Nice work on this piece!

Thank you so much for complimenting me! I am trying to figure out all of the rules and ways to get around on the site. I keep getting a maintenance sign... oh well.

do you sell your work? Is that the way to go?

Cynthia

Beautiful. I like very much your works.

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Italian Style

It takes a while to get up and running around here. The maintenance sign is a pain in the rear, but it happens. I have learned that, so far, all of the problems end up getting ironed out.
Do i sell my work? Geeze...i'll sell anything! I have worked as an illustrator and have sold my work before. Some book covers, portraits, that kind of thing. Right now i am a college student because i was able to take an educational buyout from where i worked and because my wife is really behind me getting a degree. So i am way too busy to paint for enjoyment and money. I still enjoy it, but all of my art work is regulated by what my professors want. I have every intention of getting a web site and selling my work...probably in a year from now. So yeah...for me it's the way to go!
Did you mean sell my work here? Sell on DA? It seems that selling prints is pretty much not that profitable. I am more concerned with supporting other artists and i get a lot of support in return...but it's all moral support. I do not see DA as much of a place to sell art. You might want to find those who sell prints and ask them.
Your work is really good. In particular those birds on vacation! Great work! But who would buy it here? I don't know about you, but i have no room left anywhere to hang anything. If you want to sell, you need to pick up some more information. "How to Survive As An Artist" is a good place to start. But mostly you want a web site and a place that will hang your work. You do good work, and you should be able to find a market for it! Do you have an artist's guild where you live? That can be a great place to take classes, go to work shops and get ideas from other artists who are trying to get a toe hold.
Sorry i got on my soap box there! Welcome to DA and good luck!

Hi There, it seems I am trying to add myself to five websites at once is confusing and a bit overwhelming. I thank you from my heart for the compliments. Yes I was talking about here. I was wondering if "other" people got to search all of our artwork through allposters.com or something and could order prints, coffee cups, mouse pads and stuff like that, I was hoping you would tell me that you make over 10K a month just on that. I really want to get my work out there but really need to paint something that looks like it is from this century. The birds on vacation was auctioned at the National Kidney foundation annual art auction. I have an idea for a series of really cool paintings and can barely wait to get moved. I cant sleep because I am so stressed just waiting for someone to get my loan closed. Oh Well, it will happen and then I can begin. Hey I liked what you said and did not feel it was soapy boxy... I do need some help with some of this stuff. What is with the questions on the profile,, what is your favorite skin? and other assorted strange things, do they mean for this site? for the online musice player? there were so many of those questions I felt really silly not having a clue what some meant. I sell alot of my work direct to people that have seen the portraits in the persons house. I do one realtor and then end up doing fifty, I do one army captain and then I do twenty, same with stock brokers, drs., families, pets, murals and stuff like that. I really hate doing portraits where the family does not know reality and think they are rock stars and think I can shave off twenty years, fifty pounds and fix that nose or whatever.. they think it is their right. I guess it is sort of... oh well, now I am on my soap box. You are right about the work, I dont have room for anything. Well, lets stay in touch so if I find something worthwhile I can pass it along to you and vise versa. Do you know about Wet canvas? Bye for now, Cynthia

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You love my art and have to have it regardless of cost....you love it, must have it...

N

It is my understanding that deiantART was started about eight years ago by people who wanted an art web site for those, illustrators and graphic artists, who are scorned by the fine arts community...hence the name. Since that time a lot of Manga and Amenié (sp?) artists have joined the site. It looks to mee that most of the people on this site are high school and college students, and i assume they know what the favorite skin and music stuff is all about. I am way out of that loop. I get along fine with most college students in my classes, but i am really not a part of their world and they are really not part of mine.
It is also my impression that most of the prints sold are for a few cents each. There are some artists on this site who receive a "Daily Devotion." When this happens their popularity and page views skyrocket. if this happened to me, then i might put up some stuff for sale as prints...but this Daily Devotion thing looks more like winning the lottery than a promotion strategy. I do not expect it, and am not interested in selling a hand full of prints. Some of my stuff has been downloaded, but my attitude is that they are welcome to it.
You want to get your stuff "out there." This is probably not the place to do it. I do no know of anyone coming here to look for artwork. I have seen people trying to sell their originals here, but i think they are wasting their time. My plan now is to finish school with at least a two year degree. In the fall semester i will learn how to build a website. Now...how you get people to your web site i do not know. Yeah, i know about the web site list page where you trade back and forth to build yourself up. I mean that i do not know how to "sell" a web site...not yet. I know that Legacy Motors, and other specialty galleries, want to visit your web site more than they want to see your portfolio. So i know that web sites are critical.
I plant on specializing in old cars, butterflies and then some illustrative or story telling art. These are small niches, cars and butterflies, but there are buyers there and it is what i want to paint. And there are a lot of emotions wrapped up in old cars and butterflies. People who love 'em really love 'em a lot! I want to extend myself to these people in my art work and hopefully make good money at it. I know the money has been there for others. As for my illustrative art...i have no idea what form that will take yet. I deal constantly now with just the next few assignments while chasing a good grade point average.
Do you enjoy what you are doing? The realtors and army captians...can you put up with that? Yeah...there are families who think they are rock stars...the world is full of art directors who are the same way! Can you swallow that? I can swallow it because it pays the bills. Execute it and move on. Even my wife wanted me to add more hair to her father when i painted "Binky And The Gramps!" I did it...but it does not look natural because my heart was not in it. But i do what i gott'a do because the work is there.
I think Rembrandt was first. Up till him most portraiture was done through art studios with many students. He was one of the first to go out on his own. And he refused to change a portrait for a client...and he won in court, or something like that. Ever since then artists have been free to walk away from work not finished because of disagreements with the clients. Now if we get good enough to turn people away, that's fine. I am not there yet. Does anyone know reality? Do you? I do not. The older i get the less i know. What i thought i knew turns out to be wrong, or only half true. And so it is easier for me to entertain the people who are reality clueless. However...a contract is still a contract. In EVERY situation where i am painting for money, i state up front, on paper if not with spoken word, you are buying my painting...not the rights to my painting, not my prelims, just the ownership of the painting. Gott'a be clear on that!
Yes...let's keep in touch!

Thank you so much, very sweet of you to say. I am happy to be here, great people.

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<img src="http://www.coolavatars.net/avatars/15/hypno-swirl.gif" style="border:1px solid #000" alt="free cool avatars">

You love my art and have to have it regardless of cost....you love it, must have it...

N

Thanks for the information, Yes I can handle it. I have been doing the portraits for a very long time. One rather large woman made me so mad because she was being unreasonable. She felt that since it was "her" painting that I should do whatever she wanted. It was a friend sort of. So, as a joke, I made her look twenty years younger, twice as much hair, plumper lips, thicker eyelashes, smaller nose, bluer eyes and flawless skin. I told the entire group of people that she had there before when she had seen it at the last sitting and was not happy because she looked "old" and heavy. I revealed the finished painting at her party and everyone there but her knew that she did not look like dolly parton, so everyone waited for her to say something, she loved it. I was the best artist in the world, a genius... I just smiled and swore I would never ever paint a friend unless it was for free. It seems the people that have had money all of their lives are the best and most realistic. People that were poor and suddenly came up with money are the worst about reality.

I did make a huge decision recently. I decided never to paint for anyone elses joy but mine. If they dont like it, well too bad... so sad.
I really feel that the more I paint other things like landscapes and still lifes, abstracts and things that come from my soul I will be able to put up with the posers. I have been painting them the traditional was since nineteen seventy five so I can do the formal, standard portrait like a snap. I wish that some of the people would let me display their portraits. I may do one for my sister, her husband and son so I can have it on here. I may make it part of the agreement that I am allowed to display the painting where I want for marketing reasons.

I like the strong advice you give, you seem like a great person., I wan to add you as a friend but dont know how yet, thanksl. It appears that I may be moving next week, finally, it has taken so longl. Well take care.
Cynthia

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You love my art and have to have it regardless of cost....you love it, must have it...

N

I know what you mean about poor people with money...truer words never spoken.
It is my understanding that when someone buys your painting, then they get the painting but you retain the rights. Or, at least, this is how it was a few years ago. That is why i think contracts are so important. You really do not want to take a client to small claims court and get a bad reputation, but spelling everything out in the contract, and going over the contract with the client, can stop surprises and misunderstandings from coming up later. I am doing this X size portrait for X dollars. You get the portrait. I retain all of the preliminary drawings and the rights to the painting. I can use the painting's image in yada, yada, yada. And many look at you like you have an eggplant growing out of your forehead. "Whad'a ya mean you get the rights? It's my painting, i am paying for it! I get the rights!" Then you have to explain and kind of teach the client what's up. I would much rather lose the job there than fight with them later.
You still have the rights to everything you ever painted, unless you signed those rights away or did "work for hire."
Good luck with your move!