Artist Websites and How to Make One

In these, modern times, many artists around the world possess all of the possibilities to share their art with the world - no matter if that art is one of illustrative, animation, photography kinds, or else. Not all of these people know HOW to do that, however. That is why, today, we’ll be looking at some of the best artist websites, and talking about how you could make one yourself.

First up, I’ll tell you about the creation process of some artist websites - rather, what it entails from a more technical standpoint, and what’s the easiest way to go about it. Once that’s out of the ay, we’ll move on to check out 25 amazing artist website examples, and see if any of them resonate with you.

Let’s take it from the top, however, and discuss the technicalities of creating an art-based website. One of the main things that this process will entail is a high-quality website builder - no matter if that builder is Zyro, Squarespace, or any other, the foundations will always remain the same.

Creating the Best Version of Artist Websites Possible

As noted above, one of the very first “technical” things that you’ll need to do in order to start working on your artist websites is choosing the right website builder for the job.

This can prove to be a somewhat difficult process, since there are a lot of variables to keep in mind.

First up, you should keep in mind the type of art that you create and want to showcase to the rest of the world. While this might seem trivial at first, it’s actually key in picking out the best builder for your own, specific situation - a photography-oriented builder is going to differ from a music-oriented one!

Also, consider your budget, and the things that you’ll want to do on your site. If you’re just looking for a chance to create some artist portfolio websites, then sure - it’ll probably be quite affordable, and you won’t need “heavy-duty” features to aid your cause.

If, however, you plan to also sell your art on the site, well… Let’s just say that you should then also take a look at how to use some of the leading industry builders, too. Builders like Squarespace or Zyro can are going to be simple to figure out, and will provide a lot of benefits for the user.

Other than that, we’re talking about art here - it should be self-explanatory that you’re going to need some creative freedom! As you will see in a minute, artist websites differ from one another by quite a bit - that’s actually the beauty of it, too! Making your website unique and original should be one of your main goals!

Having said that, though, don’t forget the user, too. What I mean by that is simple - while it’s cool to have some elaborate designs and intricate interface navigation options, you should also make sure that your website is FUN to use, instead of being a complete drag.

With that, though, let’s move on to talking (and, more importantly - looking) at 25 of the best artist websites examples.

1. Malika Favre (malikafavre.com)

Malika Favre is one of the better-known artists of our time. Her artwork is simply incredible, and hew website truly does it justice. The site is very pleasing to the eye, and simple to navigate - it’s one of those artist portfolio websites that are currently at the top in regards to the UI and design choices.

2. Benjamin Hardman (benjaminhardman.com)

benjaminhardman.com is a website that showcases Mr. Hardman’s photography work. The work itself can be placed in the dictionary as an illustration of the term “awe-inspiring” - but that’s a separate topic. The website is very “sterile”, which can often be a slippery slope - here, however, it definitely suits the style of the author’s photo work.

Made with: Squarespace

3. Amit Sharma (amitworks.com)

Yet another contender for one of the best artist websites in regards to photography, amitworks.com showcases the author’s photos in a simplistic, yet eye-pleasing manner. The dark theme fits the displayed work perfectly.

Made with: Pixpa

4. Banksy (banksy.co.uk)

banksy.co.uk is a great example of some artist websites that showcase actual, physical artwork in digital form. The site is stylized to fit the artwork seen within, and is surely quite easy to navigate, without utilizing too much textual information. One of the better artist website examples!

5. Raul & David (extravagantesphoto.com)

One of the simpler sites on this “best artist websites” list, extravagantesphoto.com offers a look into the photography world of Raul and David Martin. The photos are very varied, and the website itself is as simple as they come, thus not taking any attention away from the displayed work.

6. Caroline Drogo (carolinedrogo.com)

Caroline Drogo is a painter and illustrator, and that shows from her work that she showcases on her official website. While the site itself is simple, it does have multiple different sections - they differentiate the works in accordance to their types (illustrations, tattoo work, etc.).

Made with: Format

7. Shantell Martin (shantellmartin.art)

A very well-known artist, Shantell Martin showcases one of the most impressive artist websites on the web. The platform is very interactive and actually fun to use, and you’ll get lost in the process of moving the doodles at least for 2-3 minutes each time you visit it.

8. James Lewis (jamesllewis.com)

jamesllewis.com is one of the better artist website examples that combine art from the author, and actual information about them, too. The site is simple to navigate, and provides a pretty good balance between textual information and visual imagery.

Made with: Wix

9. Eric Pickersgill (ericpickersgill.com)

Mr. Pickersgill’s website houses all of his photography projects. The site is simple to navigate, utilizes a somewhat dark theme all throughout, and also has some smooth transitions between sections, too. Definitely a great example of well-made artist websites!

Made with: Squarespace

10. Tamar Halpern (tamarhalpern.nyc)

tamarhalpern.nyc is a website that Tamar Halpern uses to showcase some interesting photo projects. While the site might come across to be a bit confusing at first, it’s actually quite simple when you get used to the odd interface, which, if anything, only adds to the experience.

11. Dufala Brothers (dufalabrothers.com)

dufalabrothers.com is a perfect example of how to “keep things easy”, if that’s what you wish to do. Each of the different sections of the site opens up a single photo or a series of themed pics. It’s as straightforward as a website can be, which is a welcome change among the best artist websites!

12. Andrea Lawl Manning (andreamanningart.com)

The website shares a lot in common with some other artist website examples seen on this list, at least as far as the aspect of simplicity is concerned. It’s nice to look at, and the photos can be enlarged to view the work that they contain from a closer perspective.

Made with: Format

13. Matt Pamer (mattpamer.com)

While mattpamer.com might not protrude any super-unique qualities at first glance, the website is worth mentioning simply because of the general, overarching theme that it possesses. Everything from the font to the showcasing of the visual content invokes the same emotions - definitely some amazing attention to detail!

Made with: Squarespace

14. Midnight Fern (midnightfern.com)

Midnight Fern’s official website is yet another one of the straightforward artist website examples, but this is only true when it comes to the technical aspects of the site. The actual contents of the platform are a different story - the beautiful photos are showcased in a nice-to-look-at fashion, and even some of the URLs are stylized, too - definitely not something you’d see every day!

15. Miss Aniela Surreal Fashion (surrealfashion.co.uk)

surrealfashion.co.uk is yet another now-rare example when it comes to some of the more straightforward artist websites - it utilizes a seemingly-endless scroll bar, so you can view all of the work on a single page, without navigating anywhere else.

Made with: Format

16. Dan Katcher (dankatcher.com)

The “father of Dragons”, Dan Katcher is a creature designer whose famous work includes the dragon of the now-almost-legendary series Game of Thrones. The artist’s website showcases his love for these creatures very well - its pitch-black theme, combined with some creature imagery, creates a very distinguishable emotion.

Made with: Wix

17. Takesada Matsutani (takesadamatsutani.com)

Amazing work from a very skilled contemporary artist Takesada Matsutani can be viewed on the artist’s official site - a platform that’s not only very well-designed in regards to the technical side of things, but also super visually-appealing to look at. It’s surely a great addition to any list of the best artist websites out there!

Made with: Squarespace

18. Brinzart (brinzart.com)

Istvan Brinza’s amazing artwork can be observed by visiting his website - brinzart.com. The site is very simple, and utilizes an old-school interface navigation panel with some drop-down menus to redirect you to separate pages of the platform. It’s also one of the better artist portfolio websites out there, too, at least in regards to the simplicity aspect of things!

Made with: Wix

19. Mark Stephenson (markstephenson.com)

markstephenson.com houses a lot of different pieces of artwork, in the forms of drawing and paintings. The site, same as a few others on this list, is quite sterile, and while that may put some people off, it doesn’t affect the artwork itself.

20. Guy Gilray (guygilray.com)

In most cases, old-school templates and website designs aren’t really looked favorably-upon. With guygillray.com, though, it’s a bit of a different story - while the site surely is not match to some of the elaborate and stunning platforms that are out there today, it does serve as one of the more-straightforward artist portfolio websites.

Made with: Weebly

21. Susan Woodford (susanwoodford.com)

Susan Woodford is a sculptor, and showcases her art on her own, personal website. The platform doesn’t boast any unnecessary features or widgets, but, because of the placement of some of her works’ photos, is able to catch the attention of the visitor rather fast.

22. Katie O’Sullivan (katieosullivanart.com)

katieosullivanart.com is a pristine website showcasing the art of the author - Katie O’Sullivan. The website is designed in a very unique fashion - it has a “formal” feeling to it, but is made in a welcoming way, while still maintaining a notion of professionalism. Truly an amazing example of one of the best artist websites out there!

Made with: Webflow

23. Brimstone Creative (brimstonecreative.co)

brimstonecreative.co doesn’t necessarily have the most “elaborate” website design, but the platform’s a good example to other artists of how you can create a portfolio for yourself by utilizing some very simple features. It still looks good and professional!

24. Denisa Prochazka (denisaprochazka.com)

Denisa Prochazka is an award-winning figurative sculptor. The website in question does a very good job of not only showcasing the author’s work, but also talking about its significance, and the meaning behind each piece.

Made with: Wix

25. Jeff Hein (jeffhein.com)

jeffhein.com is a good example of artist portfolio websites. It houses all of the information about the artist that you’d require (i.e. his CV), while also having a separate portfolio section to display the work that the artist has made up to this point in time. A simple, straightforward website design!

Made with: Format

Conclusions

Those were 25 of the best artist websites - naturally, there are many more worth mentioning, but the above-referenced ones are among the most inspirational ones, for one reason or another.

Table: Some of the best website builders in the industry

Do remember, though - in order to create the best possible artist website that you can, you’re going to need a top-notch website builder to help you out. Whether it be Zyro or Squarespace, or any other builder - check some out on our list of the industry’s top-dogs, and perhaps you’ll come across one that’s perfect for you?