The short answer: a pricing formula you can use today
Most working artists end up using three numbers together. The first is a floor: what the piece cost you in time and materials. The second is a consistent retail price based on size. The third is a reality check against what similar work sells for. Your price is the size-based number, as long as it sits above your floor and inside the range of your comparables.
- Floor = (hours × hourly rate) + materials + overhead
- Retail price = square inches × your price per square inch + framing
- Check = compare against similar work by artists at your career stage, at the fairs you apply to
The sections below walk through each method using the same example: a 16×20 inch original painting that took 12 hours and $80 in materials and framing.
Method 1: Size-based pricing (price per square inch)
Size-based pricing is the most common method for original two-dimensional work because it keeps your prices consistent. Buyers can see that a larger piece costs more than a smaller one, and you never have to decide the price of each piece from scratch.
- Multiply width × height to get square inches. A 16×20 canvas is 320 square inches.
- Multiply by your price per square inch. Emerging artists often start between $1 and $3; pick a number that fits your comparables (Method 3).
- Add the cost of framing, if the piece is framed, at cost. Do not multiply the frame.
At $2 per square inch, the 16×20 is 320 × $2 = $640, plus a $60 frame, for $700. A variant, linear-inch pricing, adds width and height instead (16 + 20 = 36) and multiplies by a larger rate. At $20 per linear inch the same piece is $720. Linear pricing grows more slowly as work gets large, which helps if big pieces are pricing themselves out of reach.
Method 2: Time + materials (hourly rate + costs)
This method tells you the lowest price that still pays you. It is less useful as a retail price, because buyers are paying for the finished work, not your hours, but you should never sell below it.
- Hours × hourly rate: 12 hours × $30 = $360
- Materials and framing: $80
- Overhead (studio, website, insurance, fair gear), commonly 10–20%: at 15%, about $66
That gives a floor of roughly $506. If your size-based price came out lower than this, either your price per square inch is too low or the piece took longer than your usual pace. Track your hours for a few months before relying on this number.
Method 3: Comparable sales (what similar work sells for)
Look at artists who work in a similar medium, size and style, and who are at a similar point in their careers: similar exhibition history, similar shows accepted into, similar sales record. Their prices at the fairs you apply to are the market you are actually in.
- Walk the fairs you want to apply to and note prices for work close to yours in size and medium.
- Check the websites and online shops of artists who show at those fairs.
- Ignore outliers at both ends, such as a well-known name or a student selling off old work.
If comparable 16×20 originals at your target fairs sell between $600 and $850, a price in the lower-middle of that range fits an artist who is building a following.
| Method | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Size-based (square inch) | 320 sq in × $2 + $60 frame | $700 |
| Size-based (linear inch) | 36 linear in × $20 | $720 |
| Time + materials (floor) | $360 + $80 + 15% overhead | $506 |
| Comparable sales | Similar work at target fairs | $600–$850 |
All three methods point to roughly $700–$750. A price of $725 sits above the floor, matches the size formula, and falls inside the comparables.
Pricing prints, originals and small works: building a price ladder
An art fair booth sells best when visitors can find something at every budget. A price ladder gives a first-time buyer an easy yes, and makes your larger originals look like the considered purchase they are.
| Tier | Example items | Example price range | Job in the booth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Cards, stickers, small prints | $5–$40 | Impulse buys, contact capture |
| Prints | Matted or framed prints | $40–$150 | Most common first purchase |
| Small originals | 6×6 to 8×10 originals | $150–$400 | First original for new collectors |
| Core originals | 11×14 to 16×20 originals | $400–$1,000 | Where most of your revenue comes from |
| Statement pieces | Large or signature work | $1,500+ | Anchors the booth and your price range |
Keep prints clearly priced below your smallest original, and label editions (for example, "Edition of 50") so buyers understand the difference. Open-edition prints should never approach the price of an original.
Pricing commissions: deposits, revisions and rush fees
Commissions take more of your time than studio work: meetings, sketches, revisions and the risk that the client says no. Price for that.
- Start from your normal size-based price, then add a commission premium. Many artists add 10–25%.
- Take a non-refundable deposit before you start, commonly 30–50%.
- Include a set number of revisions (one or two rounds at the sketch stage) and price extra rounds.
- Charge a rush fee, often 25–50%, for deadlines shorter than your normal lead time.
- Put all of it in a short written agreement, including what happens if the client cancels.
Pricing for art fairs: covering booth fees, jury fees and travel
A price that works in your online shop can still lose money at a fair. Before you apply, add up everything the show will cost and work out how many sales you need to break even.
| Cost | Example |
|---|---|
| Booth fee | $500 |
| Jury fee | $35 |
| Travel and 2 nights hotel | $400 |
| Meals and parking | $100 |
| Total show cost | $1,035 |
Next, work out what you keep from an average sale. If your average sale is $300, your average cost of goods is $60, and card processing takes about 3% ($9), you keep $231 per sale. $1,035 ÷ $231 = 4.5, so you need five sales just to cover the show. Everything after that is profit. If most of your sales are $725 originals instead, you break even after two.
If the number of sales you need is higher than you have ever made at a show, adjust your plan: bring more mid-priced work, choose a closer fair, or skip this one. Do not solve it by cutting prices at the booth.
When and how to raise your prices
Raise prices when demand shows you can: you sell out a size tier, you build a waitlist, you are accepted into more selective fairs, or you win gallery representation. A common rule of thumb is to raise prices when you sell more than half of the work you bring at a given price level over a season.
- Raise in steps of about 10–20% rather than one large jump.
- Raise your price per square inch so every size moves together.
- Tell past buyers and your mailing list first. A price increase is good news for people who already own your work.
- Do not lower prices later. It undercuts every collector who paid the higher price.
Keep a record of what sold, where, and at what price after every show. Personal Show Notes is built for this, and a season of notes makes the decision to raise prices much easier.
Common pricing mistakes
- Underpricing. Low prices can signal low confidence, and they make it hard to ever show with a gallery.
- Different prices in different places. Your fair, online and gallery prices should match. Galleries expect it, and buyers compare.
- Discounting at the booth. Offer a small extra instead, such as free shipping, a print with an original, or a framing upgrade.
- Pricing by attachment. Your favourite piece is not worth more than the formula says.
- Forgetting fees. Card processing, gallery commission, sales tax and shipping all come out of the price.
Frequently asked questions
How do beginners price their art?
Start with a size-based formula, such as $1–$3 per square inch for original paintings, and check that the result covers your time and materials. Then compare it with similar work by artists at your career stage at the fairs you want to show at, and adjust your rate so your prices fall inside that range.
What is the formula for pricing art?
The most common formula is width × height × a price per square inch, plus the cost of framing. Check the result against a floor of (hours × hourly rate) + materials + overhead, and against comparable sales.
Should I price art differently at art fairs vs. online?
No. Keep one price for each piece everywhere you sell it. Instead of raising prices at fairs, make sure the fair is worth it by checking your break-even number before you apply.
How much should I charge for a commission?
Many artists charge their normal size-based price plus 10–25%, take a 30–50% non-refundable deposit, include one or two revision rounds, and add a rush fee of 25–50% for short deadlines.
Should my gallery and fair prices match?
Yes. Galleries expect artists to hold the same retail price everywhere, because undercutting the gallery at a fair damages the relationship and confuses collectors. Set your retail price high enough that a gallery commission still leaves you above your floor.