5 Effective Tips For Describing Art To Sell

How Will You Describe Your Artwork

Are you having a difficult time describing your art? 

Describing art is a challenge many artists encounter, and it makes sense because artists communicate visually, not verbally.

But learning how to describe a painting is a skill that can be learned with a little practice.

When selling your artwork online, a well-written description is as important as the image of the art.

The art description you craft allows you to explain the message behind your creation and connect the viewer to your product personally.

Spend some extra time to choose the best words that describe art because your painting’s description could be the final reason a person purchases or hits the back button.

Tips For Describing Art

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but as an artist, you will have to share the story behind your art if you want to increase the odds of landing a sale.

Why is it so important to write a good art description for your art if you are an artist selling online? 

One reason you will want to spend time learning how to describe art is that you cannot talk to the person interested in your artwork one-on-one if they are viewing it online.

Your elevator pitch will only benefit you if you can talk to a person verbally. To get your message across online, you will have to get the message across using different mediums like text or video.

The goal is to have every reader feel connected to the art they are looking at. This is done by sharing the story behind the art you are showcasing.

Finding the right words to describe fine art can be a challenge but will become easier over time.

Some artists just write about the medium, techniques, subject matter, and composition of their art.

Writing about the medium you use, your techniques, and the subject is important. But you can increase the odds of landing sales if you can write a description as a marketer and choose words that will connect a viewer to your fine art on a more personal level.

Do not waste your time making the description perfect because one benefit of selling art online is that you can revise your landing page whenever you want on your website.

How to write about your artwork

The best way to write a description that will turn potential buyers into lifetime collectors is by just starting.

Write a description, publish it and step away from it.

In about a week or two, revisit the description.

You will have fresh eyes and notice things you will want to adjust.

Take the time to adjust the description and repeat the process until you are happy with what you have written.

While doing this, you will be getting better at writing and discovering new words that best describe your paintings.

The more words you use to describe a work of art, the better.  

Unfortunately, there is no perfect formula for writing an art description that will inspire people to click on the “Buy It Now” link. However,  it does have to be engaging and connect the viewer to the artwork.

Here are some tips on how to describe a painting in detail.

How To Describe A Piece Of Art

Every artist is unique. Therefore, every description will be unique. The tips we share will help every artist, no matter what medium or subject matter they use to create their art and handmade crafts.

The tips outlined below on how to describe your artwork will have to be revised over time.

Keep detailed records of what you have changed and the revisions’ results.

Continue to revise until you have found the perfect formula that resonates well with your unique audience.

Use Words To Paint The Picture Of Your Art

Just like every artist has a unique style, every viewer will see something different.

The person looking at your art on their computer or mobile device might be color blind and not see all of the subtle value changes.

Other people might have an older device that does not properly display your art.

Also, keep in mind that the colors you see on your monitor might be different from someone else’s monitor or mobile device.

Pretend that the computer does not display your art the way your art looks in real life.

The colors are not one hundred percent accurate, and some of the values are lost.

The description of your art should allow the viewer to use their other four senses to observe your artwork’s beauty.

For example, let’s say you are describing a beautiful stream you just painted.

Besides writing about the medium and colors you used for the painting, describe how and what the person would feel if they were at that special place.

To accomplish this, share your personal feelings about the place you are describing.

• Do you visit this stream to relax?
• Is this a special place to help you think?
• Is it a place to escape the heat of the summer?

• Describe the sounds of the water rolling over the rocks and what’s around you.
• Describe how the sunlight shines through the trees.
• Describe what wildlife you might see sitting by the river.

You can easily see how describing your art will help a person feel connected to your creation.

Come up with a list of painting vocabulary words and words related to art and creativity.

The list of words will come in handy when it is time to sit down and write a detailed description of your art.

What Is The Mood Of Your Art

Try to describe the emotional state of the art you are describing.

We will still use the river as an example.

• How does it feel when you first arrive at the river?
• After spending ten or fifteen minutes watching the water dance over the rocks, how do you feel?
• How do you feel after you leave the river?

One tip is to use simple words to describe your paintings.

You do not know how old the person reading your description is or their education level.

Your goal is to have everyone reading your description understand your message and feel connected to the artwork they are viewing.

Describe The Colors Of A Painting

The words you use to describe art will determine what medium you work with.

For example, a graphite artist works with greyscale, so they might be better off using words that describe a keepsake or a particular time in history.

Artists who work with colors will need to describe the colors’ emotions in their paintings and what the colors represent.

Visit Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color By Artwork Abode for more information about color psychology.

Use glossy, shadowy, and saturated words to add depth to the color.

Words That Describe Color

Explain how the colors look and work together for the composition of the painting.

Here are some words that you can use to describe colors.

Bright, Brilliant, Complimentary, Contrasting, Cool, Deep, Dramatic, Dull, Earthy, Expressive, Flat, Glowing, Harmonious, Hot, Intense, Lively, Lucid, Muted, Natural, Pale, Rich, Saturated, Sharp, Stimulating, Striking, Subtle
Vibrant, Vivid, Warm

Words That Describe Values

Including words that describe the colors’ values will help the viewer understand what to expect when they receive the painting at home. 

The more words you use to describe the color, texture, and values, the better when describing a painting’s image. 

PCs, tablets, and smartphones show vivid images, but the painting will look different from the original because the light comes from the back of the image on a computer instead of the morning reflecting off the paint.

• Broken
• Constant
• Dark
• Flat
• Light
• Plain
• Ruff
• Smooth

Texture Of A Painting

The texture of a painting is enhanced when the light hits the paint at different angles creating shadows on the surface.

Describing a painting’s textures will allow the viewer to visualize what the painting might look like hanging on their walls.

Here are some adjectives that describe the texture.

• Abrasive
• Bold
• Course
• Cut
• Dense
• Flat
• Frosted
• Glossy
• Matte
• Pitted
• Raised
• Rough
• Satin
• Shiny
• Silk
• Smooth

Words That Describe Art

You can use many words to describe art, which will connect your viewer emotionally to your paintings and drawings.

Here is a list of over one hundred words that could be used to describe art.

• Abstract, Accomplished, Aesthetic, Aggressive, Appealing, Artistic, Astonishing, Atmospheric, Authentic
• Balanced, Beautiful, Bold, Boundless, Brilliant
• Candid, Colorful, Complementary, Complex, Contemporary, Creative
• Dazzling, Decorative, Delicate, Dense, Detailed, Dimensional, Disruptive, Distinctive, Distinguished, Divine, Dreamlike, Dreamy, Dynamic
• Eclectic, Elevated, Elevating, Emergent, Emerging, Emotional
• Fascinating, Figural, Figurative, Fluid, Freelance, Fresh
• Gorgeous, Graceful, Granular
• Honest, Human, Hyper-creative
• Imaginative, Impassioned, Impeccable, Impressionist, Infused, Inspirational, Inspired, Instinctive, Intellectual, Intense, Intensive, Interesting, Intuitive, Inventive
• Labyrinthine, Layered, Lifelike, Literal, Luminous, Lyrical
• Mature, Meandering, Mosaic-like, Moving, Mysterious, Mystical
• Organic, Original
• Peaceful, Personal, Phenomenal, Pictorial, Playful, Potent, Profound, Provoking, Pure
• Radiant, Realistic, Refined, Refreshing, Remarkable, Resourceful, Revealing, Rich, Romantic
• Saturated, Sculptural, Semi-abstract, Sensual, Serene, Signature, Simple, Skilled, Soft, Sparse, Spiritual, Stimulating, Stirring, Studied, Stunning, Sublime, Substantive, Supple, Surreal, Symbolic
• Tactile, Talented, Tasteful, Textile, Thought-provoking, Timeless, Touching, Traditional, Tranquil
• Unconventional, Unexpected, Unforgettable, Unique, Universal, Unpredictable
• Varied, Visionary, Visual, Visually stimulating, Voyeuristic

Use a Thesaurus for more adjectives that describe your paintings.

Use Action Words To Describe Paintings

According to Ali Hale:

“Sentences in the active voice have energy and directness, both of which will keep your reader turning the pages!”

Creating art is an action. Incorporate action words that describe how you made the painting.

Here is a list of action verbs that describe art.

• Construct
• Curate
• Design
• Develop
• Imagine
• Modify
• Plan
• Prepare

Become The Reader

After you have finished writing your description, read it as if you were a reader and you know nothing about art.

• How did the description make you feel?
• Did you feel connected to the art?
• Did it accurately describe the emotions of your art?
• Was it easy to understand?

Read the art description out loud. Reading aloud will allow you to see if the words flow together well.

Having other people you know read the description is always a good idea.

Ask your friends and family unfamiliar with the technical side of art to read it and tell you how it made them feel.

Keep revisiting your posts to see if there is anything you would like to add to them.

Final Thoughts On Describing Art

Describing a work of art will become easier over time.

The hardest part is getting started. The best way to start is to write down a list of adjectives describing art. The next step is to start writing sentences incorporating the list’s words.

When writing the sentences, write them as if you were talking with a friend.

Continue to write sentences explaining the colors, texture, values, and message behind your painting.

When you are done, rearrange the sentences to make them flow better and check for any grammar issues and misspellings.

Continue to revise the art description until you are delighted.

What words would you use to describe your art to a friend?

How can you connect an average person to your art emotionally with the help of words?

5 Effective Tips For Describing Art To Sell Overview:

• Use Words That Paint A Picture Of Your Art
• What Is The Mood Of Your Art
• Describe The Colors
• Use Action Words
• Become The Reader

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