Selling art online used to feel like a gamble. You’d list work on Etsy or Redbubble, cross your fingers, and hope someone stumbled across your page.
But things have changed. Artists are realizing that platforms like Shopify let them take full control over branding, pricing, customer relationships, and growth.
I’ve built stores for painters, illustrators, digital artists, and photographers. In every case, Shopify has helped them look professional and run their business like a business.
Whether you’re selling originals, prints, digital downloads, or even merch, Shopify gives you a solid foundation to grow from.
If you’re just getting started or thinking about making the switch, this guide will walk you through what makes Shopify a strong choice for artists, how to design your store, which apps can help, and how to scale with SEO, email, and smart product strategies.
Why Artists Should Consider Shopify
Most artists start selling online on marketplaces like Etsy. It’s easy and cheap at first, but it comes with limitations. You don’t control the branding, fees can cut deep into margins and you’re competing directly with similar artists on the same platform.
Plus, you don’t own the customer relationship.
Shopify changes that. It’s a dedicated ecommerce platform, not a marketplace, which means:
- You own the website, traffic, and customer data
- You’re not competing side-by-side with others on the same search results
- You can customize every detail of your store—from layout to checkout
Other benefits that matter for artists:
No commission fees:
While you pay for your Shopify plan (starting at $39/month), there are no commissions taken from your sales, unlike Etsy’s 6.5% transaction fee and other platform charges.
More room to grow:
You can start small with a few prints, then expand to include digital products, merch, online classes, commissions, and bundles. Shopify scales with you.
Better customer retention:
Shopify integrates with tools like Klaviyo so you can collect emails, run targeted campaigns, and build long-term relationships with your fans.
Choosing the Right Shopify Plan
If you’re just starting out, the Basic plan is usually enough. It’s $39/month and gives you access to:
- A full online store
- Unlimited products
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Manual order creation
- Discount codes
- Basic reporting
Here’s a quick breakdown:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Best For | Transaction Fees (w/o Shopify Payments) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | Solo artists, new stores | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Shopify | $105 | Growing stores | 2.6% + 30¢ |
| Advanced | $399 | High-volume or international | 2.4% + 30¢ |
The Basic plan at $39 per month is ideal for solo artists or anyone launching their first store. It includes everything needed to build a professional looking website, list unlimited products, accept payments, recover abandoned carts, and create discounts. It stays simple and easy to manage, which makes it a strong starting point for artists selling prints, originals, or digital downloads.
The Shopify plan at $105 per month works well once a store starts gaining traction. It includes all the features from the Basic plan, plus access to professional reports and lower transaction fees, which can add up as order volume grows. It also makes sense for artists who want more team access or plan to sell both online and in person.
The Advanced plan at $399 per month is designed for high volume art businesses or artists selling internationally. It includes advanced reporting, further reduced transaction fees, and access to third party calculated shipping rates. For most individual artists it is more than needed, but for fast growing brands or global sellers it can support more complex operations.
If you’re planning to use apps for things like print-on-demand or dropshipping, those work on all plans.
Shopify Design Tips for Artists
Design is a big deal for artists. Your store should reflect your style, but it also needs to be easy for buyers to browse, learn, and purchase. A common mistake is focusing too much on visuals and forgetting conversion basics.
Here’s what I recommend:
Use a clean, minimal theme:
Themes like Craft, Studio, and Dawn are free and designed to showcase visual products. Avoid cluttered layouts or too many colors that can distract from your work.
Focus on product photography:
Invest time in professional photos or mockups. Use natural lighting for originals, high-res scans for prints, and mockup generators (like Placeit) for merch.
Add a bio and story section:
People connect with artists, not just the art. Include a section on your homepage or About page that shares who you are, your process, and why you create.
Simplify your navigation:
Use logical categories like:
- Originals
- Prints
- Digital Downloads
- Commissions
- Gift Cards
Design for mobile first:
Over 75% of traffic on Shopify stores comes from mobile. Make sure fonts are readable, buttons are big enough, and images load quickly.
Selling Print-on-Demand and Physical Art
One of the best things about Shopify is how easily it connects with print-on-demand (POD) services. This lets you sell prints, shirts, posters, mugs, or other products—without holding inventory.
Popular print-on-demand apps for artists include:
- Printful: Great for art prints, clothing, wall art, and accessories
- Gooten: Strong on home decor and wall art
- Printify: Good for competitive pricing and bulk options
How it works:
- You upload your artwork to the POD app
- It syncs with your Shopify store
- When a customer places an order, the product is printed and shipped automatically
- You keep the profit between your retail price and the POD base cost
Example:
| Product | POD Base Cost | Your Price | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12×16 Art Print | $12 | $35 | $23 |
| Hoodie | $22 | $55 | $33 |
| Canvas Wrap | $28 | $70 | $42 |
If you’re selling originals, you’ll need to handle packaging and shipping yourself. I recommend using Shopify Shipping, which gives you discounted USPS rates, tracking, and label printing.
What About Digital Art?
Digital downloads are a great passive income stream. If you create things like:
- Printable wall art
- Coloring pages
- Procreate brushes
- Lightroom presets
- Digital zines
You can sell them instantly with Shopify. No fulfillment needed.
You’ll need a digital download app, such as:
- Digital Downloads by Shopify (free)
- SendOwl
- FetchApp
With these, customers automatically receive the files after purchasing. Just be clear about what they’re buying. Use images to show how the download will look once printed or used.
Essential Shopify Apps for Artists
The Shopify App Store has thousands of apps, but here are the ones I see artists benefit from most:
Conversion + Sales:
- Judge.me (free): Adds reviews with photos, great for social proof
- Sticky Add to Cart: Keeps the buy button visible as users scroll
- Bundler: Lets you create product bundles and upsells
Marketing:
- Klaviyo: Email marketing and automation, perfect for launches and updates
- Popupsmart or Privy: Capture emails with popups or banners
Fulfillment:
- Printful / Gooten / Printify: For print-on-demand
- Shopify Shipping: Discounted labels for originals
Digital Delivery:
- Digital Downloads: Free and simple for selling files
- SendOwl: If you want more control and delivery features
The key is not to overload your store with apps. Pick a few that solve real problems or save time.
Optimizing Your Shopify Store for SEO
Search engine traffic is one of the best long-term growth tools. People are searching every day for things like “buy abstract art online” or “printable art for living room.” If your store shows up, you can make sales without ads.
Here’s how I approach SEO for artists:
Use clear, specific product titles:
Instead of “Blue Print,” use something like “Minimalist Blue Abstract Wall Art Print – 12×16”
Optimize your product descriptions:
Include keywords like:
- Wall art
- Abstract art
- Digital download
- Canvas print
- Modern decor
Fill out your alt text and image names:
Google can’t see your art, so help it understand what your images show. Alt text should describe the piece in plain language.
Start a blog:
Write content around:
- Art gift ideas
- How to decorate with wall art
- Behind the scenes of your creative process
- Tutorials or time-lapse breakdowns
Example article titles:
- “Top 10 Wall Art Gifts for New Homeowners”
- “How I Created My Latest Watercolor Series”
This kind of content builds trust and drives traffic over time.
Email Marketing for Artists
Email is underrated. Most artists don’t build a list, and they’re leaving a lot of money on the table. Email lets you talk directly to fans, drive traffic, and promote launches.
I use Klaviyo for most Shopify stores. It syncs customer data and makes it easy to segment audiences.
You can build automations like:
- Welcome series: Send new subscribers a thank-you email, your story, and a few popular products
- Abandoned cart: Recover lost sales with a reminder and maybe a discount
- Product launch: Let your list know when new work is available
It’s smart to offer a small incentive like 10% off or a free digital download in exchange for an email sign-up.
Real Case Studies of Artists Using Shopify
Let’s look at some examples of real artists who’ve grown their business on Shopify.
Cat Coquillette (CatCoq.com):
- Sells art prints, notebooks, apparel using Printful
- Built a brand around her watercolor and travel-inspired artwork
- Uses email and product bundles to increase average order value
- Shopify helped her grow income 6x compared to Etsy
James Luke Burke:
- Illustrates journals, zines, and teaches classes
- Sells both digital downloads and physical products
- Uses Shopify to manage sales and upsell digital workshops
- Integrated email marketing to build repeat customers
InkAndElm:
- Runs a minimal art store layout with focus on product photography
- Increased conversions by optimizing mobile layout
- Added product bundles to drive bigger checkouts
These aren’t huge companies—they’re solo or small team artists using simple tools and systems to make consistent income online.
Final Thoughts
Shopify gives artists the freedom to sell on their own terms. Whether you want to keep things simple with a few digital prints or scale a full product line with merch, it’s flexible enough to support that growth.
It takes some setup, but once you’re live, you have full control over the brand, customer experience, and revenue. That’s powerful.
If you’re serious about turning your art into a business—or just want to move beyond marketplaces, Shopify is worth the investment.
