you begin.
• Agree the number of changes in writing.

Small studies and sketches

For very small pieces, the formula gives a very low price. Set a minimum, for example €80 or €120, and never go below it.

How to keep and raise your prices

Use round numbers. €450, not €447.

Same size, same medium, same price. If one painting is cheaper, collectors wonder why.

Never sell similar work for less. If a collector paid €800 for a painting, don't sell a similar one for €600 later. Your first collector would feel they overpaid. For smaller budgets, offer smaller works or prints.

Raise by 10 to 20% at a time. Good moments are after steady sales, a show, an award or a residency. Small steps feel normal to collectors. Big jumps can stop sales.

Moving up a whole stage is the exception. For a painter, going from emerging to advanced is about +30%. Keep it for a clear milestone, like a first solo show or joining a gallery.

Where you sell changes what you keep

The price on the label isn't always what you receive. Here is what a €1,000 painting brings you, depending on where it sells:

See platform fees

Where you sell	Commission (checked October 2026)	What you keep on €1,000
Directly (your website, studio, fairs)	0%	€1,000, minus your own costs
Gallery	usually 40 to 50%	€500 to €600
Saatchi Art	40%	€600
Artfinder	40 to 50%, depending on your seller plan	€500 to €600
ArtMajeur	30 to 35%	€650 to €700
Etsy	6.5% + listing and payment fees	about €900

Some platforms, like Singulart, also charge a monthly subscription. Fees change often, so check the platform's own page before you list.

An emerging printmaker I interviewed put it simply: "At 50%, you raise the price so it works out for you. I'd rather sell my work at a higher price and actually sell it than not sell it." (translated from French)

Keep one public price everywhere. Don't charge €1,000 in a gallery and €600 on your own website. Galleries expect the same price, and collectors notice. When you sell directly, you keep the difference.

Also check:

• Your gallery agreement. Many galleries also take a share of the works you sell from your studio.
• VAT. In the EU, if you're registered for VAT, your price to private buyers includes it. Most artists starting out earn too little to need to register. Ask your tax office.
• Returns. In the EU, online buyers can usually return a work within 14 days. Commissions are the exception.

A simple artist website lets you sell at your one public price, with no commission.

Your 5-step pricing checklist

1. Measure. Add the height and width of your piece in cm.
2. Multiply. Use the price per cm for your medium and stage.
3. Check your costs. Your price must cover materials, framing, packing and your time. Say clearly if delivery is included.
4. Compare. Look at 5 to 10 artists at your stage. Adjust if you're far outside their range.
5. Round and write it down. Pick a round number. Add it to a price list, so your next works follow the same rule.

Frequently asked questions

Is my art too cheap?

Probably, if your price doesn't cover your materials and time. Or if you sell everything fast. Or if similar artists charge clearly more. Run your work through the size formula. If you're well below it, raise your prices in small steps.

Should I include framing in the price?

Say clearly if the work is framed or not. In our calculator, a high-end frame adds €1 per cm: €120 on a 70 × 50 cm piece. If your frame cost more, add its real cost instead. You can also list both options, framed and unframed.

How do I explain my price to a buyer?

Keep it short and calm. You can say: "I price my work by size, medium and experience, so all my pieces follow the same scale." You don't need to apologise or justify every euro.

Can buyers pay in instalments?

Yes. It helps people buy work they love on a smaller budget. A common way is three monthly payments, with the work delivered after the last one. Put the terms in writing.

Find your starting price today

You don't need a perfect price. You need a starting point you can explain and keep.

You'll find more in our free tools for artists.

Pablito is a studio assistant for artists. You upload photos of your work. It builds your website, drafts Instagram captions for your approval and finds open calls. Free plan (30 works) + 7-day Pro trial.

About the author

Marie du Mesnil has spent years on the business side of the art world, from Christie's to a Berlin gallery. She founded Pablito so artists can focus on their art, not the admin.

Sources

• Contemporary Art Issue, How to Price Your Art (index tables)
• Artists Network, How to Price Your Artwork
• ArtConnect Magazine, Pricing Your Art
• Saatchi Art, Why sell with us · Artfinder fees · ArtMajeur for artists · Etsy fee basics