Fine Art Websites: March 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Sell Fine Art Online - Part 7: Image Capture

While image capture should be one of the easiest and most obvious things an artist or gallery has to do in order to sell fine art online, it is often the last thing to be considered. How do you sell a piece of artwork online without a digital image of your artwork? Chances are, you can't. People want to see the product they are about to spend money on before they spend their money.

There are 2 primary ways to digitally capture your artwork for online sells and marketing:

Digital Camera
Scanner

Large format scanning is going to be your best option. The one to one technology you get from a scanner is unmatched. As with anything technology, the quality of the scan can only be as good as the scanner being used and the person operating the scanner. This means that not just any scanner will do, and whoever is operating the scanner should be a professional.

While a flatbed scanner is ideal, we don't want to knock digital photography. It's still a great choice, but requires a lot of work for high quality results. Like the scanner, the image capture from a digital camera is going to be limited by the quality of the camera, lens, lighting, and the person using it.

Once the image has been scanned or photographed, you need someone who is good at digital imaging and color correction. The raw image will need some cleanup and color correction to be great.

Even though having high-quality digital images of your artwork is important, simply getting your artwork online in a timely manner is just as important. One really big issue we see is that an artist either can't afford proper scanning or digital photography or they don't have time. So then the artist or gallery waits to upload their artwork to their website and looses potential sales from visitors who couldn't see their work.

If you can't afford high quality images or if the timing is bad, just take the best digital photo with the best digital camera you have and upload your artwork. You can always go back later and replace the image with a high quality image. Collectors need to be able to see your artwork and sometimes you just need to get it out there.

There are a lot of great fine art reproduction companies out there who can provide high-quality images of your artwork. We recommend Van Gogh Again, a proud partner of Fine Art World. We recommend Fine Art World for all of your fine art needs including artist websites and gallery websites.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Sell Fine Art Online - Part 6: E-Commerce Integration

E-commerce Fine Art Websites - Powered by PayPal

When selling fine art online through a website or some other online venue, the e-commerce tools you choose are very important. Three considerations come to mind when choosing an e-commerce company or processor:

Security
Ease of Use for the Seller
Ease of Use for the Buyer

With any online transaction or exchange of personal information, security is king. Online security has two sides to it. One, the website, programming and processes should actually be secure. Two, the reputation of that company's security may be just as important. You don't want a customer wavering on a decision because they don't know or maybe don't trust the company.

The seller, or in our case, the artist or gallery, should be able to manage their e-commerce tools quickly and easily. This means if there is a change in the product information or pricing, they should be able to make the changes themselves. If the seller wants to upload a new product, it should be easy to do. The seller has enough to worry about with keeping the books, managing the prices, managing the inventory, and in the case of the artist, maybe even doing some artwork. They shouldn't have to worry about, "How do I do this again?" It should just be easy. The ease of use is directly related to the content management system or CMS as mentioned in last week's blog post.

Finally, online purchases should be easy for the buyer. Don't allow a poor interface or hard-to-use e-commerce tools stand in the way of a sell. Purchasing artwork should be easy.

Fine Art World is an excellent choice for a fine art e-commerce website. FAW provides artists and galleries with two online venues:

Independent Website ( A personal stand-alone website for self-promotion. )
Community Website ( A fine website located directly on FineArtWorld.com with plenty of exposure to art collectors and potential clients. )

Fine Art World's artist websites and gallery websites are seamlessly integrated with easy-to-use e-commerce tools powered by PayPal — a secure, trusted, and convenient e-commerce company.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sell Fine Art Online - Part 5: Content Management Systems

Easy Content Management Systems for Artist Websites

In this current series "Selling Fine Art Online" we've been talking about how to sell fine art online via fine art websites and other online venues. Last week in our series, we took a look at the importance of web design and things to consider when selecting a web designer. This week is about Content Management Systems.

The importance of a Content Management System is going to depend on the kind of website you have. When it comes to fine art websites or artist websites, a good content management system is vital. It's important to note that I said a "good" content management system is vital, because there are a lot of bad ones out there.

Why do artists need a content management system for their artist website?
For some websites a content management system may not be as important, but when it comes to fine art, it's essential. The purpose of a fine art website is to display and sell fine art online. Artists are constantly creating new art. An artist should be able to take a snapshot of their work and instantly put the image online with sizing and pricing. A good content management system allows an artist to do this quickly and easily.

When you don't have a content management system built into your website, you typically have to pay a web designer to upload the content for you. This means time and money.

What makes a Content Management System "Good"?
A good content management system is designed to be easy for anyone to use, not just a web designer. It should use terminology that makes since to the average person. The CMS should also help, not hurt your SEO standings.

A Warning
Having a Content Management System doesn't mean you need to constantly make changes to your website. If you have a new piece of artwork or if the prices of your artwork change then sure,,, make the needed changes. But some content is better left alone. Search engines look for well written content that pertains to what their visitors are looking for. So unless the information is out-dated or wrong, you might consider keeping it.

Fine Art World makes selling art easy because their content management system is easy. Whether an artist is loading new artwork, changing prices on old artwork, or updating a biography, almost any update takes a few seconds. As easy as their control panel is, if you still have troubles, Fine Art World has amazing customer service.

Sign up for an Artist Membership today.

Read what artists are saying in the Fine Art World testimonials.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Sell Fine Art - Part 4: - Web Design, Customization, & Templates

Artist Website - Timothy W. Jahn

Our next step in selling fine art online is the design of your fine art website. This pertains to the look and fell of the website. The cost of web design can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

It's important not to underestimate the value of web design in this process. If you know where to look, you shouldn't have to spend a ton of money. Here are some things to consider:

Web design should complement your artwork, not distract from it.
The design of your fine art website can make it easy or hard for collectors to browse and navigate through your artwork.
Does the website design make purchasing artwork easy? We're selling artwork,,, it should be easy!
A professional look and feel is very important in selling art. The style is up to you, but it should be professional.

When deciding on who to go with for web design, be sure to do your research. There are a lot of good and bad design companies out there. One of the most important things to look for in a web design company is "fine art website" experience. They should be able to show you examples of their work. Browse their websites.

Are they easy to navigate?
Is it clear how to purchase artwork?
Are they professional?
Can you manage the artwork on your own (CMS)?

You should consider contacting the artists directly and ask them about their experience with the web firm. Are they happy?

FineArtWorld.com is a good place to start when shopping for fine art websites. They have a wide variety of website templates and their websites start as low as $10 a month with NO setup fee.

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