I found time to finish the Gulls this afternoon ... I have 8 ready to mount and frame.
They are quite 'basic' but the whole idea was to keep them simple so they were fast to produce and can be offered for lower than normal rates at the Exhibition I'll be participating in over the Easter week. The Gallery is in my home town of Whitstable (which is a seaside town) so I'm hoping these might attract buyers looking for 'topical' work.
I will have some dogs/cats/humans in the exhibition as a back-up but I found they didn't sell well at the last couple of shows ... all depends on the visitor and footfall though
David asked why I haven't drawn a 'pair' of gulls, or several 'pairs' of gulls as that's how we see them most often on the roof of our neighbour's house having noisy conversations with each other - but I've had my fill of gulls for now and also my fingertips are very sore from blending pastel into the sanded paper (my own fault but I do it every time I use Fisher 400 paper and I never learn)!!
These are the pictures with a mount/frame just laid over the top to show how they look. I still need to sign the pictures but will wait for a couple of days in case I decide to do a little more tweaking first
By the way, if anyone has trouble seeing these photos (are they too large)? please let me know. I know Jan can see them with no problem but I'm never sure whether to leave the size as Large or Extra Large - 'Original Size' option is too big for my layout and overlaps the borders. These are all 'Extra Large'
Thanks
Sue
They are quite 'basic' but the whole idea was to keep them simple so they were fast to produce and can be offered for lower than normal rates at the Exhibition I'll be participating in over the Easter week. The Gallery is in my home town of Whitstable (which is a seaside town) so I'm hoping these might attract buyers looking for 'topical' work.
I will have some dogs/cats/humans in the exhibition as a back-up but I found they didn't sell well at the last couple of shows ... all depends on the visitor and footfall though
David asked why I haven't drawn a 'pair' of gulls, or several 'pairs' of gulls as that's how we see them most often on the roof of our neighbour's house having noisy conversations with each other - but I've had my fill of gulls for now and also my fingertips are very sore from blending pastel into the sanded paper (my own fault but I do it every time I use Fisher 400 paper and I never learn)!!
These are the pictures with a mount/frame just laid over the top to show how they look. I still need to sign the pictures but will wait for a couple of days in case I decide to do a little more tweaking first
By the way, if anyone has trouble seeing these photos (are they too large)? please let me know. I know Jan can see them with no problem but I'm never sure whether to leave the size as Large or Extra Large - 'Original Size' option is too big for my layout and overlaps the borders. These are all 'Extra Large'
Thanks
Sue
They are gorgeous, Sue! Each and every one. Good luck at your upcoming show!
ReplyDeleteThe size is fine Sue. What a lot of gulls. They are so very typical though.
ReplyDeleteHope they go as well as you think they will.
Hi Sherry - great to see you Blogging again (I've just found your new page).
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo. I have no idea if they'll be popular/sell but the 'cute' animals haven't done well recently (they win the 'popularity' awards but don't sell). Its a bit of a gamble - I just need to one or two sales to cover costs and I'll be happy. I wish I could do more illustrative artwork - fat ladies in bathing suits on the beach or postcard stuff ... but it just isn't me!
Yes, I can see them just fine and if the image is clicked on, it appears even larger, to me at least.
ReplyDeleteVery well done, Sue! I would think these would be great sellers since Whitstable is a coastal resort town. I know these would sell quickly on our coast to those who have holiday/vacation homes or rentals. Since you started with one gull, I think it makes sense to paint one in different poses as you have done. Take care of your fingers and do the pairs next year! lol
Thanks Jan. They've been put to one side today whilst I get on with other stuff. We're out tomorrow for most of the day so will get back to work on them on Thursday although I think I'll probably just sign and frame them. If I start 'tweaking' I'll end up spending hours on them which isn't the idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm supposed to be writing a short article for the UKCPS magazine so need to concentrate on that now.
Suex
they look great! :D I like the style of the outline on the birds and the size you posted is fine. lets people see the detail and blending easier :)
ReplyDeleteWhat fun Sue, these are lovely. Pleased (not the right word but you know what I mean) that I am not the only one who cant sell animals. The public are a fickle lot, lots of "WOW! this is stunning" type comments but no sales. I wish you luck with these guys.
ReplyDeleteI am using the opposite ploy, I am doubling my prices for the Bath And West show, in the hopes that the public will think that if it's expensive it must be good. I will let you know if it works ;-)
Look forward to hearing how/if that helps Bev! Its so difficult to know what to hang isn't it? I've sold 'Indian portraits' and wildlife pictures at various shows but with no consistency .... this is a bit of a punt so hope it doesn't backfire on me. I really don't want to go back onto the commission treadmill as was getting very stressed out in the end.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeletetalk about personality :)
ReplyDelete