Pricing as always been my biggest struggle. I mean why can't I just create pieces and someone else price them. Sadly that is not the case and I must do it myself. MY biggest obsticles with pricing are

1. I live in the midwest

2. have to compete with lots of hobbyists who are only doing it for a little bit of spending money. (ie I used to knit ruffle scarves. The yarn cost anywhere from $4-9 a skein. Each scarf took a whole skein and took me 2 hours to knit. 1st year sold at $28 each or 4 for $100. 2nd year had to drop price to $25. 3rd year barely sold any as everyone was selling them for $10-12 each. Personally I prefer to work for more than $2/hr. so I am in the process of trying to sell off my stock for $12 per scarf or 2 for $20 and the yarn for $2.50/skein just to get rid of the nightmare) I have also stopped selling my handmade jewelry as it just wasn't worth it to hear "this is so pretty" only to have them walk away from my table.

I am hoping my art and caligraphy pieces will do well. I enjoy making them. I get so discouraged though when artists on IG post things in their shop and sell out in 10 minutes. I really need my art to start selling as the company my husband worked at for 13 years closed their doors in August 2015 and his income has been cut in half. Anyway enough about that here are some of my pieces and what I am currently charging for them.

8x10 bristol vellum hand lettered quote(frame not included)
$15

Pricing my Art - image 1 - student project

8x10 bristol vellum hand lettered quote(frame not included)
$15

Pricing my Art - image 2 - student project

8x10 bristol vellum hand lettered quote(frame not included)
$15

Pricing my Art - image 3 - student project

8x10 bristol vellum hand lettered quote(frame not included)
$15

Pricing my Art - image 4 - student project

5x7 hand lettered quote ready for a frame. $12
Matted on black to fit an 8x10 frame $15

Pricing my Art - image 5 - student project

hand lettered notecards $3.50 each

Pricing my Art - image 6 - student project

7x14 canvas
$25

Pricing my Art - image 7 - student project

11x14 canvas $45

Pricing my Art - image 8 - student project

50th birthday party invite......NO idea how to price this one.

The front was a three step process.
1. Lettered the main phrase in silver metallic acrylic. (Approximately 10 minutes per card)
2. Went over fifty years if fabulous with silver glitter acrylic paint.(This took nearly 20 minutes per card)
3. Letter let's help, flowers and peace signs with gelly roll pens)
Then for the back I had to do the silver frame, then the purple frame which took about 5 minutes per card and then all the lettering in the back took about 10 minutes per card.
So total time for all 50 was just under 42 hours.

Pricing my Art - image 9 - student project

Shannon Foster

Always wanting to learn something new.

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