Recently a friend of mine asked if I would paint a portrait of her.
Portraits are fun because I have to meet the challenge to create art that not only looks like that person, but also portrays their personality. Unfortunately, this friend and I weren't close enough in highschool for me to really get to know her personality, I just decided to go with the flow. Meaning I went crazy on it.
Vivian: Portrait of a Friend by ~SarahSlam on deviantART
But before I even painted her portrait she asked how much the original would be....
I was conflicted. I hate asking people for money. I hate even more trying to evaluate my worth in a fair way that the other person can appreciate. Yeah sure you can go to Hobby Lobby right now and buy a pretty art PRINT for 50% off, but you're lucky to be able to afford the original Starry Night by Van Gogh.
Ok, I'm not comparing myself to Van Gogh, I happen to think I look better with two ears.
I'm just curious of how much I should sell my original portraits for. I don't make commercial art that the guy on the corner can do for half the price. I literally pour my soul into my work...
Ok, now I'm rambling. I've searched for opinions but as everyone knows everyone has an opinion and they usually conflict one after the other.
So, what's your opinion? How much would you be willing to pay for an original of your portrait?
Oh, and another slight problem is after I make one friend's portrait, three more friends want one. How do I tell them, "Do you have Paypal?" I think one friend was hurt after I told her I would sell it to her. I'm unemployed and my dream career is to be an artist (isn't everyone's?) so is it smart to give out free portraits, maybe gain popularity, or should I make profit from my friends as I go?
No comments:
Post a Comment