If you are selected to sell with Modern Art Chester; you will be asked for the following listing information when submitting your art:
Artwork Title.
Artwork Description:
This is a great opportunity to mention what materials were used to create the work; what type of surface the work was created on; is the artwork framed or unframed; and do you have any recommendations for framing or installing the work?
Date of Creation.
When was the artwork created?
Artwork Price:
When pricing your art, it is important to adopt a consistent fact-based price structure. As an artist, you should always be prepared to explain how and why you set your price. Prices need to be based on recent sales, the cost of labour and material, and comparisons with similar works. Compare your art to what sells, not what does not sell. Also take into consideration our commission (35%) – this will be deducted from the sale price.
Medium:
This information will be especially useful for Search and Browse features.
Dimensions / Orientation:
This is incredibly important information! Buyers often intend to hang artwork in a specific space, so please make sure you input the correct dimensions in centimetres. If the work is landscape or portrait; please state. If it is abstract and the buyer’s choice; then do not worry.
Additional details:
These are optional and can be added. They are bullet points and can include any additional information you think needs to be added to the above.
A note on displaying multiple images:
The number one request from interested buyers prior to purchasing an artwork online is to see additional images. We highly encourage you to take additional images of your artwork hanging on a wall, detail shots, close ups, the edges, and the back of the artwork. We will request these images as and when needed.
Your profile and image:
We do require an image of the Artist. You needn’t, however, provide a headshot. Photos of artists in their studio look great on our profile pages, and they are especially of interest to buyers, critics, and the general public.
About you:
Finding out more about you as an artist is very important to art collectors who are considering buying your work, as well as to us when selecting artworks for Modern Art Chester’s featured News pages or Instagram feed. The information you give in a biography and in an Artist’s statement, will be amalgamated and shown on your own individual webpage; with your work displayed on the right-hand side.
We recommend that you include the following info in your bio and keep it to around 200 words:
Where you were born and raised
Where you currently live
Your artistic influences and where you draw inspiration
Your medium(s)/technique(s)of choice and why
Whether you’re self-taught or received formal education
Artists you’ve worked under/with
Prizes and awards you’ve won
Exhibitions that you’ve taken part in
Collections (both private and public) which include your work.
Your Artist Statement:
An Artist Statement is a basic description of your works and your reason for creating them. A successful artist statement clearly explains the reason you’ve made your work. We recommend that an artist statement be no longer than 200 words.
Some questions that you should consider when crafting your artist statement include:
What is the subject matter of my work?
What is my work about?
How do I make my work?
Where do I find the images I use as inspiration?
How do I want my audience to respond to my work?
How does my work compare to historical or contemporary artwork?
Please also add Personal Website (unless you already sell your work on it) and Social Media Badges
Selling an artwork:
All original artworks stored with the artists, are shipped to the buyer directly from the artist’s location. You can send artworks to Modern Art Chester in advance of going online; but you must follow the same packing instructions (see below).
Shipping costs are paid for by the buyer at the time the artwork is purchased.
You, the artist, will be responsible for packaging your artwork for shipment, as well as for all packaging costs.
You must include a Certificate of Authenticity inside the package with your artwork. Modern Art Chester will provide you with the template to use.
When you sell an artwork, you will receive 65% of all profits. Modern Art Chester handles the shipping logistics, and buyers pay for the cost of shipping, so you only have to worry about covering the costs of packaging materials. e.g.
Price of artwork – £450
Your profit (65%) – £292.50
When you’ve made a sale:
- You’ll receive an email informing you of the sale. You’ll also receive information regarding the next steps you’ll need to take for us to successfully deliver the artwork to the buyer. These steps include:Scheduling a date and time for our courier to pick up your sold artwork. (Courier pick up should occur within 14 days of when the buyer purchased the work.)You will need to email us back to acknowledge that you’ve read and understand the Modern Art Chester Packaging Guidelines (see below) to ensure that you know how to properly package your artwork for shipment
NOTE: It’s very important that you immediately schedule a courier pick up date and time after being notified that your artwork has sold.
- If 48 hours pass and you haven’t scheduled a pickup date, you’ll receive a phone call and email from our team.
- Within two days before your pickup date, you’ll receive an email from us to inform you that your shipping documents are now available to print and which courier will collect your work.
- A courier service will arrive on the date you requested to collect your package and the shipping documents. Please make sure to hand all labels and shipping documents over to the courier or attach them to the package if we have requested that.
- Next, your artwork will be picked up and delivered to the buyer. Please note that the transit time can vary depending on the location of your buyer. You’ll see your shipment’s tracking number on the label that is provided to you. You can follow along using that tracking number on the carrier’s website directly (i.e. FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.)It’s important to note that if shipping internationally, there may be custom delays. This is not unusual and should not cause you any panic. Our team will monitor the progress of your artwork until it reaches its safe delivery to your buyer. We’ll be updating your buyer along the way.
- After 15 days from the date of delivery to your buyer, your payment will be available. At the end of the 15th day, we’ll send you an email notification to let you know that your funds are ready for settlement. Please provide bank details at this time and not in advance and note Modern Art Chester will not keep these details on file due to GDPR regulations and will ask again as and when the next sale takes place.
How to pack:
If your art remains with you; then upon purchase and when payment has been received; MAC will handle the logistics of having it collected directly from you and delivered to the buyer. Please note that the artist is solely responsible for the artwork being packed safely and correctly and any damage incurred in transit will be investigated as to why and what specific damage was caused.
Questions you will be asked before collection:
Is the work in a box or a tube?
Is the work framed?
Is the work multi-panelled or a sculpture?
What is the shipping weight and dimensions of package?
What is the exact pick up location and best date and am / pm?
If you have not packed artwork before then keep reading; if you need packing equipment, then Modern Art Chester suggests the following for packing materials:
https://www.packaging2buy.co.uk/
Packing paintings in boxes for transit:
Step 1 – Wrap the painting in acid-free, archival tissue paper. Note that any material that comes into contact with the surface of the work should be archival quality. We advise that you avoid touching the painting’s surface with bare hands by wearing white cotton gloves or placing acid-free tissue paper between the work and your fingers when handling.
Step 2 –Take four pieces of acid-free tissue paper (you may adjust the size of the squares to better fit the size of your work) and fold each in half diagonally to create a triangle, then fold in half again to create a triangle pocket. Place one pocket onto each corner of the painting.
Step 3 – Taping only onto the tissue paper corners, tape the wrapped painting to a sheet of foam board (or two-ply cardboard) the same size or slightly larger than the painting for a firm backing.
Step 4 – To protect against moisture, wrap the covered artwork with plastic sheeting/poly wrap or put it inside a heavy plastic bag. Use tape to seal all areas where water can enter and cause damage.
Step 5 – Wrap the entire work with two (2) layers of bubble wrap for a protective padding. Wrap it
as you would a gift, using tape to secure it shut.
Step 6 – Place cardboard corner protectors on the corners of the wrapped artwork.
Step 7 – Place the wrapped artwork between 2 pieces of foam board that are at least ½” thickness (or two-ply cardboard), forming a “sandwich.” Also, the borders of the foam board sheets should extend 2-3 inches beyond all edges of the bubble-wrapped artwork. Use packing tape to bind the foam board sandwich together. Be certain the sides are taped down firmly to ensure that the artwork doesn’t shift around within.
IMPORTANT: Take care not to apply too much pressure to the surface of your artwork. Doing so could create indentations on the stretched canvas.
Step 8 – Place the foam board-covered painting into a cardboard box with approximately three (3) inches of space on all sides. Fill the empty space with enough bubble wrap or wadded/shredded white paper to ensure that the artwork doesn’t shift during transit.
Step 9 – Use the H-taping method to seal the box. The H-taping method involves using long strips of packing tape to completely seal the opening flaps of the box. Use one long strip of tape over the horizontal opening between the two flaps, and two strips over the vertical sides of the flaps—forming an “H.” Apply additional vertical strips of tape as needed across the sealed flaps for added reinforcement. Illustrations of this method are provided by different sources online. Just type “H-taping method” into the Google search box.
Step 10 – Affix the shipping label to the package and put clear tape over the label so it doesn’t get removed during shipment. Using a felt tip pen, write “FRAGILE” in large capital letters on the box, or use ready-made “FRAGILE” labels.
Rolled paper / prints artwork:
Paper artworks such as sketches, prints, photographs, watercolours, etc., may be rolled and shipped in a heavy-duty mailing tube between 8” and 12” diameter, depending on the size of the work.
What you’ll need:
Heavy duty mailing tube with plastic end caps no smaller than 8” in diameter and up to 12” (depending on the size of your canvas).
A second tube of smaller diameter for inner support. (You’ll roll your artwork around this tube and insert it inside the larger tube.)
Packing tape
Acid-free archival paper
Bubble wrap
Step 1 – Sandwich your artwork between two layers of acid free archival paper. Make sure that the work is completely covered by the paper.
Step 2 – Roll the paper-covered artwork around the smaller tube to provide inner support.
Step 3 – Next, roll a layer of bubble wrap around the artwork for padding and to seal out moisture. Seal completely with tape.
Step 4 – Place this tube within the outer mailing tube. Fill extra space at the ends with extra bubble wrap, but take care not to crush the edges of your artwork. Place the end caps on and seal them shut with packing tape.
Step 5 – Affix the shipping label to the package and put clear tape over the label so it doesn’t get removed during shipment. With a felt tip pen, mark the tube as “FRAGILE” in large capital letters.
If you are shipping a sculpture, we will discuss this with you and send bespoke guidelines.
