[dickhutchings]

OK, it's a new month and time to start fresh. I still have a blank canvas with the wrapper on it. Yuck!

One of my daughters came over the house last night with her husband and my grandkids. They gave me some awesome news! No, not that:biggrin: After the wine and paint night we went to, they now want to start painting at home. Yippee! One of my grandsons is coming over on Wednesday to paint with me. He's been learning to draw.:biggrin:

I told them I was going to try to sell my most recent painting for $300. I don't really care if it sells, I just wanted to throw a big number out there. My grandson heard that and asked if he could post it for me. I said sure. I know it's a zillion to one shot that someone will buy this but what the heck. It's just fun.

Life is good, how's everybody else doing?

 

[Susan Mulno]

Good morning all and happy March!

Cool news about the painting bug striking your family! I also think you are right on starting with a high price, if it doesn't sell you "mark it down" people can't resist markdowns! :biggrin:

Working today. Being the first of the month it will be busy, rent payments! :vs_karate: **sarcasm** Oh well, I will persevere. :mully:

 

[leighann]

Will keep my fingers crossed your painting sells @dickhutchings :biggrin:

Off to hubby's follow up appt this morning, plus pit stopping at the VA to pic up records, then running him to the comic book store, then hopefully back home. All of these places are an hour away, so fun drive for me.

Back is better...yippee!! :smile:

 

[TerryCurley]

Good Morning friends.

Dick I think it's a really great idea to market your paintings and making it a price you feel good about! I don't have the confidence to ask for a decent price, but my prices are going up slowly. Where are you going to have your grandson post it?

Leighann have fun with your excursion today.

I'm hoping to get to paint today. I haven't had the opportunity since last Thursday. I'm having withdrawal pains. My plans are to finish the first layer on the roses on my big picture and then put it aside for a bit and work on smaller paintings.

 

[dickhutchings]

@TerryCurley the selling thing is just a poke into the art sales world. I don't even know where he posted it but it was posted last night. I'll have to find out where he posted it. Nothing serious but that's what I would want before I would let it leave my house today. After I get a bunch under my belt I'll probably be happy to get rid of them at cost.:biggrin:
@leighann Back is better...yippee!! :smile: This is good news. I have constant back problems and it's nice when it doesn't bother me too much.
@Susan Mulno We all must persevere. :mully: I love this little emoticon you used. Very entertaining!

 

[ARTadmin]

I can hardly believe it is already March!

It won't be long now before triple digit temps return to Texas.

 

[Susan Mulno]

We will be leaving Texas soon for just that reason @Cricket. :vs_sun:

 

[PMMurphy]

dick this is what my gallery says when it comes to pricing. Take the cost for supplies mutilpy it by 2.5 and thats your price.

So for instance, lets say i took a graphite piece. Its 10x10, and i spent 50 dollars on pencils and 100 on frame. Thats 150 x 2.5, 200 + 75 = 275. So for that particular piece im charging 275 as my base price. Now i can add alittle bit more to the cost depending on how long it took, so if i spent 100 hours, i might add 50 bucks, so 325 is the final price.

If you are just starting out and alittle skeptical, then just make sure you break even or make a small profit.

 

[Susan Mulno]

@PMMurphy, thank you! :vs-kiss:

I have asked this question of many people in many places but no one could give me such a guideline. I appreciate this because I do not wish to rob anyone, I also do not want to rob myself! :biggrin:

 

[dickhutchings]

Thanks for that guide PMMurphy. I must say though, your math is off. 2.5 X 150 = 375. You only charge 50 cents an hour for your work?
In my case I spent 8 on the canvas, who knows on the paint and I spent approximately 8 hours on it. I think more like 30 an hour so that comes out to 240 for labor and maybe 25 in materials. I went a little high with the 300:biggrin: I don't expect to get it anyway.

dick this is what my gallery says when it comes to pricing. Take the cost for supplies mutilpy it by 2.5 and thats your price.

So for instance, lets say i took a graphite piece. Its 10x10, and i spent 50 dollars on pencils and 100 on frame. Thats 150 x 2.5, 200 + 75 = 275. So for that particular piece im charging 275 as my base price. Now i can add alittle bit more to the cost depending on how long it took, so if i spent 100 hours, i might add 50 bucks, so 325 is the final price.

If you are just starting out and alittle skeptical, then just make sure you break even or make a small profit.

 

[PMMurphy]

just make sure that your selling it as an original artwork. If you sell the original and then sell prints of the same art... The value of the piece drops and your actually ripping off the customer.


@dick Yea i dont charge much for the hours i spend. If i did some of my pieces would cost easily over 1000 dollars. I have pieces ive spent 300+ hours on xD

 

[dickhutchings]

I went from beginner to teacher last night.Two of my grandsons came over last night and wanted to learn to paint! Of course they wanted to do something similar to what there parents did at our recent wine and paint night. I changed it up a bit and went with a daytime scene. The kids are age 9 and 12. Here's what they did.

 

[Susan Mulno]

What fun Dick! :biggrin: They did such a great job!

 

[leighann]

Well, @dickhutchings I'm pretty sure your grandsons are better painters than I am. I sat down last night with my wal-mart watercolors, and my watercolor sketch pad, and I've attached my results. I don't really care for the pad, but it's all I had.

I'm pretty sure I need to stick to pens and pencils. :laugh::laugh:

 

[dickhutchings]

I don't understand. This beautiful.

 

[leighann]

Really? Ya think?
It's not very "artsy" though...I didn't try and do shading or blending or anything like that.

I'll take it!! :biggrin:

Thanks @dickhutchings :kiss:

 

[dickhutchings]

Next time you try a little more artsy fartsy blending and shading. Before you know it, those things will become easy. It's been my experience.

 

[leighann]

I think I might play with my wal-mart acrylics next. My goal...I have promised a piece of art to a relative, for her new home, and she wants something kinda modern in lt. Grey/ turquoise/ coral. Well, I don't think watercolor is going to work...unless I draw something and just fill in areas with watercolors. Plus, I'm going to have to create the stupid coral since nobody makes a silly pencil in that color, and I really don't want to use markers. Ugh!!!

 

[Susan Mulno]

Not every "artsy" thing is photo realistic. Just look at advertising, beach towels, housewares, plates just to name a small market.

I like it! Did make me think beach towel right away. :biggrin:

 

[Mel_Robertson]

Not every "artsy" thing is photo realistic.

i need to break out of the habit of trying to make every sketch i as do realistic as i can