Is DD’s art work good enough to sell.

[themotherhoodproject]

NC for this as a regular user of MN and this is fairly outing but looking for peoples unbiased opinions.

DD is an A level Art student, it’s actually not where her love lies she is hoping to apply for BIMM’s university In Bristol to peruse music and she also does performing arts.

However she is very talented in her painting and blows me away weekly with her work, we have had a few extra special things from her (some of you might remember the snowman Christmas card, it seemed very popular) and lots of people on here saying that they would buy if able too.

Another few months have gone by and we just had another cracker of a card from her (a thank you card for a friend) and well I just think it’s wonderful and have said she should really think about taking on commissions.

We live in a very rural area so lots of horse and dog lovers and I honestly think she could make a bit of pocket money to put away for uni life or fritter away on gigs noodles and vinyl

Can I ask what people think, she is only a year into A level art and will have lots more of technique to learn but maybe £15 a painting she might have some takers?

I think this has much more about it. The horse shows talent but needs refinement, which is understandable given how old she is. But I don't think she'd be able to sell it as people buy them to go on the wall. However, Xmas cards are different - it's less of an investment and also a much better return financially for her as she does one painting and prints fifty of them for instance. I think this is very atmospheric. Might be a bit too close to satire for a traditional market with the melancholic vibes, but I think this is the way forward.

Well I think it’s really good and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who would pay £15.

I know an art student who sold pet portraits (for more than £15) and it was a good way to practice and make a small amount of money.

I have also bought a painting for £20 from a friend. It’s probably not technically amazing but it’s beautiful and I bought it because I really liked it.

Definitely worth her giving it a go.

Op your daughter is very talented. I would absolutely buy something from her. In fact I need some artwork for my living room. If she sets up a sales website please link me to it.

With that kind of turn around time rather than personalised pet portraits maybe consider prints. I've bought sets of prints of that quality of birds before - the artist can afford to charge less and I like them.

I think what people are missing is there is a market for naive art. It’s literally a thing. It happens to be my thing. I don’t want something perfect. Lots of people don’t. That’s why art movements evolved that were removed from perfect life drawings and portraits.

While I don’t doubt there is probably a market for it I don’t think she’d make enough money to make it worth her while for 6 hours work, it’s very clearly an amateur drawing.

A word of warning OP, a boy I was at school with (many years ago) had a mother who told him he was an amazing singer and would tell anyone who would listen, and her friends would agree because well, who would be rude about their friends child? And while he could carry a tune he was no singer, he made a fool of himself on one of those TV talent shows, don’t be THAT mother.

If the OP’s daughter wants to spend 6 hours painting in her spare time and then sell that artwork I think that’s a fabulous way to spend her time. You are the epitome of negativity.

I really like the Christmas ones. I think they show her talent much more.

I'd buy that as Xmas cards

Instead of doing proper commissioned portraits... which is a lot of faff and really you have to keep at it til the client is happy with the work...

She could offer friends/family/interested parties a deal like this:

She paints their subject in her style, they get one or two tweaks but no further.
She charges enough to cover her materials.
She gets the right to produce and sell further copies, via prints, cards, mugs, phone covers (whatever drop ship options are appropriate for the subject matter).

This will absolutely mean the copyright on the original image must belong to her OR the person whose animal it is and they have to give permission for this use specifically (in writing, not just a verbal 'yep thats fine') (but that should be the case anyway).

That means means she can pick and choose, and those images she makes will continue to provide a passive income for as long as they're uploaded to a drop shipping site (I use Redbubble, there are others).

My daughter paints pet portraits as a sideline - she gets commissions from all over the country and abroad. People send her photographs to work from, she doesn't go and meet the pets and paint from life! I'm pretty sure most pet portrait artists are the same.

We can all see the art is better than that. Her mum is only trying to get her to sell them for £15 for goodness sake … It’s not as if she’s talking about RA fellowships.

looks very similar to a couple of people locally to me who sell commission horse/dog pictures - the going rate is £120 which blows my mind - but I know they’re very popular as the demand is there

I spent a good while looking at and appreciating your DDs picture @themotherhoodproject it made me feel happy. I'm not artistic in any way, cannot even draw a stick person but I love and appreciate art. On first glance I really liked it. Then was taken aback by some of the negative comments. I like it and would buy it.

I think what people are missing is there is a market for naive art. It’s literally a thing. It happens to be my thing. I don’t want something perfect. Lots of people don’t. That’s why art movements evolved that were removed from perfect life drawings and portraits.

Yes!

I commissioned a £30 portrait of my dog from an artist on Etsy. It was a very naive two colour style lino cut done from a photo. I love it.
It was not a photographic photo realist style like some of the examples on here.

There's a whole world of art outside that.

I was allowed 3 tweaks in the price. It took one.

Not all art has to cost ££££ or look traditional. Eye of the beholder and all that.

Haven’t read the ft but I think her income would come from commissions of portraits of pets and would be more than fifteen pounds.

She is very talented and I love this picture. 🥰🥰

@FiatEarth are those portraits £15?? I don’t think so.

You do know that even the minimum wage is not enough to live on? How do you expect her to make a living on around £2 an hour when you’ve subtracted costs for pension, materials, premisesetc

There are many many fantastic artists and crafters who are gifted and producing excellent work. But most of them realise they’d have to charge £ 400-1000 for a piece given the hours it takes. And realise that unless they are banksy or Renoir they’ll not ever be paid that

jeez, I do embroidery. I made a silk bag for a close friend for a very special occasion. It took around 100 hours of work- lots of people said I should make them and sell them- there was around £70 in materials cost and even at minimum wage I’d need to charge £1300 to make any profit - no one would pay that unless it had a vogue or channel label

id also NEVER take a commission even if I did want something simple I could make a profit from. You’d have to produce very simple “replicable” designs you’d be able to churn out quickly - and that’s just dull and boring. Look at Etsy sellers- they do a small range of “mass produced” terms that they can make a very small rift form. Can they earn a living? I doubt that very much.

I think this too. I'm not at all artistic but to my untrained eye this is amazing. Lots of pet lovers would probably love a portrait of their own pet... and £15 is surely insane. £40 or £50 round here I reckon!

I would pay for a portrait of my dog! I think she's got talent and needs to market herself locally and on social media.

£15 for six hours work, and then to have customers nit pick and refuse to pay, I wouldn’t bother.

And honestly yes it’s a good drawing, for an amateur, but it’s not good enough to charge for.

I’d buy it as a card.

I wouldn’t put it on my wall but we have paid a lot more than £15 for our artwork ; many don’t.

I feel she would be far better spending her time improving, rather than taking commissions.
Whilst she may improve by taking commissions she will likely improve much faster if she focuses on her skills. Anatomy, specific classes on specific techniques that kind of thing.
I think she has allot of potential, but it would be wasted trying to take commissions before she’s ready.

Good luck!

£15 for six hours work, and then to have customers nit pick and refuse to pay, I wouldn’t bother.

Are you at school?

And honestly yes it’s a good drawing, for an amateur, but it’s not good enough to charge for.

You forgot to add "In your opinion" @SoupChicken Quite a few posters on here have said they would pay for it.

Have read half the thread (as it was a bit depressing).

Not sure why the leap from artistic endeavour to making money? I'd encourage her to carry on producing meaningful work which explores themes she is passionate about, using a range of media, to continue her development as an artist.

Flogging facsimiles of other people's pets for money seems an altogether different enterprise. Fine if she wants a a side hustle, but this has only a limited relationship to art making.