Guide · Calculator
How to price your art
The three standard pricing formulas, a calculator that runs them side by side, and how to price prints, editions, and commissions so a gallery sale still pays you.
By Travis Moher · Published October 28, 2026
The quick answer
Price original art with one consistent formula. The most common is width x height x a rate per square inch: a 16 x 20 in painting at $6 per square inch is 320 x $6 = $1,920. Add materials x 2, and make sure the price still pays you after a gallery takes its usual 40 to 50 percent.
Calculator
Art pricing calculator
Enter the size and your numbers. All three methods update as you type. Use the spread to pick a price you can repeat across your work.
A. Square inch
$640
16 x 20 = 320 sq in x $2
- You keep at 50%
- $320
- You keep at 40%
- $384
B. Linear inch
$720
(16 + 20) = 36 in x $20
- You keep at 50%
- $360
- You keep at 40%
- $432
C. Time and materials
$495
$60 x 2 + 15 hr x $25
- You keep at 50%
- $248
- You keep at 40%
- $297
Methods A and B do not include materials; many artists add materials x 2 on top. “You keep” shows the artist's share after a 50% or 40% gallery commission.
The three pricing formulas
A. Price per square inch
Multiply width by height to get square inches, then multiply by your rate. Artist Lori Woodward's worked example in Artists Network uses $6 per square inch for her oils: 16 x 20 in = 320 sq in, x $6 = $1,920, which she rounds to $1,900. She then adds the cost of canvas and framing, doubled ($150 x 2 = $300), for a retail price of $2,200. Doubling materials means she still recovers them after a gallery takes half.
The rate is the judgment call. It reflects your sales history, not your effort. Woodward lowers the rate by a dollar or two for much larger work and raises it for small pieces, since they take nearly as much effort. The weakness of this method is that price grows with area, so a 48 x 72 in canvas can price itself out of your market.
B. Linear inch (width plus height)
Add width and height, then multiply by a fixed multiplier. The Seattle Artist League example: 8 + 10 = 18 inches, x $30 = $540. Because the inches are added rather than multiplied, price grows in a straight line instead of a curve. A painting twice as wide and twice as tall costs twice as much, not four times. That keeps large work sellable and small work worth making, which is why artists who work across many sizes tend to prefer it.
C. Time and materials
Pay yourself for hours, then add materials. This page uses materials x 2 plus hours x your hourly rate, which combines Woodward's materials doubling with an hourly labor charge. For a benchmark rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, at $55,490 in May 2025 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Spread over a 2,080-hour work year, that is about $26.68 an hour.
Time-based pricing suits commissions, detailed small work, and anything slow. It punishes fast painters, so check the result against the size-based methods and against what similar work sells for.
Same painting, five prices
| Method | Math | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Square inch at $2 | 320 x $2 | $640 |
| Square inch at $6 | 320 x $6 | $1,920 |
| Linear inch at $20 | 36 x $20 | $720 |
| Linear inch at $30 | 36 x $30 | $1,080 |
| Time and materials | $60 x 2 + 15 x $25 | $495 |
The spread is the point. None of these numbers is right on its own. Run all three, pick the one that lands near what comparable work actually sells for, and then use that one method for everything.
Pricing formula table
| Method | Formula | Worked example | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Square inch | Width x height x rate per sq in | 16 x 20 = 320 sq in; 320 x $6 = $1,920 | Lori Woodward, Artists Network |
| A+. Square inch plus materials | (Width x height x rate) + (materials x 2) | $1,900 (rounded) + $150 x 2 = $2,200 | Lori Woodward, Artists Network |
| B. Linear inch | (Width + height) x multiplier | 8 + 10 = 18 in; 18 x $30 = $540 | Seattle Artist League |
| C. Time and materials | (Materials x 2) + (hours x hourly rate) | $60 x 2 + 15 hr x $25 = $495 | Worked example on this page |
| Cost plus markup (prints, small work) | (Supplies + labor) + 10% overhead; x 2 wholesale; x 2 retail | $17.50 + $1.75 = $19.25; wholesale $38.50; retail $77 | Mamta Gholap, Ceramic Arts Network |
Free to use
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Gallery commission
| Who | Commission | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Galleries often take | 50% | Lori Woodward, Artists Network |
| Copley Society of Art (Boston), regular sales | 40% (artist keeps 60%) | Copley Society gallery procedures |
| Austin Gallery consignment, works under $10,000 | 50% | Austin Gallery consignment terms |
| Austin Gallery consignment, works $10,000 and up | 40% | Austin Gallery consignment terms |
The commission comes out of the retail price, so your price has to carry it. At 50 percent, Woodward's $2,200 painting pays her $950 for the painting and $150 back for the framing. The Copley Society of Art splits regular sales 60 percent to the artist and 40 percent to the gallery. Keep one retail price everywhere, including your own studio and website, so a gallery never finds you undercutting it.
Austin Gallery is a gallery and consignment house in Austin. Artists who want a gallery to handle the selling can submit work for consignment; the published commission is 50 percent for works under $10,000 and 40 percent for works $10,000 and above, with nothing charged up front.
How to price prints
Open vs limited editions
A limited edition has a fixed number of impressions, usually signed and numbered in pencil (14/100 means the 14th print of 100), and no more are made. An open edition is limited only by how many sell (Edition (printmaking)). Scarcity is what a collector pays for, so limited editions carry a higher price and smaller editions a higher price still. Our limited edition prints guide covers numbering, artist proofs, and certificates.
Cost times markup
Start from what one print costs you to make. A method published by Ceramic Arts Network adds supplies and labor, adds 10 percent overhead, then doubles for wholesale and doubles again for retail. Its example: $10 materials + $7.50 labor = $17.50, + $1.75 overhead = $19.25, wholesale $38.50, retail $77. The two doublings are what let you sell through shops and galleries at wholesale and still sell direct at retail without changing your price.
For a print, the cost line is paper, ink or the lab fee, packaging, and your time. If you print at home, our best home printers for art compares cost per print; if you outsource, read what giclee means before you put the word on a label. The print selling starter kit lists the sleeves, backers, and mailers that belong in that cost.
Commission pricing
Price a commission at least at your normal formula rate. It is the same work plus a client's constraints, deadlines, and revisions. A few rules that keep commissions profitable:
- Quote from your formula. Run the size through the calculator above, the same as any other piece.
- Charge for the design stage. A sketch or color study is work. Bill it, or take a deposit that covers it.
- Limit revisions in writing. State how many rounds are included and what an extra round costs.
- Put payment terms in a short agreement. Deposit, balance due, and delivery date, signed before you start.
- Add for rush and size. Tight deadlines and very large canvases cost you more; price them that way.
Raising your prices
Raise prices when work sells, not when you feel like it. Woodward raises hers 10 percent after a strong sales year and holds them in a slow economy. The Seattle Artist League piece advises never lowering a price and keeping studio and gallery prices identical. Both rules protect the people who already bought your work.
Next steps
Priced it. Now sell it.
Sources
- Lori Woodward, “A Simple Formula for Pricing Artwork,” Artists Network. $6 per square inch example, materials x 2, the 50 percent gallery split, size adjustments, 10 percent raises.
- Seattle Artist League, “How to Price Your Artwork”. Linear (united) inch formula and the 8 + 10 x $30 = $540 example.
- Mamta Gholap, “In the Studio: Pricing Artwork,” Ceramic Arts Network. Cost plus 10 percent overhead, x 2 wholesale, x 2 retail.
- Copley Society of Art, Gallery Procedures and Guidelines. 60 percent artist, 40 percent gallery on regular sales.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Craft and Fine Artists. Median annual wage for fine artists, May 2025.
- Wikipedia, Edition (printmaking). Limited vs open editions and numbering.
- Austin Gallery consignment terms. 50 percent under $10,000, 40 percent at $10,000 and above.
Questions
How do I price my art as a beginner?
Pick one formula and use it for everything so your prices are consistent. The simplest is the square inch method: width x height x a rate. Lori Woodward's example for established oil work is $6 per square inch, so a 16 x 20 in painting is $1,920; new artists start lower. Add materials x 2 so you recover costs if a gallery sells it.
What is the formula for pricing art?
There are three common ones. Square inch: width x height x rate. Linear inch: (width + height) x multiplier. Time and materials: materials x 2 plus hours x your hourly rate. The square inch method makes big work expensive fast; the linear inch method keeps large pieces more affordable.
How much do galleries take from art sales?
Usually 40 to 50 percent of the sale price. Artists Network's pricing guide says galleries often take 50 percent. The Copley Society of Art in Boston takes 40 percent on regular sales. Austin Gallery's published consignment commission is 50 percent under $10,000 and 40 percent at $10,000 and above. Price so the work still pays you after that cut.
How should I price art prints?
Start from cost. One published method adds supplies and labor, adds 10 percent overhead, doubles it for wholesale, and doubles again for retail, so a $19.25 cost becomes $77 retail. Limited editions, which have a fixed number of signed and numbered impressions, sell for more than open editions, which keep printing as long as they sell.
How much should I charge for an art commission?
Use your normal formula as the floor, since a commission is the same work plus client constraints. Many artists charge for a sketch or design stage up front and set the number of revisions in writing. Put the deposit, revision limit, and balance due in a short agreement before you start.
Should my prices be the same everywhere?
Yes. Keep the same retail price in your studio, online, and at a gallery. Undercutting a gallery that represents you is the fastest way to lose it, and buyers who see two prices for the same work will wait for the lower one.
Keep reading
- How to sell art online: where to list once the price is set.
- What is giclee: the print term buyers ask about most.
- How to stretch a canvas: cut your materials cost by building your own.
- Standard canvas sizes: the sizes buyers and frames expect.
Written by Travis Moher for Austin Gallery, October 2026. Pricing formulas are starting points, not appraisals. Calculator results are arithmetic from the numbers you enter.