joeDear Darrell, will a more expensive canvas really make your painting a lot better and able to sell for more? Also is it better to sell a painting with or without a frame? Joesph.
Hi Joseph,
I covered all about canvas quality in my Article, https://darrellcrow.com/blog/?p=3#more-3, (Copy the link into your browser) Practice — The Art of Selecting Cave Walls to Canvas. So review this article to answer your question about quality of canvas…
My rule is this…… if you’ve been commissioned to do a painting, or you’re painting a masterpiece with the intention of putting it up for sale, use the best canvas you can afford.
If you’re just practicing, or doing a study, than any type of canvas will do….
I have found the following to always be true. Always show your work with a frame if you want to sell it. When you quote a price, which is typically done on a small card next to the painting you have to make a basic decision. Will you sell the painting with or without your chosen frame? If you decide only with a friend, set the price and always deliver both. If a potential customer wants to know the price without a frame, tell them you only price the painting with a frame. If they don’t like a frame, than they can just simply throw it away.
Or, you if you decide your willing to sell a painting without a frame than quote an framed price that is equivalent to what you really want for the painting and then quote the frame at 3 times the cost you bought it for. So if you want $125 for the painting and the frame was $30.00 than your prices would be $150 unframed and $215 framed. Never expect to sell the frame. Always rejoice when you do.
Remember, people will drive you nuts. I once had a gal wanting to buy a painting and at the time, I was still young and offered a choice of frames between four colors. Her and her husband argued so much that they gave me $40 to not buy the painting and I’ve never seen them in clas again.
Darrell