You Have Sold Your Artwork, Now What?
Selling your first piece of artwork is a fantastic achievement; you deserve to take a moment to feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Once sold, how to package & ship a painting? But then, a realization sets in; you have no idea how to ship this painting to your buyer. Well, don’t worry, this guide will give you an overview of what you need to know about securely shipping a canvas painting.
The Three Fundamental Rules of Packaging
When packaging your canvas painting, it’s important to keep three particular factors in mind. These three factors include the safety of the artwork, the professionalism of the packaging, and an economical method to ship it. Let’s dig into all three of these a little deeper.
● Safety First
Nothing is worse than finding out that the canvas painting you just sold has been damaged on its way to the buyer. Not only have hours of hard work and creative energy gone to waste, but now your client is also dissatisfied. A client receiving a damaged canvas painting can ruin your reputation as an artist. It doesn’t matter how talented you are as an artist; art collectors think you sell damaged pieces and will not want to do business with you. So, developing a best practice for safely packaging each art piece is essential to ensure it remains intact in transit. We’ll expand on how to achieve this later in this guide.
● Professional Packaging
Art is something you’re deeply passionate about; that goes without saying. Each piece you create has a part of you within it. For many artists, separating their passion from their profession can be difficult. If you want to make a living doing what you love, developing a sense of work ethic and professionalism is essential. Of course, professionalism should be an all-encompassing factor in your work, especially in the packaging process. Carrying out the packaging process with the utmost professionalism means that you never cut corners and always do your best to ensure that every piece is paid adequately packaged before it ships out.
● Economical Shipping
Lastly, the packaging and shipping process mustn’t cost an arm and a leg; for you or your clients. Professionalism and safety are your highest priorities, but you must balance them with affordability. If you wanted to, you could hire a private jet and personally fly out to hand deliver each work of art to your clients. Joking, of course as that is not reasonable and wouldn’t be time-efficient or cost-effective either. Instead, you need to find the ideal price point without compromising on the other facets of the transport process. Of course, finding that price point is most likely going to take some trial and error, but it’s something every artist must go through if they want to make selling art a full-time job. One of the best ways to decrease your packaging costs is by using recycled materials, and you’ll be helping to preserve the planet while you’re at it.
How To Package & Ship a Painting – The Tools You Need
Before you begin your shipping and packaging process, you must ensure the correct tools for the job. You can purchase the standard shipping supplies for about $100, with everything you could need. Many novice business owners make the mistake of not buying them to save money. Most of them end up regretting it later and, in fact, spend more money to make up for damages.
Here’s everything you’ll find that makes up a standard packaging kit:
Box Cutter Knife – One of the most vital tools in the packaging process is a high-grade box cutter knife. This knife will allow you to cut through pieces of cardboard to create sturdy custom packaging for your canvas painting. Be careful while handling the box cutter; its sharp edges can cut through skin effortlessly. It’s also necessary to keep your knife strong. Change the blades as frequently as you need to when they go dull. A dull knife won’t cut your cardboard properly, potentially damaging the integrity of the packaging.
Tape Dispenser – During your packaging process, you’ll use plenty of tape to keep your package secure. That’s why a tape dispenser comes in exceptionally handy. You can never use too much tape; if you think your box is taped securely, give it an extra layer, to be specific.
T-Square – Using a T-square while cutting your cardboard will enable you to make clean, straight cuts. This way, your packaging will look professional and tidy. You might have to practice how to create the perfect packaging, but eventually, you’ll be able to execute the whole process from muscle memory.
Sharpie Pen – When cutting your cardboard to fit around a specific size canvas, it’s necessary to get your dimensions perfect. Use a sharpie to mark out where you need to cut before you begin slicing into your cardboard. If you try to do the cutting process without marketing each spot beforehand, you’ll waste a lot of cardboard, not to mention money.
Packaging Supplies
Now that you have all your tools let’s discuss the supplies you’ll use to package each canvas painting. Of course, you’ll be using plenty of cardboard. You’ll save money by buying in bulk folded cardboard boxes and customizing them as per the specifications of each canvas. The only major issue is storing them. Make sure you keep your cardboard where it doesn’t catch mold or get damaged by water.
Before packing your canvas painting in cardboard, you need to protect it with a layer of plastic wrap. The wrap fill creates an air-tight seal around the canvas while preserving the art from being damaged. Next, you’ll need to stock up on plenty of bubble wrap. Bubble wrap provides a second layer of protection over the plastic wrapping, ensuring that your art will ship to its buyer without being damaged.
You can also bulk buy ‘fragile’ stickers, so the people working to transport your art know that it needs to be handled with care.
The Packaging Process
Before you begin the packaging process, you first need to assess the size of your artwork, .plan out what materials you’ll need if you don’t have them on hand, and assess the final size and weight of the box. Different shipping companies place certain limitations based on these factors.
To begin, wrap your canvas painting carefully in plastic wrap and then in another layer of bubble wrap. Next, use your shipping box or if you choose to, cut out a large cardboard surface, just more significant than the canvas itself. Place the canvas down on the cardboard, and fold the edges of the cardboard inward against the canvas. Next, place another piece of cardboard on top of the canvas. Then wrap the two sides together with another layer of bubble wrap. Tape the bubble wrap securely, and you should be good to go.
Next, use more cardboard to create an outer box. This box needs to be big enough to contain the wrapped canvas. You’ll have to cut pieces of cardboard carefully and use tape or staples to hold them together securely. Once your canvas painting is sealed inside, remember to put ‘Fragile’ stickers all over the outer body, so transporters know to handle it carefully.
Hopefully, this guide proved helpful in teaching you how to package and ship your canvas paintings. You’ll have to grow through trial and error to determine what works best for you. Eventually, you’ll be sending your artwork worldwide with no hassle at all.