Negotiations for paintings

Posted on October 21, 2020October 21, 2020 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged A fair rate?, Acrylic or watercolour, Art, Commission, Group portrait, Life, Painting, Portrait, Should I question this?, What should I do?17 Comments

I’ve recently been commissioned to do a large family portrait for a friend of a friend, but I’m concerned about what they want to pay for it? They also sent me a great many photos in different conditions with lots of different groups of people on them. The problem is I can’t make a coherent image or composition using them.

I replied ‘That’s twelve portraits for £50?, it would have to be a small painting or a watercolour. Please can you choose the best photos that I can work from. I will do it but it will take a while. Possibly a couple of hours per portrait which works out at a cost of £4 per portrait or £2 per hour. I would normally charge £50 (normally £60) for one portrait, but I understand you might not be able to afford any more and I don’t want to ask too much. I want to do a good job for you and as you have already got a couple of my paintings I will consider only asking for a small amount for the painting. But please can you choose the twelve images you prefer as then I won’t get it wrong. “

I want to paint for people, but I don’t think they realise the work that goes into things. I would Never overcharge, but on the other hand I’d like to be paid at least the minimum wage for it!

How would you respond? Should I have questioned the request or refused it?

Note * I’m now just doing a very small painting, but I do wish people understood how hard it is to paint something like this, it’s not a snap!

Today’s #bandofsketchers sketch

Posted on October 20, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged #bandofsketchers, Art, Black and white, Drawing, Hand, Life, Pen and ink, Prompt, Sketch6 Comments

Today’s prompt for #bandofsketchers was a drawing of a body part, so I chose to draw my hand, drawing the sketch! I’ve seen other drawings where a person has drawn their hand and a sketch pad balanced on their crossed legs. Adding the shadow of my pen and my hand on the sketchbook to try and indicate this is a sketch, also not completing the line at the base of the box. When I do a sketch like this I have to try and think logically about how it works, what it’s meant to indicate and whether I need to include all the details or if I can leave some more sketchy.

Stressed

Posted on October 19, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Concern, Email, Fear, Life, Logging in, Passwords, Security, Shoulders, tension4 Comments

Oh hell!

I feel so stressed. I had a message a month ago from my Internet service provider that they were no longer supporting other applications that could be used to pick u your email. I thought a) it might be a scam, or b) it wasn’t that important. But speaking to a friend I realised I did need to sort it out. But when I tried today I couldn’t get it to accept my password? Why? I tried an old password, still no. And it kept saying it was sending a verification code to my land-line. So I needed to add my mobile number somehow!? Hair pulling ensued? What! I looked at my old password ( I know I shouldn’t write it down), and underneath the old password in tiny writing was another one. Could it be? Yes! Now what? Give us another email address to recover you email to. OK I could do that. Then find my email application and copy and paste a one off password (which I’ve made sure I wrote down)….

Done!

Suddenly a lot of the tension in my shoulders has dissipated. The fear that has been building up for weeks has reduced. All I can say is, that was very complicated and I hope I never have to do it again!

Posted on October 19, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Art, Autumn, Autumn colours, Colours, Fun, Layout app, Leaves, Life, PhotosLeave a comment

Doing my usual trick of multiplying photos makes these abstract patterns. I love the spectacular autumn colours. Ot as brash and gaudy as the trees over in the USA. I like the subtlety of our trees. Perhaps we don’t have the right climate conditions to bring out very bright colours except in Acers, or maybe we have different trees? Anyway I hope you enjoy these fun patterns.

Country View

Posted on October 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Autumn hues, Close by, Countryside, Geography, Landscape, Life, Not urban sprawl, Photo, River TrentLeave a comment

Over there, beyond the houses, that’s how close the countryside is to this city. Wooded hills and farmers fields, the river Trent lies in that valley. Its the beginning of a great river that eventually empties out on the East Side of England near the mouth of the Humber after meandering through Nottinghamshire and I think Lincolnshire.

Our city does not sit in a conurbation. Its not surrounded by other towns in a massive urban sprawl. Yes there are towns nearby, but the gaps between them have not been filled in by housing and industrial development yet.

No great mountains or rolling plains nearby, but a gentle green land eventually leading to Welsh hills in one direction, or the flat lands of the East. The industrial Midlands South of us and the Peaks of Derbyshire in the North East and the Lancashire coast to the North West. A small geography lesson.

Pigeon coo

Posted on October 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Crumbling, Derelict, Life, Old building, Photo, Pigeon, Road, Sad, WalkLeave a comment

A bit of a dismal perch, above an old shop front. A derelict building with space for feral pigeons. I suppose it was just keeping away from the traffic and the car fumes, there has been a lot more road traffic over the last few days.

This was taken during my walk this afternoon. The sky was overcast and just about warm enough not to get chilled. Urban walking isn’t much fun but at least it is exercise.

Autumn drawing

Posted on October 18, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged #band of sketchers, Art, Colours, Drawing, Fun, Leaves, Life, Top of the stairs, Top windowLeave a comment

I just drew this, it started to get dark but it’s our little acer tree under the Walnut tree, also willow branches, Holly and buddlea.. The view is out of our side window at the top of the stairs. The acer turns deep red and orange and the walnut is starting to go yellow. The Holly is deep green but by the time I got to it, it was going really dark so that part was drawn even more quickly than the rest. This was for our #bandofsketchers prompt today ‘autumn’ the buddlea was also quickly sketched.

In front of the house

Posted on October 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Colours, Covid, Gardening, House front, In front, Life, Masks, Nasturtiums, Pavement, Plants, Road6 Comments

Nasturtium with varigated leaves and other plants that are in front of the house. The only problem is the litter that blows about outside. Now I wear gloves or pick it up in a plastic bag to dispose of it.

Today I saw several discarded marks just lying on the pavement mixed with the fallen leaves. How horrible that people won’t take care of the place they live in. I hate the way they take no responsibility for their environment.

Our plants out the front are doing well although I’ve seen people through the front window, stopping when walking their dogs, no doubt to pee on the plants! Still I’m glad we grow them…

Tired

Posted on October 18, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Covid, Healing, Ill, Life, Pandemic blues, Stress, Time, Tired, Worry2 Comments

A month of tonsillitis has knocked me sideways, it’s making my ears whoosh! I am sort of over it but it keeps coming back. I’m trying to ignore it. I think I’m just run down from stress from worry because of covid19. I think it’s just a matter of time before I get over it, but I’m tense and it weighs on me. I’m not the most traveled person in the world, but when you’re not allowed to go to places like visiting relatives. Then it’s hard to feel happy. Oh well. Another day done, another day closer to the end of this damn pandemic I suppose.

Hanging basket

Posted on October 17, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bee friendly, Colours, Environment, Flowers, Garden, Gardening, Hanging baskets, Life, Nature, Nursery plants, Plants, ShedLeave a comment

It’s mid October and the baskets just keep flowering. This ones on the garden shed, another sheltered spot. I would recommend ordering them from a small nursery or farm, they generally end up filled with more and different flowers that have matured more by the time you get them. I usually ask for lots of colour and the lady that plants them up will put in lobelia, begonias, fushias, trailing petunias, and other flowers I can’t remember the names of. Then we fill our own baskets with pelagoniums, small sunflowers and trailing tomato plants (this year). I hang baskets one below another. Then set up pots on the wall and the ground. Finally we’ve grown a few, like this one, on the shed. Those have had nasturtium seeds put in them and have given a lovely late flowering display. In all the sadness of this year they have given me great joy.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life