2D Felted pictures

[littlewolf]

Some portraits. Often done at stupid hours of the morning. The cat drove me insane with all the stripes and splotches of different colours but the owner was pleased with it so that's what made it worth it in the end. The dog at the end was rushed and at the end of working 14+ hours a day so could have been more accurate but meh. Next time will be better hopefully

[lyn]

Creative types often work until stupid-o'clock!

Wonderfully accurate portraits - lovely work.

[lindsay]

They’re really good. I’m sure the pet owners are delighted with them.

[Shepherdess]

Wonderful portraits. I hope you are getting a good price for them. They are well worth it.

[MTRuth]

Great pet portraits!

[littlewolf]

Thanks again all, you're doing wonders for my confidence as I feel like everyone here is a 'proper artist'.

Indeed, Lyn, I'm typing this at 4:20 am on the 3rd night in a row without any sleep. I have a meeting with a support worker later and hoping I'll be functional enough to converse intelligibly >_>

The dog on the far right I did for as a birthday gift, though it was for someone who conveniently forgot they offered me payment to repair a dog bed their puppy had torn to shreds. 40 odd individual holes and tears. It was a diabolical jigsaw puzzle to stitch back together but it was of sentimental value (belonging to her late previous dog) so I spent the 6 hours trimming all the ragged edges and such.

The cat I charged £30 for and the middle dog £35, though I want to consistently charge £40 as they do take 10-12 hours each. The cat was an exceptional case at 14 hours for the stripes but I did manage to rush the middle dog in a 9 hours straight hour overnight marathon (long story as to why it had to be rushed). I was down to my last felting needle in a remote part of the world and with completely the wrong gauge, hence all the visible holes in the background, but given the circumstances I'm really pleased with that one.

I might have someone potentially interested from Youtube; I'm going to be really bold and ask for £40. Let's see if anyone thinks it is worth that.

[lyn]

Have faith in yourself and your art.

[lindsay]

I’m not sure how big the portraits are but £40 for 10-12 hours skilled work is an absolute bargain. I find that people will spend a fair amount on things that relate to their pets.

I’m not an expert but I often sell my work near to people selling dog accessories - not just leads and collars but optional accessories like bandanas & bow ties. They are selling in an area where a lot of people walk their dogs (my local harbour). If you can find a place (actual or virtual) where there are a lot of pet owners and get your work seen there I think your work would be really popular.

As Lyn says, have confidence in what you do, use testimonials from happy customers (whether they bought the portrait or it was a gift) and accept you will have successes and set-backs. I think the portraits are fabulous and I’m sure others will too.

[MTRuth]

I agree, sounds like you are underselling yourself. That is really inexpensive for the time and expertise it takes to create such a portrait. People are definitely willing to spend lots on their pets and you should be charging two to three times what you are charging now. Especially for commissions. Get at least half the money up front on a commission too. Good luck!

[Shepherdess]

I agree you are underselling your pieces. Animal people spend a lot on their pets and things about their pets. You are quite accurate so it is worth it. I see pet portraits that end up looking nothing like the real pet sell for quite a bit more than you are charging.

[littlewolf]

Really, thank you all so very much for your compliments. I'm quite shocked to think I should be charging 2-3 times my current prices. I have been trying to sell for 2 years. I have a business Instagram which I have paid for ads on, an Etsy, a Facebook shop etc. I have worked on SEO. I have a local grooming parlour who has put up a sign in their window. I have asked every vet in the area to put up a sign for me. I plug myself on Youtube all the time. I was a member of about 10 different pet owners' Facebook groups at one point. I am currently on a pet owners' forum where everyone thought my work was cool but did not want to buy it, however when I offered to do a piece for free if they sent me cat hair I got 10 people wanting something within a few days. I have had a stalls including an Etsy made local event in Wells days after my partner told me he was kicking me but because I had no money and stayed up all night for the 4 days preceding the event to make stock. I have sold maybe 10-12 pieces in 2 years and a few of those were repeat buyers out of pity. The pet portraits are 8x8 inches by the way. I do also offer 9x12 for £70 but people always tell me that's too much even if I offer to fit in an additional pet for no extra cost.

Those that I have sold to were THRILLED with their piece I have positive reviews on Etsy but that is about the extent of my success. I had a suitcase stall at Etsy made local. I once bought a folding table for stallholding but I have no means of transportation to go to craft fairs, then there's the cost of pitch fees,price tags,signage etc- I've made losses of £50-150 trying to sell. God knows what I've spent on materials and I lost a lot of those plus my table when I lost my flat as I could not store them or take them with me. I am now threatened with eviction from the homeless hostel as my housing benefit that I only just acquired has been suspended for some reason and I'm in rent arrears.

I am scared of scaring people off with deposits, but I really should, even just to cover the cost of materials like a 3D portrait commission where I ordered custom made resin eyes from another artist for enhanced realism... I feel like its me sometimes. I worked for Newham council once and they didn't pay me for 4 months in a row. I then worked for a film studio and they also didn't pay me for 3 months. I've been very depressed and anxious and not left my room for 2 weeks. It's really getting to me. But to log in and see such strongly positive feedback, it gives me a bit of hope.

The wolf in my intro thread is one of my favourite pieces to date. I did manage to sell this one to someone I was already doing volunteer work for and they were trying to encourage me, which was nice of them. It's 9x12, took 25 hours and she paid £50 for it.The black poodle hair I used for the background was lovely even though the individual curls take a while to cover a large flat area, but texturally its really sumptuous and allowed me to place the stars at different depths in the thickness of the layer. When you see it in real life the stars really do look like they are at different distances away, brighter and dimmer because of this. 

Here's a hare. This one was a commission.

[lyn]

The hare is wonderful. He's looking straight at me and I found it difficult to pull away from his gaze! Fantastic colouring and texture.

[littlewolf]

Thank you so much Lyn. One thing about using dog and cat hair is that it doesn't come in standardised shades like dyed sheep wool. I rummage around trying to find the right colours by eye and that variation lends itself to a 'natural' looking coat. Glad the gaze holds attention rather than being off-putting. Leporid subjects are a new one for me but I should like to do one again.

I suppose it is coming up to that time of year now. This one is in storage and as yet unsold. More of a cartoony and minimalist style. I shall be reading forum advice about dyeing and trying a specially formulated pet dye once I have the means to as getting this labrador hair orange was a godawful process of failed Dylon, bowls of salty/vinegary hair felting itself in the microwave and resorting to removing the ink cartridge from a permanent marker and allowing it to bleed into the bowl in the end. It just did not want to take like cotton (or I assume wool wood).

[lyn]

Again you've done a wonderful job on the eyes! I like the expression on his face and the shading on the pumpkins. I don't think black cat will be unsold for long.

[MTRuth]

Sorry you're having such an issue with selling. It is difficult finding the right audience. Love the rabbit.