Week 4 pic

[averygoodun42]

So, this was actually done a couple of weeks ago, but I decided I didn't want to post it then, as it was zalena 's birthday present. It's very small, and almost doesn't count, but there was a sketch beforehand, and I did put effort into making it all purdy, so I'm saying it counts.

Pen on bristol, approximately 4" x 4" (maybe 5" x 5"... *shrug* Small, anyway.)

I do have week 5's piece done (not completely satisfied with it, but that seems to be the norm), but I have yet to take a picture.  I might delay posting it for a week, though, because it would be quite nice for Valentine's day. :-)

So far, what I've noticed is that I really, really, really need to work on composition.  I suck at it.  Majorly.  That's what I'm not satisfied about with week 5's piece.  Of course, that's what the sketching is supposed to be for... *cue bitter laughter*

Now to figure out what to do for this week... Maybe I should break out my oils again, especially now that there's a lock on the fridge to keep little fingers out of it.  (THANK GOD I didn't have any cadmiums on the pallettes he got into!  And thank goodness I don't use lead white, as well.  Still not good, though.)  :-(

In other art news, I decided to donate a custom portrait (from a sitting or photograph) for my church's auction.  I hope, really, really hope, that I won't regret that, but I never did say what medium it would be.  I can always fall back on charcoals... nice maleable, easy charcoals.

Comments

Re: Church Auction

[zalena.livejournal.com]

Make sure that there is a starting price for your work. I once went to an auction where someone auctioned a custom quilt. The quilter would make a quilt utilizing the fabric and color palate of the winning bidder's choice. This woman was an experienced artisan, but the winning bid was something like, $50, which would barely cover the cost of materials. I thought it was a shame that no one thought to put a price on what it was worth. If the starting price had been a little higher (say $20, even, rather than $5) the process might have been more respectful to the artisan and the fundraiser might have made more money.

You may also want to put a reserve price, which is to say, start the bidding low, but refuse to sell unless they pass the minimum amount for which you want to do the work. The reserve amount is usually kept private by the seller/auctioner. They don't tell the bidders what the reserve price is, they just let people know that it hasn't been met, yet.

It also might be a good idea to display some examples of your work, especially the things you've done of Babe, so they have some idea of what to expect.

Re: Church Auction

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

I did put down a minimum bid price of $50, and, fortunately, they asked for an estimated value, although I put it down as a fairly meager $400.

I don't know if there'll be space to put examples of my work, but if there is, then of course I will. I actually have a fairly extensive collection of portraits, so I'll just have to be sure to pick the best ones.