I’ve recently started my own journey in daily painting and I am very happy that it is going very well. The art scene in Malaysia has been dipping since the introduction of GST in our wretched lives. Our currency has dropped from USD 3.2 to USD 4.32 as of now. Crazy I know but I’ve decided to take advantage of the situation and market my art in USD. If you are planning to do the same, here are some tips.

  1. Paint small and often. I started on 8 x 8 inches canvases. I’ve learnt so much since then. The key is to paint DAILY. The less break you have in between sessions, the more you can learn.
  2. Packaging is not so bad, its easy to source bubble wrap and cardboard boxes are everywhere. I often buy things from IKEA and I recycle their boxes to pack my paintings for shippings. I also bought a bunch of boxes just for my paintings but have never touched them. I think I have more incoming cardboard than outgoing ones. Haha.
  3. Research. There are 2 kinds of artists. One of them sells every single painting because he is godlike. Unless you are that person, you will need to research subject matters all the time. See what sells and what doesn’t. Don’t be stupid to assume that every painting you make will sell.
  4. Price wisely, research for artists with similar technique and experience as yours. Price accordingly and lower if you are not known in the scene yet.
  5. Paypal is a fucking bitch. I once had a payment come in at about USD 130. I only receive USD 123 after all their transaction fees. Count the numbers well and mark up your price.
  6. Shipping is not such a big deal. I use regular registered post. Poslaju will definitely burst your budget if you decide to bundle shipping fee together with the painting cost.
  7. Don’t bother with canvases. Canvases are a bitch when it comes to small paintings, to me anyway. It’s more challenging to do details. Gessobords are the way to go.
  8. Remember those glassine paper. Don’t know what it is? Go to your nearest baking shop, get a roll of COOKIE sheet. Cookie sheet are typically more non stick compared to baking sheet. Liquid just rolls right off it. You put this paper on top of your artwork, any wet paint wouldn’t stick to it. However, do not that you cannot tape it to the canvas as well. Haha. You need to be creative in folding it.
  9. Artists give freebies. I’ve seen artists give piles of prints and mini easels. I am not one of them but I do write nice thank you notes. Figure out how to show your gratitude.
  10. Buffer your paintings. I usually paint a few at a go, then drip them according to schedule across my social media.

Knowledge are free. Success depends on your effort and motivation.