Author Topic: cat portraits question (Read 7862 times)

robert waddell · « **Reply #15 on:** December 16, 2011, 09:12:48 pm »

i think your black and white cat is very good it depends on what the pet owner wants a picture that is a carbon copy or a portrait and paintings are not photos

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #16 on:** December 17, 2011, 07:57:26 am »

Hi Robert,

you are absolutly right but very few people grasp that with portraiture.

When I first started with water colours and joined a class my tutor used to tease me about my tendancy to try and create an exact replica of the photo. He used to say if you want an exact "facsimilie of the photo just frame the photo"

It took me a few frustrating weeks of tring to create exactly what I saw in a photo into a watercolour before it finally clicked. The realisation that the difference between what I see on the photo and what I produce is my artistic style eventually dawned on me and I found it both liberating and exciting. Artistic style is as individual as hand writing and now I can recognise my own artistic signature.

Thats why I think the idea of producing cards and prints etc is a better idea than pet portraits. Then the buyer only has to ask themselves if they like the subject rather than getting caught up in how much like the origional photo it is.

Although I love the light open feel of water colours I really enjoy working in detail so pastels really suit me. The black and white cat that you prefer has taken many more hours than the commissioned one that I posted first and Im still not finished with it. I wouldnt be able to charge a reasonable rate per hour for that one as no one would pay it.

Thanks for all the honest feedback though guys. I will keep working on improving my work and exploring your excellent ideas.

Buffy

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #17 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:07:01 am »

I had a similar light-dawning moment when an art tutor told me that any artwork would be looking at only some, or often only one, aspect of the subject. It was completely liberating both in terms of how I looked at art and how I approached my own dabblings.

The thing I love about doing my own art is how it makes me look, really look, at what I am sketching or painting.

I haven't yet quite finished not forgiving stupid teachers at school who thought the only purpose of art classes was to be good at art and get good grades. They cost me thirty years of appreciating art and enjoying sketching and painting.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #18 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:49:18 am »

Hi Sally,

thats a really thought provoking comment

I didnt get very much inspiration or encouragement for my art work at school either. My english teacher too focussed so much on my poor spelling rather than the content of my story telling that I lost interest in creative writing. It amuses me so now, in the age of text abreviations and spell checkers to think that he must be turning in his grave!

I'm working on a pastel of one of my cockerels today and I was just thinking how much more I enjoy what I produce now than I did back at school.

It's true what they say..., I'ts a good job that childhood happens at the begining of your life,....if it happened later on you'd never survive it!

Would you be willing to post a pic or two of your art work? I bet most of us smallholders are a crafty and creative little bunch.....we have to be to make ends meet!

Buffy

rab macablo · « **Reply #19 on:** December 17, 2011, 12:08:16 pm »

I also do pastel portraits of animals. I think the secret of capturing the animals personality is to indroduce a subtle element of characature. Not so it looks like a cartoon but so that you exagerate the distinct characteristics of the individual animal and the breed. I did the horse just before he was put down, so I tried to give it a poetic effect of the horse plodding off to horsey heaven, giving a last farwell glance over his shoulder. All I can say is the owner was delighted with it, so thats good enough for me.

I normally charge £500, so I think £50 is much too cheap. If you do a picture for someone you can still keep the copyright and sell prints and cards of the same picture. With the prints you can get more money for each one by sighning them and calling them "limited edition". Decide how many you think you will sell, (e.g 50) and number each one 1/50, 2/50, until you get to 50/50. Obviously you dont need to print 50 all at once as long as you keep track of which number you are on! You could charge £50 for a limited edition print, or £75 if you put it in a frame. Hope this helps.

doganjo · « **Reply #20 on:** December 17, 2011, 12:21:43 pm »

WHAT! £500 - well, I certainly wouldn't be able to spend that on a portrait of any of my dogs and they are all very precious to me, no matter HOW good it was. I have a friend who does this and she charges £50 for hers - she gave me one of my Champion dog last year as a birthday present, but it's only worth that to me - not to anyone else. They aren't van Gogh's!

robert waddell · « **Reply #21 on:** December 17, 2011, 12:38:37 pm »

i am not in the market for a pet portrait but the photo we had taken professionally at hatfield cost £75 signed as well
i liked the horse portrait but not the saddelback
buffy what happens to us as children does mould us for the rest of our life's children are the cruelest people that god put breath into gangs of feral kids wandering there neighbour hood just looking for there next victim to terrorise

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #22 on:** December 18, 2011, 09:42:05 am »

Gosh what a facinating thread I have started!

I love your approach to your work Rab and I think your pictures have a wonderful story telling quality to them. I found myself as interested in the detail of the setting as much as the subjects. Thanks for posting them and for all the info on the printing. I dont know where to start in terms of reproductions of my work but Im sure that I will get faster and better with practice.

I have a beautiful pastel and crayon portrait of my horse by an artist called valerie serle which cost about £500 a few years ago. I agree Doganjo that many people dont have the money for an expensive portrait of a much loved pet but I can honestly say that the portrait brings me so much pleasure that its definatly been worth the investment.

I suppose what appeals to a customer and what appeals to the artist can be two different things and price / value is very subjective. I would like to think that one day someone would pay me what they pay Rab. Not just because I could do with the money but because I would love to think that someone would get such pleasure and value from my work.

Thank you to you all for your contributions to this thread. Perhaps we should have a gallery of smallholder art!

Buffy

rab macablo · « **Reply #23 on:** December 19, 2011, 10:47:35 pm »

I forgot to say before Buffy, I never take a deposit because I wouldnt expect someone to pay for something they didnt want. Every now and then I do get left with unwanted pictures so I just put them in an art gallery. They are not a problem to sell and go for the same price or more, but I can loose out a little because the gallery takes commission which can be up to 33%. I quite often do pictures with out being commisioned and sell them in Art galleries so it isnt really an issue. Most of the pictures I do are not commisioned to express an owners attachment to their pet. Some people just like art and like animals as a subject matter. As far as I remember, the saddleback pig was a retirement present and the manx sheep was a holiday souvineer. This one is my own Wensleydale ram, I wanted to draw him just before his first shearing, because I knew his wool would never get that long again.

I also forgot to say that when artists sell prints of their work they usually call them "giclee prints". I think giclee is just French for Inkjet, but it sounds more arty!?! The main thing is to make sure it's done with the paper and ink that doesnt fade in sunlight. You can print them at home or get them done online.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #24 on:** December 20, 2011, 07:11:58 pm »

Aw,

hes lovely

Thanks for the info and the food for thought. You have got me thinking about my work in a different way and I feel inspired to play around with my subjects as part of a composition.

I have a friend who sells his work through ebay rather through a gallery and seems to do well from it so perhaps origional artworks are more desirable than pet portraits.

Here is one that I am currently working on. Its a picture of Bertie one of my lovely Croad Langshan cocks. Still a bit to do on him and a chance to play around with the background

Buffy

Bionic · « **Reply #25 on:** December 20, 2011, 09:05:26 pm »

I really like Bertie. I am sure there would be a market for something like that.
Sally

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #26 on:** December 21, 2011, 01:13:31 am »

Quote from: Bionic on December 20, 2011, 09:05:26 pm

I really like Bertie. I am sure there would be a market for something like that.
Sally

I agree - it's a cracking picture, full of personality but leaving enough to the viewer's imagination and interpretation to be interesting. As someone said earlier, limited edition prints could be the way to get the return up. And you can always offer the original for sale as well.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #27 on:** December 22, 2011, 11:10:38 pm »

Thanks you two,

a couple of forumers have contacted me to enquire about portraits so Im looking forward to tackling those once bertie is finished. Still not sure about price but I agree with Rab that I wouldnt expect someone to pay for something that they didn't want.

Buffy