Here are 6 tips to help you start collecting art with as few barriers to entry as possible. We want to make the world of fine art accessible for all, so follow these tips to begin building your collection in a satisfying, sustainable way.
Starting an art collection needn't be daunting. There may be plenty to learn, but you can take practical steps to buy original artworks that you love without paying eye-watering sums. Follow our six tips to start your art collection and grow it over time.
Before you start any art collection, get to know what you like and what you don’t. Visit exhibitions, art fairs and auctions. Follow artists, critics and curators on social media. But know your own mind. Which styles, mediums and subjects are you drawn to? Instead of following trends, think about what artwork you want to live with and love.
Look out for recent graduates or artists just gaining recognition. If you're on a tight budget, you could start your collection by buying a small original painting from an emerging artist. Buying from emerging artists means you'll probably be one of their first collectors. If you're lucky, it could turn into a great investment.
Online galleries allow you to easily compare artists, styles and prices. It’s often less daunting than asking for more information at a gallery or during an exhibition. The internet has made buying art more transparent and accessible, especially for new collectors.
Limited edition prints are a great way to start your art collection. What's more, signed editions inevitably have more value, and even more so when the artist grows in fame and reputation. On Rise Art, you can collect a Bruce McＬean print for under £1,000.
If you want to buy from a big name, it’s still possible. Look for a work on paper, such as a drawing or etching. Find an artwork which can be easily identified as by that artist. Look for characteristic symbols, styles and subjects. For example, a drawing of a shark by Damien Hirst recently made £4,500 at auction because it’s the subject that first brought him fame.
Finally, it's impossible to ignore price, especially when starting an art collection. If you fall in love with a painting which costs more than you can afford straight away, many galleries and online platforms such as Own Art will allow you to spread the payments over time. That way, an original painting worth several thousand pounds could be paid for over a couple of years.
(I could not post the links as I have less than two posts, so I just used references you can google if you want.)
Hello, this is my first post on wetcanvas. First of all I have to express my appreciation for all the interesting contributions I read in this forum, which looks like a very good place to learn. Well I have a lot to learn, as I am just starting with acrylic painting, and my first concern is the choice of colours.
My very limited knowledge of colours is mostly based on websites and videos I found online but the following two links really made me wonder:
jQqxN8LpGzw (video on youtube);
color-bias-of-artist-pigments (on sites.google).
The video explains how cyan, magenta and yellow are the real primaries, and how red, green and blue are secondaries in the subtractive colour model. I understand that what some artists consider to be a balanced palette would include 6 colours, one cool and one warm colour for each primary colour:
1) yellow with orange bias (warm);
2) yellow with green bias (cool);
3) blue with green bias (cool);
4) blue with purple bias (warm);
5) red with purple bias (cool);
6) red with orange bias (warm).
If the “real” primaries are yellow, cyan and magenta, and the secondaries are green, blue and red, would it make sense to have a 6 colours palette like this?
1) yellow with red bias;
2) yellow with green bias;
3) cyan with green bias;
4) cyan with blue bias;
5) magenta with blue bias;
6) magenta with red bias.
If this makes any sense at all from a painter’s point of view, what would be your choice of colours to achieve it? What cool/warm yellow, cyan and magenta would you choose? I was planning to buy Winsor & Blue artist grade or Galeria (student grade) paints.
I know that with practice and better knowledge of colours and the property of each pigment and how they behave when mixed with each other an artist would probably choose a different palette for every painting, but since I’m just starting I was trying to simplify things. I also know that it is good to start with only two colours and a white, for instance burnt umber, ultramarine blue and titanium white, like Will Kemp suggests (how-to-choose-a-basic-acrylic-palette-for-colour-mixing), because this would make the novice better understand the importance of value, but my free time is limited and I would like to start experimenting with some colours.
Thank you!
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