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Portfolio Critique please
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Message
Posted
Hi, I'm pretty new on here and fairly inexperienced in the 'painter' scene despite having been in a related industry for a while. I would really appreciate critique on my portfolio and help finding a realistic price level too.
I welcome all opinions, not just the 'pros'
Thanks
www.painters-online.co.uk/artists/trow/
Edited
by Gary Trow
Posted
Gary, am certainly not a professional. I really like your portfolio especially the animals and birds and also your fantasy work. There's definitely a market for the former in terms of commissions and your standard is very good indeed. Of course, this market is highly competitive so I don't think there's any quick route through.
Posted
Birds and wildlife are not my field of expertise, so I can’t help much with pricing your work.
Although, depending on their size I’d make a stab at something around the £80 to £120 mark mounted with a hinged backboard but not framed for a watercolour/ink, but this is just a gut feeling!
I’ve looked at the two that you’ve posted today and they are of a decent standard, but competition if fierce in this field - well it is in all fields of course... sales don’t come easily but they never did!
I see that these two are A4 size and quite a bit of work involved also, so you have to consider your hourly rate!
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
How do, Gary - I've noticed your work on the Gallery, and have had a look at your portfolio. Pricing is hard to do, but for the oils and alkyds you should be looking to make a good mark-up over the cost of materials including framing, factor in a figure for the hours you've spent on them, don't go berserk with the pricing if you've yet to establish yourself as a painter, but don't underprice either, because that makes people believe you don't value your own work. So what - starting at £300? And going up from there. Your work is good - don't expect instant sales (though you never know) but never sell at a price which just satisfies the urge to sell and won't put food on the table or champagne in the fridge. I particularly liked your Hoopoe - not only the structure of the bird itself but also capturing that very distinctive colour.
Posted
I have no experience of selling art.. I do, however, particularly like your wildlife paintings and looking at them can imagine those as cards, the type that are blank inside. It seems to me that instead of just trying to sell originals it might be worthwhile approaching a card publisher with your portfolio to ask if they would be interested in using them. Perhaps someone else on the forum that has experience of this could offer some advice on the best way to go about this and the normal terms?
Posted
Hello Gary,
I'm an amateur artist, but do sell my work... (well, try to!). I'm often told that I don't charge enough, and I probably don't, but I am gradually getting the confidence to put a higher price tag on my work. Most of the paintings I sell are pet portraits, and (currently) I start at £120 for a 30cm square canvas (unframed), which is still quite cheap I'm told, but I'm happy with that.
I think the price you sell, depends on the outlet you are selling from - eg direct from yourself, or via a shop, and what type of price is approprIate... so at a village fete for example, the spending power of visitors will be much less that at a reputable gallery.
If you're going to be selling your work in a gallery, exhibition, village fete, or shop, you'd need to factor in any comission they take. I've recently put a few pictures in a gallery shop in my nearest town. They take 30% of the selling price, but they also deal with any shipping, which saves me the hassle (and cost). I have a few paintings hanging in my local pub, and they take 20%, so are priced lower than the gallery.
In regards to greetings cards and publishers, my husband used to work in greetings card publishing. He says that you can either sell the image to a publisher (as a one off payment), or get paid by number of sales of the card.
Alternatively you can get your cards printed yourself, and approach shops to sell them. (I imagine that would be difficult with large companies).
On a much smaller scale, I've had some of my images printed onto cards, and sell a few at exhibitions and craft fairs. (Not this year though! 🙁)
The cost to print (per card) depends on the quantity you have printed, so it's really not cost effective to print small runs. If you have a decent printer, you can print your own. I now do mine, and it works out about 56p per card (with envelope and sleeve), so I can try out a design before I commit to having a large quantity printed. It took a while to find a decent thick paper/ card to print on, but most companies will send you a sample pack of their various papers if you ask them.
Posted
Gary, I have used a firm in Oxfordshire (for prints and cards) called www.kmslitho.co.uk initially because they were recommended but also because they were close to a class I used to go to a year or so back, and I was able to go in personally, discuss and see their products etc.. I have no idea where you live but I’m sure you’ll find something reputable in your area.
Good luck!
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