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Help desperately sought
1 Reply
Started this discussion. Last reply by kathieballard Jul 6.
Profile
- Where are you from?
- Germany
- What's your favorite medium (i.e. acrylics, watercolor, oils etc)?
- Graphite
- How long have you been drawing or painting?
- More than 3 years
- Tell us a bit about yourself:
- Hello Everyone,
I can't believe that baby picture of me was taken only 47 years ago :-)
I'm interested in new techniques that help me improve my skills. I love to draw in graphite (for about five years now) or colored pencil (just started) or to paint in acrylics (which doesn't quite work the way I want yet). But I also like to play with other media like acrylics, ink, oil or watercolor. My passion in any of the media is to work on the tiny little details every object provides.
I basically draw from photos but want to take the next step soon and go out into nature and sketch and draw what I see without taking a picture first :-)
My life is totally upside down right now. I've been out of work for 5 years (at first unwillingly then by decision) and because of that lost everything I ever owned and cherrished in my life. It hurt tremendously. I'm single with no family or friends and now I'm on welfare which doesn't even provide for enough food throughout the month. So I don't know for how long I can be online, though internet is quite cheap here. And even though I don't like being in my situation at all I cannot get myself to adjust to what society expects anymore. So I kind of flee into my artwork to survive mentally and for as long as I can buy the tools. Drawing and painting take me into a totally different realm where I can relax and focus only on the object I draw or paint. Where I can get away from the daily madness out there ...
Sorry about telling all this so publicly but I don't want to hide my current background and instead pretend that everything is just fine. Thank you all for understanding.
I'd be happy if you all comment on my drawings as much as you can. Every comment (positive or negative) takes my skills one step further and will be much appreciated. Thanks again.
Love Suzanne
--
Update July,2008
I M P O R T A N T - Need everyones advise please !!!
I've been thinking about how to get out of my financial situation for years now and wasn't able to come up with any solution. I signed up on this website only two days ago and it already gave me an idea. I hope its going to be the right one and I'm so very happy I found the site.
I did a lot of teaching in my regular job the past twenty years and liked it a lot. Its so wonderful to be able to pass on some knowledge to people who want to learn something. Both parts - teacher and the students - always progress and evolve in this process. Both parts keep learning and learning is one of my life-time passions. I also have a lot of experience on how to establish hand-outs and lesson notes and what to put into one lesson and things like that.
So what I would like to do is to give personal one on one lessons in drawing - online and on demand - using an online chat tool. And this is where I need your advice and ideas please: I saw the One-on-One discussion forum and its wonderful. But there I miss the personal talk a little bit. For me it would be a little easier if I could ask questions right the moment they come into my mind and get them answered. So I was thinking of taking this one step further. Like people maybe sending me a request about what they want to learn or where they have a problem and I schedule an online apointment a few days later where we talk and draw and write only focussing on that persons need and request. I could also do classes for 5 or 6 people joined in a virtual class room on a general subject. But I like the idea of the one on one talk very much. I'd do graphite for now because I feel I have more background and confidence in this section then in others. And I'd only start with landscapes, buildings and flowers. I've been drawing for about 5 years now and almost every day because I had time to solely focus on it. I'm self-tought.
I could offer lessons in German and English using my webcam. Some online tools provide the possibility to write and talk and show work to each other at the same time. Also files could be sent and I could create little brochures in PDF for instance in the next few weeks before I really start the business.
Now - and this is the core of this request to you all - I would like to make a living of it somehow but I have no idea how to get customers, how much to charge lets say for a 30 or 45 minute (?) lesson and so on. Payment could be done by using Paypal or any other of the regular online banking sites (Moneybookers etc.) whatever the customer prefers.
Please, I'd like everyones opinion on that idea and maybe tips on how to establish this very fast and where and how to get customers or if people would even like such an idea or if you heard about something like this existing already on the net (and me being way too late with this idea) and so forth. I'd be so grateful for your comments and advise. Last but not least of course I'd like to ask you if you believe that I'm gifted enough to teach art. I know I can teach because I was very successful in my job, but can I teach art ... :-)
Thank you all very much in advance.
Suzanne
I M P O R T A N T - Need everyones advise please !!!
I've been thinking about how to get out of my financial situation for years now and wasn't able to come up with any solution. I signed up on this website only two days ago and it already gave me an idea. I hope its going to be the right one and I'm so very happy I found the site.
I did a lot of teaching in my regular job the past twenty years and liked it a lot. Its so wonderful to be able to pass on some knowledge to people who want to learn something. Both parts - teacher and the students - always progress and evolve in this process. Both parts keep learning and learning is one of my life-time passions. I also have a lot of experience on how to establish hand-outs and lesson notes and what to put into one lesson and things like that.
So what I would like to do is to give personal one on one lessons in drawing - online and on demand - using an online chat tool. And this is where I need your advice and ideas please: I saw the One-on-One discussion forum and its wonderful. But there I miss the personal talk a little bit. For me it would be a little easier if I could ask questions right the moment they come into my mind and get them answered. So I was thinking of taking this one step further. Like people maybe sending me a request about what they want to learn or where they have a problem and I schedule an online apointment a few days later where we talk and draw and write only focussing on that persons need and request. I could also do classes for 5 or 6 people joined in a virtual class room on a general subject. But I like the idea of the one on one talk very much. I'd do graphite for now because I feel I have more background and confidence in this section then in others. And I'd only start with landscapes, buildings and flowers. I've been drawing for about 5 years now and almost every day because I had time to solely focus on it. I'm self-tought.
I could offer lessons in German and English using my webcam. Some online tools provide the possibility to write and talk and show work to each other at the same time. Also files could be sent and I could create little brochures in PDF for instance in the next few weeks before I really start the business.
Now - and this is the core of this request to you all - I would like to make a living of it somehow but I have no idea how to get customers, how much to charge lets say for a 30 or 45 minute (?) lesson and so on. Payment could be done by using Paypal or any other of the regular online banking sites (Moneybookers etc.) whatever the customer prefers.
Please, I'd like everyones opinion on that idea and maybe tips on how to establish this very fast and where and how to get customers or if people would even like such an idea or if you heard about something like this existing already on the net (and me being way too late with this idea) and so forth. I'd be so grateful for your comments and advise. Last but not least of course I'd like to ask you if you believe that I'm gifted enough to teach art. I know I can teach because I was very successful in my job, but can I teach art ... :-)
Thank you all very much in advance.
Suzanne
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I've been through some tough timies myself and know how hard it is to get back on your feet. But hang in there and keep trying...the good Lord loves you and wants you to have a good life.
Here is my honest opinion about your online teaching idea and some alternative suggestions.
It is my experience that your idea of teaching online is a VERY challenging one. I have done a LITTLE bit of it myself and it is very hard to find clients that are willing to pay a decent price...to even cover my time, much less my knowledge and expertise.
Also, there are thousands of artists online who would like to do the same thing but unless one is a 'known' artist, I don't think many (if any) can make a living at it.
Instead, I suggest you try to sell your artworks and or try teaching locally in your city and/or the surrounding areas.
Some ideas for selling (which apply in the US but may not in Germany):
Find out if you can display your artworks for sale in places like libraries, hospitals, pubs and restaurants or other public venues -- places with a lot of foot traffic and where people have time to look. Some places will let you have a 'private show' in the lobby. Have a booth at any local 'art/crafts' fairs and have both originals and copies of your works for sale (or take orders for prints to be delivered later). As good as you are at architecture, offer to do commission work to paint people's houses or a business buildings. Once you have a few commissions, word of mouth WILL spread and you will get more work. Post 'Will Paint on Commission' paper posters in markets or other places with public bulletin boards. Place them under the windshield wipers of cars in parking lots (especially of locations where wealthier people go).
About teaching. Your graphic arts are so intricate, people may think "I can't do that" so figure out some way to indicate that you will teach 'from the ground up"....."from simple steps and processes, through more complex and finally to intricate. Approach schools, churches, retirement centers and offer to hold art classes periodically at a "per head" price. In your case, if there are any botanical societies nearby, offer to teach them to do botanical drawings. Hospitals sometimes have activities for long-term children patients...find out if they would like you to come and teach painting or drawing. Offer to conduct an 'art hour' at birthday parties or family reunions on a per head basis.
I hope some of these suggestions offer you ideas that might help you start developing a regular income. Good luck!
Many thanks for the kind comments. Just been admiring the quality and delicacy of your work and the light that shines through your pictures.
Keep this lovely style going.
Cheers for now.
Bob
Ian
What beautiful ar work you have done I like colored pencil but still have lot to learn about how to used them.samlove
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