Selling artwork

I'm a newbie around here....but I did a search and couldn't find an answer, so thought I'd post this question here.

As a photographer, I have a portfolio of fine art photography (in digital format). I own the copyright to the work. Is it do-able to sell fine art photography in SL? (i.e., wall art for people's SL residences, businesses). Do I need to open a storefront, or is there more economical ways to sell art in SL?

Been having a lot of fun in SL...now just trying to see if I can become more active....from a professional perpsective.

I would recommend submitting your art to galleries in SL. Most art galleries in SL that have been around awhile are on a list created by Sasun Steinbeck.

Whatever deal you strike, whether it's a few pieces, or a whole exhibit is up to you. If you wanted all of your pieces to be displayed perminantly, you'd have to buy your own land, or strike a deal with a gallery for this.

A creative idea I recommend it to offer the option to purchase a RL print. If the art buyer has the option to buy only the SL piece, or purchase the SL and RL piece, and pay with lindens$, I think you'll make more money that way.

Come check out Enigmatic Artworks show on Nov 11th beginning at 8pm. There will be a lot of people in the SL & RL art industry, and you'll also get to see a phenominal show the way it should be done. (I'll be DJing )

What time is that SLT or your time Tandino, and could I get the coordinates please, thanks in advance!

When I came to SL, I tried representing a very good furry artist here. A fellow capable of making lifelike 3D portraits of furry characters, or more traditional pen and ink drawings.

Everyone agreed his art was very good. But what I found was that no one in SL was willing to pay anything close to what his art would sell for at a con or through any other venue. Not even if they would also receive a photo-quality RL copy by postal mail, for their enjoyment in their RL home.

If you want to sell copies of your art photos for a few pennies each, knock yourself out. There will certainly be people here who would pay a hundred Lindens, or maybe even 300 Lindens, for a nice picture to go on the wall in their virtual home. But L$300 is only about a dollar in real money. If you expect to make a decent real-world profit by it, you're most likely going to be severely dissapointed.

I'm starting to think that there isn't any real art (illustration, photography or whatever else) commission business that's in demand in SL. When I see 'artist' mentioned anywhere, it's about the premade perdy picture on canvas type of deal that you hang in your virtual home.

People see my 'furry artist' tag and go 'oh! do you have a store?' Do I NEED a store? What I want to do doesn't demand bricks and mortar. It just needs one person willing to pay, and one person willing to draw, and a medium of transfer (either a SL texture or send JPG by email, Photobucket etc). If people need to see what I can do, I have space on deviantART. It loads quicker than a store would in SL. Plus it's free.

I think this process must be too outside the virtual world to demand interest. It seems you need to make virtually tangible, USABLE content to be able to sell it for more than bumpkis.
..That and my price for commissions in USD = a gigantic amount (around 5-6k L$) compared to other things that require just as much effort like skins and clothing and etc. And if that much for a pretty picture became OK, then the price of other content would go up too as creators realise the value of effort. And the inworld economy has a seizure. And it would be my fault :E Sorry!

So I don't know. It's something I've always wanted to ramble about though.

Its Nov 11th, 8pm slt... I dont have the coordinates yet, but I'll post em here when i get em.. or IM you inworld....


In regards to the post above: Yes, you won't get much selling SL artwork if you compare it to RL money.... however, you've made the artwork already, all you're doing is uploading it and displaying it for sale so someone in a virtual world can decorate their build.... I wouldn't expect to get much money for that. However, a) you get exposure amongst the SL artist community and art lovers.... which leads people to your website, and over time you could develop a larger fanbase. b) selling RL prints is something people do for reasonable amounts of real money.... it may not happen right away or at the SL art show, but they have the option at any time to follow through to buy prints when they choose.. which does happen.

Except I haven't.
If I work at all, I work by request. I personally can't get my head around the idea of buying some random guy on a canvas to stick in my virtual home. I do character-based images/portraits/so on, you see. If I did landscapes, abstracts or something that's nonpersonal (as with chara art), I'd be alright. Except I don't and I'm not. xD

So I don't think the market I would cater to actually exists. Oh well.

I am artist too but I mouse drawn but I am not profressional at it.
If you get bored or lonely want a friend look me up I am new too.
I have been trying to put my art work on items but having issues.
At this point I am not selling though.
I got this ideal from some of place I built where photo's would come in handy.
Scenery textures.
Though from placing my art work on blocks I found some major problems with repeative patterns its not like you can put art image on block with one item like wall to look like specific scenery or at least I haven't figured out how they do it yet.
Photos may be great way to create world textures maybe if these people did that or people who need scenery or specific item textures.
Not sure how much L is made from selling buying textures if you can make them yourself though.
There certain textures I can't make because I can't draw or photograph them myself that I might pay for.
Not sure about others though.

Ziibly,

There are a couple of artists out there that sale one of a kind pieces for collectors and charge close to RL prices.

Check out DanCoyote Antonelli's work.

This is definitely something where you could create the market. I'm sure at first you wont get much... but as you build your portfolio up and clients up, you of course would be able to charge more for jobs.... plus over time, with a creative approach, market this to the RL corporations coming into SL.. and they pay substantially more when they need something.

I wish I were smart enough to realise these things. xD

Well, if you can create an own style, something unique to SL... that will help a lot.

I love to make pictures in SL, but for me it an hobby. I don't sell them. For friends I give them away (recently I started to mark anything I give away as no copy, no modify, no transfer).

There are many photographers out there. But many take their work out of SL, edit it with Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro (or anything alike) and import them again.
I don't do this, my pictures are made with what SL offers me and nothing more (I have no idea if I am unique in this... guess not).
Now I don't say what others do is bad or something. I saw some really awesome things made that way. It is just not my style .

Morwen.

Atlantis,
When you have time, pop by FD Artistry Gallery. It can be found on the search window under Places>Arts & Culture. Or just look up Felowen Dodge. This will just give you some ideas on art in SL. It certainly is not dead friends