How to Price Your Artwork: A Practical Guide for Bangladeshi Artists

Why Pricing Is So Hard

Most artists underprice their work — especially early in their careers. The reasons are psychological as much as practical: we fear rejection, we feel uncertain about our own value, we compare ourselves unfavorably to more established artists.

But underpricing has real costs. It trains buyers to expect low prices. It signals low quality. And it makes it impossible to sustain a career.

This guide is about finding prices that are honest — honest about what the work is worth, honest about the market, and honest about what you need to survive.

The Formula: Time + Materials + Overhead + Profit

Start with a simple formula:

Price = (Hourly Rate × Hours) + Materials Cost + Overhead + Profit Margin

Hourly Rate

What is your time worth? If you're a full-time professional artist, think about what you would earn in another skilled profession — graphic design, teaching, architecture. In Bangladesh, a mid-career professional earns BDT 40,000–80,000/month.

A reasonable starting hourly rate for a trained artist: BDT 300–800/hour.

Hours

Track the actual time spent on a work. This includes:

A 60×80cm oil painting might take 20–40 hours.

Materials

Keep receipts. Calculate:

The Square Centimeter Formula

Many professional artists use a size-based formula for consistency:

Price = Width (cm) × Height (cm) × BDT rate per cm²

Common rates for Bangladeshi artists by level:

A 60×80cm = 4,800cm² painting by an established artist at BDT 30/cm² = BDT 144,000.

Research the Market

Before setting prices, research what comparable work sells for:

Never Discount More Than 10%

Consistent discounting trains buyers to wait for sales and devalues your work. If someone cannot afford the price, it's better to offer a payment plan than to lower the price.

Raise Prices Annually

Your skills improve every year. Your reputation grows. Your prices should reflect this. A 10–15% annual increase is reasonable and expected.

The ArtHub Advantage

On ArtHub, your full price goes to you minus just 2% platform fee — compared to 40–60% taken by traditional galleries. This means you can price more accessibly while still earning more per sale.