Quick and Easy Way to Build an Art Website
If building a website has been sitting on your to do list, this might be the nudge you need. In this article, I’ll show you how I created an artist website to sell art online in just one hour using Pixpa. The full video is embedded below so you can watch it right on this page, and I’ll expand on the key points here.
Watch the video
Why I Tested Pixpa for Artists
I’ve built websites on a lot of platforms over the years — Shopify, Big Cartel, Etsy Pattern, and even WordPress with WooCommerce. So when Pixpa reached out to sponsor a video, I was genuinely curious whether it could offer artists a fast and simple way to design a beautiful, functional online store. I decided to give myself just one hour to build a real site from scratch.
To keep it realistic, I approached this challenge like a beginner would. I didn’t import any products from other platforms. I created 10 listings from scratch including prints, originals, and postcards, just like someone might if they’re starting with a small art inventory. I also used their free subdomain (though they offer a free domain for one year if you sign up) and chose PayPal as my payment method.
Setting Up My Site Step by Step
The first thing Pixpa has you do is choose a template. I picked one geared toward handmade goods because it already had a homepage section for products. I renamed the site “Animal Art Safari” to match my art fair booth and jumped into customizing the homepage, banner, and basic layout.
To speed things up, I used ChatGPT to help me brainstorm placeholder text for things like my artist slogan and About page. While I don’t recommend relying on AI for everything, it can be a useful tool when you’re short on time. My goal was to finish in under an hour, so I used every shortcut I could find to make quick decisions and keep moving.
Uploading Products and Using SEO Features
Adding products was very straightforward. I started with a mug I made using print on demand and uploaded several images. While I couldn’t figure out how to embed video clips directly into product listings, Pixpa made it easy to upload multiple photos, write descriptions, and even configure drop down menus for sizes and price variations.
One of the best features was the built-in SEO options for each listing. You can customize titles and descriptions so your work is more likely to be found by search engines. These tools are beginner friendly but still powerful enough to help artists grow over time.
Email Collection and Image Protection
Pixpa allows you to embed a newsletter sign up form right on your site, which is a great way to collect emails from potential buyers. But just a heads up, Pixpa doesn’t let you send newsletters directly from their platform. You’ll need to use a service like Mailchimp or Kit to actually email your list.
Another feature I appreciated was their image protection settings. You can enable right click protection and even add visual watermarks across your site. I did run into one hiccup — I couldn’t get the watermark to show up in my store images, only in the gallery section. Still, it’s a nice option to have, especially if you don’t want to add watermarks manually before uploading.
Additional Art Marketing Tools
The links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). That said, I use the free plan on both of these, so you can sign up and get a lot of features for free.
Final Thoughts
Even with a few small limitations, I was able to build an entire art website using Pixpa in just over an hour. I didn’t need to know how to code, and the learning curve was minimal compared to platforms like Shopify. It’s beginner friendly, customizable, and significantly more affordable than most ecommerce options.
If you want to try it out, Pixpa has a 15-day free trial and you don’t need a credit card to start. If you use my affiliate link: https://www.pixpa.com?via=krystle23 and enter the code PXREF55 at checkout you'll get up to 55 percent off depending on the plan you choose.
Once your site is live, you’ll want to start driving traffic to it. Social media is my favorite free way to bring in visitors and sales.