👋 Welcome to Artwork Archive
This step-by-step guide helps you set up your account and start managing your artwork inventory. You will learn how to upload your artwork, organize your inventory, manage sales and clients, generate professional Reports, and share your work.
Prefer to see it before you start?
Take the two-minute tour below for a quick look at how Artwork Archive works and where everything lives in your account. Then follow the steps in this guide to set up your own.
Step 1: Set Up Your Account
🎥 Watch the Overview Video: get a thorough walkthrough of your account features.
👉 Join a Live Session: sign up for the next live learning session.
Update your Account Settings
Verify your login email
Set your currency and measurement preferences
Adjust your email preferences
Add your PayPal email for receiving payments from online invoices
Only available on the Artist Professional and Master plans
Complete your profile information
Update your profile information on the My Profile page, including your artist name, contact details, headshot, and logo
Upload your Report header separately, from Saved Header at the top of the Reports page. Learn how to add a Report header
Add your artist bio and statement. You can also upload the PDF files of these documents on the My Docs page
Did you know?
Your default settings keep all profile information private. You can always come back later to finish your profile and decide whether to make it public.
Step 2: Initial Artwork Upload
🎥 Video Tutorial: How to Upload Artwork
Prepare and upload artwork images
There are three ways to get artwork into your account:
Upload new Pieces one at a time
Add up to 20 Pieces at a time with Bulk Upload
Import via spreadsheet using our Import Service
Image Upload Specifications
We accept most image file types, with a maximum size of 30MB per image
We recommend uploading high-resolution images for your Pieces
You can upload up to 30 images for each Piece record, so you can show your artwork from various angles or include detail shots
If you have a Public Profile or share artwork through a Private Room, your images are automatically optimized and resized for web viewing
Your original high-resolution images are stored in the Piece record under Original Image Files, at the bottom left of the page
Input detailed information for each Piece record
Include details such as title (required), date, medium, dimensions, price, and status
Title is the only required field, so you can always come back and fill in the rest later
Once a Piece record exists, you can add provenance records, exhibition history, location history, and publication history
Professional and Master plans can also add additional files and Piece-related expenses
For help understanding each field, see our Guide to Filling Out a Piece Record.
Feeling overwhelmed? Start with the artwork freshest in your memory, then add older Pieces on the rainy days when you have more time.
Step 3: Organize Your Inventory
🖥️ Webinar: Organize Your Inventory Like a Pro
🖥️ Webinar: Keep Track of Your Artwork Using Contacts, Locations, and Exhibitions
Customize your main dashboard (Pieces page)
Choose how your artwork displays
Gallery View: thumbnails in a tiled layout
List View: a list format with detailed information
Table View: a table, for easy comparison and sorting
Slideshow View: a full-screen slideshow, ideal for presenting your portfolio
Sort your Pieces: order your artwork by title, creation date, price, or another attribute. Sorting chronologically shows your progression over time
Create Collections to manage your artwork
🎥 Video Tutorial: Creating Collections
Group your artwork into Collections based on themes, styles, or series
Create new Collections from the Collections page, or add Pieces to Collections from within each Piece record
Use Tags for categorization
Add Tags to each Piece record to categorize your artwork by theme, style, technique, or any other criteria
Use search or filter in your inventory based on specific Collections or Tags
Create Location records
A Location is any place your work is showing outside your own inventory. Any Piece not assigned to a Location is treated as being in your inventory
If Pieces are stored anywhere outside your personal inventory, such as a gallery, a second studio, a storage facility, or an installation site, create a Location record so you always know where your artwork is. That information appears in the Location record and in the Location section of each Piece record
Location records are not for storing a buyer's address. That belongs in the buyer's Contact record
Create Exhibition records
The Exhibitions page tracks every future, present, or past exhibition, competition, or art fair you have entered
Log Pieces submitted, Pieces accepted, contact information, important dates, and anything else tied to that exhibition
Professional and Master accounts can add Additional Files to the record, such as press releases, marketing materials, or contracts
Future dates on an Exhibition record populate your Schedule automatically, so you do not miss a deadline
Step 4: Manage Sales and Clients
🖥️ Webinar: How to Use our CRM to Grow Your Art Career
Create Contact records
Add a Contact record for each client, gallery, collaborator, supplier, or other key person in your art business. Create one for a buyer when you register a sale, so you can track customers and their purchases
Include name, email, phone number, and any relevant notes
Professional and Master accounts can add Additional Files to the record, such as commission agreements or contracts
Add reminders inside a Contact record and they populate your Schedule automatically
Did you know?
Any Report or Invoice you share from Artwork Archive to a Contact is stored in their Contact record, giving you a record of your communication history.
Log sales information
When an artwork sells, register the sale and update the Piece record with:
Sold To: link an existing Contact record or create a new one for the buyer
Sale Price: the price the artwork sold for
Discount, Commission, or Tax: anything that applies to the sale
Sale Date: when the sale took place
Notes: any additional information about the sale
Sale Location: where the Piece sold from, such as a gallery or exhibition
When you register a sale, the status of the Piece record updates to Sold automatically, so your inventory stays accurate.
Step 5: Generate Reports
🎥 Video Tutorial: How to Create and Share Reports in Artwork Archive
🖥️ Webinar: Professional Documentation for Artists: A Deep Dive into Artwork Archive Reports
Create many types of Report including artwork labels, tear sheets, portfolio pages, inventory reports, invoices, and consignment reports
Not sure which you need? Scroll to Example Reports at the bottom of your Reports page to preview a finished example of each type first
Customize your Reports with your branding. Your logo and profile image come from My Profile, and your Report header comes from Saved Header at the top of the Reports page
Save settings you use often as templates for quick access next time
Step 6: Share Your Artwork
By default, everything in your Artwork Archive account is private. You can choose to share your artwork in a few ways.
Share Your Artwork Privately with Private Rooms
Only available on the Artist Professional and Master plans
Create password-protected online viewing rooms to share specific artwork with clients, collectors, or galleries
Collaborate, receive feedback, and manage inquiries through the platform
More Resources on Private Rooms
📄 Help Article: Share Your Artwork Privately with Private Rooms (for Artists)
🎥 Video Tutorial: How to Create and Share Private Rooms in Artwork Archive
Share Your Artwork Publicly with a Public Profile
Showcase your artwork to a wider audience with a public-facing artist profile
Choose which artwork, Collections, and information to display, with your public work shown on your Artwork page
Give visitors a dedicated Contact page to reach you, along with Inquire and Purchase buttons on your artwork. Messages and purchase requests arrive in your Artwork Archive Inbox
Get found by the collectors, buyers, and galleries browsing our Discovery page
Password-protect your Public Profile to use it as a portfolio
Embed your Public Profile within your existing website
More Resources on Public Profile
Share Your Artwork Directly with Reports
Generate inventory reports, portfolios, price lists, and more to share with clients, galleries, or collectors
Download a Report as a PDF, email its URL, or share it instantly from within your account
Additional Support Resources
If you need more help or have a question this guide does not cover, try these.
In-product help
Inside your account you will find helpful links at the bottom of your left menu, with embedded educational content.
Help Center
Visit the rest of our Help Center for help articles, FAQs, how-to guides, and best practices.
Demo webinars
Our customer success team runs regular webinars to demonstrate features and answer questions. Watch a past recording or sign up for the next live session.
Chat with support
For extra help with your setup, reach out through the green messenger icon at the bottom right of any page on artworkarchive.com. Our support team is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm MST.