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 didn't really mean "decent money" in the absolute sense. Just in the teenage sense.

If she just wants a bit of extra cash she'd be much better off getting a waitressing job for a few hours a week. And give the art away as gifts. Or just develop the art for its own sake rather than thinking about what would sell or what people would want as a gift.

Mmm unless she is retaining the rights to reproduce images as prints she should still be charging more than £20. That won't cover her costs, and its also giving people the message that art is, and should be, cheap.

Art does not need to be mega millions, of course, but it shouldn't be dirt cheap either, it takes time and materials to produce.

For the sake of 'putting my money where my mouth is'... here's one of mine. A5 - sold for £65 (and i retain rights to use the image)

I wouldn’t buy no. You should have done a poll to vote. Would be interesting to see % of yes and no.

But would you not buy because of the style, the technique or because its of someone elses random horse - all are reasons not to buy, but some are more relevant than others.

It really wouldn't matter to me how technically brilliant, photo realistic, whatever, a picture of a horse was, there needs to be something more... unless its MY horse of course!

yes, she could sell her artwork. I have seen far far far worse on sale in high end galleries. Buyers do not want a painting that looks like photograph or super realistic. I agree she should take some studio art classes so she can find her style and learn how to do more complex compositions- ie the head and neck of a horse is very easy to paint compared to an entire horse jumping or running. For now, I think the pet portrait idea is a good one. She can even advertise online and paint from a photo. It’s not glamourous, but is good practice. Going to art museums and sketching the works is another way to practice and learn different ways to capture a subject. She could do with seeing impressionists to learn that a yellow fly shield is never pure yellow in daylight.

give the art away as gifts
I wouldn’t do that. Because then she will be asked to do art for free…
Art isn’t cheap and meaningless.

But had you read my pp’s you would know that DD already has a part time waitressing job and today alone has had a good handful of requests from (other that the lovely people on here) on here to paint their pets so I guess it’s worth her time after all.

it is definitely worth her time!

If she just wants a bit of extra cash she'd be much better off getting a waitressing job for a few hours a week. And give the art away as gifts. Or just develop the art for its own sake rather than thinking about what would sell or what people would want as a gift.

If she ENJOYs doing the portraits I'd say it would be great to get paid for it.

The time/payment value is for her to judge. Especially if she enjoys doing the cards.

So you are planning on selling something that took 6 hours for £15? Why would she do that rather than get a job in a supermarket?

So you are planning on selling something that took 6 hours for £15? Why would she do that rather than get a job in a supermarket?

It's £20.

Because she finds it rewarding. And she's still at school, so the money is extras.

Oh I don’t know…

Maybe because she enjoys it, can build a portfolio, improve her style, gain confidence, learn now to showcase and sell…

Shall I go on?!

A friend of mine has work in the Vatican, she learned illumination, illustration and calligraphy. Her non glamorous day to day work is handwritten calligraphy invitations to weddings and what not. The constant practice of the wedding stuff has made her one of the top calligraphers in the world.

So pet portraits CAN lead to something bigger down the road.
Art is an art. Yes talent matters, but practicing the art of art will take her places.

I commissioned a picture of a similar standard on Etsy for £25 including P&P. There were loads of sellers all doing them at that price. I'm pretty sure all they do is import the photo into software, put on a "make this look like it's a painting" effect then use a few more tools to add artistic flourishes. It probably takes them half an hour, which is why that price is feasible.

Proper pet portraits cost hundreds, and to get someone to pay that instead of £25 you need a huge leap in standards - something Photoshop can't do for you.

Your daughter would be getting the worst of both worlds. She'd be working for a handful of change but taking hours and hours to do it.

Think of this phase like an apprenticeship. The pay is rubbish now, but as she gets to be a better artist she will be able to command higher prices. No artist starts out selling a painting for ten grand.

Your daughter would be getting the worst of both worlds. She'd be working for a handful of change but taking hours and hours to do it.

Sounds like she's pretty happy with the prospect so far.

Once she's done her first 3 she'll be the best judge . And can give up if she wants. No harm done.

Or do you think she should just pack it in now?

And because six hours doing that is six hours developing her skills and enjoying it ; and an hour in the supermarket is … an hour in the supermarket…

Never seen so many grown arse adults shoot down a child studying an art a-level wanting to earn a few pennies. Not only that, to reiterate the point that they think they have, they compare said child to art degree holders who work in the field to a high level.

Madness.

Your daughter has a gift and should be encouraged to nurture it further if she wants to. People paying her small amounts such as what she's been paid will give her confidence and encourage her further.

Me? I can't draw for shit but I definitely wouldn't come on and shoot someone down just because they aren't Tate Gallery level just yet - and even that's subjective!

I hope she is delighted with her commissions - good for her!

I think she’s talented and I would absolutely encourage her to keep at it. If she’s generally creative, I would encourage her to expand her horizons and try other styles other than realistic pet portraits. There is a lot of very cool, amazing work out there and it’s absolutely possible to earn a living as an illustrator (I do).

What medium did she use for this? It almost looks like she might have done it in procreate?

I too think the muzzle is beautifully observed.
The horse without the distracting tack would be much better.
The fly net {the ear cover} was probably in the photo.

She definitely shouldn’t be selling paintings for £15. That devalues her time and basically communicates to the buyer that the art is worthless. She is certainly talented and can make good money, and perhaps even a living, painting private commissions.
She needs to paint a few that best show off her talents, and ask local businesses (gift shops? Bars? Pubs? Restaurants?) to display them.
I did this in my mid twenties when my son was a baby, and I made enough to keep the wolf from the door. I don’t paint any kind of portraits any more, but I’ve been a full time, self employed commercial artist ever since (and made good money too!)
I wish her the best of luck, it’s honestly not as hard to make a living as an artist as people make out, especially if you had an eye for what is popular.

@themotherhoodproject

Your daughter is very talented, if she enjoys it and she thinks its worth the time to her, it doesnt matter what other people think. My DD makes felt keyrings. She likes to sew and she enjoys designing and creating them, so she doesnt see it as time wasted.

You will always find people on MN who want to piss on other peoples chips. It makes them feel better about themselves somehow.

Does she? In your first post you said this.

"DD is an A level Art student, it’s actually not where her love lies "

Forcing yourself to spend hours on end doing something you do not love will quickly get tiresome.

For what it's worth I think it's beautiful and you have every right to be proud of her. It's like some people get off on being generally arsy when behind a keyboard! Don't let them knock her down x

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