Showing Your Work in Progress

One way to engage potential buyers in your artwork is to show them the work in progress.

Anderson Artists Guild member Matthew Brophy, a potter, says that this is something he started doing about a year ago—and that it’s important. “On my larger, more expensive pieces, I take pictures as I’m creating them: just thrown, bisque fired, design drawn on the piece, and two shots of the glazing process,” he said. “That way, people see the piece being created from start to finish. People really like this.” Pictured above are four shots from one of Brophy’s pieces in progress.

Such documentation also allows you to explain your techniques and processes, a way to help potential buyers engage with your art. It could encourage a sale, as well as help explain all that’s involved in the creation and thus help explain the price.

Photos like these can be posted on your website and on social media. If you post regularly to show progress on a piece, that will help viewers want to see the next stage and build excitement toward completion.

You can also post photos of yourself in your workspace. For examples of such photos from some of our members, see https://www.andersonartistsguild.com/single-post/happy-new-year-from-the-anderson-artists-guild.