A First Pomegranate Painting

First I had to learn how to open this delicious fruit (thanks Martha Stewart), then how to set it up for maximum impact. I want to paint more of these - they're so juicy looking, and absolutely delicious after I was ready to quit.

Marketing: Emerging Artist Tips 2.0

Introduction

• Recently I was contacted by a young, fresh out of art school "artist" who specializes in illustration. I put "artist" in quotes because he's currently working at a Starbucks in New York City and trying to succeed on the side. A hard-working, very talented person who just can't seem to break into the field, and finding that the information given in art school just wasn't enough. 
• Although it's been many years since I've had to start out attempting to become a successful artist, and though the tools have changed, the basic principles remain the same. I'm still marketing all these years later, so I'm going to occasionally post edited versions of the questions asked, along with my responses. 

Q: 

• "I get overwhelmed by how to go about getting clients and remembering who I contacted and when. Things keep falling through the cracks and I feel like there are opportunities I'm missing because of it. How can I get my act together and start to run like a business not a class I just need to pass?"

A:

• You need software or some kind of formal note taking to help you keep track of names, titles, addresses, phone, etc. It's the kind of thing that will tell you what you mailed to someone, and when, so you know when to make a follow-up call to the mailing to see if you can open a door or elicit a response. You MUST keep this updated. You'll be amazed at how quickly people change jobs, titles, cell phone numbers, etc. There is expensive and dedicated software out there to do this, but I have found that just setting up a table in Word or getting a program like Filemaker pro works just as well. 
• Whatever software you get, you have to use it to make it worthwhile! I would force myself to cold call, say, five or ten contacts a week (minimum) unless I was so overwhelmed with work that I wasn't getting any sleep. This is something that I had to do throughout my career. Cold calling and being more extroverted is not fun or easy at first, especially if you're shy and/or reticent. Believe me, I know, as that describes me to a "T". Often, it's the way of artists. For more information, I'll get into how to recognize and deal with this in depth later on.

A sample sheet from 2000 when I was marketing for medical illustration work. Life moves on! Every bit of contact information on this page has long since changed!

A Horse of a Difference Color

The portrait of Wickers is coming along. I'm starting to be satisfied with the masses that have been built up. On the right the labels show where I have concerns and more work to do.

I've grayed some of the areas away from Wicker's face, such as the mane area and lower shoulders and leg. I'm going to add more color into the face to draw more attention.
It's fun to look at the progress:
/catherinetwomeyart/2012/06/wickers-portrait-building-volume.html

Notice also that I've taken the liberty to reduce the size of Wicker's eyelashes. They really are long and beautiful, but cast in the sunlight they made her look like she was sleeping. Artistic license.

Dogs & Cats Around Town Auction

Working on the dog design for the Charlottesville Area SPCA Dogs and Cats Around Town auction in the fall. I kinda like this one.

This pup is going to stand in front of The Happy Cook at Barracks road in Charolottesville, VA for three months before the auction. These are the colors found on some of their plates that I just loved. 


Input welcomed.

Learning By Comparing

Ok, don't jump to conclusions, I am NOT finished with the Wickers portrait on the left! It is, however, slowly getting there, so I thought I'd take a break and show some anatomical landmarks from an actual equine skull, and where they are showing up on the oil painting.

The skull on the right is not Wicker's skull!! She is still alive and happily sleeping since at this moment, here in Virginia it's pretty warm & humid, so the horses are outside grazing overnight and sleeping in their stalls during the day. 

You can see that the skull (right) does not line up perfectly with Wicker's head. For example, Wicker's eye is lower down on her face, whereas her infraorbital foramen is higher. Of course, different ages, sizes and breeds of horses can all influence where features turn up. In addition, there can be anatomic anomalies (see "biology") that get thrown into the mix. 

When you're aiming for accuracy and believability, it helps to identify major bony landmarks to make sure you've included them and to also judge whether or not you are seeing and placing them correctly.

SPCA Charity Auction: Dog Name?

-  Up for a challenge? I am taking part in a fundraiser for the SPCA. They've asked me to use my artistry to paint this large cement hound to be auctioned off in the fall.

- Until then, after it's finished being painted it will stand in front of the Happy Cook on Rt. 29 in Charlottesville.

- But I need a name!!! By tomorrow!! I was going to name her Lady or Queenie, but she's a boy!!! Being a Board Certified Medical Illustrator, I can recognize these things. Anyway, suggestions welcome, in the name of fun and animal charity!!!




- Oh, and I'm not painting the real, very nosy pup behind the statue; that's Moxey.

- Charity: CASPCA; Charlottesville Area Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

- Auction: "Dogs and Cats Around Town"

- CASPCA contactc: Cynthia Viejo