I have no idea.
I was considering doing this, and would also like opinions on it – When I make prints, I could do a second image in paint with a text bubble near the bottom…with something like a cat, a heart, or a piece of pizza – like what the dog might be thinking. I wonder if that would look good on a t-shirt once I get through selling the limited print run?
All three, in reverse order, I suppose.
Disclaimer: don’t know much about art, but know what I like… and this is gorgeous! Plus the dog looks very much like the adorable pup I’m housesitting with at the moment, so I’m totally biased.
Sellability: So, I think it is an absolutely lovely work of art that a lot of people will enjoy. The expression on the dogs face is fetching, and the breed you painted is very popular. Also, not revealing the face of the woman is a good idea, since it becomes easy for the viewer to imagine themselves in that place.
One thing that would make sales easier is kind of cheating–riffing on classics that everyone knows, so they can say, “hey,I recognize that, I know art!”. As an example (I am not telling you to do this) an homage to van Gogh with a vase of sunflowers on the table will spark positive associations.
Subject matter: again, I like your choice of subject matter. It has near universal charm, is whimsical, relatable, and not cheesy. It speaks to what I’d like to be doing right now, tbh.
The bottom third leaves me wanting though. It is always a balance, as you undoubtedly know, to keep things from getting cluttered. But it feels like it is missing something (perhaps even just a signature to draw your eye?)
Technique: you know your way around a brush and color. Your pallette is lovely, and your brushwork has a nice blend of portraiture and impression. Your brush work also very nicely reinforces where you want the viewers eyes to go.
The shadows are distracting from your brushwork though. Your strokes seem to imply consistent points of perspective, but the shadows don’t quite jive. Can’t put my finger on it unless I busted out the graph paper.
All in all, fantastic. And I truly hope you sell three times as many prints as you need to.
(BTW, you can tell me to stfu and I most certainly will :D)
I can tell you, every painter has one thing that drives them batty, and mine is hair or fur. I think I just need to take more time to deal with it as I’m painting. However, I do think the woman’s left foot is on fleek.
Oh, I do appreciate the honest critique. It’s hard to get that sometimes.
You know what I was thinking about when I got started? The girl with the dog in Renoir’s Boating Party. I think that’s what clinched it.
As for subject matter, I want to get that association going, but yes – I do want to avoid whimsicle rather than whimsical at all costs.
The bottom third – I left some open space on purpose, but it will get some tweaking with splotches and gum tracings and stuff when I can take the time to put them in tonight. More texture.
My goal was to put some space in between subject matter and the viewer, much like Da Vinci’s drawing of the tree grove that always gets cropped at the bottom by stupid art editors.
Shadows – this is a well-lit night scene, with at least 16 different light sources. Thinking it out drove me crazy.
That doesn’t surprise me one iota. Isn’t it so much easier when there is only one flood and one directional? 
Well, another thing about that is how many different colors were coming from the lights. I decided to just keep the palette limited to cut down on the confusion.
I just built a downdraft table to use while spray painting, but I’m kind of disappointed in the box fan I used- I think I may need to try again with a proper blower.
I used to know a guy who painted motorcycle gas tanks and helmets and such. He was a respiratory therapist at the hospital we worked at, and he set up an inspiration/expiration rig that pumped air in from the outside through a mouth nozzle. It was a pretty cool setup.
So is the downdraft table supposed to cut down on overspray?
More or less. I do spray paint art as street performance- So there’s usually a small crowd around me. I wear a mask, myself, but I want something that will help control the fumes and any overspray a little bit.
A good part of it, truthfully, is so that when I go to court (because occasionally fighting for your rights is de rigueur for street performers) I can point to that and the liability insurance I carry to prove what an upstanding responsible citizen I am.
Okay, I’m getting a little desperate and may lose my apartment, so my friend suggested I make Christmas cards and sell them. I’ll be making 5 designs by Saturday or Sunday.
If it goes well, maybe I’ll come up with more. The puzzle piece is a logo for the back of the card, signifying Autism awareness. I’m going to donate 10% to a children’s center they’re building in Kansas near my hometown. My friend has an Autistic son, and leads a huge Autism group on Facebook.
As soon as I posted it, I got an order for 20. I don’t know, go figure. I’m not the best with pen.
Here’s the first:
My mother-in-law is also an artist. Some of her ideas included working as a gardener in a nearby gated community and selling her art at the same time, putting out a calendar with different sights of the area, with the pictures for different months provided by different artists, joining the local chamber of commerce and the art association in her area and finding businesses (e.g. hairdressers) in the area to display her paintings with some information about her work. She’s really good at networking, so she was able to use that to her advantage. Still, she has also been finding it more difficult to get orders in recent years. I have no idea if any of that would help, but I wish you the best of success in your efforts. I also like the painting, but wouldn’t be able to make any intelligent comments on it.
Not a problem. I think it’s happening all across the board for artists. It’s tough out there lately.
Where are you selling these at?
Oh wow! I have a GoFundMe page up on my FB account or I have a PayPal account. I’ll PM you.
I am also working on a couple of new designs today, one of a bulldog with a bow on his head and probably another showing a cat wrestling with a Christmas globe ornament. I put the first one together in about 3 hours, so I should have them up by the evening. Trying to get at least a set of 5 different ones to choose from.
I’ve been scrambling to get something together that people are into, so I haven’t got my official artist’s “site” set up yet.
Okay, I couldn’t do the bow. Can’t find enough images to reference and make an accurate drawing with shadows on the dog’s head.
Still, being a cat person, I think he’s a cute dog, and I chose to draw this amalgam bulldog for another friend who’s trying to help promote me.
Thought I’d pop in with an update of sorts.
I built my first backpack a few months ago, and it’s worked out pretty well.
I love this painting. it’s rad. You know what would be funny? If in that vast expanse in the lower half, another similar dog was walking by and the subject of our affection was watching it. Which is hilarious because while the dog is watching the dog, I am watching those beautiful legs: art imitating life because it happens all the time! Beautiful dog goes by but I’m more interested in the owner.
