How I Price My Art
A complete, honest look at the numbers, the craft, and the thinking behind the price.
A NOTE:
Pricing is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in the art world, for artists and often confusing for collectors. I've been on both sides.
That question is completely reasonable. And the honest answer is that most people have no idea how a number on the label was arrived at, because artists rarely explain it. I think that silence creates distance between the work and the people who might love it. So this page exists to close that gap.
Here is exactly how I price my work: what goes into it, what I don't charge for, and what you're actually getting when you invest in my original paintings. I hope it helps you buy with confidence — whether from me or from any artist you admire.
- Han
The Pricing Formula
Pricing original art isn't arbitrary, though it can look that way from the outside. I use a consistent framework for every piece, built on four pillars that reflect the real cost of creating original work:
None of these factors are inflated to create a perception of luxury. Each reflects a real cost of making original art at a professional level.
Here's the breakdown:
Time
Every hour I spend on a painting represents not just that hour, but the years of practice that made it possible.
When I price an original, I calculate my time at a (rather modest) professional hourly rate, not an inflated luxury rate. A painting that takes fifteen hours of work, from initial sketch to final varnish, is priced to reflect that fifteen hours at a rate I've set honestly.
Materials
I work with professional-grade, archival materials, not student supplies. The difference matters enormously, both for the finished work and for how long it lasts.
- Professional pastels have higher pigment concentration and greater lightfastness. Professional-grade canvases, papers and boards resist warping over decades.
- Archival varnishes protect the surface from UV damage and humidity.
These materials cost significantly more than what a hobbyist would use, and they're non-negotiable for pieces a collector would live with for many years.
Operations
Running an independent art business involves costs that aren't visible in the final painting but are part of every project:
- Professional framing and packaging materials
- Photography to document the work
- Website and e-commerce platform costs
- Payment processing fees
- Shipping supplies
- Exhibition entry fees
These costs allow me to operate as a professional artist, to show my work publicly, and to bring it to collectors.
Skills
An artist's price reflects their cumulative background, current career stage and the demand for their work. I have a background in Art History from UC Berkeley, I've learned from professional artists, and I've spent countless hours developing my technique across pastel and acrylic.
My prices are not inflated to compete with other artists, but they do indicate that this work comes with a verifiable track record and provenance. As demand and recognition grow, my prices will grow with them, which means early collectors may benefit from acquiring work at the beginning of that trajectory.
"When you see a price on my work, you're seeing transparency — not a guess, not a wish, and not a mark-up. You're seeing real craft, real time, and real care added up honestly."
What Goes Into a $700 Painting
Take Glow with the Flow, a 16×20 inch original acrylic painting currently available. Here's a transparent breakdown of how that price was reached:
| Cost Factor | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas & Primer | Professional stretched canvas | $20 |
| Paints & Varnish | Professional-grade pigments and Archival UV-protective varnish | $20 |
| Brushes & Tools | Prorated cost of professional brushes, palette knives | $12 |
| Framing | Professional archival framing and matting | $50-100 |
| Artist Time | ~10 hours (sketch, painting, through final varnish) | $350 |
| Overhead | Studio space, website, photography, shipping & packaging (prorated) | $65 |
| Payment Processing | ~3% transaction fee (absorbed into price) | $21 |
| Exhibition | Show entry fees, delivery & pickup costs | $20-40 |
| Artist Margin | What remains after all costs, the actual income from this piece | ~$122-142 |
| Total: Glow with the Flow, 16×20" Original Acrylic | $700 | |
The final net profit for this piece is approximately $122–$142. If the painting were sold through a gallery, a standard 50% commission would be applied. That commission reduces the portion that goes towards the artist’s time, meaning there would not be a true hourly wage earned from the sale. Instead, the remaining amount would primarily cover margins that are reinvested back into the business to sustain future work.
When you buy an original painting, you are not buying a product with a large margin. You are paying for craft, time, and materials at a rate that is honest and, in many cases, modest.
NOTE:
Keeping artist time and artist margin as separate line items is a transparency choice. Artist time reflects the skilled hours that went directly into making this piece, just as they would be in any other profession. The margin is what remains after subtracting costs, and it is what sustains the studio, funds future work, and makes a long-term creative practice possible.
What You're Really Getting
Beyond the direct costs in the table above, every original painting carries something that doesn't fit neatly into a spreadsheet, but is very much part of what you're investing in.
- Singularity: This piece exists once. No one else in the world owns this exact object; this canvas, these marks, this specific arrangement of light and color. That is genuinely rare in an era of infinite reproduction.
- Provenance: You know exactly where this painting came from, who made it, when, and how. The certificate of authenticity documents this permanently. That chain of ownership, matters for any future resale or appraisal.
- Archival Longevity: Professional archival materials are selected to last generations, not years. The work you buy today should still be beautiful and intact in 50-100 years.
- The Artist's Story: You can ask me anything about any piece before you buy it. The backstory, the process, the specific choices I made, all of that becomes part of what the painting means to you and the people who see it in your home.
- Early Acquisition Value: Art by emerging artists with documented exhibition records tends to appreciate as careers develop. I make no promises, but early collectors of artists who go on to wider recognition are sometimes glad they bought when they did.
How Commissions Are Priced
Commission pricing follows the same framework as original work, materials, time, overhead, and career stage, with a few additional considerations.
- Complexity and reference material: A commission involving multiple subjects, complex backgrounds, or detailed reference photographs takes longer than a simpler composition. This is reflected directly in the time component of the price.
- Size: Larger canvases require more materials, more physical time to cover, and more framing cost. Commission pricing scales with dimensions, not arbitrarily, but because the underlying costs genuinely scale.
- Medium: Pastel commissions tend to be priced similarly to acrylics of the same size, as the materials and time are comparable. Oil commissions may carry a small premium for the extended drying and varnishing process.
- Rush timelines: If you need a commission completed within a compressed timeframe, I may need to adjust other studio commitments to accommodate it. Rush timelines are priced accordingly and discussed upfront, never as a surprise.
