I Made A Thing

Elie

Eleanor said:

The bunnythings are adoorable!

Man, I've been thinking about maille lately, I saw a thing where a girl was crocheting with those scale links you can get and I totally want to make a dicebag... but I should finish the eleventybillion other things I have on my plate first.

Incidentally I'd be up for getting a maille thing done for realbucks. I'll think on what I want and PM you about it, here or etsy or something?

Definitely! This is my favorite site for figuring out new things to work on - they have great tutorials and it's kind of mind-boggling how many ways you can string rings together.

Teani

That's a huge thing, @Eleanor, but I'm sure it's going to look awesome!

I prepared this piece of stretched canvas on a homemade frame today. It's going up on my living room wall and is 1,5 X 1 meters. Not quite as big as your thing, but still big. I'll get back to you all once I've actually put some art on it.

Elie

Oh god that is so intimidating! I would be terrified of it.

Kaleigh

We've got a lot of crafty people! Love it!
Here's my contribution. Its a cross-stitched image that will be framed (in the next few days). Made as a wedding gift for a friend. 

(Hopefully the image works!!) 

Edit: It didn't. But I fixed it! The picture is really distorted, I blame cellphone cameras. Just doesn't do it any justice  

Elie

That's lovely! I don't know how anyone manages to do things with cross-stitch that don't look like you drew it on an Etch-a-sketch. >.>

Eleanor

Wao Teani, that's big. What genre of thing have you got planned for it? More of the florals like those other paintings, or something else?

I saw a super neato abstract done on a large scale like that once, it was oil paints that the artist had pushed around on the canvas using aerosol paint. Had a really fantastic dreamlike nebula appearance going on.

@Kaleigh, that's really nice! I have a colleague who does needlework too and I cannot get my head around that kind of precision.

Here's my crafty project for the day. Converted an old canvas into a frame and now I'm using up bits of scrap yarn.

Teani

It's going to be quite clean and simplistic, @Eleanor, a tree on a cliff in gray scale. I've started on it and here's how far I've come. It's mostly outline stuff.

Eleanor

My mother's birthday present! I had to wait to give it to her before I could instagram it because she follows me.

Also lookin' good Teani! Do you have a sketched plan, or are you just winging it?

Teani

Only a general idea, so mostly winging it. It's my therapy work right now, to keep my thoughts together. Should be working on essay, but... Meh.

Rashar

I wish I could draw like that.

Or paint, or whatever. You know what I mean.

Eleanor

Hnnngh you triggered my art teaching rant. You can draw like that, if you want it badly enough to put the time and effort in!

In other news, the good thing about having handicraft ADD is, there's almost always a project that's nearly finished. I just finished the cuff on these slippers.

They're a bit inelegant, but they're mad fkn comfy!

Ishin

I think that maybe I just lost the patience to draw, @Eleanor. I used to be able to from like middle school on up to post-highschool. Then I joined the Marines and it seems like it just went poof and ninja vanished on me.

I'm sure we all know what a patient and calm person I am now lol.

(If I kill a deer with my bow, can I post a picture here, or does that not count as an 'I made a thing'? >.>)

Eleanor

Make something with the antlers!

Aishia

Eat his heart and steal his strength. Paint your skin with his lifeblood.

Aarbrok

We call that "Pulling a @Slyphe‌ "

Teani

I finished my HUGE painting. Tell me what you think of it! The picture doesn't quite do it justice though, as some of the details can't be seen in the shadows.

Here it is again, mounted on the wall just to give you an idea of how large it is!

Aryanne

My first thought was: "How did you make that so quickly?! Didn't you just start?!" (Aka - awesome job!)

Oleis

Teani said:

I finished my HUGE painting. Tell me what you think of it! The picture doesn't quite do it justice though, as some of the details can't be seen in the shadows.

So when are you starting to sell those? I don't care how much the international shipping costs.

Teani

Heh, you want one in that size, @Oleis? I mean, if you're actually serious, I believe I could pull off making something similar for you.

Oh, and it would be good to know what you'd be willing to pay, excluding shipping. <.<

Elie

That is gorgeous, @Teani! Incredibly restrained and dramatic.

Gwenith

For international postage/delivery it's usually better to get the canvas stretched when it arrives. Cuts down on costs and greatly reduces the chances of it being damaged if it's rolled in a poster tube -taps nose-

Teani

Certainly is, @Gwenith. However, it's more tricky to actually paint when it's not stretched up on a frame. I wonder if I can construct something that will allow me to have it stretched up (regardless of size) while I paint without having to secure it to a frame... I'm kind of on a tight budget.

Gwenith

Forgot to ask! What media? Waters, oils or acrylics?

Teani

Acrylics.

Gwenith

A big dining room table or coffee table does good, depending on preference of height. I guess that depends if your use to painting vertically or horizontally.

- If you're use to vertical, getting a pdf board of the size you want and staple it over it like its stretched.

- If horizontal, make sure you mark out your paint area with special tape that doesn't leave residue. Make sure you have a lot of canvas around the edge.

-If you are worried about the paint cracking/stretching/getting distorted 1) investigate getting a qood quality paint/canvas 2) don't go thick. Water down your paint and do many layers instead of one or to heavy layers.

-Don't roll to tight when packing. Roll up a poster, roll the canvas around that. And roll the picture itself inside.

Good luck!
(Advice from my Mother)

Teani

Does she have any advice on pricing too? I don't want to sell myself short or overprice.

Oh, and I've prepared another canvas on my dinner table. I went to a Gallery and the guy seemed to be interested in viewing some of my pieces and perhaps offer an evaluation! I thought I'd bring another piece similar to the one I just finished.

Gwenith

Set a per hour fee, and keep track of materials and never charge below that. A common mistake emerging artosts make is overcharging. If you're a nobody and you have no base its best to go low, get people buying your paintings and becoming fans. If you charge to much when people are getting to know you they get turned off and probably will never consider checking prices again no matter how good you get or how low you drop.

Galleries are good to hang pieces for publicity but remember they usually take huge chunks for commissions which you'll have to factor in. If you do hang she recommends leaving details with the gallery how people can contact you for 'commissions' (really just showing off more of your work and if they buy something 100% goes to you.

Start up a website and put everything on it! Online, free gallery for yourself. It's one of Mum's biggest regrets she did document all the paintings she has done because she'll have people coming up and saying "Oh I loved this painting you did blah blah blah." That was five years ago... She's done maybe four hundred paintings since then... She has no idea what you're talking about.

Edit: Have you considered entering competitions? Its one of the best way to get publicity and maybe a bit of cash on the side for your efforts. Example : Local art competition mum enters every year. Everyone ohs and ahs over her work, she gets a bit of prize money (depending on what awards she might get $2000 - $10000), then she usuall sells the two things she submits (an extra $1600).

Eleanor

You know, I would pick undercharging as more of the problem than overcharging. Most artists I know are pretty shy and undervalue themselves anyway, and they end up charging way less than they deserve to get for an artwork. It's more important if you're intending to make a living off it, of course; when I have exhibitions I charge low because I'm in it for fun, not to make ludicrous bank. I also charge under what my time is worth for my online things, but again, it's more because I enjoy it and have a job so I don't have to pay rent with it.

In other news, I needed something for Nico to have some traction on in the warmer months when I can't wear gloves for him to grip, so here's the solution:

Gwenith

!! What's wrong with his feet?

Eleanor

Nothing at all! It's just skin doesn't have a great deal of grip, especially since his claws are a little blunt. I'm not holding his feet in that picture, incidentally, they're just behind my thumb. But yeah, it helps if he has something to hook his claws around, hence the lace gloves.