My prints are now being sold in a store! And I'm very excited

[Sam Lowry]

I've been painting for five years now, and to my great surprise people seem to like some of my work. About two months ago I was wandering around some stores in Houston, and stopped in Space (http://www.whosinspace.com/), which is a really cool store that sells art as well. I talked with the owner, and he said he'd be willing to sell prints of my paintings.

Eventually I was able to get some prints made, and I just dropped them off at the store today, and I'm super excited about it. I'm not exactly to the point of quitting my day job or anything, but this feels like a big step, where people will be seeing my art in real life, rather than just on the internet, or the few people who come to my apartment and see my walls plastered with paintings.

I just wanted to post this because I'm so excited about this. I also stopped by Niko Niko's for a celebratory Gyro and an Athenian Mud Pie, which also made me very happy.

[Cat Whisperer]

Hey, man, I want to see your prints too! Can you link to them?

And, congratulations! :)

[Sam Lowry]

Hey, man, I want to see your prints too! Can you link to them?

And, congratulations! :)

Thanks! My main website is here (http://www.ringmanpaintings.com/), but you can also buy prints of some of my paintings at Fine Art America (http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/heather-ringman.html?tab=artwork).

[billfish678]

Congrats! Thats gotta be so cool. But to be honest until your work is being sold from some guy in van in a velvet relief form you haven't reached the big time :)

[Ibanez]

Congrats, and nice work.

[Rhiannon8404]

I really like your work! Congrats on being sold in a shop.

[BrassyPhrase]

I think you've made a sale or two, fellow Houstonian! Love em!

Well... I can't afford the paintings and I can't find the prints. :( but I really like them!

[Cat Whisperer]

I like it - I could see some of your prints hanging on my walls (I especially like "Dandelion" and "Panda" - "Panda" has great potential to become an internet meme).

[Quasimodem]

WOW!! I know (well, acquainted with - loosely) a selling artist. I went to the site, and man, those are some awesome work! Congratulations!

Quasi

[twickster]

Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.

I should move it to the Marketplace, but we'll call this a "sharing of artwork" thread and not a "buy my stuff" thread, shall we?

[Sam Lowry]

Thanks everyone!

Congrats! Thats gotta be so cool. But to be honest until your work is being sold from some guy in van in a velvet relief form you haven't reached the big time :)

Well now I have my next goal to shoot for.

I think you've made a sale or two, fellow Houstonian! Love em!

Well... I can't afford the paintings and I can't find the prints. :( but I really like them!

Thanks fellow Houstonian! I think I might have set my prices a bit too high initially. I looked at what comparable foliotwist (http://foliotwist.com/artist-directory) artists had set their prices at, but I realize now that they might not have known what they were doing either. I'm going to lower some of the prices, and then of course I can raise them later when I'm a high demand artist on the cover of New Yorker magazine.

Is the Fine Art America (http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/heather-ringman.html?tab=artwork) link not working for you? I've started putting a few on Red Bubble (http://www.redbubble.com/people/hringman), and I'm going to try to put more up there and other print on demand websites when I'm not busy working on new paintings. Or watching Season 1 of Angel on Netflix Streaming.

Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.

I should move it to the Marketplace, but we'll call this a "sharing of artwork" thread and not a "buy my stuff" thread, shall we?

Thanks twickster, I wasn't sure where to put the thread. I didn't start the thread intending to promote myself, but just because I'm very excited about being in a store now. I'm one step closer to artistic world domination! Or just making a living as an artist which would also be exciting. (Although artistic world domination makes me think of a dictator or James Bond villian that looks and acts like Andy Warhol, which would be interesting.)

[handsomeharry]

Congrats! Thats gotta be so cool. But to be honest until your work is being sold from some guy in van in a velvet relief form you haven't reached the big time :)

Definitely.
And remember: Elvis and Afro-Love!

hh

[billfish678]

Thanks fellow Houstonian! I think I might have set my prices a bit too high initially. I looked at what comparable foliotwist (http://foliotwist.com/artist-directory) artists had set their prices at, but I realize now that they might not have known what they were doing either. I'm going to lower some of the prices, and then of course I can raise them later when I'm a high demand artist on the cover of New Yorker magazine.
.)

I am no expert on pricing art, but I have heard on occassion that charging too little can be a bad thing. Some shallow people think "its expensive, so it must be good" and they might still be able to afford it. Or the opposite, "its cheap so it must be bad" and we arent going to buy it even if we can afford it. Just saying you might want to ask around about that sorta thing with the pro's that are willing to help you out. Again, congrats.

[Sam Lowry]

I am no expert on pricing art, but I have heard on occassion that charging too little can be a bad thing. Some shallow people think "its expensive, so it must be good" and they might still be able to afford it. Or the opposite, "its cheap so it must be bad" and we arent going to buy it even if we can afford it. Just saying you might want to ask around about that sorta thing with the pro's that are willing to help you out. Again, congrats.

Yeah, that makes sense. I've read different websites and books that have advice on how to price work, but it's all general guidelines, and hard to know how to apply that to my work. Luckily, Houston has a ton of artists and arts organizations, so I'm gonna try to be more outgoing and go to more events and meet more people and hopefully get more advice.

[Clumsy]

Hurry up and make the Water Tower a print, please! I love that, but the original + shipping is too prohibitive :-)

[Sam Lowry]

Hurry up and make the Water Tower a print, please! I love that, but the original + shipping is too prohibitive :-)

I can do that! I'll get it up by next week and let you know.

[bup]

Those are cool! Congratulations.

[Sam Lowry]

Hurry up and make the Water Tower a print, please! I love that, but the original + shipping is too prohibitive :-)

I've put prints of Water Tower up on Fine Art America (http://fineartamerica.com/featured/water-tower-heather-ringman.html?newartwork=true) and on Red Bubble (http://www.redbubble.com/people/hringman/art/7954582-water-tower). I've ordered other prints from Fine Art America and they turned out well. I've never ordered any from Red Bubble but it seems like a good website.

If you end up ordering it, I hope you like it!

[Avarie537]

I really like the ones of the animals. I could see those being grouped together in a child's room. Very sweet and whimsical without being super baby-ish. And I'm seriously considering the Blue Flowers for our bedroom - I'll have to ask my husband what he thinks.

[Sam Lowry]

I really like the ones of the animals. I could see those being grouped together in a child's room. Very sweet and whimsical without being super baby-ish. And I'm seriously considering the Blue Flowers for our bedroom - I'll have to ask my husband what he thinks.

Thanks! I like that description.

[FeAudrey]

With respect to pricing:

A reproduction of a painting, while commonly called a print, is a different -- and lower priced -- animal from a work created as a (fine art) print.

The latter category includes etchings, lithographs, serigraphs, block prints, and variety of minor media. Prints traditionally are defined as being original work in those printmaking forms, pulled by the artist or under his/her direction, in a limited edition with each copy signed and numbered by the artist.

The giclée reproductions you link to are going to carry a lower price than the kind of stuff I just described. Traditional mass-produced reproductions (mostly four-color process lithography) cost even less.

[Sam Lowry]

With respect to pricing:

A reproduction of a painting, while commonly called a print, is a different -- and lower priced -- animal from a work created as a (fine art) print.

The latter category includes etchings, lithographs, serigraphs, block prints, and variety of minor media. Prints traditionally are defined as being original work in those printmaking forms, pulled by the artist or under his/her direction, in a limited edition with each copy signed and numbered by the artist.

The giclée reproductions you link to are going to carry a lower price than the kind of stuff I just described. Traditional mass-produced reproductions (mostly four-color process lithography) cost even less.

Thanks, that's good to know the terminology.

[Arrendajo]

I really really like your work, and it is totally something I would hang on my wall. I love Dandelion and lots of the other flower/tree/plant paintings. Good work.

[brittekland]

Congratz!

[FeAudrey]

Thanks, that's good to know the terminology.

Glad I could be of assistance.


Now for advice you didn't ask for!

The style of your painting would work for "real" printmaking as well -- block prints or serigraphy. You might like to try those media.

Your bio says that you are engineer. Printmaking is very technical. You might find it congenial, or it might be what you are trying to get a break from.

If you'd like to try it, you need access to a properly equipped studio.

You might be able to do a little block printing at home -- you are a grown-up and presumably OK with sharp objects. But etching (and related forms) use acid, serigraphy can have hazmat/ventilation issues, and all them, including lithography, use printing presses too expensive for home use.

Your best bet would probably be an introductory course at a community college, which would give you studio access at modest cost.

[mac_bolan00]

very feminine!

[Sam Lowry]

I really really like your work, and it is totally something I would hang on my wall. I love Dandelion and lots of the other flower/tree/plant paintings. Good work.

Thanks! I have a bunch of them hanging on my various wall. I think some of them work even better hanging on a wall with others in contrasting colors around them. Although I've been buying some work by other artists to hang on my walls, so that when my works start selling I won't have separation anxiety about parting with them.

Congratz!

Thanks!

Glad I could be of assistance.


Now for advice you didn't ask for!

The style of your painting would work for "real" printmaking as well -- block prints or serigraphy. You might like to try those media.

Your bio says that you are engineer. Printmaking is very technical. You might find it congenial, or it might be what you are trying to get a break from.

If you'd like to try it, you need access to a properly equipped studio.

You might be able to do a little block printing at home -- you are a grown-up and presumably OK with sharp objects. But etching (and related forms) use acid, serigraphy can have hazmat/ventilation issues, and all them, including lithography, use printing presses too expensive for home use.

Your best bet would probably be an introductory course at a community college, which would give you studio access at modest cost.

I'm always happy to listen to advice. I've heard other people suggest I should try real printmaking. I often like prints by other artists when I see them, especially screen printing. And I took a short screen printing class one time and liked it.

But I don't know if printmaking really works with either my creative process or my space and time considerations. I like being able to come home from my day job, and being able to sit in front of the TV and work on a painting. There's a lot of artists and art resources in Houston, so I'm sure I could find a place to use printing stuff, but it'd be difficult for me to do while still working a day job. And while I like to imagine quitting my job, and just working as an artist, I'm not prepared to do that until I can be sure that I could make a living wage as an artist. But maybe I'll take a more extensive class, and maybe find a way to make it work for me.

very feminine!

That's a reasonable description. Although for the baby shower for my nephew, I gave a painting I did of two dinosaurs that I was very proud of and that I thought was suitable for a baby boy.

[FeAudrey]

I'm always happy to listen to advice.

Very sporting of you! (... did I mention I'm a DWTS fan? :eek: )

I like being able to come home from my day job, and being able to sit in front of the TV and work on a painting.

I can see how sharp objects, hazardous fumes, acid baths, and serious machinery might not go well in that mix. :cool:

for the baby shower for my nephew, I gave a painting I did ... that I thought was suitable for a baby boy.

[yet more un-asked-for advice]You could direct a little marketing at parenting groups. Everybody is always moaning about the lack of alternatives to commercial tie-ins for their kids' rooms.[/yet more un-asked-for advice] :)

[Sam Lowry]

<snip>
[yet more un-asked-for advice]You could direct a little marketing at parenting groups. Everybody is always moaning about the lack of alternatives to commercial tie-ins for their kids' rooms.[/yet more un-asked-for advice] :)

Oh, that's a good idea! I will look into that. Thanks!

[grayhairedmomma]

[yet more un-asked-for advice]You could direct a little marketing at parenting groups. Everybody is always moaning about the lack of alternatives to commercial tie-ins for their kids' rooms.[/yet more un-asked-for advice] :)

This is true, I was just thinking that the windup penguin picture would be great in my kids' room. Especially because they're very disparate ages (14 v. 7) and it is grown-up yet soft enough to suit them both. I like the origami whale for the same reason.

[grayhairedmomma]

I have to say, Traffic Light evokes for me the Pixar short "Birds". I keep waiting for the cable to snap and send the bird flying. :)

What I like best about some of your art is that it seems to be in the middle of a story, but you get wonder what the story could be. I like that a lot.

Congratulations!

[Lust4Life]

My prints are being held being held by the local police, not so excited !

But seriously well done mate, I reckon things are on the up for you.

[Sam Lowry]

I have to say, Traffic Light evokes for me the Pixar short "Birds". I keep waiting for the cable to snap and send the bird flying. :)

What I like best about some of your art is that it seems to be in the middle of a story, but you get wonder what the story could be. I like that a lot.

Congratulations!

Thanks! I like to think of some of the paintings as a snapshot in time.

My prints are being held being held by the local police, not so excited !

But seriously well done mate, I reckon things are on the up for you.

Ha, yeah I wouldn't want my prints held by the police either!

And thanks, I reckon that things are on the up.

[Misnomer]

Very cool! Congrats! :)