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?

We live in a similarly Horsey & doggy area and I think pet owners like something that looks quite rustic and like the amateur look. I personally think it’s really good, but then I can’t draw it all. I think starting to sell stuff for a decent price £75-100 and doing printed cards to advertise herself and also extra cash is a great idea. Well done her.!

It’s good but quite standard from someone young who likes to draw/paint. If she loves art and keeps at it she could get there. The money and skill level for reproducing peoples pets is not something I’d recommend building a career on. She needs to find her own style and work on the finish/execution well beyond that picture you posted if she’s serious about being an artist.

I do think your missing the point, (I’m not trying to compare my DD to established artists!!) she is a 17 year old A level student, living in a big horsey area who wondered if people might buy her pet portraits for some extra gig money!

I think it’s pretty good, although I hate seeing horses with bridles - won’t somebody please think how it is to have all that metal shoved in your teeth? - but I’d like to see more and different subjects before I could say if it’s good enough to sell.

She has got her own style! It's gentle, impressionistic, illustrative. She's not trying to be George Stubbs.

OP, I reckon she'd clean up if she did whippets. A fluid line and a long nose - would really suit her style.

Definitely good enough to sell. I’ve seen absolute nonsense pet portraits for sale on Etsy. Some people won’t like the style - that’s fine, plenty will.

Thank everyone!

No don’t let her sell her artwork for £15 . At six hours work that’s a terrible hourly rate and once you choose your price it’s stagnant.
Instead tell her not to paint from photos and get her to some life classes, to hone her skills. If she likes painting horses great, let her get really good because equestrian artists can earn a fortune once they have the skills.
If she wants to earn some money from her talents in the meantime tell her to set up as a face painter where she can get a fabulous hourly rate and work at festivals etc while she studies.

Yes, exactly my thoughts too @Luxell934!

I understand that you’re probably feeling a bit prickly OP but to suggest that this other artist’s portrait is lacking in skill is daft. You might not like the style, but this artist is clearly very skilful. Look how they’ve captured the shiny eye, the velvety neck, the glossy reflection, the softness of the mouth. You can’t see the brush strokes. It’s a great example of a high-quality pet portrait even if the style isn’t to your personal taste. Denying the skill here feels a bit petulant tbh.

Anyway.

For the last 12 years or so, I’ve run a big online craft group (120,000+ members). I’ve seen lots of success and failures. I’ve seen a few paintings sold which are around the same quality as your DDs, usually by new/young artists who are honing their skills. But not a lot, in all honesty.

Your DD will be a phenomenal artist one day. She has natural talent by the bucketload. But paintings, portraits etc need a lot more than raw talent - the artist needs to learn the skills to create depth, texture etc.

Horses and portraits are really hard to do well. Maybe your DD could start with something simpler and build her skills up?

Also, please take note of the advice from PP who gave advice about everything required to set up as a business. You can’t just flog a few paintings. You need payment terms, a contract which agrees the number of revisions etc. It doesn’t matter how cheaply she sells them for - some customers will expect the moon on a stick for a fiver! As part of the craft group we offer mediation services and I’ve seen some real eyebrow-raising demands over the years 😳😂

There is a huge market for pet portraits, especially horses, dogs, and to some extent cats. If your DD continues to develop, there is absolutely an enthusiastic market. But very gently, as PP have said, I don’t think she’s quite up to the standards for professional portraits just yet.

Oh it’s great, she should be very proud! Art is one of those great things where you don’t have to be particularly technically skilled as it’s all subjective so I really wouldn’t worry about that photo a PP linked to. Your DD’s style is completely different.

If your DD wants to make some money on the side, she could look into doing murals/decorations for kids rooms. I know loads of people (including me) that would pay decent money for this sort of stuff and she could practice at home.

you could try something like artfinder.com where people sell their paintings. I'm sure you would get £15 for it as people usually sell for a lot more.

I’ve seen a few paintings sold which are around the same quality as your DDs, usually by new/young artists who are honing their skills. But not a lot, in all honesty.

Which would probably be perfect for a 17 year old teen who is also doing A levels and being a typical teenager.

16 isn't 'just starting out' though.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-57670603.amp

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/24148747.teenage-artists-success-pet-portrait-business/ animal portraits , started getting attention for them at 14.

This is just a few examples but I've seen many others, among my own friends but also young artist exhibitions. I'd post my friend's drawing of me at 15, even my judgy mum was impressed. I just don't want to show my face. She'd been drawing since she was a little girl.

I did say OP's daughter has nothing to lose by trying to sell her art if she wants to. However, I won't pretend that she has a rare and unusual talent, based purely on the work shown here.

OP if you see the link Amelie started getting requests from people seeing her work. You've got a couple on here already. Maybe that's a good way to start.

I think it’s good. Could you ask some family friends /relatives to commission her then use those for advertising/prints for cards? I’d ask £100 for pet portraits

I did say OP's daughter has nothing to lose by trying to sell her art if she wants to. However, I won't pretend that she has a rare and unusual talent, based purely on the work shown here.

And exactly where did OP even suggest that?
Talk about totally missing the point .

And yes 16 is starting out. Doesn't matter what someone else did. There is no "race ".
Get a grip.

I like it @themotherhoodproject, she obviously has talent and is in the very early stages. She can absolutely must try to sell some - tell her to use Etsy or Facebook marketplace, study the subject and get good at a niche. We buy art occasionally from a FB market place seller, who advertises on our hobby specific page, and has made his range all about the hobby. If your dd is passionate about horses, then the audience is huge. She obviously knows her horses, but tell her the throat latch is a bit tight for my liking ;-).

My view is that there is room for improvement but many professional artists charge 100's and are way out of the realms that horse and dog owners can actually afford etc so there is room at the lower end at say between 25 and 40 quid for portraits - but make sure to use good quality materials and pay that bit more attention to the depth and the suggestions earlier up post regarding detail and dimension (all a learning curve - the nose and mouth I think are v good) but to render that in 6 hrs is pretty good. It certainly would be a good side line that she can fit around lots of other things and as a performing artist - music or drama there is always down time lets face it. I also wouldn't provide frames for that cost.

@themotherhoodproject can we see the snowman card?

Well yes it does because as I clearly showed, 16 isn't starting out age for drawing. Neither is it for other creative or performing arts.

It's fair enough to say that OP's daughter is just starting out. Just as a 50 year old taking drawing classes is also just starting out. But this isn't related to their ages, just their proficiency in art.

I think it's beautiful,you can see real emotion in the horses face.

I agree with you OP she should look at doing commissions for people's pets especially when she's looking at charging so little and I'm sure the more she paints it will help develop her skills even more.

I would buy it- especially as a card. I like the colours and the style of it.

No. It's appropriate skill for her age, but it's thoroughly amateur in execution.

*Well yes it does because as I clearly showed, 16 isn't starting out age for drawing. Neither is it for other creative or performing arts.

It's fair enough to say that OP's daughter is just starting out. Just as a 50 year old taking drawing classes is also just starting out. But this isn't related to their ages, just their proficiency in art.*

Please. Lots of people have started out earlier and lots of world famous artists have started out later. There is no correct way.

It is irrelevant and pedantic.

OP's daughter IS starting out.

@AndSoFinally

And this was painted from her imagination.

It's relevant from the marketing angle. As I stated upthread , I'd be happy to buy something to support a talented young person.
16, this level of work, a low price for someone I know, fair enough. I wouldn't pay more than £20. And I wouldn't buy from a stranger on FB.
A 10 year old . Very talented. I'd pay much more.