Just about to start doing the “Wedding picture with a difference” working drawings to be agreed by the clients, so that I can crack on with it. All I will say about this wonderful picture is that it is in oils, and the delightful thing about oils is that you have to do an acrylic underpainting to give depth to the colours on the canvas, and then start building up the layers a bit at a time, to give the lovely creamy depth to the painting that is so remininicent of oils. So, I know that I will have periods during painting the picture when I have to wait for bits of it to dry before I can do the next stage of it. But I’m used to that, I’ve been using oils since I was 15. The first thing though is to get some working drawings done, and I have most of the information I need regarding those now, and know that the bride and groom are excited about seeing the picture evolve.
But in the meantime, I have received the source photos I need to do a delightful pet portrait for someone for their Christmas present. I had the discussion back in July regarding me doing the picture, but had to wait for the photos to arrive before I could do them. Its of a very adorable animal and I shall love doing it.
And just as I expected, the rule of three means that I had a very indepth two hour discussion over the weekend with someone who has “An Idea” for some artwork she wants me to do. I had had a brief message from her regarding it a couple of weeks ago, but knew that I needed to sit down with her and hear the idea fully, in her own words, spoken face to face, not on the phone, and not via email. We had that chance this weekend, and as I listened to her explain her “Idea” I knew
it was a good one. Having been married to an Accountant for 29 years, I was used to hearing “Ideas for a Business” from other people, and knew that most would work with hard work and dedication, and if they could get the backing from a loan, and did an accurate cash flow forecast. But this one wasn’t one I’ve ever heard of before, and it seems she might have hit on a very good concept indeed. But part of it involves artwork, and that’s why she contacted me, since she’s seen my artwork and knows what I am capable of. I listened to the ideas, and smiled as I heard them. There was so much in this “Idea” that it was something that a lot of people could relate to, no matter what their background or age. And she knew how to promote herself, and had already taken steps towards various outlets for her “Idea”. But, listening to it, I could see something that I know a little of, that I need to know a lot more about before I could do what she is asking of me. And that is about Copyright, and the selling of it, and infringements of it, and all the complex legalities of it. Most people don’t know, although all Professional Artists do, that when an artist paints or draws a piece of art then they automatically own the copyright on the piece of art. I own ALL the copyright on ALL the pieces of art I have sold over the years because I have never sold it. That means that the buyer who buys my painting can hang the picture on their wall, but can’t make tee shirt images of it to sell, or have it printed in a book to sell, or sell greeting card images of it. The artist can sell the copyright, and there is a price attached to it. But the thing that the artist also needs to know is what is going to happen to the artwork they are going to sell the copyright on, and where it is going, and how many of those images will be sold. That is what I need to find out more about, before I can discuss it with the client. And from what I heard from her, I think she might have come up with something very special indeed.