Could this be done as a living? Your views

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almrc

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Just having another day dream moment....

If I ever got a part time job or such, do you think I could do this on top or perhaps even as a living one day? I am not saying I am going to do it at all as I know with like any type of business it is extremely hard, but just wondered your opinions.

I am going to time my next drawing (whenever that will be!) and see roughly how long it takes. Also how much would you pay for an A4 one and an A3 pic?

So yes, all very, very hypothetical indeed as wont happen for a few years or so if at all but thought I would ask!

They are all quite old pics below and I can see loads of stuff I don't like in them. I feel I do improve with every pic, but as I say these are old and only drew them as gifts for family.

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Yes deft inately. I had a picture painted of my Mum's first homebred mare (now 19) as a present a couple of years ago. I think I paid something like £160.

Yours are super so don't waste the talent!!
 
The trouble is, I need to believe in myself more as I dont....I have got a lot of lovely comments, but it just kind of goes over my head :(
 
I did them from photos. I like to sit in the field and do sketches but prefer pics as I like getting a lot of detail in...of course the first thing is to perfect the shape of the horse in the drawing! I hate seeing drawings of horses that are nicely coloured yet their heads are out of proportion or something funny
 
I think it depends on how much of the animal you are drawing that you 'capture'. We have some amazing photos that a friend took, which absolutely represents the character of the horses he photographed, much more than some I have taken myself. If your drawings do that then I think you most certainly could make a living at it.
 
Everyone says how they look like the horse and how its captured, my friends dog sadly died and a year later I drew it. She cried and the lady in the framing shop said how it was captured so good and that it is one of the best she has ever seen and she is always being asked for good pet artists.

I do like hearing stuff like this but as I say for some reason I have little faith in myself and dont really believe it...which is why I thought I would ask you all!
 
Hi

Your drawings are excellant very detailed. where are you based? I am looking to get a drawing done as a christmas present for a friend.

I got one done before (can't remember the ladies name for a large one bigger then A3 paid £260 for it) you certainly can make a business of it.
 
From one artist to another... Of course you can!!

Get some adverts out locally, tack shops, farm shops, wholesaler, big liveries.... You can advertise in these places for free. You are very good at capturing detail, my friends horse was recently pts and I know she would love a full painting of her horse enjoying the better days.

You have nothing to lose and possibly alot to gain. Go for it
 
I love the first picture and you obviously have a talent that should not be wasted. Why not try and buld up a portfolio of your work showing not just horses but other pets too. You could find out about a website to show case your work. I think if you got a few commissions under your belt you would build a reputation and gain further work by word of mouth.
Have a look at similar work and see what they charge. Make up a few adverts and get them into your local tack /feed /pet shops. Christmas is coming and that may kick start a few orders. Good luck.
 
You have a real talent and your work is very good.

Could you advertise online so people post photos to you? Look around on other artists websites and see how much they charge and time scales involved so it gives you an idea of how much you can earn.

Get some posters made and post them out to yards in your area...perhaps do a couple of small ones half price or free to get a name for yourself. I would have thought this sort of thing is based on word of mouth and reputation.

Give it a go, you have nothing to lose and this time next year you could be a millionaire ;)
 
Thank you all, I am glad you like them, I just dont think I am that good though! I just dont think people would buy them.

I have done a dog picture before and more than I have shown you but not for a long time. I need to draw and clour a picture to see how long it takes before I can see about prices etc as all I do know is they take a very long time
 
wilsha said:
maybe if you did them quite quickly you could do portraits at shows
Click to expand...

I could do pencil outline drawings quickly with no shading, But anymore would take aggggggggggggges

I think I do need to build up my portfolio. Maybe I could experiment and do some sketches of horses in pencil, outline only and also pen and ink?

I'll call upon some of you if I decide to do that
 
Wow! You could certainly sell them! Just showed them to my OH who's not horsey but was very impressed. He builds websites and said if you'd like an online portfolio to showcase them or sell from either now or in the future he's be happy to do one for you as you've obviously got talent.
PM me if you'd like som more info? x
 
I used to be an illustrator & made a living from that, but it wasn't easy, as being self employed, I never knew where the next job was coming from. Some times I'd be snowed under & at other times had no work.

To supplement your income I'm sure you could sell your portraits. I now do a few each year, but I can't really charge a living wage as they take ages to do. I charge around £150 for an animal portrait with no background scenery. I usually get them framed for the customer & charge at cost for that on top. This can mean a framed portrait costing around £200, which is quite an outlay from a customer's point of view.

Once you get a few under your belt, word of mouth seems to be the best form of advertising. Take copies of your work & keep a portfolio. Also try & put it up on a website.

Good luck, you definitely have talent. :)
 
You could easily make a living doing that - one of my friends who I did my MSc with has never had a proper job, she just sells her drawings and paintings. She does commissions (OH had a lovely oil painting done of my horse for me) but also just paints other wildlife she photographs. She has been lucky enough to go to exotic places to photo lions etc, but might give you an idea? She sells loads on ebay, and has quite a few regular buyers from america and all over :)

http://sarahstribbling.com/

Just to give you an idea of what you could set up :)
 
WOW SF those drawings are amazing. See I dont think mine are anywhere as near as good as them. I just feel they are not good enough to make a living from, or perhaps a part time living from? I dont know
 
Yours are great! Confidence comes from experience, just keep doing them, the more you do the more confident you'll become. What do you have to lose? :)
 
I dont know :( those pictures though look so much better than mine. I might have to get my pencils out and start doing some sketches...
 
I think they're great. You'd easily sell them. It sounds like you just need to get some confidence!

My friend sells hers as a sideline. She asked the local riding centre if she could put some up in their cafe - which gave them nice decorations, and sold some for her. She gave one to a local RC and PC as a raffle prize - so everyone saw how good they were - she got some bookings from that. She asked to display some of them at a local RC show. She had prints of some of them made into cards, which the local tack and craft shows sell for her (they bought so many to sell).

Go for it. You've nothing to lose by trying...xx
 
wow they are amazing! i just glanced at the first one & thought it was a photo & thought i would see your drawing underneath! wow!
 
It is possible to make a living as an artist but it is very difficult to make enough to live off.

My husband is a full time professional artist who does horse portraits amongst other things. His website is www.mark-langley.com if you want a look.

He has been selling his drawings for about ten years now and has only recently given up his day job. Expanding the business and all the expenses of running a business quickly eat up all the money that comes in it isn't a business that makes people rich (unless you happen to be Damien Hurst or Jack Vettriano) art is a luxury high budget non-essential.

It is a very competitive thing to get into, there are lots of animal artists out there. It is easy to find buyers for cheap portraits but when you price your work in a way to make it a viable business this vastly increases the price and reduces the market. Look around at what else is available and at what price, critically appraise your work and compare it to established artists. Google Mary Herbet or Bridget Anne Smart for some other good animal artists who are making a living selling their work, and compare what you can offer. Work out how you would have to price your work to sell it at a profit, and then consider whether this will ever be a business for you.

An awful lot of artists start as hobby artists, selling a few pictures for pocket money and then plough big money into "making their name" and going to lots of shows. Sadly many of them do a year or two on the circuit before going back to regular employment, having lost a lot of money spent on show plots. You need to do your homework and work out the costs first.

Bear in mind that while you will get word of mouth when you start out you will exhaust friends, family and friends of friends pretty quickly. You need a plan of where to get business from after that. Advertising costs money - lots of it, and that cost needs to be incorporated into the costs of your pictures.

Personally, I'm not an artist but as I spend an awful lot of time at shows an exhibitions I see a lot of animal art and I think you need to do a lot more practice and development before your work is at a stage where you are going to be able to make a good business out of it. Sorry, I don't want to be harsh and it is only my opinion.
 
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