Build up inventory first or start marketing what I have?

In my experience, trying to wait for the "right" number of pieces is one of those traps that just keeps moving the finish line. I shot landscapes for a long time before I let anyone see them, and honestly the wait didn't make me more ready, it just made me more nervous. Fifteen pieces that you actually believe in is a real body of work. I'd say do both at the same time, but let the painting stay your main thing. Start getting the work out there, let people find it, but don't let the promotional side eat your studio hours. Your website or shop is never going to feel complete anyway because you keep making new things. That's actually the point. Marketing is just the tool that brings eyes over. It shouldn't be the job.

Sadie, I agree with Tavares and Nina. 15 pieces is a good body of work. I am where you are and I am diving in - doing an exhibition for the month of October at a small local bookstore that has a smaller venue space flowing out of the bookstore. I chose 7 pieces and took it to Vestate in Edmonton for professional photography with the purpose of doing prints to have a price range. I decided on this company as their quality of work is very high and they came highly recommended by other artists. I will have a price range from $10, $25, $45, $60 and all the way up to $1700 for original work. I think this is crucial for this venue. The gouache work I will turn into original framed pieces or some become cards, as well as prints. I am also adding information brochures on commissions. I encourage you to join me and step into this new experience. It is for sure a learning curve and I might make mistakes, but I will learn and make sure I have fun while doing it!

I know I'm ready to sell. I have enough inventory.

15 pieces is enough to begin with, and if I may say - please, do not forget to write date on your work. You´ll thank yourself later ;)

Hey Sadie! 15 pieces is plenty to start. The artists who wait until they have "enough" inventory almost always stall out indefinitely, because the number never feels right.

Here's why starting now is the stronger move:

- Marketing is a feedback loop, not a launch event. You learn what resonates (which scenes people respond to, what price points move, which platforms bring the right eyes) only by putting work in front of people. Every week you wait is a week of data you don't have.

- 15 café scenes and doorway moments is already a cohesive collection with a clear point of view. That's more than most artists start with. A collector browsing your work will see a traveler with an eye for quiet, intimate spaces, and that's a real identity to build around.

- You can paint AND market at the same time. Treat it as two parallel tracks, not sequential ones. Even 30 minutes a day on the marketing side (posting a piece, writing a short story behind it, commenting in communities where your audience hangs out) compounds while you keep adding new work.

- Prints are a perfect entry point for early marketing because you're not asking someone to commit $500 to an original. A $35 print of a café doorway in Florence is an easy yes for someone who just discovered your work.

The "not enough to look serious" feeling is universal to artists selling online, and it almost never matches what buyers actually think. Buyers don't count your inventory. They see one piece that makes them feel something and they buy it.

Start this week. Post one piece with the story behind it. You'll learn more from that single post than from another month of deliberating.

Want to figure out which of your 15 pieces to lead with? I can look through your collection and find the strongest opener

Other resources you might find helpful:

- Can someone break down print on demand for me? — Detailed exploration of print-on-demand as an inventory-free marketing solution for intimate watercolor and gouache work, with practical implementation advice.

- Starting to sell prints without handling fulfillment myself — Explores print fulfillment options and logistics for selling travel art without storage space or time, addressing the asker's core decision point.

- First Art/Craft Fair — Real experience showing that starting with modest inventory and doing art fairs with 15 pieces can generate sales, confidence, and market feedback to inform growth strategy.

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.