take a look at my website, trying to start a new business, set my site up three weeks ago, ive been tweaking it for 3 weeks....any suggestions...good and bad are welcome........ive had many visits to my site, but not many messages and no sales....generally people will not buy paintings over the internet unless it is an established website/artist , tell me, how much would you pay for a good poster or giclee of my artwork (yes, i know i only have one painting for sale as a print right now, but i plan to sell other prints soon) ....do you think im overpriced, or am aiming at too much of a niche market ? ... are my images too poor quality ? ..... i appreciate any comments, ... im not here looking for praise, im looking to improve my website by constructive criticism.


http://www.grundygallery.co.uk

for a start, read http://www.artistsforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=4 - you don't comply! (erm - ignore the spam at the top ... admin informed)

secondly I'd suggest much better image quality in the photographs is desirable; they aren't sharp, there's no detail (compressed too much) and they are probably too small.

Ben
First, don't be discouraged because you haven't made a sale in 3 weeks, in my experience (and I'm sure others will agree) it can take months, not weeks, to make sales over the internet. So if you're seriously trying to make this into a business I'd recommend finding other outlets for your work as well as hoping people come across your site.

I like the bright colours of your paintings (I also do bright seascapes but in a more traditional style than yours), it probably is quite a niche area but that doesn't mean it won't sell, just that you might have to find the right way to sell it. You can try galleries (although that can be hard work), local shops/cafes, maybe craft fairs. Make or buy business cards with your website on it and hand them out to anyone you know. Be prepared to be knocked back and if you are just take it on the chin and move on to the next place.

On the website itself, I agree with Mike's point that your images are quite blurry, I'd be particularly concerned if I was looking to buy a print and the image was indistinct (would I get a blurry print?). You probably need to get your stocks up and have more items on the site for sale so that if someone comes over your site and likes the style there is more there to entice them to linger and browse. Instead of just saying "Archives" why not say which ones are sold/commissions etc. It's funny but I am always surprised by how many people view my "Sold paintings" gallery, I think the fact that you have sold work before gives you more credibility. And don't forget about keywords so people find your work on google.

Nothing else immediately springs to mind this late on a Friday night!

cheers
Elise

Hi Ben,

Took a look at your site mate. It all looks ok to me, but blow up's of your paintings do look blurry.
Never enlarge images from a smaller photo to post them. Always take a fresh copy of the large original master photo. If that makes sense.
Small images pixal wise always blur if blown up.

Your prices are ok I guess. You'll see if they sell with time.
Are you on any online galleries? Some are free to join, working on commission only. Google em.

Don't just rely on your website for sales. There are millions out there, and a lot of your visitors will have been other artists looking, and not for buying reasons I expect.

The only other thing is your self photo. I think It really helps sales if you have a nice photo of yourself. Lot's of artists don't want to show themselves on their sites for some reason. I for one wouldn't buy a painting from some anonymous name.
You have a photo but your not looking at the camera.
I don't mean any offence Ben . I'm just trying to help.

I like your work. Keep painting mate.

Catch ya:wink:

Hi, I think the same as everyone above! it does feel like you only have one thing to sell, everyone will go mmmmm and then move on, it is a good start but you should put originals up for sale or advertise them all as prints, artists web can do prints now for you.... have you ever thought of doing murals... perhaps you could paint a room and then aim yourself at restaurants, ships etc....the problem with the web is unless you advertise the site no one knows it is there, when it is up and running properly start sending out your web address to everyone you can think of, it is a very slow business with no instant success, the web should be seen as a tool rather than the answer...
the only other thing I thought about the site is CAPITAL LETTERS! you kep saying i and no ones names had capitals, it just seems a bit lazy but that could just be me. I had some help from a marketing man who said most people leave your site after 8 seconds of being on your home page, in order to stop this give text that draws them in, sells your work by telling how your work could benefit/change their life, ie people are not interested in your work as such, they are interested in owning things that make them feel/live better and will only buy if you provide that, I sell cushions, I had 30 made out of fantastic silk sari fabric, golds, pinks, they were great but didn't sell, I couldn't understand why not but decided to try the following:
a sign that said ' BED cushions made from wedding sari silk' I then piled them randomly on the floor, sold all but 10 in one day... people need to be guided, suggested too or they keep on walking...anyway good luck and keep on going.

Hi, thanks all for great critisim. The photos being blurred has been annoying me for a while, but i realised the correct way to post photos on my site last night, ie. by not changing the size before downloading them, as you can see by the print photo of coolangatta, compared to the photo of coolangatta, in the paintings section.
i'm gong to refresh all these images in the next few days.
I also plan to add more prints for sale, and get more paintings on the site over the next few weeks.
Eventually ( in time, and with representation in the real world ) i plan to offer more paintings, more print choices, and other choices of merchandise. Check out these websites, have a browse to see how they market art.... i really like what these artists have moved into, basically thier own brand of merchandise based on thier artworks.

http://www.surfart.com.au - art by garry birdsall, an australian surf artist. I also have a new link from his site to mine, which is awesome, as he is extremely famous in the surf world.

http://www.scottchristensen.com.au - a bit of a seascape genius this guy. huge inspiration for me. introduced me to an art search engine called art-search. i have a link from this site also: http://www.art-search.co.uk/artists/pai ... _seascape/

http://www.drewbrophy.com - more of a graphic artist, but has a great business head on how he markets his art.

these artists have some great ideas on marketing images, making them more affordable to the public.

i am aiming at a niche market, but like the three artists above, they are extremely talented both at art and marketing, and so have turned the niche market they aim for into a great living for themselves.

thanks for all the advice, it was exactly what i was looking for. - im going to make some improvements on my site this week

Hi Ben,
I don't really have anything to add,there has been some great advice already.
I just wanted to say i think your work is beautiful,and sharper images would be perfect.I haven't sold anything on TAW,but i do elsewhere.Someone once told me success is 60% marketing,and 40% painting...(i think it may have been someone here!)
Dont lose heart,and keep at it.I'm sure your work will sell.
Good advice about the artist photo Chalky,it hasn't occurred to me before!
All the best,
Lisa