Reddit mentions: The best individual artist essays

> How would you handle this without angering the client?

Sorry that this has happened to you, alas it's very common.

This is not a question on how to handle this situation/client, it's a question on how to handle all commissions. There's not 1 way, but we all need to learn from our experiences.

This is what I do with my commissions:

• I try NOT to do commissions. I make art. I execute pieces, then I put them out there for sale.
  
• If you want to do exclusively or mostly commissions, you need to understand that you're in the "service" business, and not in the "piece of art" business.
  
• Outline a process, the best that you can think about, something that works for you and for your prospective clients. This is what I use (read following points)
  
• Initial talk with prospective clients to see if it's something that I am interested in doing. Must be something in line with my line of work, interesting enough to me, and that pays more than what I price my art.
  
• If I get good vibes and it satisfies the above, I continue under the following conditions
  
• I make 3 sketches/proposals. Something that outlines enough what was discussed, but won't waste more than 1 hour of my time. It highlights materials, sizes, pallette, timeline for delivery, pricing (always + shipping)
  
• If the client accepts the proposal I ask for 50% non-refundable deposit upfront via PayPal (or cash or check if they are locals).
  
• Once the piece is done, I show them the piece (in person, webcam, photos). If they accept it, payment is now due, and they need to arrange for shipping (I usually drop it at the nearest UPS store or FedEx store and the client deals with them directly). Yes it's expensive, but we're artists we're not in the shipping business, and we are responsible for our Art not for the shipping business. I ONLY sell framed pieces, or sculptures. I do not sell unframed pieces. My choice.
  
• If the client doesn't like it. Nothing happens, I keep the deposit and the piece is mine to do whatever I want, even sell it if I decide to do so. Or re-work it or modify it
  
• If the client has MINOR suggestions on re-touching re-work I might consider. I am an artist, I make art. It's my voice, my artistic expression, the outcome of my decisions. I am not a tool in the hands of someone else.
  
  I am not saying that this is perfect, I am saying that this works for me. I have adopted after talking with other artists more experienced than me, and this is the process that people who have commissioned art before understand.
  
  If you do commissions for low price and/or with people who have not purchased commissioned art before, 99% becomes a nightmare.
  
  Of course all of the above is outlined on my web site under "Commissions". And no, I don't get many "commissions" but I do get my fair share of "site-specific installations" which is what I like, and those are "commissions".
  
  Read this book https://www.amazon.com/Art-Work-Revised-Updated-Everything/dp/1501146165/

No idea what was mentioned last time but:

Sol Lewitt's "Sentences on Conceptual Art" is brief, elegant, and eternally relevant.

Pretty much everything Kandinsky has ever written - particularly regarding spirituality and color. He's probably the most lucid and inspired writer among any 20th or 21st century visual artist

Guy Debord's "Society of the Spectacle", which only seems to become more and more relevant as media becomes increasingly omnipresent and disposable. You know a great theorist from a hack academic when you can simply hand any stranger on the street one of their texts and have it resonate with them. "In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation."

On that note, Dick Hebdige's "Subculture: the Meaning of Style" is interesting to read these days, as so many classic subcultures are being folded upon each other and churned around through the internet.

Borges' "Blindness" where he meditates on the progressive loss of his vision due to a degenerative disease. You might nitpick about sound artists or something, but in art we're really in the business of looking, and it's fascinating to read such an excellent writer on the topic of vision. It's also like eight pages long, so if you don't read it you are kind of being an ass.

no problem. if youre in classes, schedule some office hours and have a serious conversation with your instructors. if they cant offer direct advice, they should at least be able to refer you to someone.

You can also call local photographers/businesses and ask for quotes on hypothetical jobs

Art/Work is a pretty great book to give you a framework to pursue the business of art making. Lots of great advice from professionals.

If you arent already, please start keeping a log of your expenses. I always have a notebook to record exposure values and other notes - keeping a ledger of price of items purchased, time committed and so on will help you adjust your final asking prices. It also makes taxes crazy easier/not terrifying. Good organization is key. Have a nice accordion folio with 12+ folders to store monthly receipts. put it all into excel pages for easy book keeping.

just be aware that depending upon your business type... it is very difficult to raise prices on existing clients. Bigger clients wont be bothered as long as your work warrants it and you arent raising above market/competitor value. Better to negotiate higher rates from the get go and YOU spend more of YOUR time to making a project as polished as possible. Over time youre learn your trade and work faster, thus making more money

edit: also. never accept a gallery to frame your work for you. its a con. the gallery will charge you above material cost if your work doesnt move. there are several "gallery" frame shops in town who do this. dont just throw your work up anywhere. visit the place and be sure theyre trying to move your work.

rather than hang in local businesses (and relegate your work to "art object"), spend your time applying to exhibitions/contest/artist calls/shows/etc. if your into editorial work, try to partner with local aspiring journalists or even product designers. group up with them to complete a project. or even just start your own project and publish it online

Find an Artist that does similar artwork using the medium you wish to use, and inquire if they do commissions.

> how do I share ownership?

This is something that you'll need to negotiate and clarify before starting the work.

> I want it to be my idea as I generated the fractal, but I am ok with owning the work only 75%

75% ? That gets complicated. Either you own 100% of everything or . . . the de-facto standard (in the US), where you own the piece and the Artist owns the copyright.

> - how to find them?

In here, google for artists local to you, search on instgram, deviantart

> Craigslist works?

At times.

> I'm in San Francisco and Craiglist is pretty active

Go, try it.

> how much to pay for such a job?

That depends on to many factors, it's something that you and the Artist will want to negotiate and agree on.

It will help if you decide before talking with any artist:

• size
  
• on what material (canvass, board etc...)
  
• what materials (oil, acrylic, spray paint, brand of materials, digital print etc....)
  
• proposal, prototypes, progressive payments.....
  
  
  If you really want to read more about it, this book has this type of info and much more.

Well, "creating awareness" is more of an Art per se and not a science (not replicable process) so you need to squeeze those creative juices and come up with your own creative process to "create awareness" as you call it.

About "insta, FB" and other social media, that is not awareness per se, it's a measure of awareness. It's not the whistle that pull the train.

Some people say that it's about being at the right place at the right time, and - personally - I agree with that. Here's the rub: we don't know when it the right time and we don't know where is the right place (physical place and online place). So all we can do is to be in as many places as possible, as many times as possible. And yes it is a lot of work, really a lot of hard work, long hours with uncertain success rate. There's no silver bullet, no paint-by-numbers process, no $19.99 book or $99 course (or $999).

There are some resources out there to gather some info and then go out there and try try try try till you succeed, my 2 favorites are:

• https://abj.artrepreneur.com/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Art-Work-Revised-Updated-Everything/dp/1501146165

Recent books that I've read on a more philosophical stance:


Design As Art by Bruno Munari - a book revered by many, turned out a little bit trivial at times or annoying, but in general was a good read. The author finds correlation between designing and the way nature shapes things. A bit outdated though.


Signs and Symbols Their Design and Meaning by Adrian Frutiger - I actually stumbled upon a complete PDF scan when I googled it (it's in the link). Adrian Frutiger was a master typographer/designer and wrote a book on why certain symbols are the way they are. I have a huge problem with this book not having any scientific backup, author just claims things, but for the most part he's right. It's a lot about semiotics, but it also gives insight into the history and development of mankind. Not the most thrilling, but definitely worth reading.


Design Form and Chaos by Paul Rand - a surprisingly good read, but not worth buying. Borrow it from a library. It's pretty thick, but has very little text.


You could also look after books that are compilations of essays on graphic design.

If you're able to find out what brand of watercolors and/or pencils she uses, and what colors she uses most often, that might be helpful.

If she's serious about pursuing a professional career as an artist, Art/Work is a really valuable reference for navigating the business side of the industry.

Who is her favorite artist? You may be able to find a nice catalog of their work on AbeBooks or Amazon.

Yeah. I'll probably wait for Kino to announce their set and see if there's overlap before I splurge for this one. If you're interested in early female filmmakers, I highly recommend Alicia Malone's new book. I'm reading it now and it's great. It's also divided up in a way that you could skip around if you want and use it as more of a reference book as you explore the filmmakers (though I'm just reading it in order).

Check out this book : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artists-Comics-Art-Mark-Salisbury/dp/1840231866/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=artists+on+comic+book+art&qid=1562889165&s=gateway&sr=8-6

​

It has some great interviews, including Steve - I can't believe he's passed away, Was a fan favourite form his first 2000ad and Marvel UK work in late 80's.

His style went from simplistic to highly personalised - I think his Judge Dredd stuff is still great - especially City of the Damned / Werewolf story.

In architecture these are called "Thomassons" - there is a book about them as well as sevveral websites, here is one site and here is a reddit devoted to them. Listen to this fantastic podcast by the folks at 99% Invisible to learn more!

You may want to start with [this website] (http://www.josephcornellbox.com/). Also, try looking at what [MoMA] (http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=1247) and [the Peabody Essex Museum] (http://www.pem.org/sites/cornell/checklist.pdf) say about him. Finally, if can track down copies, [these] (http://www.amazon.com/Dime-Store-Alchemy-Joseph-Cornell-Classics/dp/1590174860/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395336836&sr=8-3&keywords=joseph+cornell+sculpture) two [books] (http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Cornell-Master-Diane-Waldman/dp/0810992523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395336836&sr=8-1&keywords=joseph+cornell+sculpture) deal with his sculpture and its reception.

You might also want to look at artists both before and after him as a way to frame his work. Try looking at [Marcel Duchamp] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchamp), and pay particular attention to his use of found objects. Then, take a look at [Robert Rauschenberg] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauschenberg) and [Jasper Johns] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Johns). You should be able to see how Cornell fits into that trajectory.

> Lastly, do you have any idea what I could do for a title page about arrangements?

You may want to ask your teacher for a bit of clarification on that--I'm not entirely sure what he/she means in terms of arrangements. If they mean the way that Cornell's sculptures are composed, I would suggest paying attention to the way the objects he used do (or don't) relate to each other. Again, though, I would talk to your teacher--I don't want to send you down the wrong path.

If you have any questions as you go, or if you need any help with anything, feel free to message me. Maybe you'll find something about art that you enjoy.

I'd strongly recommend the book Art/Work, it's one of my textbooks for a portfolio presentation class I'm taking and it's a really good guide for artists and designers looking to enter the professional world
https://www.amazon.com/ART-WORK-Everything-Pursue-Career/dp/1416572333

That's weird that they want to start with a traditional oil painting, instead of starting with a digital medium.

NOTE: When someone buys a painting, or any other work of fine art for that matter, they purchase the item per se, not the rights to reproduce it.

Therefore in your case you need to price 2 things:

1. The painting per se (I am assuming they will want also the original painting)
   
   
2. The right to reproduce the image for the book cover (licensing).
   
   Pricing 1) is easy, what do you usually charge? Add at least 50% since this is a commissioned work. For the Licensing of the image that's tricky, and depends on their pockets, are they deep or... limited budget?
   
   You will also need to come up with a written contract.
   
   This is a good book for you to invest time in reading https://www.amazon.com/ART-WORK-Everything-Pursue-Career/dp/1416572333/

I currently have 2 books for sale on Amazon!

1. Color & Swear - This is one of the PDFs you received when you signed up. However, it does include 7 bonus pages that you didn't receive in the PDFs.
   
   
2. Screw You As*hole - This book is different and is not in any of the PDFs. However, the style varies from the coloring book I linked to in this post. This book comes with a link to a printable version. Since your interest level is high I'll give you the link:)
   
   Here it is: Screw You As*hole (Printable)
   
   Sorry if that is confusing. If you have any more questions let me know!

Is there a certain price range you're aiming at?

Many have rightly pointed out that this year is the 40th anniversary, so it may well be worth waiting a while as we could see a lot of stuff come out.

And you can't go wrong with this Ralph McQuarrie two-book set. May not be in your price range, but it slipped under many die-hard fan radars and is not only great for a Star Wars fan of any age, this thing is going to climb into the thousands of dollars in my opinion in the coming years.

This was a really great book on the subject.

I love Ralph McQuarrie's art, and I'm glad that some of the new Star Wars media is going back to it (such as the new X-Wings in Ep 7 being based on Ralph's concept art and the design of Zeb from Rebels coming from an original concept for Chewbacca).

There's an art book set coming out in September with all of his art for the trilogy. Unfortunately, it's going to go for around $250 US.

You might not like this answer but... here we go: $1,000, which is very low, but here's the thing, if your clients like your work, they'll keep coming back, and as they do so you can raise your prices to 1,250, then 1,500, then 1,750 then 2,000; effectively doubling your prices.

If you think that the starting price of $1,000 is too low (it is) do $2,000.

NOTE: one of the reason why $1,000 or $2,000 is too low is that you're not just selling art, you're selling the right to reproduce your art. Traditionally if someone buys a piece of art, let's say a painting, they do not have the right to make copies and profit from the image of such art, you do.

TIP: buy this book, I've read it, there's a lot of boring stuff, a lot of obvious stuff, but it covers pricing guidelines, commissioned work (you need to read that part), licensing (that's what you are doing when someone uses your images for t-shirts, album covers, etc...).

I think he had some influence when he collected and openly announced the names of over 5000 children who died in an earthquake (which the Chinese media called a minor accident) in a blog that was read (at the best times) about 50.000 times a day. Can't link to the source but it's in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ai-Weiweis-Blog-Interviews-2006-2009/dp/0262015218

There you can also see that neither in China, nor internetionally, only here on reddit, he is most well known for fucking a stuffed animal.

Bruno Munari does a better job than I ever could.

That book rules (and all the small books put out by paper monument. The miraculous and draw it with your eyes closed are both wonderful). There’s also a lot of helpful information in Art/Work about approaching galleries:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ULOPT0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_MfwMAbEQ39FZM

On the other hand, this Ralph Mcquarrie Star Wars Art Book is $155 on Amazon right now. I remember seeing it listed at $250 when it was first released. I mean, it's a really beautiful book, but I don't think I could spend that much on it.

The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition

Design as Art

Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design

Meggs' History of Graphic Design 6th Edition

Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving

This art period has been of interest to me for years. The National Gallery of Art did a great show a few years back that I missed but I did get a copy of the accompanying book. Sorry for the bad link, I'm on mobile.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1933045205?pc_redir=1409896923&robot_redir=1

There's a book of Marcel Duchamps conversations with Pierre Cabanne that's another great resource.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0306803038?pc_redir=1409979544&robot_redir=1

Duchamp, Tzara, Ernst, and Ray are some of the more well known names but when you scratch the surface a little, you'll find a myriad of great art and artists.

"Dada is dead. Dada is shit. Long live dada"

If you're ready to drop quite a bit of money there's this: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Art-Ralph-McQuarrie/dp/1419717936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474836782&sr=8-1&keywords=ralph+mcquarrie

The other angle and The Book!

Mine just arrived...

I'm particularly intrigued by Victor Coolin's From Marble to Flesh. Has anyone read it or have any knowledge in this field who wants to comment on the topic?

Ralph Angus McQuarrie (June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica television series, the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and the film Cocoon, for which he won an Academy Award. - wiki

Star Wars article . Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie book on Amazon

Heres the book http://www.amazon.com/Distant-Shores-Surfing-Ends-Earth/dp/1623260175/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419688629&sr=1-6&keywords=surfing

Available for pre-order on Amazon.

Well it seems you already have your mind set by calling one "white collar" and the other "artsy-fartsy" but if you're looking for a deeper discussion than can be found in the comments here I strongly suggest the classic by Bruno Munari Design as Art even if you disagree with his ideas which may be a bit outdated (it was written in the 60s).

I'll take the barfing gnome off your hands :) I looove Gravity Falls. BroMo should have a crappy present exchange. Anybody want these pieces of crap?

This is as close as I can get it's 20.48, I don't really want to get it for my Girlfriend though. I don't really like to read books all that much, and I don't really like Kat Von D. My girlfriend really wouldn't like it. She hasn't wanted it since it came out.

Why'd you have to even have this contest anyway, jeez.

They do! This is one of the coolest things I own:

Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419717936/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IBiqDbV0GAW7Q

There's a book called ART/WORK it covers everything... Everything... On the business side of art. It has been an invaluable resource for me. I have always had a problem with motivation, sadly book doesn't help with that, but baby makes it soooo much worse.