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How do I upload an Artwork?
How do I upload an Artwork?

Listing artworks > best practice on how to upload an artwork - key points and trouble shooting.

Kate Revill avatar
Written by Kate Revill
Updated over a week ago

So your ready to list your artwork, heres everything you need to know about the upload page.

Upload Page

First you need to get to the Upload Art page. You will firstly need to be logged into your artist profile, on desktop/laptop you will see "Upload Art" blue box towards the top right section on every page. On mobile devises it is located in the side menu bar at the bottom (see screen shot below)

Artwork Photos

These are your main selling tool, they need to be high resolution, well lit, crisp and clear images. You need to upload as many as possible (more picture the greater trust the buyer will have in the listing).

  • Primary Photo is the main image that will be shown on site in the New Art section so this needs to be the best full image of the artwork.

  • Ensure you upload as many photos as you can, buyers like to see multiple images. Close ups, images of the side, the back, the signature.

  • There are two mandatory images required as a minimum to list the Primary Photo and Artworks Only For Preview these must be filled in order to list

  • There are set file formats and size requirements as listed under this section, please ensure your images conform to these requirements.

Artwork Colours

Once you have uploaded your Primary Photo, you'll see the 'Artwork Colours' section pop up immediately. You can choose up to two dominant colours in your artwork and this will help collectors find your work when they use the colour filters on Bluethumb.

Consider also using colours as keywords/tags for your artworks.

Artwork Details

It is vital that your artwork is listed correctly with accurate information. Most returns are a result of misinformation or incorrectly listed works. Please ensure all information is as detailed and accurate as possible - the more sections that have answers the better!

  • Medium - what has the work been created with? ie. Acrylic, Oils, Pastels, Watercolour…

  • Surface/Material what has the work been created on? ie. Canvas, Linen, Paper…

  • Does the work have a wire across the back so the buyer can hang straight away? If you say yes to this, your work will be listed as “Ready to Hang”

  • Description - put yourself in the collectors shoes and enter everything they should know about your artwork (include texture/paint/medium details, hanging arrangements etc.). What inspired the creation of the work? Whats the story behind it? If you are listing prints, is there a printing delay they should be aware of?

  • Signature - which drop down option best shows that this work is authentically yours?

  • Subject & Style - you can choose up to three for each, ensure these are accurate to the listing

  • Image descriptive text - briefly describe how the work physically appears. For more information about what this is used for and why please click here.

  • Keywords - Separate each keyword with a comma (,). Use words that best describe your artwork and be accurate: be descriptive, aim for single keywords, avoid irrelevant keywords, and use no more than 25 keywords.

Availability

This section allows you to set the availability of your artwork on our site. There are a few different statuses:

  • Available - will mark your work as available to purchase as soon as your listing goes live

  • Available with delayed dispatch - shows your work on site as available from a stipulated date. We recommend using this function for works that are drying.

  • Unavailable - will list the work on site, but will change the "Add to Cart" button to "Enquire Now". This status is recommended to be used for works which are in exhibitions. It allows buyers to see and view the work but not purchase it until you mark it as available.

  • Mark as Sold - ****will immediately place the work in the “Sold” section in your profile. This is best used for uploading examples of your works for collectors to see that have previously been sold somewhere other than Bluethumb. Please note you cannot move works back to available once sold.

Artwork Size

The dimensions listed here need to be the actual dimensions of the work that will be received.

  • Measurements listed should be the full size of the finished work that will be sent.

  • If you are listing a diptych, triptych etc. list the combined measurements (e.g. two panels at 40cm x 40cm intended to be listed side by side need to be listed as 80cm x 40cm).

  • If any of the artwork measurements are less than 1 use decimals e.g. 0.1.

  • If the artwork is stretched (or on board) but not ready to hang, uncheck the “ready to hang” box - it is best practice to make hanging arrangements before the artwork is shipped, if you can. Please always mention the details of hanging arrangements in the artwork description.

Shipping

Choose how you wish to ship the work, we allow artworks to be:

  • Sent boxed - stretched canvases with or without frames and sculptures.

  • Sent tubed - unframed canvases or works on paper.

Artwork Pricing

Artists are responsible for pricing their own works.

  • Once you enter an amount in the field, you'll be able to see the breakdown of how much you'll receive once the sale is finalised. Ensure you are happy with the "Your Payment" amount on this section this is the full amount you will be paid for the work if it sells (screen shot below to highlight).

  • Ensure you consider the potential of discount when pricing your work - we can apply up to a 15% discount on all works when asked and some buyers may ask you directly for higher discount.

  • You may wish to think about incorporating your packaging and supply costs into your pricing.

  • When entering a price, make sure there are no special characters (including $ and ,). This field is only for digits (0-9).

Publishing Your Artwork

To publish your artwork, select whether your artwork is a commission or a public listing, ensure that all mandatory fields are completed, and press the “Publish Now” button!

Please note - sometimes the the 'Save' or 'Publish' buttons may be disabled. This means there is missing information from a mandatory field or, if your artwork image is heavy or the internet connection is slow, your images haven’t finished uploading yet - once the upload is finished, the button will be active again.

We also have a really great blog post on how to best photograph your work here that we would recommend reading!

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