David, thank you for saying that. I have always wished for the ability to paint in a more artistic fashion, rather than just be a human mimeograph. Too often, (okay, always) I feel as though I have an ability to draw, but not much artistic talent.

So, this makes me feel as though I've made at least a little progress towards my goal. Thank you.

Thanks, too, Michele and Janet.

Cindy, I have looked at this several times before commenting. It is stunning. She looks like an angel, but the more i look at it, I see you also captured a look in her eyes that hints at the imp inside. I'm a fan!

This is absolutely adorable. Excellent portrait. Congratulations.

Cindy, I remember your first struggles with the little ballerina, this is such a leap from where you were a few years ago! She is just delightful and beautifully painted.

Jean

Thanks so much, Richard, Janel, and Jean.

Cindy,
Let me add my wow to everyone else's

W O W ! ! ! ! ! :exclamati

What size is this portrait. Gosh, I really, really enjoy looking at this.

Thanks, Pat. It's 24" x 36". It's amazing how much paint you need to cover that sized canvas...

Sharon, this isn't a commission. I hired Sam (well, sort of - I gave her a stuffed bear as a thank-you) to sit for me, in order to have a full-figure sample piece.

Now I'm planning my shameless self-promotion. Here's what I've come up with so far:

The gallery that represents me has the painting hanging in their front window. I will go in and paint live in the gallery (something I've done a couple of times) for two weekends at the end of March.

I'm gearing all my ads and flyers towards Mother's day and graduation - sort of a "better hurry and get yours now while there's still time."

The hook to get people in and get them interested: I'm raffling a custom pet portrait - tickets are $10 each, and the proceeds all go to my local animal shelter. Consequently, the local paper will also run a feature story on the event (in addition to my paid ads.)

Ironically, the parents are desperate to buy the painting now, but they'll have to wait. I've been invited to exhibit it in a local show in May.

So, I have the ballerina, and I have THIS ONE that I will borrow from the owner to display. The question is - what sort of portrait should I paint as a demo in the gallery?

A teenage boy? A grown woman? A girl in a graduation gown? Anyone have any suggestions?

Cindy, what about a boy? He could be a teenager or a little boy. You already have two girls, so someone is predictably going to ask whether you paint males also!

The main thing is figuring out who you are targeting and what kind of portraits they are most likely to commission. My intuition tells me you shouldn't try to hit too many markets at once. If you paint a man, it shows your versatility, but most (?) portraits of men seem to be job-related. So you would be hitting another market. Not that you can't do it, but people like to focus on one thing at once and you are trying to put ideas in their heads.

Two thirds of the portrait market is kids under 10. I would paint a little boy, wearing a white polo shirt. If you can pose him outdoors, so much the better.

Thanks Alex and Michele. A boy it is. I happen to have one handy - but, he HATES shirts with collars, so I'll have to pay him handsomely to wear one.

I appreciate the input.