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'm really enjoying those two portraits @Angrymum22

You said she wants to paint, and sell her paintings. So she wants to paint and be paid for it!

You said she wants to paint, and sell her paintings. That is painting for a living.

Sabrels champ you've misunderstood. She's at school. She wants to sell some pics to make a bit of fun money. That's really not the same as painting for a living.

I've quoted you and it's been edited. It's now

" she wants to paint and be paid for it "

A bit of a side hustle. And?

It's really good. I know officially one is still learning, but if she's good enough for A-Level art, in my opinion she'll be good enough to sell. I know hobbyists who are deluded about their talent, who still manage to get buyers for some things they do.

I know what some people mean about the finish not being polished, but as not everyone looks for the same thing in art (shiny varnish for me is a complete no), I think many people would buy it as it is.

Trumps lawyer interrogating Stormy Daniel didn’t get to this granular you said..what did you mean level of inquiry
Shes a school pupil painting for pleasure and extra dosh. It really doesn’t require a deep drill into her volition or the economics of resale and cost

Trumps lawyer interrogating Stormy Daniel didn’t get to this granular you said..what did you mean level of inquiry
Shes a school pupil painting for pleasure and extra dosh. It really doesn’t require a deep drill into her volition or the economics of resale and cost

Too right. 😂

Sorry, I agree. It's decent A level Art standard; but I suspect she wouldn't really make much from it. I work in an area with an Art School, and see portfolios from applicants - and they are, on the whole, a lot better than this.
Let her just enjoy her art as a pastime.

This could be a good idea. Greetings cards and postcards could well make her some money. The commissions/portraits route is tough, unless you are very very good.

It’s a nice painting but no, sorry OP. I’ve done commissions and charges significantly more, but I would never present that painting of a horse and expect money in return

I love it. Is she any good at landscapes? If you have any distinct local landmarks then getting a bigger painting made into prints A4 size for £15 sell well. I went to a craft fair at Wisley gardens and there’s definitely a market for cheaper print point prints of a original. I was looking at a oil painting of my High street ( helps to live somewhere pretty, or if somewhere not pretty stands out as a landmark)

It’s a tough one, it sounds as though daughter would be doing them more as practice than anything (£15 is a pittance when you break it down into an hourly wage). Best thing she can do is make an art page and advertise her services, as I’m sure there’s a market for such cheap art (not cheap as in bad, just very low cost for such a thing) on a commissions basis- I’d just worry on her part that £15 wouldn’t cover decent materials for a painting!

She should definitely stick at it, but bear in mind her material costs and also the fact that sometimes very low pricing can put people off (I realise that sounds daft, but people sometimes think ‘if it’s a totally custom painting of my animal that is going to take many hours of work, why is it so cheap?’). She could maybe advertise it as wanting to boost her portfolio, so is doing very low-cost paintings to have more examples of her work to show, say there’s a limit on how many she will do at the exceptionally low price. Even as an amateur artist that (not in a mean way!) needs more practice, she should value her time. It’s something that has always been an issue with me, underpricing my own work- and it’s a hard habit to break!

I would hardly glance at a picture of a random horse to be honest, but a lovely picture of one of my pets and we're heading in to £100 territory 😀

I would suggest she creates a USP style signature, e.g a heart or daisy etc to incorporate in to all her designs to have her own brand then, offer to paint family and friends pets to build up a portfolio and finally get promoting on FB.

Definitely set a much higher price though, all that time and materials not to mention she could put a local self-employed person out of business for the sake of a pocket money hobby!

NTWT but......DD (22) is an artist, animator and film maker. As an animator you can imagine that the standard of her work has to be very very high.

But she sells next to nothing because its a really tough market. You have to market to the right people in the right way at the right time. DD went through a really good period when her style was fashionable, now it has fallen out of vogue with the glitterati so her more affordable stuff isnt sought out by people who liked the style but couldnt afford the big name stuff.

An agent can help but they are very discerning.

If it is pet portraits etc that she wants to do then she may find a market but if her illustrations are good she may be able to pick up freelance jobs, but again that depends on where she registers. Making money from art is a tough gig, even the musicians I know make more money than the artists (yes I am in "that" sort of social group!) and we all know musicians are poor in the main! It takes a lot of time and commitment to become a money making artist, as a teen I think that her creating her own range of greetings cards and selling them through a local gift shop for a percentage would probably be the best bet. Doing a few designs then having them printed would be more financially worthwhile than hand painting each one individually as no one would pay what a handpainted card actually costs in terms of time and materials (back to the old "why are hand made cakes so expensive" argument).

That has to be some kind of Clydey cross or yes wrong ( the Roman nose)

OP - Ignore all the angst and just tell her to advertise on fb . If she gets a commission great! Charge more than 15 though, that would barely cover naterials I would think? Make it 30/40. Post some examples and see what happens.
With your DD's painting, it is good except for me the mane looks wrong, but as long as the owner / commissioner likes it , that is all that matters.
I understand about a DC debating about a career in the arts. One of mine was doing ok through music for money whilst studying . Debating which way to go but after Covid, packed in the music and now is a lawyer.

@themotherhoodproject

I had a friend who painted for the love of it. She was also an architect.
She drew, sketched and was an amazing woman all-round.
She was in her 60s when we met and painted both watercolor and oils for me of various things - animals, barns, birds.
I asked her to paint my family’s ancestral home as a gift for my mother — it was beautiful and now it hangs in my home.
I hope your daughter draws and paints for the love of it and retains her love of it — and doesn’t lose her enthusiasm because people don’t pay her for it.
Or perhaps they will - and wouldn’t that be grand.
I hope her motivation will always be “for the love of it.”

I think she's great for her age OP and I'd say there is definitely scope for pet portraits - albeit cheaper end of the scale - nothing ventured, nothing gained...... art is only as good as the person who likes it. Do it!

Your daughter should advertise to do pet portraits and personal invitations. She could realistically charge about 20 per hour- so 120 approx.

If people like her work and find it good value she will get on-going commissions.
People will see a likeness of their pet, or not.
She is talented and will also get better.

I think I she is exvellent and would be super proud. Yes I think you could sell portraits for a modest sum. And the Xmas cards too.

Oh I see now thanks, I missed the comment with the £400 in

OP people are being deliberately obtuse on this thread - pay them no mind!

I think it's really good and there is definitely a massive market for pet portraits (my sister paid a fortune for one that doesn't even look like that cat except it's the same colour and she thinks it's marvellous!).

Are you being purposely thick?

DD at 17 Selling a few paintings while practicing her technique for her A level to pay for her social life at the weekend and the odd new pack of guitar strings is not the same as a lifetime of making a living from her art…

what a way to start a sunny day! 😆

Not really sure why you would start this thread in the first place OP. Pushy DM springs to mind.