Tag Archives: going professional

Nov18

Artist’s Elevator? What?

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Okay, the comments on my last post concerning me taking a free booth at an open fair have me a little freaked out. I think that I have some ‘splainin to do about my art!

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I have NO art training. Unless you want to count art class in elementary school; I don’t.

I’ve drawn all my life, but I did more in my first 15 years than I did in the next 25.

August of this year, my husband gave me an iPad. It had an app called Brushes on it. I had never done a digital drawing before. Unless you want to count goofing around with MS Paint when work was slow; I don’t.

The portrait I did of Socks, on this blog, was the first one I ever did. That was Oct 8th. I did it for her, so I could give her something artsy that I made, because she gives me so much.

The entire history of me playing with Brushes is on this blog. I was doing the portraits for fun, and loving it. I drew my friends, and then a picture for a blogger I didn’t know in my offline life. Others saw and asked for their kitties to be drawn. It was so easy and fun! I’ve done more art in the last month than in the last ten years, or longer.

Then someone asked me to draw her cats for her and said ‘how much.” I was floored. This had never occurred to me, not once. She was the spark that lit the fire – the one with the big fireworks that spelled out ‘you can do this.’

I’m not an expert; I’m so new at this that it is funny. Scary, too! I’m a little, more than a little, intimidated when professional artists give advice. I barely know what you are talking about.

Now, can I use any of that to sell myself, or do I need to make something up? 😀

Nov18

Blind poets and other bits

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Someone had great fun yesterday reading every last post I’ve done! I’m quite flattered about it. I’ve so few followers, and I’m so new, that my site stats tell me these things. I’m less than a month and a half along but I put up so very, very much it is rare that anyone tries to read it all, especially in one day! (I just had a look, 170 posts, yikes, I’m a bit verbose.) Whoever you are, thank you – I’d love it if you commented, but I’m glad you took the time nonetheless. I’ve not had such a high-count day since I did the portraits of Jimmie Chew.

Oh, yes: I’ve been rejected by BioWare Ireland as a customer service representative. Probably because I couldn’t kiss arse enough in their on-line interview. I just couldn’t blow that much smoke up an online questionnaire’s arse. I’m afraid to say I’m happy that I didn’t get it, it sounded like a living hell.

Hubby took a photo of the statue they are putting up in the square. I wasn’t too far off in my description yesterday.

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This is Anthony Raftery, “the blind poet” who was from this area. I suppose I should apologise for complaining about a cattle scale being taken out in order to commemorate much older local history.

My ‘big news’ is that I sent in my application to be an exhibitor at the Open Fair in Castlebar on December 4. I applied as a digital portrait artist, illustrator, and logo designer. I’m a bit scared, to be honest. I have no idea what to charge. I don’t know if I can or should sell my work as digital only, no hard copy: or only hard copy. I’d have to borrow a printer or have it printed elsewhere.

Well, the main thing is that I’ve taken the first step. Even if nothing comes of it, the act of doing something like this is a huge breakthrough for me. Scary, but also scary in a good way!