Tutorial:
Managing Your Art Inventory and Bills of Sale Using Apple Notes and Pages on macOS, iOS, and iCloud

July 1st, 2024

Written by Mason Holcomb

Introduction

Managing an art inventory can be daunting, but with the right tools, you can simplify the process and have all your information easily accessible. This tutorial will guide you through using Apple Notes to create a syncable inventory of all your artwork and using Apple Pages to create a standard Bill of Sale for each piece. By leveraging the capabilities of macOS, iOS, and iCloud, you'll have your inventory and sales documentation at your fingertips on any device.

To make this system work seamlessly, it is essential to subscribe to the basic Apple iCloud storage option. This ensures that all your Notes and documents are synced and accessible across your devices.

While having a MacBook can enhance your experience, it is not strictly necessary. If you have an iPhone, you can use iCloud.com to perform almost all the steps outlined in this tutorial on a Windows or Chrome machine. This flexibility makes it easier for you to manage your art business regardless of the hardware you own.

Part 1: Setting Up Your Inventory System

Creating a Full Inventory Note
1. Open Apple Notes on your macOS or iOS device.

2. Create a new Note and title it "Full Inventory". This Full Inventory Note will act as a master list, providing quick access to each series of your artwork. It should contain only hyperlinks to individual Series Notes and no other information. You will come back to the Full Inventory after you have created an Individual Artwork Series Note.

Creating Individual Artwork Series Notes
1. For each series of artwork you have, create a new Note. Title each Note with the name of the artwork series (e.g., "Landscape Series," "Abstract Series," etc.).

Linking Notes for Easy Navigation
1. Link each Artwork Series Note to the Full Inventory Note:
- In the Full Inventory Note, write the title of an Artwork Series.
- Select the title, right-click (or tap and hold on iOS), and choose "Add Link."
- Link it to the corresponding Artwork Series Note.

2. Link back from each Artwork Series Note to the Full Inventory Note:
- At the top of each Artwork Series Note, write "Back to Full Inventory."
- Select this text, add a link, and link it to the Full Inventory Note.

Organizing Information in Artwork Series Notes

To keep your Notes consistent and easy to read, adopt a standard format for each artwork entry. Here's a suggested format:

- Artwork Title
- Mediums Used
- Supporting Surface
- Dimensions: L x W x D (in)
- Artwork Image(s)
- Artwork Description (Optional) - Artwork Sales Links

Benefits of Breaking Down the Inventory

By breaking a Full Artwork Inventory into separate Notes for each series, you can include all the relevant information about an artwork in one convenient location. This method ensures that your inventory is well-organized and accessible from anywhere, whether you are on your macOS, iOS device, or accessing iCloud.

SCREENSHOT
Full Inventory Example

SCREENSHOT
Abstract Series Example

SCREENSHOT
City Series Example

SCREENSHOT
Landscape Series Example

*You can set the thumbnail view for Artwork Images to "Small" like I have above.

Part 2: Creating and Managing Bills of Sale

Creating a Standard Bill of Sale in Apple Pages

Importance of a Bill of Sale
A Bill of Sale is crucial for establishing provenance, which is the history of ownership of an artwork. Provenance helps to authenticate and add value to your artwork.

Using my Template
1. Download the provided Bill of Sale template. Customize it to suit your needs.

Customizing the Template
1. Open the template in Apple Pages.
2. Customize the fields to match your specific artwork and buyer details, including Artwork Title, Buyer Name, Sale Date, Sale Price, Artwork Description, and Terms and Conditions.
3. Save the customized Bill of Sale with a unique name, such as "BoS_[ArtworkTitle]_2024".

Organizing Bills of Sale in iCloud Drive

Creating a Dedicated Folder
1. Open iCloud Drive on your macOS or iOS device.
2. Create a new folder and name it "Bills of Sale". This folder will contain all the Bills of Sale for your artwork.

Saving Bills of Sale
A Bill of Sale is crucial for establishing provenance, which is the history of ownership of an artwork. Provenance helps to authenticate and add value to your artwork.

Linking Bills of Sale to Your Inventory in Apple Notes

Linking from iCloud Drive to Apple Notes
1. Open your Artwork Series Note in Apple Notes.
2. Insert a link to the corresponding Bill of Sale in iCloud Drive:
- Write "Bill of Sale [Artwork Title]".
- Select the text, right-click (or tap and hold on iOS), and choose "Add Link".
- Link it to the Bill of Sale document in iCloud Drive.

SCREENSHOT
Bill of Sale Example

Conclusion

By creating and organizing Bills of Sale for your artwork, you can maintain detailed records that support the provenance and value of your pieces. Linking these documents to your inventory in Apple Notes ensures that all relevant information is easily accessible and well-organized. This streamlined approach will help you manage your art business more efficiently.

In My Next Blog Post...

I will be covering Brand Identity. What does this phrase mean for Artists?

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