Price a painting or work on paper two ways, by the linear-inch (size) method or by time and materials, and see the suggested retail price, the price per square inch that keeps your whole body of work consistent, and your take-home after the gallery commission. Built for artists by Nakada Design.
Emerging $2–6 · mid-career $6–15 · established $15+.
Doubles cost to cover studio, overhead & profit.
Price the same work identically everywhere and absorb the commission, so a collector never finds it cheaper by going around the gallery. This is a starting figure. Your market, medium and demand set the final number.
How to Price Your Artwork
Two methods, and most artists use both as a cross-check. The linear-inch method keeps price proportional to size: add height and width, multiply by a per-inch rate you set from your market and track record. It is fast and it makes a 48-inch canvas cost predictably more than a 24-inch one. Time and materials starts from the floor (what the work actually cost you in hours and supplies) and multiplies up to cover overhead and profit, which protects you on labor-intensive pieces the size method would underprice.
Then do the thing that separates professionals from amateurs: convert to a price per square inch and hold it steady across a body of work. Collectors notice when a small piece is wildly more expensive per inch than a large one, and consistency reads as confidence.
The Gallery Commission and Why You Absorb It
A gallery typically takes 50% of the retail price on consignment. The instinct is to add the commission on top for gallery sales and keep a lower “studio price”. Resist it. If a collector discovers your work is cheaper directly from you, you have undercut your own gallery and taught the market to distrust your prices. Set one retail price, use it everywhere, and absorb the commission. Build your per-inch rate or hourly wage high enough that your take-home after 50% is still worth your time, which is exactly what the calculator shows you above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you price artwork?
By the linear-inch method: (height + width) × a per-inch rate, plus framing. Or by time and materials: hours × wage + materials, times an overhead-and-profit multiplier. Then hold a consistent price per square inch across your work.
What is the linear inch method?
Add height and width in inches and multiply by a dollar rate. A 24 × 36 in work is 60 inches; at $10/in that is $600 before framing.
What percentage does a gallery take?
Usually 50% on consignment, ranging roughly 30–60%. Price the work the same everywhere and absorb the commission.
Should I raise prices as I sell?
Gradually, and only from demand, when you consistently sell out a body of work. Apply the new rate across all new work and never lower published prices.
Is it free?
Yes. Free, no signup, and it runs entirely in your browser.
Have clients discover you before your competitors do
This tool is built by Nakada Design, a Los Angeles marketing agency that specializes in galleries and artists. The same care that went into it goes into your visibility: the search presence and advertising that brings collectors to your gallery first. Tell us about your gallery below.
In the garden of time, we'll soon meet Your aspiration, like a seed, has taken root Our response, like a bloom, shall shortly greet.
A fleeting error has crossed our path, please, try once more
Correspondence
Discover the marketing and client acquisition strategies behind top art galleries and artists. Monthly emails, unsubscribe anytime.
Thank you, we look forward to sharing our insights with you.
