I’ve been thinking a lot about fees lately. (Always on the mind if you make tiny art.)

Specifically: what it means to sell a $1–$20 original artwork on the internet in 2026.

Because when you actually break it down — materials, shipping, platform fees — the margins get thin fast. To be fair, platforms need to make money. That’s how any of this works.

But most of them weren’t built for tiny, low-priced original work like this.

So you end up in this situation where an artist sells something for $0.99–$4 (which is a very normal ACEO price) and by the end of it, they’re barely making anything.

Sometimes it honestly feels like they’re covering part of the cost just to get the piece into someone’s hands. Like… they’re paying the buyer to take their artwork.

Huh??

So we’re trying something new this month…

🤍 TinyGallery Tuesday

For one day, TinyGallery takes nothing. Every dollar goes directly to artists.

We’re calling them TinyGallery Tuesdays — and the first one is happening:

April 14th

Mid-week felt right. Also, “TinyGallery Tuesday” just sounded good lol. Something to spice up your week.

Not a sale, not a promo — just a day where the typical structure shifts a little. So mark your calendars!!

✶ The Rules (simple, but important)

On TinyGallery Tuesdays, all sellers receive 0% platform fees on eligible sales for the day.

Here’s how it works:

• Valid from 12:00 AM PT to 11:59 PM PT on the announced date

• Applies to all orders completed during this window (artists - make sure you time your bids + sealed offers appropriately in the days leading up to it)

• Payment must be successfully completed during the window

Includes:

• Listing + bundle purchases

• Sealed offers accepted and paid during the window

• Live offers accepted and paid during the window

An important note:

• Offers made before the window are only eligible if they’re accepted and paid during the event window

A few housekeeping notes:

• Times are based on Pacific Time (PT)

✶ Want to make the most of it?

I’ll be honest — these only work if people show up! So if you’re planning to list something, or you already have pieces up: tell people about it!

Post your work! Share your listings! Send it to a friend who collects tiny art (or who doesn’t yet, but would totally love it).

I’ve seen this firsthand: the more people discover TinyGallery, the more they come back. It compounds in an impactful way. In fact, we’re already seeing more repeat collectors week over week! I kind of want to do a proper deep dive on this soon — I’m sure there are some interesting patterns in the data.

(Also, selfishly, I want this day to be exciting!!!)

Subscribe now

🌈 April Pro Giveaway: Peerless Watercolors

Quick reminder (and a little nudge if you’ve been on the fence about Pro):

Our April giveaway is with Peerless Watercolors — those incredibly vibrant dry-sheet paints you might have seen around… or maybe not yet. They’re a hidden gem for sure.

We’re giving away:

15 sample kits (each with 6 different colors)

Eligibility:

• Open to TinyGallery Pro subscribers with an active subscription through April 30th, 2026

• Must have an active Pro subscription by April 1st at 11:59 PM PT

• One entry per person

Winners:

• Selected at random

• Notified via email on April 30th

• Must respond within 48 hours to claim

A few quick notes:

• Items may vary slightly

• You’ll need a valid email on your account

• Accounts must be in good standing

• Once shipped, delivery is out of our hands (standard small-team logistics reality)

We’re doing a full feature on them next week — their story, their process, the paints themselves. I’m really excited to share more!

Subscribe now

🌍 International Sellers (how we’re thinking about it)

This is probably the most requested feature right now.

And the answer is: yes — but slowly.

We’re planning a country-by-country rollout rather than opening everything at once.

Not because we don’t want to open it globally (I do, very much!!). But because each country comes with its own layer of:

• tax compliance

• payment handling

• ongoing maintenance

And TinyGallery is… still just me. A one-woman band.

So instead, we’re going to do this in a way that actually holds up:

• We’ll run a poll to gauge demand by country. We’ll announce it in a newsletter and host it on the TinyGallery site.

• Prioritize countries with the most interest

• Roll them out one at a time, properly

Which also means:

If you’re outside the U.S. and want to sell here — tell your friends!!! The more artists we see from a country, the easier it is to justify doing the work to support it well. And subscribe if you want to be notified when the poll goes out!

Subscribe now

So, quick recap:

• April 14th — TinyGallery Tuesday (0% fees)

• Peerless Watercolors samples coming soon

• International seller poll on the way

And let me know — what do you want to see more of on TinyGallery?

Features, ideas, things that feel missing… I’m all ears. Drop a comment below.

This is the very first TinyGallery note. Which feels a bit like opening the door to a studio that’s been quietly humming for months. Brushes in jars. Paint on sleeves. A few hundred tiny paintings stacked in little piles.

I’ve been wanting a place to share what’s happening around TinyGallery beyond the marketplace itself — the artists we love, the materials they’re using, and the small ideas we’re experimenting with to make the space better for artists and collectors.

So this is that. Casual notes. Community updates. The occasional art supply obsession.

Think of it like a tiny studio newsletter.

(And if this landed in your inbox by mistake, you can unsubscribe anytime with the link at the bottom!)

Let’s get into it.

🎨 Brand Partnerships (and Sample Giveaways!!!)

Usually I like to save the best for last, but I’m too excited about this announcement!!

One thing I kept noticing while spending time around ACEO artists: people care deeply about their materials.

When you’re painting on a 2.5 × 3.5 inch surface, every pigment, brush, and scrap of paper matters. A lot. There’s nowhere to hide on something that small.

So we’re starting something I’m really excited about — monthly brand partnerships with independent art supply companies we genuinely love.

Each month we’ll partner with a brand and send some sample kits to TinyGallery Pro sellers so artists can discover new materials and art brands to support. Who doens’t love free art materials?! And these aren’t cheap freebies — they’re art supplies made by independent art businesses with a high bar for quality.

Think of it as a little materials discovery club.

(Also: supporting thoughtful small businesses alongside small artists just feels right.)

🌈 April Giveaway: Peerless Watercolors

We’re SO excited to introduct our very first partner: Peerless Watercolors — and honestly, I could not think of a more perfect brand to start with.

If you’ve spent any time around watercolor artists online, chances are you’ve seen those tiny little sheets of intensely pigmented paint tucked into travel palettes. That’s them.

Peerless has one of those stories that makes you pause for a second.

The paints were originally developed in 1885 by a chemist named Chaz Nicholson (yes — 1885). The original purpose? Coloring black-and-white photographs back when photography was still finding its footing. How cool is that!

Turns out watercolor artists quickly realized the paints were something special. Bright, portable, and incredibly concentrated. And just like that, a photography tool quietly became a beloved watercolor medium.

Today the company is run by Cassie and Dalton, who took over the family business in 2019 — making them the fifth stewards of Peerless paints. Still small. Still handmade. Still run by a tight-knit team who genuinely care about getting vibrant, portable colors into the hands of artists.

For April, they’ve generously partnered with us to give away:

15 Peerless watercolor sample kits to TinyGallery Pro artists.

If you’re someone who likes sketching on the go, painting outdoors, or just keeping a tiny palette nearby for spontaneous art moments… you’re probably going to love these.

Winners will be selected randomly from Pro sellers and announced next month.

We’ll be show some sneak peeks of their products soon on social media, so keep your eyes peeled… 👀

💡 Free Idea (for artists):
If you win a kit, try making a “tiny color study series” — one ACEO per color. A grid of mini paintings built from just a single pigment. Simple concept, very collectible.

Collectors love seeing process experiments like that.

✨ TinyGallery Days (0% Fees)

Another experiment we’re starting soon: TinyGallery Days.

For one day only, all seller fees drop to 0% — for both free and Pro sellers.

No platform cut. Artists keep everything.

We’ll announce these about a week in advance so sellers can plan listings (and let any ongoing bids wrap up beforehand).

My hope is these days feel a little like a miniature art festival. New pieces appearing everywhere. Collectors wandering around discovering artists they haven’t seen before.

Also… let’s be honest… it’s fun to occasionally break your own fee model.

🎟️ Free Credit Drops for New Collectors

TinyGallery has been growing mostly through artists inviting other artists. Which I love — but it also means we want to bring more collectors into the ecosystem.

So occasionally we’ll run Free Credit Days.

Example:

$5 TinyGallery credits for the first 50 new collectors who sign up.

Just enough to place a first bid or pick up a tiny piece.

Sometimes all someone needs to become a miniature art collector is that first painting arriving in the mail.

(Ask anyone who owns an ACEO. They multiply. Quickly!!)

🌍 Opening to International Sellers

One of the most common emails I get is some variation of:

“I’m in Germany / UK / Canada / Ireland / Greece — can I sell here yet?”

Short answer: very soon.

We’re working through the logistics of payments, shipping expectations, and making sure the platform works smoothly across borders.

But the goal is simple: TinyGallery should reflect the global miniature art community, not just one country.

If you’re an international artist who’s been waiting — stay tuned.

🏆 Weekly Tiny Challenges

We’re also introducing something small but fun: The Tiny Challenge. (Thanks Ninthhouseoracle for the idea!)

Each week we’ll share a prompt — and artists can create a miniature artwork inspired by it.

At the end of the week we’ll select a few favorites to feature across:

• the TinyGallery newsletter

• the blog

• and our social channels

Not a competition so much as a creative nudge.

It’s a weekly excuse to make something tiny. :)

A Small Thank You

If you’re reading this, you’re probably part of the early TinyGallery community.

Which means you’ve helped shape this cute little corner of the art internet already — whether you realized it or not.

Artists listing their first ACEOs. Collectors discovering artists they’ve never seen before. People building tiny bodies of work.

It’s been really special to watch.

And honestly… I’m excited for what happens next.

One question before I go:

What kinds of things would you actually enjoy seeing in these notes?

Reply in the comments or send me an email — I read everything!!

More soon. 🎨