You do not need a gallery, an agent or an art degree to sell your art in the UK. You need work you stand behind, a price you can say out loud without flinching, somewhere people can actually see it, and a small amount of admin. This page is the honest version, from two self-taught artists who sell.
Price it like you mean it
Start with materials plus your hours at a rate you can live with, then round up, not down. A low price does not read as humble, it reads as doubtful, and it undercuts every other artist in the room. If a painting took twenty hours and thirty pounds of paint, a three-figure price is not cheeky, it is arithmetic. Put prices on things: on the wall, in the caption, on the site. “DM for price” loses more sales than it protects.
Where the sales actually happen
In rough order of how often it works for self-taught artists we know: direct messages on Instagram after you post the work (most first sales happen here), local walls such as cafes, markets, community exhibitions and open studios, open calls and county open exhibitions (entry is usually cheap and jurors do not ask where you trained), your own website once there is demand, and a directory listing so people who search can find you. If you are in Swindon or Wiltshire, our directory is free.
Print-on-demand and marketplaces have their place, but the margins are thin and the algorithm owns the relationship. Sell prints, by all means, and let originals do the earning.
The admin nobody tells you about
In the UK you can earn up to 1,000 pounds a year from selling before tax gets involved, under the trading allowance. Above that, register as self-employed with HMRC and file a Self Assessment once a year. It is a form, not a monster. Keep receipts for materials, keep a note of what sold for what, and open a separate bank account the day it stops feeling like pocket money. If you exhibit in public spaces, public liability insurance is usually expected, and membership of an artists’ organisation such as a-n or an artists’ union typically includes it for less than the cost of one small canvas a year.
Commissions without tears
Take a deposit, a third to a half, before you buy materials. Agree size, subject, deadline and how many rounds of changes, in writing. An email thread counts as writing. Most commission horror stories are just a missing email.
Red flags
Never pay a gallery to hang your work: vanity galleries charge artists because collectors will not pay them. Treat “we pay in exposure” as a no. Be wary of competitions with big entry fees and vague prizes, and of anyone who wants money up front to “represent” you. Real galleries and agents earn a commission when they sell, not before.
Questions people ask
How do I price my art as a beginner?
Materials plus your hours at a wage you can live with, rounded up. Check what artists at a similar stage charge locally, then do not be the cheapest. You can always come down in a conversation; you cannot go up.
Do I need to tell HMRC if I sell a painting?
Only once your total sales pass 1,000 pounds in a tax year, thanks to the trading allowance. After that, register as self-employed and file a Self Assessment. Keep receipts either way.
Can I sell art without a website?
Yes. Instagram, local walls and a free directory listing will carry you a long way. A website helps once strangers start searching for your name.
Should I sell prints or originals?
Both. Originals pay the bills and prints spread the work to people who cannot stretch to an original yet. Keep original prices firm; let prints be the affordable door in.
Do galleries take self-taught artists?
Some do, and open calls and open exhibitions are the usual way in: jurors look at the work, not the CV. What no legitimate gallery does is charge you to hang. If they ask for money, walk away.
Self-taught and making work in Swindon or Wiltshire? Get your free listing on The BRUT List, and read our companion piece: Do you need art school to be an artist?