Last few attempts I had were with my finger doodles that used to sell, however it is very hard competing with chinese prints on ebay being sold as ORIGINAL oil paintings, sold for 99c, where as soon one is sold other one exactly same is being listed. I realise most people wont buy art for the art sake, but for the sake of it looking on wall, matching with sofa and carpet, and making sure they can brag about it, and get few oohs and aaaahs from visitors from their home. Most of the time they will buy nude that does not show anything for the sake of saying they have the nude on the wall, however as soon as you show breasts or do full front painting or work it will be harder to sell. I can pretend pretty well oh I can do outsider art, do few emo strokes on side and make up story to follow, because you know people love the story that goes with the painting, and hell no one wants to hear "I made painting to sell because I have to pay bills." They would rather hear some emo bullshit to go with the story "waaaahhhh I want to slash my wrists" or "Life is so cruel" or "He ditched me" or some cryptic crap where I wont say anything at all and use these metaphors that mean nothing.
For once i would like to hear an expert advice, well you do this kind of art, and in order to make it sellable and marketable you need to do this this and this. Its fine to gain all these skills in drawing atschool, but what is the point of the skill if we do not have the skill to market the art. To be able to make some money out of art, one has to be social butterfly or have good pimp behind them. Get one to talk, let them give us expert advice.
Friend of mine while back went to art pimp (ooops sorry should say dealer, or necessary evil) and his advice was well the paintings are awesome and marketable but in order to sell them make your signature bigger, and these are reasons why... And sure enough friend of mine made his signature bigger more obvious and distinct and there come the sales. So now lets get back to it why the size of signature matters? Why does a nude have to hide the breasts or be pretty, or emo, why cant it just be an expression of the artist? Why the painting has to be tis pretty old cottage with colourful bright blowers, or fish on plate or bowl of fruit? How much does one have to change their style, their subject in order to hit the market? How do I find the market and profile, and who the hell are my market? Are they bored housewives looking for few cheap items to decorate their living room? or grandma who collects nudes to put them in album (yes I had one of those in past) Is my audience going to be some 25-35 year old female, with average level of education with mediocre cultural background who wants to show her best face in front of her friends? So what do I do? Do I betray myself, bend and say how far before i end up with broomstick where sun does not go? So where is happy medium? How does one find it? What is it that distinguishes between elvis and velvet and art, or is elvis on velvet an artwork to begin with? What is the line how far is it before i cross it too far beyond point of return?
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