Pencil Drawings

[missyburd]

Hi folks just needing a bit of advice please.

I have come to the conclusion that if there is any remote chance of me getting a bike this summer :smt026:smt026:smt026 I am going to have to find some pennies and quickly at that! As I am a student money is not something I have a lot of, if any and although I have a job the brass just isn't rolling in quick enough :smt085

As a sideline I have done sketches for friends and family of pets etc as presents and they have been telling me to pull my finger out for a while now as they think I could earn a bit from these drawings. However I haven't the foggiest idea how to go about this sort of thing, I'm used to doing these sketches as gifts so wouldn't know where to start if I was to start charging a fee or what people would be prepared to pay (if anything 8-[...)

Here are a couple of recent ones:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4968/pc163736qe9.jpg

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3580/p3110877hd5.jpg

(Sorry about the photo quality :-s:rolleyes:)

I do them from photos and they tend to take rather a while to get finished, but I could do one in an evening if I put my mind to it. I prefer to draw animals (as they are something I'm interested in) and they're more personal but have done other things too.

What are people's thoughts on the matter? Any comments would be much appreciated, thank you for reading!

xx

EDIT: I'm not posting this thread with the intention of gaining "custom", mainly advice :)

[FG1]

A quality drawing of me on my bike would be worth paying for.
Have a think of what you think you would charge and I may be interested.

[Wideboy]

(Sorry about the photo quality :-s:rolleyes:)

yeah right :rolleyes: joke :cyclopsani: they look the brill

should try putting a add on ebay of something alot of people do that but i'm not sure how effective it would be but you need mulah to pay for the ad

try www.adtrader.co.uk (http://www.adtrader.co.uk) must be something in there where you can do it and its free so is www.freeads.net (http://www.freeads.net) <<< not sure if that works

[missyburd]

A quality drawing of me on my bike would be worth paying for.
Have a think of what you think you would charge and I may be interested.

I did one for yorkie_chris a while back:

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7987/daytona955ito6.jpg

....took me absolutely aaaaaaaages, was actually quite fun but oh so technical and finicky!

I honestly wouldn't know what to charge, I've seen pictures on the net etc and some people charge ridiculous amounts for tiny things. I'd probably have to take into account the time it takes me to do it, amount of detail etc.

[lukemillar]

I did one for yorkie_chris a while back:

....took me absolutely aaaaaaaages, was actually quite fun but oh so technical and finicky!

I honestly wouldn't know what to charge, I've seen pictures on the net etc and some people charge ridiculous amounts for tiny things. I'd probably have to take into account the time it takes me to do it, amount of detail etc.

That's the best way - Just figure out an hourly rate and then how long it will take. Only trick is to knowing how long something will take, but the more you do it, the better you get at estimating :)

[rob13]

I think where cars/bikes are concerned, you generally get the cartoon style drawings with oversized wheels etc. and I dont think theyre to everyones tastes.

I think with pencil drawings, the animals look great. What about looking at doing landscapes too? Or personalities? (The last however is done to death and I dont think people make a great deal of money from them)

Either way, great talent you have there.

[mac99]

I think someone on here does this, sells drawings of animals done from photos. ArtyLady I think.


Slightly OT, I saw some ball point pen drawings by
Juan Fransisco Casas (http://www.linkinn.com/_Juan_Francisco_Casas_Hiperrealism_with_a_Bic) in the paper the other day.
Unbelievably good.

[Lissa]

I had a drawing done of my mother's cat as a Christmas present. Framed, it cost me £50............that was 15 years ago. It was a large picture though, 3ft by 2ft.

I think your drawings are certainly comparable in quality to that one.

[missyburd]

I think with pencil drawings, the animals look great. What about looking at doing landscapes too? Or personalities? (The last however is done to death and I dont think people make a great deal of money from them)


I've drawn people before but I'm afraid to say landscapes would just bore me. I wouldn't want a sketch to be something that just adds to the decor, it would have to be personal otherwise I wouldn't be motivated enough to do it in the first place. The pics I've done for friends and family have all meant something, especially pets.

I had a drawing done of my mother's cat as a Christmas present. Framed, it cost me £50............that was 15 years ago. It was a large picture though, 3ft by 2ft.


I was thinking something in the region of £50 I guess, but again it would depend on the type of picture, what the subject is, how big and so on.

Thanks everyone for the positive comments :D

[ArtyLady]

I think someone on here does this, sells drawings of animals done from photos. ArtyLady I think.




Yup...s'me!

MissYC - mine start from £165 for a small pastel dog or cat painting and horses start at £230.

You could probably charge quite a bit less though if you are just starting out and dont have much in the way of overheads.

I'll pass you on any pencil requests I get - as I dont do them!


http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2470/bordercolliewebforvt3.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bordercolliewebforvt3.jpg) http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6650/blacknwhitecatforiu0.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=blacknwhitecatforiu0.jpg) http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8494/baywebforra0.th.jpg (http://img85.imageshack.us/my.php?image=baywebforra0.jpg)

[missyburd]

You could probably charge quite a bit less though if you are just starting out and dont have much in the way of overheads.

I'll pass you on any pencil requests I get - as I dont do them!


I always envy folks who can use pastels/oils/paints (in your case ArtyLady very well!) as I find them too fiddly! Nice and simple does the job for me ;)

As for passing on requests thats very kind of you indeed to offer but I think I'd need to be a bit more practiced...!! :)

[Pedro68]

bit more practiced?!? wtf missYC?? those drawings are excellent!!
If I had a pet, I'd be dipping my hand in my pocket (if I weren't typing, oh and if I had a pet) ;-)

As for prices/market ... I've seen a lot of stalls in markets that sell this sort of thing. You could always pop down to your local market and see if there's one, and see what they charge ... might even be worth asking if you could supply them with some.

[ArtyLady]

MissYC - I have sent you a PM :)

[Speedy Claire]

I think they`re fantastic drawings.. you obv have talent. I think that people are alway looking for ideas for presents and something so personal would be great.

Does this link help?? keep going down the page to the prices for pencil drawings and you could also compare the standard of drawings to your own to give you some idea.

http://www.ukpetportraits.co.uk/Prices.html

[K]

I learnt over the years that most artists are far more critical of their work than their customers. :roll:

Take any advice Lorna (Artylady) offers, this is her living and experience like that you can't knock.

Ebay can be a very good medium when used right. It can give you international exposure at a very small cost - the world suddenly becomes a very small place when you ship your work to Australia!
But how you would generate one-off work... take Lorna's advice on that one. Most of my custom work is generated by stock pieces; people see it and yet have a particualr design or theme in mind and simply ask me if it can be done. It may work in a similar fashion for what you want to do, but Lorna's the best to ask.

For things like shipping costs, you can get prices/weights from the Royal Mail on line and many Staples stores also operate a DHL collection point - so you can get prices there.
Also don't forget to factor in the costs of packaging too. Work out an estimate for standard sizes (A4/3/2 etc) and approximate weights - then either offer this as a guide price or add on a little bit to cover travelling to shops/post office etc and set a standard rate per size.

For frames, again, best ask Lorna - though my simple advice would be find a small reasonably priced range and factor that into your costs. If you can later source them cheaper then you scrape in a few extra quid by not changing your prices.

Whilst working on an hourly rate is a good guide, it's also often the case that you need to keep an eye on the accepted market value too.
Simply put the more established you are the more you can shift your costs to truely reflect your time rather than the general market.

Lastly, and back to my first point, don't underestimate yourself.

[sv-robo]

A quality drawing of me on my bike would be worth paying for.
Have a think of what you think you would charge and I may be interested.

+1
yeah i,d be interested in that to,if you could work out some kind of price range.Enjoy drawing/sketching myself and passed exams on it at school,but have to say you wipe the floor with me.You are one talented lady and i,m sure you could make good money from this.:smt023

[Pedrosa]

Miss Yorkie..I am truly in awe of your talent. Maybe stick to animals and people as from what I have seen the results are often much more impressive.

A good theme could possibly be sports personalities? The Moto GP guys have massive following these days and sort of head and shoulders drawings of them could prove lucrative? Football is another highly popular sport today as well?

I would drop in to as many bike forums as possible and show a couple of examples. Maybe also again tell why your doing this. I am sure the bike peeps would be more than happy to help your cause and receive a great item for them to treasure in return.

Good luck with it as your talent and cause certainly deserve it.

[rpwoodman]

Crikey!
All the ones shown on here are brilliant.

I have problems drawing a pencil (as per the thread title).

Maybe you could approach Grinch and see if he wants to be a life model? Save him suffereing the embarrassment of having his more "artful" photos getting rejected by Boots... :-)

[missyburd]

K: I think Ebay would be a good option in the future perhaps, when my degree is over :cheers: and I can maybe concentrate on it more :mrgreen:

The only thing with an hourly rate is that I'd be worried people would think I was "taking too long", not good! A set price would probably be best and then when I actually get a good idea of how long one will take me with a "deadline", so to speak.

Great advice K thankyou :)

Miss Yorkie..I am truly in awe of your talent. Maybe stick to animals and people as from what I have seen the results are often much more impressive.

A good theme could possibly be sports personalities? Football is another highly popular sport today as well?

I would drop in to as many bike forums as possible and show a couple of examples. Maybe also again tell why your doing this. I am sure the bike peeps would be more than happy to help your cause and receive a great item for them to treasure in return.


I must admit animals are what I prefer and love to draw so I'm guessing I should stick to those! Thanks for the ideas though :)


Thanks for all the help guys, all being taken on board :D



Maybe you could approach Grinch and see if he wants to be a life model? Save him suffereing the embarrassment of having his more "artful" photos getting rejected by Boots... :-)

eeeep! :shock:

[dizzyblonde]

ever done life drawing Maria???? No...best not have grinch as your first subject......he'd put you off for life





only kidding grinchy

[missyburd]

ever done life drawing Maria???? No...best not have grinch as your first subject......he'd put you off for life


:smt043

errrrrm.... I drew yorkie without him realising I was drawing him :mrgreen: does that count??

They do life drawing classes here, I'd have fun but I wouldn't do it regular. I prefer to draw in the comfort of me own room with a nice brew :flower:

[dizzyblonde]

i enjoyed lifedrawing when i was at college. Could pretty much express how you wanted and as big as you like. Seing as though I don't do small anymore....lol



we don't to know about your peeping tom sketches........lol


ere I just had a great way of you earning money for your bike.....be a subject...get paid!!!!

[missyburd]

we don't to know about your peeping tom sketches........lol


ere I just had a great way of you earning money for your bike.....be a subject...get paid!!!!

hardly peeping tom, think he was surfing the org at the time haha.

and me? as a subject? :laughat: no effin way lol.

[Pedro68]

i enjoyed lifedrawing when i was at college. Could pretty much express how you wanted and as big as you like. Seing as though I don't do small anymore....lol
I'm sure the male life models were thankful for that ;-)

[dizzyblonde]

ba da dum tish

[Lozzo]

I did one for yorkie_chris a while back:

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7987/daytona955ito6.jpg

....took me absolutely aaaaaaaages, was actually quite fun but oh so technical and finicky!
.

That's pretty good, but it needs to be all black with a high level carbon race can :)

[Lozzo]

I am also envious of those with an artistic bent, I can barely draw a bath.

[rpwoodman]

Have you eer considered sending your drawings to "Take Hart"?

[missyburd]

Have you eer considered sending your drawings to "Take Hart"?
that something to do with that Tony Hart bloke? :smt017 :-s

[rpwoodman]

that something to do with that Tony Hart bloke? :smt017 :-s

Yes, that's right. You'd get your pic shown, some nice background music, and maybe even Morph would show up. That's got to be pretty tempting?

[missyburd]

Yes, that's right. You'd get your pic shown, some nice background music, and maybe even Morph would show up. That's got to be pretty tempting?

Morph? Tempting indeed :mrgreen: Is that programme even on the box anymore? :confused:

[Mogs]

The National Minimum wage is in the region of ?5.00ph dependent on age. Take this figure as a starting point.

Estimate how long it takes you to finish the job. Add in you consumables, Paper etc.
Then add post and packing and you have an absolute minimum figure, below which it is not economical for you to do.

Your work on just the few examples you have shown us looks to be worth more than MW.

[Pedro68]

Yeah, Morph (http://www.aardman.com/morph/images/morph.jpg) ... and dear old Tony (http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/presenters/hart.jpg) (who is 82 now!!)

Morph was sadly killed in the infamous Aardman Animations factory blaze in 2005, but like Lazarus (and Bobby Ewing, from Dallas) seems to have risen from the dead now!

[missyburd]

Yeah, Morph (http://www.aardman.com/morph/images/morph.jpg) ... and dear old Tony (http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/presenters/hart.jpg) (who is 82 now!!)

Morph was sadly killed in the infamous Aardman Animations factory blaze in 2005, but like Lazarus (and Bobby Ewing, from Dallas) seems to have risen from the dead now!

Morph is a legend :-D what was the other one called?

[dizzyblonde]

Morph is a legend :-D what was the other one called?
he were called Chas......nasty little bugger he was n all

[Pedro68]

he were called Chas......nasty little bugger he was n all
Tony Hart once said in an interview that that question is probably the one that most people ask ... who was Morph's sidekick ... well done u DB for remembering ;-) (or did you Google it? :-P)

[rpwoodman]

Morph? Tempting indeed :mrgreen: Is that programme even on the box anymore? :confused:

I'm not sure if it's on TV any more - I don't watch much TV.

Morph was sadly killed in the infamous Aardman Animations factory blaze in 2005, but like Lazarus (and Bobby Ewing, from Dallas) seems to have risen from the dead now!

Blimey - hope it was quick and he didn't suffer.
I've got his (Tony Hart, not Morph) autograph somewhere - met him at the Cutty Sark when I was about 8-9.

[missyburd]

I'm not sure if it's on TV any more - I don't watch much TV.

Blimey - hope it was quick and he didn't suffer.
I've got his (Tony Hart, not Morph) autograph somewhere - met him at the Cutty Sark when I was about 8-9.

I don't watch much tv either :rolleyes:

Cutty Sark, that's not about any more either, didn't that go the same way - burnt down or something? woops I digress...

[Swiss]

Check out an episode of the morph files. Classic, O the memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoQm5kSiAE0

[rpwoodman]

I don't watch much tv either :rolleyes:

Cutty Sark, that's not about any more either, didn't that go the same way - burnt down or something? woops I digress...

Ahh. sorry, my mistake, I thought you said you were a student? :-D

Sounds like a conspiracy! Or was Morph on the Cutty Sark? Murder (in a Taggart accent)????

[shonadoll]

Those are really really good. I work in a vets, and we have an oil painter who advertises in our window. I don't think he's good, but he charges a lot and people use him.

Seriously, if it's animals you like doing, chat to your local vets and see if they will let you put a card in the window. People go nuts for stuff like this, especially of their particular pet. Best of luck!

[missyburd]

Ahh. sorry, my mistake, I thought you said you were a student? :-D


I am a student, hence why I don't want to fork out for a tv licence :lol: tis a luxury and a half when I go home though!

Those are really really good. I work in a vets, and we have an oil painter who advertises in our window. I don't think he's good, but he charges a lot and people use him.

Seriously, if it's animals you like doing, chat to your local vets and see if they will let you put a card in the window. People go nuts for stuff like this, especially of their particular pet. Best of luck!

Cheers that's a great idea, when I'm a bit more experienced with this kind of business I shall look into that :D

[Well Oiled]

If you can do horses, take some examples to a country/horse fair. we have a friend that does horsey art stuff and she makes a tidy sum. Horsey people have plenty of money and will spend a lot on a nice picture of their daughters's pony.

[missyburd]

If you can do horses, take some examples to a country/horse fair. we have a friend that does horsey art stuff and she makes a tidy sum. Horsey people have plenty of money and will spend a lot on a nice picture of their daughters's pony.

Another valuable idea 8-) thankyou :)

[yorkie_chris]

K: I think Ebay would be a good option in the future perhaps, when my degree is over :cheers: and I can maybe concentrate on it more :mrgreen:

The only thing with an hourly rate is that I'd be worried people would think I was "taking too long", not good! A set price would probably be best and then when I actually get a good idea of how long one will take me with a "deadline", so to speak.


IMO hourly rate isn't good, somethings only worth what someone will pay.

Ebay isn't something you need to spend a lot of time setting up or doing, you can always turn work down.

The National Minimum wage is in the region of ?5.00ph dependent on age. Take this figure as a starting point.

Estimate how long it takes you to finish the job. Add in you consumables, Paper etc.
Then add post and packing and you have an absolute minimum figure, below which it is not economical for you to do.

Your work on just the few examples you have shown us looks to be worth more than MW.

I've worked for far less than minimum wage before now, yes it was largely pointless, but it was for people almost equally as skint, and no other work coming in. Anything was better than nothing at the time.

Go for it babe, just watch out for that nasty taxman :-P

[Warren]

if i were you, id stick a few on ebay, something like a buy it now of 50 quid, for an A4 picture of a pet, motorbike ect ect.

[nikjem]

Enjoyed your art. Art is something that comes from deep in the heart of each artist. It always amazes me when I see a finished product and often wonder if others will see what I see.

[missyburd]

Thanks for looking nikjem :-)