Wall Art covers paintings, illustrations, calligraphy, prints, hand-painted rickshaw art panels, scroll (pat) paintings and other pieces made to hang. The general rules for names, honest claims and the reply format are in the JADUZ listing guide; this page covers what is specific to art.
What to measure and how to state it
Buyers plan a wall around your numbers, so give more than one.
- The artwork size: the painted or printed area, for example 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm). Always height × width, and say so once, so a portrait piece isn't read as landscape.
- The framed size, if framed: the outside edge of the frame, for example 22 × 28 in (56 × 71 cm). Add the frame depth if it stands far off the wall.
- For stretched canvas: the depth of the stretcher bars, and whether the sides are painted.
- For prints: the paper size and the printed area, if there is a white border. A standard paper size is fine as long as you give the inches and centimetres too: A4 is 8.3 × 11.7 in (21 × 30 cm).
- Weight, for heavy frames, tin panels and terracotta, so the buyer picks the right hook.
Materials and techniques to name
First say clearly whether this is an original, a hand-finished print or a print. Then name the medium: acrylic, oil, watercolour, gouache, ink, pencil, or enamel paint on tin for rickshaw art. Name the surface: stretched canvas, canvas board, paper (with its weight in gsm if you know it), tin sheet, wood or fabric. For a print, say how it was printed (digital, screen or block) and on what. Say whether the work is signed and where.
For calligraphy, give the script (Bangla, Arabic or English), the exact text and its meaning or source. Have someone who reads the script check the spelling before you list it. For a religious text, describe it respectfully and accurately.
Say what comes with it: frame, glass or acrylic glazing, mount, and the hanging fitting (a sawtooth hook, D-rings or a wire), or "unframed, rolled in a tube".
Care
Keep art out of direct sun and away from damp walls. Dust with a soft, dry brush or cloth. Never wipe watercolour, pencil or paper work with a damp cloth. Rickshaw enamel on tin can be wiped gently with a barely damp cloth. Glazed frames can be cleaned on the glass only, with the cleaner sprayed on the cloth, not the frame.
Example names
- Hand-painted rickshaw art panel, peacock and flowers, enamel on tin, 12 × 18 in (30 × 46 cm)
- Original acrylic painting on canvas, river boats at dusk, 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm)
- Bangla calligraphy print of a Tagore line, framed, A4, 8.3 × 11.7 in (21 × 30 cm)
- Watercolour of a tea garden, original, unframed, 11 × 15 in (28 × 38 cm)
Questions buyers ask
- Is it the original or a print? Is it signed?
- What size is it with the frame? Will it fit above a sofa or a bed?
- Does it arrive ready to hang, and what do I need to hang it?
- Is the frame glass or acrylic, and how is it packed?
- For calligraphy: what does the text say, and can the colours be changed?
Words to avoid
Don't call a print an original, a painting, or "hand-painted". "Limited edition" is only true if every print is numbered against a fixed total that you won't reprint. Leave out "masterpiece", "museum quality", "investment piece", "best quality", "100% original" without a reason, countdowns, invented discounts, ALL CAPS and emojis.