Face from My Sketchbook

Here's a graphite sketch from my sketchbook. I take make sketchbook with me all the time during my commutes to and from work and sketch at home. I've pretty much filled this one up. 

The sketches get really dirty because they are constantly getting banged around in my laptop bag so I figured I would start taking photos of them, or at least the good ones, so I could share them here on my blog and preserve them as well before they get too dirty. 

I may also clean up some of the other sketches that are already dirty looking and take photos of those as well. I bought some clear fixative to cover the sketches but who can remember to do that every time, especially after an hour and a half commute. Not me! Plus the family isn't too keen of the smell it makes while it's drying. I could keep it outside but chances are I'll forget some day and it will of course rain on that particular day and... ah, not good.  So enjoy.

"untitled" graphite sketch from my sketchbook. 

Who Wants To Buy Your Art & Why?

"Cascading Hair" by Malcolm T. Liepke

Who Wants To Buy Your Art & Why?

Knowing who wants to buy your art and why is a question every artist, no matter what the medium, needs to ask of themselves. I realize that artists feel inspired to create certain subjects but if you want to make money doing what you love then there has to be a market for it. There has to be a buyer for your art or you cannot support yourself painting them. It's that simple.

The fact is that if you want people to buy your art, then they have to feel connected to what you're creating or making. It's simple economics, people buy things because it's something they need, something they want or that they love. Simple.  If you want to be a successful artist then you need to have a strategy based on this simple idea.

People don't need to purchase art, but if you're creating visually pleasing art or creating something really amazing, then they just might believe that they need it. If you're making something unique that doesn't appeal to the masses then you have to figure out which niche part of the population that your art would appeal to and then target your marketing efforts to obtain buyers from that niche target group.

The other two reasons people buy are because they are things they want or that they love. This is where your planning comes into play. There are certain subjects that people prefer and if you produce good, original work that contains these subjects then you should do fairly well selling your art. I've included a list of art subjects at the end of this article. This list is in order of what art subject matter sells the best. Landscapes, to no surprise, are the best selling painting subjects. Paintings of nudes come in dead last so I guess there is still a large number of the population who are uptight about nudity.

Local Views & Locations:

Tourism is a niche target group for art related to certain locations. We've all been on trips and seen artwork that is related to the location that you're visiting. People want to take home a memory of their trip and what better way than a piece of art that contains a local attraction. Selling prints and postcards are great ways to make money and offering art at different prices allows anyone to purchase from you.

Fans & Hobbies:

If your art appeals to certain fans such as horror movies, science fiction, or is related to specific hobbies such fishing and hunting enthusiasts, then those would be good niche markets. People who participate in cat and dog shows are another huge group. There is a niche market for any interest or hobby.  If you get known by a specific group for creating authentic renditions of their hobby then you will quickly become the go-to artist for that niche group and reap the financial benefits as well.

Animals:

People are crazy about animals, especially their own pets. If this is your genre then you can paint pet portraits and offer pet portraits to make money. If you don't prefer to paint animals but just want to support your art then why not offer to paint pet portraits? Do I hear someone screaming "sell out" in the back of the room? Some people will argue this point and maybe if you're signed up with a gallery or hang in large groups of serious artist friends then I can understand this might not be a venture you want to take. For everyone else, this is a good way to make money that will give you financial breathing room to create what you want.


Personal Connections:

People love to buy personal items. You could be the "personal" part of your art. Everyone loves a story so tell them the story of your art. Why did you choose to paint this painting? What happened in your life that led you to creating this piece of art. How does it make your feel? What were you feeling when you created your art. People love to hear the story behind your art, that way when they have it hanging on their walls and visitors come to their homes, they can share your story. Your art becomes a conversation piece. It may even lead to other sales. People who buy your art want to make a connection. You have to find out how to make a connection with your potential buyers.

Subject Matter:

What you choose to paint affects sales as well. Certain subjects historically sell better than others so that is something you may want to consider. Usually artists get known for painting certain subjects but painting series is a way for you to venture into other subjects if you need or want to. Galleries usually want you to stick to painting the subject matter that you're known for so if you do get into a gallery, it's probably a good idea to stick with painting that subject matter until you've had a few successful gallery exhibits or have been successful with them for a few years before you venture into other subjects to paint.

Certain subjects sell better than others so here is a list of subject matters in order of their success.This list is according to a survey in Art Business Today.  This is a list of the top 10 best-selling subjects for paintings in the United Kingdom:

1. Traditional landscapes.
2. Local views.
3. Modern or semi-abstract landscapes.
4. Abstracts.
5. Dogs.  (my apologies to my cat)
6. Figure studies (no nudes).
7. Seascapes and beach scenes.
8. Wildlife.
9. Impressionistic landscapes.
10. Nudes.  (yes, we're still uptight about viewing the nude body)

I love to go to art shows and hover behind people and hear what they say as they're viewing art. I feel that this is the best way to see what people like. Listening to their comments is a wonderful way to make improvements in your own work as well as finding out what people like and want to buy. Go to art shows and craft fairs and watch what paintings or booths that people are congregating around. If you watch over a period of time then you'll get a little understanding of what the public likes.

Now go and create!
- Rick

Sketching on Public Transportation

It's been a long time since I posted something so I though I would post some comments about my daily commute. I've demoted myself from Commuter Rail train to the MBTA buses and trains in order to save $100 per month in costs and it hasn't been easy. For anyone who is not a resident of Massachusetts, let me explain that the Commuter Rail are the big Amtrak-type comfy trains that you actually get to sit down in and the MBTA are the public transportation trains that are packed with people bumping into you and sometimes giving off foul odors as well. And everyone knows how buses are and why they are prime opportunities for comedy.

Anyway, I've been sketching on the trains and buses and enduring bone-jarring braking, turns that would make most race car drivers envious and hitting pot holes and speed bumps at high velocities. I've become quite skilled at sketching during quite adverse conditions but no matter how difficult it is - I'll sketching. The only way to become better at ANYTHING is to practice, practice, practice!

Artists and potential artists make all kinds of excuses not to draw and paint but if you want to get good then you have to practice. You have to draw and you have to paint if you want to improve. All you need to draw is a pencil and a piece of paper. It doesn't get any easier or cheaper than that.

I sketch faces from the free newspapers and recently I started sketching photos that I have stored on my Blackberry. I took some photos of my Loomis and Barque books and I bring them up on my Blackberry screen and sketch from that. I also sketch people on the train. You have to sketch them quick because you never know which stop they'll be getting off the train so it makes things interesting. You can even sketch your own hand or your shoes or your feet if you don't have shoes but I hope you do have shoes.

Keep sketching! You can find at least 30 minutes a day to sketch - no excuses!

15 Minutes each Day for your Art

We're all busy and artists who have families with young children and teen are especially busy. We're busy with our lives and we're also busy taking care of our children's lives as well.

With this in mind, there is no reason EVERYONE can find at least 15 minutes per day to draw or sketch. If you take public transportation then you even have less of an excuse because you can take a sketch book and make a quick sketch during the ride to work.

List of possible places and times to sketch:

1. During your commute while your stuck in traffic.
2. During your commute while your en route on public transportation.
3. During your lunch break.
4. Doodle while your on the phone with a customer or client.
5. Waiting to pick your kids at school or sporting event.
6. During breaks at your kids events.
7. In the morning set your alarm and wake up 30 minutes earlier.
8. While dinner is cooking.
9. Stay up 15 minutes each night and sketch before you go to bed.
10. In line at the deli doing your groceries.
11. Just give it some thought and you'll figure out many other times.

Fifteen minutes per day and you will greatly improve your drawing and painting.

Importance of a Sketchbook

A sketchbook is one of the best tools any artist can have in order to consistently improve the quality of the art. You can have a larger sketchbook for home use and use a smaller sketchbook to keep with you all the time. I keep a sketchbook in my bag to take with me to and from work and I draw on the train and that provides me with an addtional hour of sketching time per day. This helps when you are juggling a family life and a full time (non-art) career. This helps improve every aspect of your artwork including painting. Painting is just drawing with a paint brush so if you improve your drawing then everything will improve.

If you keep a sketchbook in your car you can sketch while you are stuck in traffic, waiting outside for friends or family, etc. You should take every possible change you get to sketch and I promise you'll see significant improvements in your work.

You don't have to sketch large scenes. You just want to find something nearby, no matter how small or large, and do a quick sketch of it. You can create really loose or really detailed drawings as time allows.

You can arrange to work on particular areas of you work that you need to improve on. For instance you can agree to get proportions correct during one session and then agree to work on getting your shading rendered correctly in the next.

Keep some small items with you or in your car to draw so you don't have to rely on the existing surroundings to provide subjects and this also allows you to continue sketching at another time on the same object. Some simple items you probably already have around the house or are easy to get to take with you are: toys, small statues, pens, plastic figures, leaves, rocks, sticks, keychains and just about anything else with light and shadow and bits of details.

I sometimes sketch faces and objects from newspapers that I tear out and put inside my sketchbooks or draw people or items such as shoes people are wearing on the train. My point is that there is always something to sketch so keep your sketchbook handy and start drawing.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art sketching session

While scouring the internet and Googling the work "sketch" I stumbled upon this strange dare I say "arts" event." On every second Sunday of the month Great Scott's nightclub offers up "Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Burlesque Life Drawing Session" that is not your average art school life drawing class.

In there own words, "Dr. Sketchy is the life drawing session you dreamed of in your dirty little art school head. Hot models with crazy costumes, sometimes genderbending antics, poses that keep your interest for hours, nice folks around you, beer, and it's cheap. The models talk and keep you entertained, there's good music, you could win prizes for good and bad art! You don't have to be a good artist, or someone who draws everyday. Dr. Sketchy is a great place to start back, or to try to pick up a new creative outlet.

We start with short poses to get you warmed up and then move on to longer and longer poses, but that's about where the traditional life drawing session stops..."

Here are the details if you are so inclined:

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Burlesque Life Drawing Session
Please bring your ID - this is an 18+ event
Great Scotts (Nightclub)
Second Sunday of every month
2.30-5.30pm
Cost $8 at the door. Tips for the model are welcome.
1222 Commonwealth Ave Allston (at corner of Harvard)

Malden Sketch Group

Yesterday I found a sketch group close to my home in a neighboring town and joined them in their Thursday night portrait sketch night. They also have figure drawing on Monday nights with nude life models as well. The times for both sessions are 7pm to 9:30pm.

There was about 10 artists their painting portraits and a few sketching as well. I was a little bit nervous at first, as most people I believe are, when I first walked in but those feelings were quickly put to rest. I was welcomed by Ginger Greenblatt and soon there after by a few other artist in the room. This was a great group of artists who are more than willing to give you advice and friendly suggestions about your work.

I would like to especially thank Marian Dioguardi who gave me lots of great advice and tips. You can Marian Dioguari's work at www.mariondioguardi.com.

I would have to say that I learned quite a lot in my first meeting.

For more information about this group please visit Ginger Greenblatt's site:
http://www.artginger.com/malden.htm

Copying the Barque Plates has drastically improved by drawing

I have been utilizing my commuting time on the train to improve my drawing skills by drawing one image per day from the Charles Barque Drawing Course text book. You are expected to spend a minimum of 14 hours or so on each drawing by meticulously copying the plates exactly as they are in the book but I've been trying to copy one plate per trip which equals to about an hour to and from work. Even copying the plates during my commute has drastically improved my drawing skills so I would highly recommend you make this part of your regimen. If you have more time then by all means work on one plate for the entire week.

I couldn't get a loan large enough to purchase the book so I borrowed it from the library. C'mon you know, it's that large building in your town with all the books in it. When I read a good review on a book I usually start with the library - it saves me lots of money, especially when this particular book costs $100 or more on Amazon on most days.

If you're not familiar with the Charles Barque Drawing Course book then you should immediately do a Google Search and look it up now if you're serious about improving your sketching and drawing skills. The full title of the book which weighs the same as a small anchor is "Charles Bargue and Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course" by Gerald M. Ackerman and contains tons of full page plates of images of casts of body parts, statues, figures in various poses and angles.

The text also includes lots of information on the drawing process as well and is the staple text for a lot of drawing courses.

Good luck