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Original poster

Is DD’s art work good enough to sell.

730 replies

themotherhoodproject · 08/05/2024 08:23

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?

Is DD’s art work good enough to sell.
OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Whinge · 08/05/2024 08:44

Honestly, no I wouldn't.

It's not a bad painting, but I don't think it's good enough to sell.

However, more importantly it needs to come from her. If she doesn't want to sell her work then please don't push her into doing so. It's clear she enjoys it as a hobby and going down the route of commissions would add a lot of pressure. This took 6 hours and she did it because she enjoys it. When you have a client it's a different ball game. The subject might not be something you enjoy, but you have to do it because they've paid. So you start and then re-start, because the first version isn't good enough. 6 hours becomes 8, then 10 and you're still not happy with the result. For the sake of £15 it's not worth the stress.

SpeakinginTongues · 08/05/2024 08:45

Honestly, lots of artists who take portrait commissions aren’t great, anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about whether she’s good enough — the problem is that it’s not going to be worth her while if she’s charging £15 for something that takes her 6 hours to do. (Does that include costs of materials?)She needs to work much faster or charge more — she should research pet portrait rates, sizes, materials etc.

Ifailed · 08/05/2024 08:45

My son did BA fine art (illustration) a few years ago, neither he or any of his cohort have earned a single penny from their Art.

Boxerdor · 08/05/2024 08:47

I think it’s good and the start of a really good talent. I wouldn’t buy it but as others have said I would buy a drawing of my pet if she was really able to get the likeness

CocoapuffPuff · 08/05/2024 08:50

Best way, OP, is probably to advertise on your local Facebook group.

Be warned. Commissions can be fraught. Unless she's very clear in her contract, some customer will one day make her correct and repaint and adjust and fart about for 300 hours because "it's not quite right". Her t&Cs need to be watertight. 1 revision only, 100% payment in advance, completion date agreed, etc.
She has to approach this as a business as otherwise it will be regarded as her "little hobby" and she will be expected to do it for free, for "practice".

InTheUpsideDownToday · 08/05/2024 08:52

How big is it and what medium?

mactire · 08/05/2024 08:52

Honestly, no I would not buy that. It looks a bit off to me.

Having said that I think your dd has great ability!

twistyizzy · 08/05/2024 08:53

Honestly sorry no. There is intense competition for animal portraits and I would want something a lot better. She needs to do research to see the quality of work out there.

KnittedCardi · 08/05/2024 08:54

It's a good start, but honestly, it's lacking depth and detail and character. There are thousands of people doing pet/animal portraits, and they don't earn much unless very talented.

DD dabbled at Uni, she is middling, and charged £50, but it takes a lot of time and effort and materials, and by the time you price it up, you may as well do a shift in a coffee shop!

Orangesandlemons82 · 08/05/2024 08:56

It is lovely, and I would be really proud of my DD if she painted that, but I'm not sure it's quite saleable standard yet.

fisherking1 · 08/05/2024 08:57

My son did BA fine art (illustration) a few years ago, neither he or any of his cohort have earned a single penny from their Art.

That is so sad to hear. What are they all doing now?

ageratum1 · 08/05/2024 08:59

Is she par t of a local arts group? They often have shows of members' work, and people buy stuff that amateurs have done.That might be the best way to start

WhamBamThankU · 08/05/2024 08:59

I think if she keeps practicing in a few years she could maybe sell them.

Original poster
themotherhoodproject · 08/05/2024 09:01

Thank you again everyone, I’ll pass on.

More practice and experience needed.

OP posts:
LakeTiticaca · 08/05/2024 09:02

She is obviously very talented but why does the horse have yellow ears?

buffyslayer · 08/05/2024 09:02

LakeTiticaca · 08/05/2024 09:02

She is obviously very talented but why does the horse have yellow ears?

It's a fly bonnet

ineedtostopbeingdramaticfirst · 08/05/2024 09:03

I'd say as cards or postcards or portraits of pets yes. It's a fairly low cost business to set up and she could see how it goes.

fisherking1 · 08/05/2024 09:03

Art doesn't necessarily have to be a direct replica of the subject. I think your DD has a talent, the face of the horse is moving,

As PP said though, artists are struggling and with AI this will dwindle further.

BodyKeepingScore · 08/05/2024 09:03

I think she's definitely talented for her age but I wouldn't pay for something. It's very obviously done by someone in the early stages of learning technique and whilst she definitely has talent, I don't think it's quite at "paid artwork" level yet

Original poster
themotherhoodproject · 08/05/2024 09:04

LakeTiticaca · 08/05/2024 09:02

She is obviously very talented but why does the horse have yellow ears?

😅😅

It’s a ear hood, originally used to minimise sound and there for distraction to the horse but more often than not just part of the matchy matchy trend..

DD painted from a picture and that’s what friends horse was wearing in it.

OP posts:
Newgirls · 08/05/2024 09:06

With art, like all products really, it’s about creating what people want to buy. So sea scenes sell well at the seaside. Pet portraits are very popular. Ironically she should charge more so they think it’s good. She could show photos alongside the finished work to show her accuracy and have a go. Why not? The market will decide

Uncooperativefingers · 08/05/2024 09:09

I'm horsey and sorry no, I wouldn't buy. Happy enough to receive as a gift, but it wouldn't go on the wall and would probably be disappointed if I'd commissioned it.

There are so many very talented pet portrait artists around and drawing animals to capture their character (as well as being anatomically correct) is a real skill. Your daughter will need to just be good, not good for her age.

Your daughter's drawing is ok, but there is something off with the proportions of neck to head, unless there is some muscle wastage happening on the real horse.. Horse owners are quite particular about how the neck is muscled, as it tells you lots about how properly the horse is using itself. The colour is quite flat and you can see too much of how the colour was applied for my liking

There is also very little character in the drawing, although he/she does have a kind eye

couldhaver · 08/05/2024 09:09

No - I wouldn’t pay for that and frankly don’t see the market for it. You know you can get anything put on a canvas/framed? With all the digital tools to get exactly what you want these days, I don’t see a niche for this especially for art that isn’t particularly remarkable. Maybe the best thing is to look on Etsy and see what the market is like.

helpfulperson · 08/05/2024 09:10

I agree with a PP that investing in some postcards/notelets to test the market would be a good idea. There are a few shops/cafes near us that have that type of thing on sale by local artists and she would probably get places to take some on a sale or return basis.

Orangemangogrape · 08/05/2024 09:13

She's very talented. She should definitely take this further. At the moment, of course, she has some learning to do before her work looks like a professional painting. That doesn't mean that no one will buy her work now, though. There are plenty of good amateurs who sell their work. It's a pity some posters have said they don't think it's that good because I'm sure that's not what they meant. It's very good, just not as accomplished as they would be looking for.

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