How to Value Art - A Step by Step Guide for All Abilities from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Price your artworks from home
Increase your knowledge of painting and the affordable art market

Impress your friends and family!
8 comprehensive, step-by-step modules

Price your artworks from home
Increase your knowledge of painting and the affordable art market
Impress your friends and family!
8 comprehensive, step-by-step modules

Syllabus

This lecture provides an overview of the Art Valuations course

An introduction to the Sherlock Technique.

Do you know your watercolour from you gouache? Or your oil from your acrylic? By the end of this section you will be able to distinguish between different artistic media.

This lecture describes the difference between Watercolour and Gouache painting.

Learn about oil painting and how to distinguish between an oil and an acrylic.

This lecture introduces the medium of charcoal, chalk and pastel.

This lecture considers the differences between Pencil, Pen and Sanguine drawings.

This lecture takes a brief look at different types of printing such as etching, engraving, lithographs and mezzotint.

By the end of this section you will be able to identify condition issues such as foxing, craquelure and water damage

This lecture explores the different condition issues that affect works of art on paper.

This lecture explores the different condition issues that affect works of art on board, panel or canvas.

By the end of this section you will be able to identify the style of a painting and use it as an indicator of date

Learn about some of the major styles and artistic movements of the 19th century.

This lecture describes some of the main artistic movements and styles of the early 20th century.

This lecture describes styles prominent in the latter part of the 20th Century.

By the end of this section you will be able to identify the subject of the painting and understand how it can affect pricing and use information attached to the work to make a value judgement.

How does subject matter affect price?

Learn how to put a date on your painting.

Watch me follow all the steps above on a real painting.

This lecture works through the medium, condition issues, dating and authorship of an example painting.

By the end of this section you will be able to use online sites such as Find Art Info and Arcadja to make a price decision.

This lecture follows a step by step guide to using online auction sites to value your work.

This lecture describes how to make visual comparisons and convert them into price decisions.

This lecture provides a second example of using online auction sites to value your picture.

This lecture includes a step-by-step guide to valuing your artwork when you have a signature.

This lecture describes the steps needed if you cannot read the signature or your picture is monogrammed.

By the end of this section you will be able to price pictures without any artist information.

This video takes you through my step by step process to pricing your artwork when you have no information on the artist. The example used is a portrait in oils.

This lecture works through an example of pricing an oil painting depicting a still life with copper kettle.

This lecture works through an example of pricing a watercolour landscape painting.

This lecture works through an example of pricing a pastel portrait painting.

This lecture works through an example of pricing a graphite (pencil) landscape drawing.

Disclaimer

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Provides a step-by-step process to valuing art, making the buying and selling of art more accessible to a wider audience, which is useful for beginners

Explores various artistic media like watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylic, charcoal, chalk, and pastel, which is helpful for identifying and appreciating different art forms

Examines condition issues such as foxing, craquelure, and water damage, which is essential knowledge for assessing the value and preservation of artworks

Teaches how to identify the style of a painting and use it as an indicator of date, which is useful for understanding the historical context and potential value of art

Requires learners to inspect a painting in front of them, which may pose a barrier to those who do not readily have access to physical artworks

Teaches learners to use online sites such as Find Art Info and Arcadja to make price decisions, which may become outdated as websites change over time

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in How to Value Art - A Step by Step Guide for All Abilities with these activities:

Review Art History Fundamentals

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Strengthen your understanding of art history to better contextualize and date artworks.

Browse courses on Art History

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Review major art movements and styles.
Study key artists and their works.
Familiarize yourself with art historical terminology.

Practice Identifying Art Media

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Reinforce your ability to distinguish between different art media.

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Find images of artworks online.
Identify the medium used in each artwork.
Check your answers against the artwork's description.
Repeat with different types of artworks.

Read 'Seven Days in the Art World' by Sarah Thornton

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Gain insights into the art market and the factors influencing art valuation.

View Tits Up: The Top Half of Women's Liberation on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'Seven Days in the Art World'.
Read the book, taking notes on key concepts.
Reflect on how these concepts relate to art valuation.

Four other activities

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Create a Price Comparison Chart

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Practice using online resources to compare prices of similar artworks.

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Select a specific type of artwork (e.g., landscape oil paintings).
Find at least five similar artworks on online auction sites.
Create a chart comparing their prices, sizes, and condition.
Analyze the data to identify factors influencing price variations.

Prepare a Valuation Report

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Document your valuation process and findings in a professional report.

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Choose an artwork you have valued.
Write a detailed report outlining your valuation process.
Include information on the artwork's medium, condition, and subject.
Present your research on comparable artworks.
Justify your final valuation decision.

Read 'The Value of Art' by Michael Findlay

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Deepen your understanding of the factors that contribute to the value of art.

View The Value of Art: Money. Power. Beauty. (New,... on Amazon

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Obtain a copy of 'The Value of Art'.
Read the book, focusing on the chapters related to valuation.
Consider how the concepts apply to your own art valuation practice.

Value a Local Artist's Work

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Apply the Sherlock Technique to value a real artwork.

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Find a local artist willing to let you value their work.
Inspect the artwork, noting its medium, condition, and subject.
Research comparable artworks online.
Determine a fair market value for the artwork.
Present your valuation to the artist and discuss your reasoning.

Career center

Learners who complete How to Value Art - A Step by Step Guide for All Abilities will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Art Appraiser

An art appraiser evaluates artworks to determine their monetary value. This role requires a keen eye for detail and a comprehensive understanding of art history and market trends. This course helps build a foundation in art valuation by teaching you how to identify different artistic media including oil, acrylic, and watercolor, as well as how to assess the condition of a work, and assign a date. This course also explores how to use online resources to research and compare art, which can help an art appraiser develop a pricing strategy.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art Appraiser

Auction Specialist

An auction specialist is responsible for identifying, cataloging, and valuing items for auction, including fine art. This role requires a solid understanding of art history, market trends, and valuation methodologies. This course will teach you how to value art, by providing information about how to assess media, condition, and style, and by showing how to use online tools to determine market price. An auction specialist may find that this course enhances their abilities when evaluating pieces for auction, and this course illustrates methods for applying this knowledge.

See salaries and explore the career path for Auction Specialist

Art dealer

An art dealer buys and sells artwork, and must have a good understanding of the art market and the value of art pieces. They will need to accurately assess the quality and condition of artwork. In this role, the knowledge of pricing techniques gained from this course will be particularly useful. The course teaches how to identify various art mediums, assess condition issues, determine dates and verify artistic styles. This will be useful to the art dealer as they are constantly appraising value.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art dealer

Gallery Owner

A gallery owner is responsible for curating collections of art and managing the business aspects of running a gallery. A gallery owner should know how to value art in order to purchase pieces and to set prices for sale. This course will be especially useful to a gallery owner by introducing them to the Sherlock Technique, a step by step process to establishing value. The course also shows how to assess condition issues and identify the style of a painting, which are important when dealing with a variety of artworks.

See salaries and explore the career path for Gallery Owner

Art Consultant

An art consultant advises clients on building art collections by finding, valuing, and acquiring pieces. In this role, an understanding of art valuation is essential, and this course may be useful. The course will help teach a consultant how to use online tools to research and compare art, which is useful in determining fair prices. The course also details how to identify various art mediums, assess condition issues, determine dates and verify artistic styles, which will help an art consultant as they assess value for clients and make recommendations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art Consultant

Artist

An artist creates original works of art. While creating art, an artist may also need to understand how to price their work for sale. This course might be useful to an artist because it offers a step-by-step procedure, the Sherlock Technique, for valuing art. The course helps the artist to understand the various art mediums and assess the condition of a piece, all of which will help when pricing their own work. An artist may also gain better market awareness by learning about how to evaluate other pieces, which this course examines.

See salaries and explore the career path for Artist

Fine Art Insurance Broker

A fine art insurance broker assesses and insures artworks. They must be able to accurately determine the value of artworks in order to properly insure them. This course may be useful, as it teaches the Sherlock Technique, a step-by-step process to valuing art. It will also help the broker to be able to identify various art mediums and assess condition issues, which are crucial for risk assessment. A fine art insurance broker will need a strong grasp of how to approach valuation of art, and this course may help in that endeavor.

See salaries and explore the career path for Fine Art Insurance Broker

Antiques Dealer

An antiques dealer buys and sells antiques, many of which are artworks. An antiques dealer will need to be able to value antiques, including paintings, drawings, and prints. The techniques taught in this course may be useful to an antiques dealer in assessing art. The course will help an antiques dealer to understand artistic mediums, evaluate condition issues, and determine age. These are all valuable skills for those who assess antiques for purchase and sale, and this course offers training on these topics.

See salaries and explore the career path for Antiques Dealer

Art Acquisitions Specialist

An art acquisitions specialist researches, evaluates, and acquires artworks for organizations or private clients. They often work for museums or corporate collections. This course may help establish a base level of understanding when performing valuations, even though the course is for individual sellers. This course will be useful because of its focus on understanding the various mediums of art, identification of condition issues and dating. These are all critical factors for acquisitions specialists when making decisions regarding purchase of a potential acquisition.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art Acquisitions Specialist

Art historian

An art historian studies the history of art and its cultural context. This role benefits from a strong understanding of artistic styles, techniques, and the ability to date pieces. This course may be useful by enhancing their understanding of art mediums, condition issues, and dating, which can help in the analysis of artworks. Additionally, the course discusses major artistic movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, which can provide a richer context of art history and how it might affect pricing and valuation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art historian

Museum curator

A museum curator is responsible for acquiring, cataloging, and caring for a museum's collection. While this position typically requires an advanced degree, this course may be useful for a curator by providing insight into valuing art, understanding condition, and identifying styles of art. The course helps the curator by teaching them how to distinguish between different artistic media and styles, and shows them how to use online resources to research and compare art, which may help in their work of building a collection.

See salaries and explore the career path for Museum curator

Online Art Sales Associate

An online art sales associate helps facilitate the sale of art online. This role requires an understanding of art valuation to ensure that pieces are priced appropriately for sale. This course may be helpful because it teaches the Sherlock Technique and how to use online tools for valuation, skills that are useful when pricing artwork to sell online. This course will also help the associate to understand the descriptions and condition of items that are being sold, which will help with customer relations.

See salaries and explore the career path for Online Art Sales Associate

Art Educator

An art educator teaches art history and techniques to students of various ages. Understanding how to value art can help an art educator provide a more comprehensive education. This course may be helpful because it provides a step by step method, the Sherlock Technique, that can be passed along to students. An art educator will also find that the course's coverage of mediums, condition, and style can be passed on to their students, which may help their students understand art on a deeper level.

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Estate Liquidator

An estate liquidator assesses and sells assets from an estate, often including artwork. This course may be helpful for an estate liquidator because it teaches a step by step process for determining the value of artwork, the Sherlock Technique. This course can helps the estate liquidator learn how to identify various art mediums, assess condition issues, and determine dates and styles, which will be useful to their job. An estate liquidator will need the ability to evaluate artwork quickly and accurately, and this course may help.

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Art conservator

An art conservator specializes in the preservation and restoration of artworks. While the primary focus of this role is on the technical aspects of conservation, the course may be useful because it provides an understanding of the different artistic mediums and the various condition issues. The course could help an art conservator to gain insight into areas where an artwork may be vulnerable, and give them a foundation for understanding how different materials age differently. This course may provide a valuable background to an aspiring art conservator, even though it does not focus on the main aspects of that role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art conservator

How to Value Art - A Step by Step Guide for All Abilities

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