Dr. Balls Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The new guy Dr. Balls is a professional artist,and would like to know if I'm good enough to take the next step.Maybe get a portfolio,and shop my work around.I never thought I would do anything with it you know,just for my own.I have been thinking maybe I could take it to the next level. I sold my work for about 10 years (both digital and traditional), and about two years ago, I kind of stopped after I moved back to Montana from New York City - it is quite a labor intensive endeavor, and after leaving NYC, it just wasn't the same. I've been working in advertising for about 15 years (I work at an agency) and I also teach graphic design at MSU - so that has been my primary focus lately. That ink style I posted up of Poe was a style I developed to sell at horror conventions - as a few years ago, it seemed like people shifted from buying prints, to wanting to buy originals. I needed to come up with something stylish that I could do in about an hour, because I was selling it for a $40-$80 price point. I really like the look of your work and you can see that you have control of the medium, which is something that is needed when you want to start selling. Comic collectors and movie geeks (if that is your target audience) definitely put emphasis on having an original piece - so I would take a look at how you could adapt your style to provide an original piece at a price point that collectors can manage. At least, until you begin to develop a name for yourself. You might think about miniature-izing your portraiture work as a way of doing that. Plus, selling a small piece of art can be marketable in itself, especially to collectors who already have minimal wallspace to show off their work. I did a large show a few years back with Jason D'Aquino and was introduced to his matchbook art. I work with vintage matchbooks from time to time when the inspiration strikes - and I think it's fun and I can tell you that everyone gives a really great reaction to a tiny piece of artwork. Check out his stuff here. I think your work can make the jump to the next level - a guy just needs to plan it out a bit to make sure it's manageable to the point that you're not short-selling yourself and asking too little for something you have too much time into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thank you for your advice,and never even gave any thought to a target audience at all.It was always just for my relaxation/enjoyment,but I do draw alot of movie actors.Really just people that I admire. Here is Albert Einstein. I never finished it,thought it looked good the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dupont2005 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The Hitchcock is awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The matchbook art is really incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The Hitchcock is awesome Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzMan Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The new guy Dr. Balls is a professional artist,and would like to know if I'm good enough to take the next step.Maybe get a portfolio,and shop my work around.I never thought I would do anything with it you know,just for my own.I have been thinking maybe I could take it to the next level. I think your art work is fabulous. As do I. (thumbs u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 The new guy Dr. Balls is a professional artist,and would like to know if I'm good enough to take the next step.Maybe get a portfolio,and shop my work around.I never thought I would do anything with it you know,just for my own.I have been thinking maybe I could take it to the next level. I think your art work is fabulous. As do I. (thumbs u Way too kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aszumilo Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I agree on the Einstein. Looks very cool unfinished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I agree on the Einstein. Looks very cool unfinished. I thought it accentuated the eyes and facial expression. Thank you! (thumbs u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thank you for your advice,and never even gave any thought to a target audience at all.It was always just for my relaxation/enjoyment,but I do draw alot of movie actors.Really just people that I admire. Here is Albert Einstein. I never finished it,thought it looked good the way it is. I agree - and actually, that look right there is very indicative of a style that you could craft as "your own". I think the hardest part of being an artist is the fact there are so many of us out there. Developing something that stands out from the rest is probably the most difficult part of the business. Having an advertising background definitely helped me get my work out there in a way that it was memorable. I also had the fortunate luck of being on the internet starting in 1998 when the field of digital artists was really, really thin. I had a good head start on the trend, and by the time it exploded - my style was known, at least in horror circles. I don't know if you are close to conventions - but I can definitely tell you those places are the best place to try out how your work sells for a minimal investment. For a couple hundred bucks, you can get a table to sell your stuff, mingle and introduce yourself to other established artists. You can also get great ideas of how others are selling and marketing themselves amongst a huge group of people that are, technically, pre-qualified to be at least interested in what you're selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thank you for your advice,and never even gave any thought to a target audience at all.It was always just for my relaxation/enjoyment,but I do draw alot of movie actors.Really just people that I admire. Here is Albert Einstein. I never finished it,thought it looked good the way it is. I agree - and actually, that look right there is very indicative of a style that you could craft as "your own". I think the hardest part of being an artist is the fact there are so many of us out there. Developing something that stands out from the rest is probably the most difficult part of the business. Having an advertising background definitely helped me get my work out there in a way that it was memorable. I also had the fortunate luck of being on the internet starting in 1998 when the field of digital artists was really, really thin. I had a good head start on the trend, and by the time it exploded - my style was known, at least in horror circles. I don't know if you are close to conventions - but I can definitely tell you those places are the best place to try out how your work sells for a minimal investment. For a couple hundred bucks, you can get a table to sell your stuff, mingle and introduce yourself to other established artists. You can also get great ideas of how others are selling and marketing themselves amongst a huge group of people that are, technically, pre-qualified to be at least interested in what you're selling. (thumbs u That's a great idea,should get like a table at small shows.Build a name and reputation,and go from there.Really I do this for the love of the art,whether I establish myself or not it's a win for me.Because someone will appreciate my work on their wall,and that's what it's really about.Thank you Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I agree on the Einstein. Looks very cool unfinished. I thought it accentuated the eyes and facial expression. Thank you! (thumbs u Oakman's art rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Really I do this for the love of the art,whether I establish myself or not it's a win for me.Because someone will appreciate my work on their wall,and that's what it's really about.Thank you Dave That's the best attitude to have when it comes to selling the work. If you get a chance to get to a convention, you'll see how much fun it is to sit and talk to people who enjoy your work - it's a blast. Good luck! Oh, and as for the Artist's Assemble - I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds kinda cool, I'd love to hear more about whatever that is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Really I do this for the love of the art,whether I establish myself or not it's a win for me.Because someone will appreciate my work on their wall,and that's what it's really about.Thank you Dave That's the best attitude to have when it comes to selling the work. If you get a chance to get to a convention, you'll see how much fun it is to sit and talk to people who enjoy your work - it's a blast. Good luck! Oh, and as for the Artist's Assemble - I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds kinda cool, I'd love to hear more about whatever that is! Thank you very much for all your advice.By the way your web site is awesome,really loved the Frankenstein and Vincent Price.Amazing stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I will be doing a commission for a board member,never have done a cover recreation before.There's always a first for everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiceX Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Really I do this for the love of the art,whether I establish myself or not it's a win for me.Because someone will appreciate my work on their wall,and that's what it's really about.Thank you Dave That's the best attitude to have when it comes to selling the work. If you get a chance to get to a convention, you'll see how much fun it is to sit and talk to people who enjoy your work - it's a blast. Good luck! Oh, and as for the Artist's Assemble - I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds kinda cool, I'd love to hear more about whatever that is! Artists Assemble Assignment #1 Link Artists Assemble Vote #1 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #2 Link Artists Assemble Vote #2 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #3 Link Artists Assemble Vote #3 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #4 Link Artists Assemble Vote #4 Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thank you very much for all your advice.By the way your web site is awesome,really loved the Frankenstein and Vincent Price.Amazing stuff. Thanks! My personal favorite is Bride of Frankenstein - I did it early on when I was developing my style. It came out looking great, but I could never recapture the nuances I put into it. Look forward to seeing the cover recreation - be sure to post it here, and I'm looking forward to checking out your impending website! If you're not doing a website, you may look into deviantart.com - a fairly big community of artists with a great online gallery. I think there's others, but I've used that one for years. Talk soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacantpassenger Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Jason here is some of my work,hope you like them. The most recent piece. Holy , Oaky! I didn't know you could draw like this! Amazing! (thumbs u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Artists Assemble Assignment #1 Link Artists Assemble Vote #1 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #2 Link Artists Assemble Vote #2 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #3 Link Artists Assemble Vote #3 Link Artists Assemble Assignment #4 Link Artists Assemble Vote #4 Link Those are great! Definitely in on that, and you give a few days to submit so I should be able to work it around my schedule. I love to draw on assignment, and it looks like everyone has fun doing it. Any idea on when you'll revive it? I'll make sure to not miss it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Thank you very much for all your advice.By the way your web site is awesome,really loved the Frankenstein and Vincent Price.Amazing stuff. Thanks! My personal favorite is Bride of Frankenstein - I did it early on when I was developing my style. It came out looking great, but I could never recapture the nuances I put into it. Look forward to seeing the cover recreation - be sure to post it here, and I'm looking forward to checking out your impending website! If you're not doing a website, you may look into deviantart.com - a fairly big community of artists with a great online gallery. I think there's others, but I've used that one for years. Talk soon! I have checked out the site,love it.I may start a web site,but don't want to get ahead of myself.Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
