An honest assessment - Page 2

Lacey Lewis · 07-03-2005, 12:44 PM

I think I already spend an hour or two per day reading through the forum

or going through links I find on the forum. The rest of the time I am looking through library books. I get books on the masters and books on technique, though I think I've gone through all the books on technique that are of any value (picked up Chris Saper's book a few times!) that are in the library's collection. Now I am looking at the books reccomended here and there on the forum and looking for books and videos by my favorite living artists and am going to start buying. (Will take reccomendations, as well!) Hopefully in the near-ish future I will be able to travel for workshops, too.

I am very glad that I chose to dedicate myself to what I love, even though it takes sacrafice financially.

Anthony Emmolo · 07-03-2005, 06:33 PM

Hello Lacey,

I think your work shows great possibility. Good luck. As to your web site, I believe some of the links that you provide hurt your reputation as a serious professional. Although he is your uncle, I'd take out the link to your uncle's rock band for two reasons:

1- It isn't related to your art in any way that I can see, although I may be wrong.

2- Too many "F" words. The anger expressed in the web page is completely not in agreement with the rest of your artwork. I believe it also makes you look less professional.

Good luck,
Anthony

Lacey Lewis · 07-03-2005, 06:41 PM

Thanks, Anthony!

Yes, I agree about the links and such. When I started the web site, I was mostly using it for friends and family. I moved to Kansas from Upstate NY and was trying to keep them up on what I was doing. I am asking for this assessment because I feel ready to begin the transformation into the professional world, but needed the outside opinions first.

It may take a while, but I'll post a link here after the metamorphosis!

Anthony Emmolo · 07-03-2005, 06:48 PM

Good luck Lacey,
You'll do well.
Anthony

Lacey Lewis · 07-31-2005, 11:22 PM

Hi again!

I am in the middle of creating a new website just for my portraits and figurative work and am looking forward to my new, serious, professional style.

I thought that I would continue in this thread with further questions about the price list, although if need be it can be moved to a new thread. I am trying to figure out a reasonable price difference between mediums, sizes, and amount of the subject included. I want to use that $1,000 as the base price for a head in shoulders in oil, as sugested. But I want to make sure that my increments for including more of the subject aren't too wide or too narrow. I'd rather price on the amount of subject included as opposed to canvas size. Here's a wild guess for oils:

Head and shoulders: 11 x 14 to 16 x 20: starting at $1,000
Half Length with Hands: 20 x 24 to 24 x 30: starting at $2,000
Full Length: starting at $3,000

I don't know if doubling the price for moving up to a half length is reasonable or not. Input please?

As for pastels, should I price them at about 1/2 of the oils, or closer to 3/4 of oils? I've seen a variety of ranges when I've looked around others' sites. What about pencils, charcoals, or other monochromes? I want them to be affordable, but I don't want to price them so low that they seem worthless. Maybe $150-200 for an 8x10 to 11x14?

Any advice or opinions appreciated.

Alexandra Tyng · 08-04-2005, 09:27 PM

Hi Lacey,

I've really enjoyed seeing your works in progress--and finished works--on the forum, most recently your fascinating self-portrait. I just checked out your website and I think it is very well-designed and it showcases your work very well! Michele's advice on how to improve it was right-on!

I agree about the prices for oils. $1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 sound reasonable to me. I'm not sure about the graphite and pastel work because I don't sell any myself. $100 might be a little low for a pastel but I'm not sure. It seems to me that a lot of people would want your work and will commission you.

I keep thinking about what an art consultant told me about 10 years ago. She said, "You really should raise your prices for your portraits. If you keep them too low, you are not only undercutting your own business, you are undercutting other portrait painters' business." That really stuck in my head: the idea that I could actually not only hurt myself (by not valuing my work enough) but hurting others, both by taking business away from them, unintentionally of course, because of my lack of awareness of the market; and by lowering the bar on how much people expect to pay for a certain level of work.

Off to a great start!

Alex

Lacey Lewis · 08-04-2005, 10:15 PM

Thanks for the reply and wonderful advice, Alexandra.

I was all set and ready to post my oils starting at $1,000 but then my husband suggested that I start at $500 until I get one or two commissions at that level and then raise my prices by the beginning of the year. It's so stressfull! I keep arguing with myself about what I should post on my site, I mean I haven't afterall, yet added the 6 new works. But I don't want prospectives to devalue my work, either.

I definately do not want to devalue art and bring the overall market value down! The advice you quoted from an art consultant gives me something to think about as I am going through this.

Just as I was typing this, I thought about a guy I just e-mailed about exhibiting my work in his bookstore/gallery and what his reaction would be to my prices. So I raised them all to be between starting at $500 and starting at $1,000. I feel better now, but my head is still spinning!

I'l let you know what my thoughts are once I straighten my head out. Maybe I'll slowly raise until the beginning of the year or when I have added 5 more works, whichever comes first. Hmm...

Brenda Ellis · 08-05-2005, 09:18 AM

Here's my thinking:

I don't want to bring the perceived value of oil portraits down by charging too little. But then, I'm not a seasoned professional either.

I've decided to charge $500 for a head and shoulders portrait and go up from there for full body or backgrounds.
I have made peace with raising my prices from the advice I got from Cindy Procious who suggested that by raising my prices, those folks who already have work by me have somethign that just increased remarkably in value.

My clients know I'm relatively new to portraiture and it's my name that is a discount deal right now. But by the quality of my work, they can see that my name will begin to mean more over time as I increase my mastery of this art. I would hope to leave them with the impression that they did get a good deal and this art they now have will indeed increase in value as time goes by and as I raise my prices and build my reputation.

That's my thinking anyway, for now. Anything could happen to cause me to change my mind and have to adjust my strategy. I don't know if I'll ever make a living at this; I just enjoy it so much that I want to do it.

The other consideration is repeat customers. If I do a commission for someone at $500 and 6 months later they want another portrait of their other child, they might not appreciate paying $800 for "the same thing". If I start at $500, I have to be willing to increase my prices gradually. I would be wary of giving repeat customers "deals" as they might come to expect it every time and want another $500 portrait when my work now costs $1500.

That's my two cents worth. (Or $500 worth.)

Molly Sherrick Phifer · 08-05-2005, 11:00 AM

I agree with the camp that suggests starting higher. My thinking is that often when you start at a "bargain" price, the consumers you are reaching are a completely different segment of the population than you might appeal to in a higher range. IF that is so, then when you raise your prices, you'll be marketing to a new group "from scratch", so to speak. One (wise) person told me, "Don't start out selling a bargain product, unless you want to sell a whole lot of bargain products!". I mean this in the nicest possible way.

Here's another thought. If you are concerned about how/when to raise prices, then you could start out with the $500 portrait advertised as a temporary deal off the regular price. Publish the prices you are aiming for , and show your short-term discount. Then folks won't be stunned by a hike. Also, you may get repeat business more quickly!

Great topic, by the way.

Michele Rushworth · 08-05-2005, 11:14 AM

Brenda, could you post two or three of your recent portraits so that we might be able to give you some pricing suggestions?

It's true what Molly said about marketing in a whole new way to a different market segment as your prices go higher. However, if I'd started marketing to a high end clientelle without the experience I have now, I don't think I'd have connected with them. I've found that each rung on the ladder (of price, of quality of work, of exposure, of experience in dealing with clients) has prepared me for the next rung.