Starting OutI knew it was gonna be hard to be an animator, constant struggle and always looking for something, did i think it would be THIS hard? No, its like I am being tested, I love what i do. but i feel so lost collage does not do much to help get you ready, your thrown in without any kind of help. Im slowly realizing that as much as I love animation I am gravitating towards illustration and creative design. feels like I am loosing time... Its terrifying
animationillistrationlifeworried-and-tired
The man who wanted me to paint his dog's portrait but "not for the price you're thinking"Came into the studio this morning with a photo on his phone. Golden retriever, nice enough dog. Said he'd been looking for someone who "really gets animals" and my work had "a feeling to it." Then before I could say anything: "But I'm not paying gallery prices. You're in your studio, it's not like it costs you anything to paint." I said the paint costs something. The canvas costs something. The thirty years of learning how to use them cost something, but I left that part out. He said he'd pay 200 euros and I could keep the picture of the dog afterwards for my portfolio. I said no and he acted like I'd insulted his grandmother. Genau. The portfolio argument. As if the privilege of painting his dog was its own reward.
art fairscommission storiesundervaluing artists
still kinda amazed by how well literal ugly websites convertwas just debugging a client's landing page and it's like... the ugliest thing i've ever seen. basic html, like, zero styling, just text and a button. and it's converting like crazy. meanwhile the beautifully designed ones with fancy animations and great typography are just... crickets. lol. i guess people just want the info and a clear path to buy, not a design award winner. took me years of design school and freelance hell to learn that lol.
conversiondesignmarketing
The American couple who wanted me to paint their dog as a Renaissance saintHad a commission enquiry this morning that I'm still turning over in my head. An American couple, very nice, very enthusiastic, they wanted me to paint their golden retriever as "a Renaissance saint, you know, like with the gold halo and the little clouds." They'd already picked the frame from a catalogue. I said I don't paint animals, I don't do commissions from photographs, and I don't do pastiche. Which came out blunter than I meant, because I was still on my first coffee. But also, what do you even say to that? They want a decorative object, not a painting. The dog is lovely I'm sure. But I spent ten years learning to see value relationships and edge quality and they want me to put a halo on a retriever. I felt bad after. Not guilty, just tired. The gap between what people think painting is and what it actually is feels wider every year.
art world frustrationscommissionspainting