Artistic Quality Guidelines

Introduction

Welcome to Artfinder's Artistic Quality Guidelines, developed by Artfinder's Curatorial Team. This is version 2.3 of the guidelines and these are being applied as of November 2024. We will periodically update these guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to:

  • establish a baseline standard for Artfinder platform
  • standardise artist application review process
  • manage quality of artwork uploaded to Artfinder

Specific criteria within these guidelines have been marked as ‘essential’ or ‘desirable’ to highlight the importance of each:

  • Essential: An essential requirement of the artist
  • Desirable: A desirable characteristic that will make an artist stand out

We have divided these guidelines into the following sections that help to focus on applicable areas. Here's a handy breakdown of the contents:

Baseline quality guidelines

First impression of the artwork

  • Art has immediate impact through line, colour, subject or style (essential)

Overall style / visual language of the artist

  • Naive artworks are allowed if they clearly demonstrate a deliberate style decision and not a lack of quality (essential)
  • Artist has a consistent style throughout the shop and uses filters to group works appropriately (desirable)
  • The work forms part of a series (desirable)
  • Artist has an individual/original style that is visibly distinct from other artists on the site (desirable)
  • The artwork feels honest in material, technique and concept (desirable)

Composition

  • Artworks are grounded within rules of composition. Artists can experiment with these rules but must demonstrate an understanding (essential)
  • Confident use and handling of colour (essential)
  • Perspectively accurate work — if not accurate, there is a reason behind its narrative or expression i.e. the work is not sloppy (essential)
  • Competent drawing — confidence of line and carefully observed contours (essential)
  • Well-observed light and shade to create an atmosphere within representational work (essential)
  • Visually appealing (desirable)
  • Art is balanced and easy to navigate — subtly leading the eye through the composition (e.g. with a landscape) or encouraging dynamic movement (e.g. with an abstract) (desirable)
  • Positioning of elements/objects is considered and work in harmony (desirable)
  • Clearly defined palette with a method to applying colour in combination with shape and form, including black & white (desirable)
  • Compositions are interesting/clever (desirable)

Subject matter

  • The subject matter within representational work is recognisable (essential)
  • Artist does not produce inappropriate subject matter e.g. pornographic (including depictions of sex acts, sexual arousal, sexual violence, sexually explicit and obtrusive depictions of the genital areas even if they are obscured in listing images and images that are prohibited under our Safeguarding Minors Policy), fascist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-semitic, violent or offensive to certain religions (essential)
  • The artist does not produce work which infringes, misappropriates or violates a third party’s patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy, or results in the violation of any applicable law or regulation (essential)
  • The artwork has a concept or narrative foundation beyond the surface of the work (desirable)
  • Artist produces consistent or related subject matter (desirable)
  • Artist is exploring new ideas (desirable)
  • Artist expresses the moment and their surroundings (desirable)

Production and technique

  • Artist consistently shows accomplished technique and good production (essential)
  • Artwork is technically and archivally sound. It should be made with appropriate materials that can be hung without breaking, changing colour or fading. Use of good quality fine art materials e.g. paper should be UV safe (somerset paper, photography paper). Artist should not use paper with perforation at the top or paper plates (essential)
  • 2D artworks (paintings, works on paper) are kept clean, flat and free from creases, unless it is clearly intrinsic to the artwork (essential)
  • Artist has become proficient in a certain medium but has developed it further and uses this as the basis to create contemporary work (desirable)
  • Artist uses interesting and/or new techniques (desirable)
  • Framing is sympathetic to the artwork and current tastes where appropriate (desirable)

Consistency of each artwork

  • Consistency shown throughout each individual artwork as per the above i.e. no clearly visible weak pieces (desirable)

Potential of the artist

  • The artist demonstrates potential even if some areas of their artistic production need improvement (essential)

Presentation and photography

  • The primary image of each artwork listed on the site must be either a cropped, straight-on image, or an accurate in-context shot (essential)
  • All primary and secondary images must be of high quality, well-lit with no shadows and correctly orientated (essential)
  • The artwork being sold must be the focal point of the image, without anything touching or surrounding the work that could mislead the customer as to what is being sold. Including flowers or plants, additional artworks (essential)
  • Titles can be 30 characters (max). We do not accept titles that contain tag words, sizes or mediums. This information needs to be added to the artwork description only (essential)
  • The banner and profile images should only contain the image. We do not allow any text, information or other messaging to be included in the artist banner or profile image (essential)
  • No watermarks are allowed on images. This includes any text added on top of an image (essential)
  • No political messages on the shop banner image, artwork listings, ‘about’ and ‘me at work’ sections (essential)
  • Tags should be two words long (max) and should not contain words deemed pornographic, fascist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-semitic, violent or offensive to certain religions. or prohibited under our Safeguarding Minors Policy (essential)

Restrictions on what you can sell

Please ensure your work fits within the types of artwork allowed on the site here.

Medium-specific quality guidelines

Photography

  • The artist has a distinctive style, approach and vision, something that elevates the work from a photographic snap to an artwork (essential)
  • There is cohesion and the artworks feel connected or show progression — the artist has not just produced a good amateur shot (essential)
  • Photography is not blurred unless it is clear this is the intention for aesthetic effect e.g. bokeh, to create intentional blur by making elements of the subject out of focus (essential)
  • Photography demonstrates balanced exposure, unless it is clear that under or over-exposing the photograph is for aesthetic effect (essential)
  • Artists should clearly demonstrate consistency in sizing and limited editioning in the way they sell the work (essential)
  • The artist needs to be able to see something in a subject that many other people wouldn’t see, or takes an approach to a subject that turns an ordinary subject into something extraordinary (essential)
  • Artist works with photography in an original way. This could be through digital intervention or something very pure and unplayed with (desirable)

Sculpture

  • Integrity of the material is sound and should be recognised as a stable and archivally sound material (essential)
  • The sculpture is secure and won’t fall — either with a stand/plinth or freestanding. If used, a plinth should support and enhance the piece (essential)
  • Strong 3D form whether cast, modelled, carved or assembled (essential)
  • Thought is given to texture, surface and finish (essential)
  • There are no delicate parts that will be difficult for shipping (essential)
  • The sculpture being sold must be the focal point of the image, without anything touching or surrounding the work that could mislead the customer as to what is being sold. Including flowers or plants, additional artworks (essential)
  • Artist demonstrates expertise of handling the material for a significant time (essential)
  • The work shows off the materiality of the sculpture, making you aware of where the material comes from and reminds you of the process (desirable)
  • Artworks use unique stable materials or existing materials in a new way (desirable)
  • Clearly defined methodology around placement, balance and structure based on line, form or geometry (desirable)
  • Works will fit within a domestic or corporate interior setting, or in the case of an outdoor sculpture, it will be of an appropriate size and material (desirable)

Drawing

  • A confident sense of line and carefully observed contours (essential)

All handmade, digital and reproduction prints, and photography

  • All artworks represented for sale on Artfinder must be one-of-a-kind or limited edition original artworks with a maximum edition size of 250. Though we advise a maximum of 50 (essential)
  • We also allow reproductions of original works, only when the original has been listed on the site and added through the correct Fine art print upload process. In this case, we suggest an edition size of 50, but a maximum of 250 (essential)
  • All artwork must be signed and numbered by the artist. If this is not possible, we allow digital, reproduction prints and photography to instead be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, signed and numbered by the artist. If a signed certificate of authenticity is used, this must be clearly stated on the artwork description for the customer to see (essential)
  • The number of each impression must be marked clearly on the artwork itself or on its accompanying certificate of authenticity (essential)
  • All impressions sold from a limited edition print run must be assigned numbers in correspondence with the order in which they were produced (desirable)

Handmade limited edition or single edition prints (including linocuts, screenprints, etchings, collagraphs, lithographs, woodcuts and monoprints)

  • Artworks demonstrate good quality of drawing and definition of line (essential)
  • Artworks demonstrate clarity and exactness of colour. However, with screenprinting, a looser style is acceptable (essential)

Specific printmaking types

  • Screenprints demonstrate assured layering of colour (essential)
  • Aquatint is not under or over-inked (essential)
  • Geometric artworks should not show ink bleeding or finger marks on the paper (unless inherent to the piece) (essential)

Digital Art

  • Artworks that have been created or altered by the use of digital technology (including digitally generated graphic art, digital collages, digitally manipulated artworks, and 3D printed sculpture). This includes all work that include digital print and process (essential)
  • No digital artworks created by AI are allowed (essential)
  • Printed works should be on a good quality and recognised surface with professional standard digital inks (essential)
  • Digital art does not include digital photography but can include elements of digital photography within a digital process. Using a digital filter does not qualify the work as digital art (essential)
  • Artists should clearly demonstrate consistency in sizing and limited editioning in the way they sell the work (essential)
  • Using a digital filter to make the artwork look like another medium e.g. a painting is not allowed. This could be misleading to the customer and undermines the original artwork on the site (essential)
  • Artists cannot scan an image of their artwork and work on top of this (essential)

Painting including mixed-media painting

  • No painting over digital artworks, either reproductions of your work or any other digital works to make it look like it is an original piece (essential)

Subject-specific quality guidelines

Nudes and mature content

  • The artist does not produce pornographic images (including depictions of sex acts, sexual arousal, sexual violence, sexually explicit and obtrusive depictions of the genital areas even if they are obscured in listing images (essential)
  • Overtly sexual photorealistic style depictions including paintings, where the genitalia could be interpreted as the focal point of the composition are not allowed (essential)
  • Photography of genitals is not allowed (essential)
  • No sexualised terminology in tags, titles or descriptions (essential)

Representational artworks (including still life, landscape, portraiture, figurative and animal art) 

  • Artwork demonstrates a likeness to subject proportionally using careful observation and technical execution (essential)

All landscapes

  • Good sense of perspective created though well-articulated foreground, middle-ground and background to help navigate the landscape i.e. elements of the composition should not all be on one plane unless purposeful (essential)
  • Artwork evokes a strong sense of place and is atmospheric (essential)
  • Horizon is straight (desirable)

All still lifes

  • Variety of shapes used to create interest e.g. small, large, and medium masses (desirable)

All portraiture, figurative and animal art

  • Well-articulated subject matter that is proportionally correct (essential)
  • If demonstrating movement, artists have captured this through pose (essential)
  • Use of dynamic pose (desirable)
  • Evokes a sense of the personality or soul of the subject (desirable)

Still life, portraiture, figurative or animal painting

  • Assured use and variety of edges and textures within paint application to give interest (essential)
  • Artist demonstrates understanding, harmony and assured use of three main functions of colour: intensity (brightness), temperature (warmth or coolness) and value (light or dark) (essential)

Abstract/non-representational art

  • There should be a sense of structure and system to the work, which could include shape, colour, rhythm and grid (essential)
  • A clearly defined colour palette outlining main colours and mark-making (essential)
  • Title of the artwork and its description provide insight into the artist’s process or subject (desirable)
  • Work could either have a basis in real form then abstracted, or be non-representational (desirable)
  • Gestural works should show a degree of process, as well as freedom and movement (desirable)

Artfinder reserves the right to remove any Content or Artwork Listings from the Platform at any time in its sole discretion.

Visual examples of artworks that meet our guidelines can be found across the site and in our curated collections - selected by the curatorial team, including Artists of the Month. 

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us

Related Articles