Artist’s Websites You Must See
Are you thinking about building an artist website, but you do not know where to start?
An attractive website is essential for any artist selling art online, local art shows, and galleries.
Your site’s design and flow are more important than ever and are the first impression a potential art collector has.
Before building a website, you will want to research how other artists design their sites just like professional web designers.
Website builders make it easy for anyone to build a professional-looking website, but what makes a site appealing.
What features does a site need to inspire art collectors to visit regularly?
7 Great Artists Websites
Let’s take a look at how other artists are designing their website.
Mar Bilbao Art
Mar is a self-taught artist who sells original watercolor and acrylic paintings.
She built a beautiful website with WordPress.
The menu bar makes it easy for the first-time visitor to find what they are looking for. The menu bar includes a Home link, About link, News & Exhibition link, Blog, Shop, Portfolio and Contact Us link.
She has a brief description of her art journey and art business with a couple of her paintings shown on her home page.
A visitor knows exactly what Mar Bilbao Art has to offer.
She also takes advantage of the built-in blog that attracts and drives her target audience to her site and social share buttons that make it easy for her fans to share her site and work.
Natalie Avondet Artwork
Natalie’s can be seen at the Perficient, the Kellwood building, Modern Business Interiors and is currently represented by Lynn Bozzay at Grafica Fine Art Gallery in St. Louis, MO.
Natalie’s website is an online portfolio that showcases her artwork and events.
Her home page shares her story and artist statement which makes it easy for a new visitor to feel instantly connected with her.
The menu bar includes My Story, Gallery, Artsoulblog, Schedule, Contact, and Links.
There are links to her social media sites are directly under the menu bar followed by featured images of her artwork.
A visitor landing on Natalie’s site knows exactly the style of art she creates.
Jo Holdsworth Studio
Jo is a London-based oil painter and has been described as “a painter with a keen eye for color and an almost cinematic appeal” by Culture Vulture.
She has been voted Royal Arts Prize Visitors’ Choice Award Winner 2019 along with Clare Law.
Her home page consists of a menu bar with links to Events, About, Gallery, Exhibitions and Press and Contact.
Under the menu bar is a beautiful cinematic painting followed by her latest news.
Jo’s website makes it easy for her followers to know what is new with her art career.
Janis Tafoya Fine Art
Janis is an oil painter that creates paintings that have you feeling relaxed and at peace.
Her website has a dropdown menu with links to About The Artist, Contact The Artist
Floral, Landscape, Seascapes, and Underwater, Under $100, Email Newsletter, and The Hot Garden.
The black background works well with her artwork.
Merrin Jeff Seascapes
Merrin creates breathtaking seascape paintings which have been featured in Vogue, House & Garden and Amazing Australian Artists.
The color and font style on her site accent her artwork perfectly.
The menu bar has links to MJA Print Shop, Shop – Originals, Art Gallery, Contact, Artist CV and About.
Just under the menu bar is an image of one of her paintings.
On the bottom of the home page is a Join My Mailing List opt-in form making it easy for her fans to join her email list.
Sandra Pearce Fine Art
Sandra a watercolor artist who specializes in Plein air paintings and studio paintings.
Her “About Me” section is perfectly written making a reader feel as if they have known her for years.
The clean white background compliments her painting on her home page and there is a dropdown menu with a list of categories making it easy for a visitor to navigate throughout her site.
Willow Wood Lane
Caoimhe specializes in photorealistic pet portraits.
The soft white background compliments her artwork and tagline.
The menu bar is a different shade of white with links to her Gallery, Custom Pet Portraits, Shop, Testimonials, About Me, and Contact.
She also utilizes subcategories to keep the menu bar simple and clean.
Designing A Website
A visitor to your site will be the first introduction to your original art or art prints.
Displaying your art professionally on a site that is easy to navigate will go a long way.
The colors, the menu bar, the images, and the content your site provides will create your brand.
All the ingredients put together will separate yourself from all of the other artists selling art online and make it easier for you to market and promote your artwork.
Building websites is a lot easier today than it was even five years ago.
If you can build a Facebook Business page, you can create a WordPress website that will attract collectors and inspire them to purchase your artwork.
Creating a website is as easy as 1,2,3 with BlueHost.
- First, you pick a domain name.
- Then you choose a hosting plan.
- The last step is to use the 1-click WordPress installer BlueHost offers.
You will have a site up and running in less than 10 minutes.
After your site is live you will want to pick a theme that will compliment your branding objectives after you have launched your site.
A WordPress theme provides all of the front end stylings of your WordPress site. Most WordPress themes provide the overall design or style of your site. (Source: iThemes)
NFAM uses StudioPress Themes for WordPress, but there are plenty of different options available for you.
After you have uploaded your theme, you will want to add the free Woocommerce plugin. This will be your online gallery where people can view and purchase your artwork.
Related posts:
- How To Install WooCommerce On WordPress
- How To Add And Manage Products In WooCommerce
- How To Add WooCommerce WordPress Categories
The website builder you use will determine what you can do to design your site.
For example, FASO has limited templates for you to use. They are beautiful designs, but it will be difficult for you to create a unique brand because so many artists will be using the same template as you.
WordPress, on the other hand, will allow you to create a website that will stand out. You can design your site exactly as you envision, and you can continue to expand it as your business develops.
There are other options available for creating an online store like Shopify.
I have also seen many artists do very well on third-party platforms like Etsy.
Lisa Jacobs shows you how to Build an Etsy Storefront That Sells if you are interested in opening an Etsy Shop.
There is no “Best” website builder for artists. The best platform for you will depend on your goals.
For a complete list of website builders visit, 16 Best Website Builders For Artists.
Research Other Artists Online
The best way to learn how to design your website is by examining other artist’s websites.
Start by studying the sites highlighted above.
Grab some paper and write down everything you like and don’t like from each site.
After you have your list, create a draft of everything you want on your online art gallery.
Below are some key areas you should think about:
- Background color
- Font style
- Font color
- Static home page layout
- Menu bar – What categories you would like on the menu bar
- Gallery layout
- Payment Gateway
- Site Speed – You can also check your WordPress website and server speed at Bitcatcha
For more branding information, visit Megan Auman’s course, Brand Your Creative Business.
Website Design Checklist
Research and plan before you start building your website.
- Create a list of objectives
- Have a clear vision of your brand
- Create a list of features you would like on your site
- Decide on how you will showcase your art
- Decide on how people can purchase your art on your site
- Create a list of keywords that describe your art business
- Create a list of artist website names
- Look at other designs like the ones listed above to spark ideas on how you will put it all together.
Final Thoughts On Artist Websites:
Learn from famous artists online and start planning how you will create a website that will separate yourself from all of the other artists selling art online.
Your website design will separate your own website from all of the other art websites.
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