Guide for artists
How to start selling paintings on sanatplace, step by step
Listing is free. Buyers write to you in a conversation on the site, and our Telegram bot tells you about new messages. The site takes no commission and is not part of the sale. Getting from sign-up to your first painting in the catalog takes about 15 minutes, plus the time a moderator needs to check it.
What you will need
- a Telegram account (it is the only way to sign in);
- a few sentences about yourself: where you studied, which techniques you work in, what inspires you;
- a photo of you or your studio logo, if you like;
- a good photo of each painting (see below for how to take one), its size in centimetres, the technique and the price.
1. Signing in with Telegram
- Open the Sign in page and press “Sign in with Telegram”.
- Press the “Open @…” button with our bot’s name: the bot opens in Telegram.
- In the bot, press “Start”, then “✅ Confirm sign-in”.
- Go back to the site: you are signed in by itself, there is no need to reload the page.
- When asked “How do you want to use sanatplace?”, choose “I want to sell paintings”.
No password, phone number or SMS is needed. Your account is created the first time you sign in. If you have already signed up as a buyer, open For sellers and press “I want to sell paintings”.
It is easiest to sign in on the phone that has Telegram. A computer works too: confirm the sign-in in Telegram on your phone, and the site on the computer opens by itself.
2. The seller application
- Artist or studio name: this is what buyers see. Use your real name or your artist name, without words like “paintings for sale”.
- About you (up to 2,000 characters): your training, how long you have been painting, favourite techniques and subjects, exhibitions. Buyers want to know who the artist is. Three to five sentences are enough.
- Telegram (optional): your @username, so the moderator can reach you. It is not shown on the site: buyers write to you in a conversation on the site.
Tick your agreement with the Seller rules and press “Submit for review”. A moderator checks the application. Its status is shown on the application page: “under review”, “approved” or “rejected” with the reason. If it is rejected, correct it and send it again.
3. Your profile and photo
Once you are approved, your seller cabinet opens. In “My profile” you can change your name, the text about you and your contact, and upload a photo. It is shown on your page and in the list of artists; without one, the first letter of your name stands there.
- a portrait where your face is clearly visible, or your studio logo;
- a square or nearly square photo: it is shown in a circle and the edges are cut off;
- JPG, PNG or WebP. The site reduces the photo to 600 px, so a high resolution is not needed.
4. How to add a painting
In your cabinet, press “Add a painting” and fill in the fields:
- Title: as in your own list of works. If the painting has no title, describe its subject: “Autumn in Varzob”.
- Description: what is shown, the materials (canvas, cardboard, paper), whether there is a frame and a stretcher, whether it is varnished and ready to hang. The more detail, the fewer questions buyers have.
- Price in somoni, as a single number. If the price is negotiable, say so in the description.
- Height and width in centimetres: the size of the work itself, without a frame. Height first, then width: a 60 × 80 painting is 60 cm tall.
- Year painted, if you like.
- Category (genre) and technique: choose the closest ones in the list.
- Photo: one main photo of the painting (see the requirements below).
Press “Submit for moderation”. One painting, one listing: duplicates are not accepted.
5. Photo requirements
| What | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Format | JPG, PNG or WebP. An ordinary phone photo is fine. |
| Size | Ideally at least 2,000 px on the long side, which any modern phone can do. Larger is fine too: the site reduces the photo to 2,000 px itself. |
| File size | Does not matter: a large photo is compressed in your browser before it is sent. |
| Orientation | Any: portrait, landscape or square. The painting is shown whole, without cropping. |
| Framing | Only the painting, cropped to the edge of the canvas or frame. No wall, floor, hands or easel around it. |
| Not allowed | Watermarks, captions, contacts, collages and frames made of several photos, other people’s photos. |
The site turns the photo the right way up and removes hidden data from it, including the location. If the site says “Couldn’t read the photo”, open the picture in your phone’s gallery, save a copy as JPG (or take a screenshot) and upload it again.
Upload iPhone photos in HEIC format straight from the gallery through the phone’s browser: the iPhone converts them to JPG itself. If you upload from a computer and the site does not accept the file, save it as JPG first.
6. How to photograph a painting
The photo sells the painting. A buyer cannot see it in person, so the picture has to show the colour and texture as faithfully as possible. You do not need a professional camera: a phone and a few rules are enough.
Light
- Shoot in the daytime by a large window, in soft light. An overcast day is best, or a time when the sun is not shining straight into the window.
- Turn off the flash and the lamps in the room: yellow light changes the colours, and the flash leaves a glare.
- The light should fall evenly on the painting, with no shadows from the frame, the curtains or yourself.
Glare
- Oil, varnish and glass reflect light. Step sideways from the window or tilt the painting a little (top edge away from you) until the glare disappears from the screen.
- If you can, take a work out from behind its glass before photographing it.
Angle
- Stand or hang the painting straight, level with the camera.
- Hold the phone exactly parallel to the painting, with the lens facing its centre. Shot from above or from the side, the painting turns into a trapezium.
- Step back a couple of paces and zoom in (2×) if your phone can. That distorts the edges less than shooting up close.
- Turn on the grid in the camera settings: it helps you line up the edges of the painting.
Sharpness and colour
- Wipe the lens. Tap the painting on the screen so the camera focuses on it.
- Hold the phone with both hands or rest it on something. In weak light the photo comes out blurred.
- Do not use filters, “enhance” or portrait mode. After shooting, compare the photo with the painting: if the colour is off, adjust the brightness and warmth in the gallery editor, but do not make it look better than it is.
Cropping
- In the gallery editor, crop the photo exactly to the edge of the painting (or the frame, if you sell it framed). Many phones can straighten the perspective, which turns the trapezium back into a rectangle.
- Do not add borders, backgrounds, captions or logos: the site lays out the card itself.
Check the photo before uploading: the painting is straight and rectangular, without glare or shadows, the colours are true to life, and there is no wall or furniture at the edges.
Buyers often ask in the conversation for photos of details, the texture, the back and the painting in a room. Keep them at hand.
7. After you submit
- A moderator checks the painting. Until it is approved, only you can see it, in “My paintings” in your cabinet.
- If the painting is rejected, the reason is shown there too. Press “Edit”, correct it and send it again. Every change is checked as well.
- As soon as the painting is sold, press “Mark as sold”. It stays on your page marked “Sold” and does not mislead buyers.
- You agree on the price, payment, delivery and packaging with the buyer yourself. More on this in the Seller rules.
Something not working? Write to us: our contacts are on the Contacts page.