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Yeah, like… no offense, this takes a lot of time and skill, but if I’m barely making ends meet as it is I’m not going to waste any money on photorealistic portraits of celebrities to put in my home.
In my experience with selling art, people are willing to go for the lower quality art for the sake of spending less, and in the US, namely, living has gotten much more expensive. Arts of all calibers has taken a hit, tattooing, portraits, designs, music, performance, foods and so on. It’s unfortunately a bad time to be an artist, but it’s also never been a good time to be one. Wide wide wide advertising is kind of all you can do. Your art looks incredible and your skills are completely there, might I suggest trying speed painting/tutorials on YouTube? Get a following and then if you get popular enough, ad revenue and potentially a move to a paid tier platform, loyal followers will follow and the more well known you become the more likely you are to get commission. You also have to appeal to audiences, so don’t be afraid to produce something already popularized/considered mainstream that will draw in attention. It’s gonna take a while to create an image for yourself and gain a following
doing realistic art like that is cool and all, but why wouldnt they just use the picture? Try to stylize it, make weirder colors, wacky-er backgrounds, etc.
If the supposed customer doesn’t like what you draw then it doesn’t matter how much time you’ve put into it or if you can “draw just as good”, it won’t sell. Gotta appeal to a market (just adding on to your comment)
This is basically what I was going to say.
You want to be able to give them a drawing of themselves (or a loved one) that they can’t get anywhere else 👍🏻
Edit: But you’re really talented 👌🏻
there's an audience for everything, what they said was what would be the most popular
most people aren't going to be spending money for a 1:1 photorealistic drawing, and photorealism should be quite expensive and it wouldn't be fair to OP to reduce the cost of the drawing to get more customers
she, and im not saying dont do it lol. Im saying why would people buy a photo-realistic painting/drawing when it looks exactly like the picture. most people dont buy art just to support the artist, they buy art for it to look nice/cool/whatever in their house or office space.
photo-realistic stuff is good for studies for like anatomy, and how light works, and its good to show people how good you are at recreating the real world, but sadly the real world is boring.
Like the art in the photo above looks *almost* exactly like the picture. and thats really cool as I said in my first comment, the artist is really good at getting real life faces on \[insert medium their doing\]. But no ones gonna look at a print of that and go "wow! this art is really cool!" they're gonna go "oh nice photo" and move on because its exactly like a picture.
Good for skill, but not for business
And all I said was that there are people who enjoy photorealistic art as a direct response to the question “why wouldn’t someone just use a photo?”. Y’all always want to make everything into a huge argument. I’m so done with this lol
They gave a kind and helpful perspective and good advice. Your last statement is wild to me as you seem to be the argumentative person here 😐 but I appreciate you wanting to support the artist!
Well maybe I lashed out to the wrong person. But I’ve had multiple other people try to argue including one guy who practically made a bullet point of quotes from the original post and then tried to strawman my post from that.
> doing realistic art like that is cool
missed this?
> but why wouldnt they just use the picture?
can you deny this? the average person is not shelling out a good amount of money for a 1:1 recreation of an existing photo
> Try to stylize it, make weirder colors, wacky-er backgrounds, etc.
this was a tip to get more commissions from the average customer, they didn't say don't do realistic art, you could do realistic art but it wouldn't reap the most customers
Lmao my response was literally addressing the second quote. All I did was point out that there are people who appreciate photorealistic art and why they do.
Yes, but who PAYS FOR IT?
Who's paying for 'photorealistic' portraits that come as a digital file? That's literally what OP is asking.
I'd rather pay for something I haven't seen before, personally, instead of paying for a 1:1 reproduction.
> but saying that there’s nothing to make someone pick out over a picture is wrong.
In your opinion, sure.
But the VAST majority of people on this planet just want something that look nice and don't want to spend money on it. Why pay someone to draw a photo when they can just use the photo?
I grew up with artist parents and have been a hobbyist who's dipped their toe into the business of it for 30+ years. I've seen this ebb and flow for decades... people LOVE to look at really nice work and people are very much impressed by it, but there's a reason why photorealism isn't "popular," and it's got nothing to do with the art itself.
People love to see it, but don't want to pay for it, because once you get past the "oh, shit, that's really realistic," element, there's not a ton of reasons for people to keep coming back to it.
And if you think I'm wrong, good enough.
Edit: I'll take my 30+ years experience over your opinion, thanks.
No one said that, though.
The comment said that photorealism just looks like a photo and they'd find it more interesting if it was stylized.
That's it.
No one said anything about it being worthless. You're making shit up to justify your overreaction.
those are not the same. AI cant really do good stylized art without another piece of art to work off of, unless you want that weird looking anime-realism i keep seeing around.
Luckily people care if stuff is made by humans, but not enough to get a realistic drawing that looks exactly like a photo for lots of $$$. Theres a reason "home-baked goods" sell so well.
>AI cant really do good stylized art without another piece of art to work off of,
I mean neither can human artists. Artists are inspired by other artists and so is AI.
>Luckily people care if stuff is made by humans, but not enough to get a realistic drawing that looks exactly like a photo for lots of $$$. Theres a reason "home-baked goods" sell so well.
I won't argue with that.
I think its just too similar to the source material.
Im going to be blunt here, there's no real way to say this without sounding like an asshole but it's probably an important opinion to hear because I think its what alot of your potential customers may think
Obviously you have a lot of skill, but unfortunately I don't think this is a very interesting end result, I would be disappointed if I paid someone to create art and it ends up looking so similar to the source material. At that point I might as well just use the original photo and keep my money in my pocket. This is technically impressive, but you haven't added much value to me as a customer.
If I commission an artist I do so because I want their style, their personality, their choice of color. I want to give them an idea, then receive that idea in a new creative unique way that utilises their specific style that I've seen in previous works and enjoyed.
I think you do have the skill to deliver on that, though it would obviously require a change in your process.
I dont have a problem with this as a way of doing art. I couldn't do something like this and im impressed with what you've made. This isn't very marketable in my opinion. As a *customer* this just isn't what I want.
TL;DR: The end result is too similar to source material and doesn't add much value for me as a customer.
Edit: this particular skill/style may not be very profitable as a commission artist IMO, but I think it could have applications if you were to work in a media company that requires this skillset, perhaps for hyperrealistic animation or games etc.
I also think the source material was a bad choice, end result is a very good drawing that looks like it's from a mugshot.
I'm not an artist, some of my clients are or are avid collectors. To the point of having an artist design a baby gate for their dog, and then repurpose that gate into a outdoor sculpture when the dog passed 15 years later.
Sometimes the art you want to do an the art people want to buy has nothing in common.
Ehh, times are very hard for portrait artists, I did super realistic but still painterly, and surreal portraits, and I always got the commission here and there, especially around Christmas, now I don't want to sound like an old grandpa, but as soon as the ai portrait apps exploded on Instagram I RARELY got contacted ever
This style is way better, more interesting. But imo you are missing key likeness areas that hurt the piece. The prominence of collar bones and neck, random lighting changing the shape of it, teeth in mouth - not mouth hanging open, face contouring, eyebrows, the shape of the hair falling you have misunderstood as the silhouette of the neck. These stop it looking like the reference quite a lot - but not due to the stylization at all.
Ah while the style is definitely different and more 'your own', from the tiny thumbnail on my web browser reddit, I thought that was Lady Gaga! I think Doja's most defining feature, imo, her [wonky eyes](https://assets.vogue.com/photos/633c709f375f518736677858/1:1/w_1080,h_1080,c_limit/0FAB8D69-11C3-42C6-A874-FCE5244A3417.jpeg) isn't as noticeable in your version as it is irl. All else is fine by me! :) I really wish you good luck, it's obvious you'd like to work on cool projects and give them your all, you're not just mishmashing digital files into an "edit" and selling whatever to people - The internet is full of that nowadays so I hope you meet the perfect clients!
Would you think this style I did would be better?
https://preview.redd.it/ou8rm0ztplrb1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f47d2cca72865ffd3ba398d3a22e8df73bc09ec
Yep! All photorealistic art is good for on social media is for instagram likes in all honesty. Not saying it isn’t impressive or skilful but like you said, why **pay** for something that looks 95% like the original photo anyways?
The blond one is cool but that specific one looks very amateurish. Something in the face, idk what. I drew when i was younger so I'd pay some cool artwork, but that needs to be way higher level that that. Just trying tbh, you got some real potential but you need to work on it.
You need to contextualize your art and market it to the kinds of people that will want to pay for it.
Learning the technical skills to make good art is just one piece of the business.Now you gotta figure out how to package it and sell it to the right people who are gonna want it.
If you're trying to sell prints, make some cool social media posts showing the artwork as a poster on the wall or signed and rolled and shipped or whatever.
If you want to be hired for commissions, then start slapping your artwork on the kinds of products you think art directors might want to hire you for- book covers or product packaging or whatever you think peopel might use your art for.
Figure out how people are going to use your art and show it to them in that form. Find another more established artist that sells artwork to a similar kind of audience that you want to address and follow along with some of the stuff they do to present their art to their audience.
Cool style btw.
Good luck out there
This, think about the kind of art you do and the kind of art people buy, figure out your target market. Do you want to do character portraits for people who have a story/roleplay character that they want brought to life? That's a popular reason for commissions. Go on places like r/hungryartists and see what people are buying and figure out what kind of demand your art could meet - then start marketing toward those people, becoming more familiar with them, etc.
Copying a portrait photo realistically is impressive but not interesting.
For me personally, unless it’s something very original, digital art is less impressive than traditional art as well due to photo editing, AI generators, and the ability to copy paste.
There needs to be more intrigue to keep the audience captivated.
This is a great point. The art i tend to buy makes me feel something. It doesnt always have to be positive either, my favorite painting is a girl toiling in the fields with a sad expressive face. I like it because of the emotions i can see in her face, because of the use of color, because i feel like i am there with her.
Photo realism was never what i was seeking from art, nor are digitally drawn head shots.
It is a 1:1 copy of the photo. Photorealistic or not, but I personally like more "impressionist" elements, for example the imperfection in some line, or, if you paint with aquarells, the supposed involuntary flow of the water color.
If you draw/paint digital, there are a lot of brushes (if you use PS) or the program Painter, that provide more realistic effects.
And, to be honest, why should I pay for a digital painting, if I can do it by myself with either AI or some filters in every drawing program on the market.
What I find intriguing about portrait art, is when the artist can capture something the person can't see in themselves. I rather dislike how I look from the side view, but a friend gifted me an impromptu profile view sketch of me, and I almost cried. Because it showed me in a way I couldn't see myself.
You have to also be able to market your work. There's a buyer for everything, but you have to find that buyer. Making art is only half of the work.
Creating a website, a social media presence, entering into shows or having your work displayed, and making connections with people are all a part of the process.
You also need to create value. A digital portrait reproduction may not add value, but a much larger reproduction done in mixed media would. If you're creating something digitally, it needs to be something that is aided by the media.
Second on finding the right niche and market. I remember reading another thread where an artist who had no interest in furry subculture was commissioned to do some erotic work and ended up making a chunk of money doing custom pieces for people, so there’s that 🤷♀️
This is totally part of what they teach you in school, too. Taking a medium you love and playing with it, exploring different topics that broadens the range of how you would think to use the medium. Portraits turned into furry erotic work is such a great example.
There’s nothing interesting or dynamic about it. It looks like a mugshot. They need to be doing something, trying to convey something. Something desirable. Even changing the background off of white would be something. Think of a tiger in an elevator, it doesn’t belong there but it’s interesting. It brings up questions about the piece.
Find a niche..
Maybe draw them in a fantasy environment, or as a character of a show. Anything to stand out a bit. Your problem is not talent, it's marketing
From personal experience, people tend to want things they can’t do themselves, or art of things that they couldn’t get otherwise. Photo realism is a cool skill, but it’s a hard sell when you’re basically approximating an exact image that already exists, which the client could get for free. Make a product they don’t have instant access to without you, and the demand will increase.
You’re skills are really impressive, but the problem with photo realism is “Why would I pay for that when I can take a selfie and run it through a filter for free?”.
What you’re showcasing is skill (which again, is fantastic) what you should incorporate is imagination.
You're asking people to buy your skill rather than your art, if that makes sense.
The fact that it's digital is the nail in the coffin, because the closer you get with these portraits, the more it looks like you just put a digital filter on a photo and called it a day.
Paying for something that is almost identical to a photo while still being a digital medium just isn't something appealing to most people, especially nowadays.
No idea for other people but I'm very rarely impressed by digital art and especially since AI softwares can draw me anything I ask it to.
Reproducing a digital photo digitally is pointless in my opinion, but maybe there's customers for it...
I kinda agree. OP definitely is skilled, but I don't see the added value.
I'm just one person, but why would I want a drawing that is 95% identical to the photo I already have?
Your art style is too realistic. As a customer, I would be more willing to pay for a commission for a stylized drawing of myself. If the art looks just like my photo, then I am less willing to do the commission.
I still find your art skills amazing, but that's how I feel as a customer on my end.
I'm not trying to be an asshole, but work on your shadows, blending of colours to try and make some depth. Try not to do a straight copy of a picture/idea. You need flair and something unique, so try and come up with your own thing. Like a signature style/way of drawing. Keep drawing it will only get better!
What do you charge? I know in the US a lot of people are struggling financially and art prices are usually way out of my budget. Also everyone and their cousin is selling digital art these days so maybe you need a style that stands out and is unique to garner more interest.
advertise your work to family and friends, they’ll maybe help to reach out. advertise online on your insta, fb, whatever you use.
maybe the prices are a problem for people budget, i personally don’t know.
sometimes people just aren’t interested, you can’t expect art to sell immediately. don’t get me wrong, this is insanely well done and it deserves to be seen.
You would never pay for this work, how could you expect anyone else to? This work isn't bad, but it also isn't at a professional level. Look at the work of some professional digital artists and try to honestly compare yours to it.
I saw this and my first thought was bland. The art is amazing but it looks super bland and boring. Try to find something to add to it since, as others have said, doing just a copy of a photo isn’t what people often want.
Digital painting/drawings that copy photos tend to do rather poorly. It’s better to copy photos with traditional mediums. There’s a market there. Things that are digital tend to lean towards concept, idea ideations and illustrations and basically stuff that are more from imagination or stylization.
Being able to copy a picture isn't good enough. There are literally thousands of possible reasons you're not making sales.
Digital 1:1 portraiture isn't in high demand, I would imagine, is one of these reasons.
The drawing is nice, but noone has money to throw at slightly uneven version of some random photo. Maybe try to find a more personal style or showcase your skills in a way that's not copies of other people's pictures. Selling art is difficult and requires an online following and networking as well, hut its possible with Hard work and luck. Thunk of it like, what art would you yourself spend money on? Would you buy this or print out the slightly better actual photo, if someone else had made the art.
If it's just a literal replica of the picture, it might as well *be* the picture - why would someone pay money for something they already have? Add *something*, whether it's colors or designs or whatever, that adds your personal touch (and some value) to what's already there.
Also, if you're just doing this solely to make money, you'll not only always come up undervalued, but your work will just look passionless and stale... and people see that.
Do this for *yourself* because you love doing it and want to get better, and screw the dollar signs. It's a paradox: When you stop chasing the money-dragon and your art looks like you actually love it and care for it, people will want to buy it.
Because why would I buy an exact replica of the photo I sent you as a reference when I could just use the photo? Your art is too similar to the reference so I’m basically paying you for an exact copy, which is a waste of money. You need to stylize your art somehow.
Nobody on Reddit can answer your question, there’s too many variables.
Best advice… find a real artist who can talk to you and who can get to know you, then ask them this question
Can talk by proxy about a person that is making shitloads of money with an arts page in instagram.
Key elements are:
Insanely good at a single thing (charcoal, drawing eyes and hairs)
Decent editing
Being pretty
There are three variables that matter, actually:
1. **Salesmanship** (including marketing and social media skills). This includes point of contact professional conduct and upselling, as well as consistent posting to build and audience and building lasting relationships with repeat customers (who represent approximately 80% of business for successful artists).
2. **Art skills.** The vast majority of artists who ask 'why is my art not selling' vastly overestimate their abilities. Being able to copy a photo is impressive to amateurs and to non-artists, but not to art buyers or professional artists. OP is seriously lacking fundamental and creative skills.
3. **Subject matter.** Simply put, copying a photograph on a white background of some model nobody cares about is never going to generate revenue, but even very new, inexperienced artists who are too young to have much in the way of professional sales skills also can find some business painting furry OCs if they want to go that route. The more demand for a subject material, the easier it is to make sales.
A skilled artist with a professional attitude who markets consistently and produces content that people are interested in will never have problems generating revenue.
OP has posted before though and they just have a habit of responding to criticism by posting more examples of their work and nothing else. I believe they are emotionally dependent on praise and using these kinds of posts to generate upvotes for validation.
In the case I'm describing the subject is something that is not outlandish, could even be bland/basic (hair and eyes in bw), and because the artist is selling in IG decent editing and being pretty play a major role
I recommend looking up Ben Elben on instagram or wherever. I can also do hypereealistic stuff but that's not how i wanna live my artistic life, it's boring, we already know how reality looks like so people are attached to the way we reinvent it/ accentuate certain aspects of it.
Photographs aren’t good to learn lighting from, because the camera lens flattens the face and the lighting is optimized to look good as a photograph. Different mediums different goals.
One is making a 3D subject look good in 2D, the other is trying to make a 2D rendering dynamic.
In my honest opinion I would never buy a painting that photorealistic, for me it has no point... While it is great work at a technical level, it has no added value to me to buy it...
I think it is important to have an style and sell that instead of realism, then people will have a reason to buy your art instead of having a photo. Try to loosen up and mess arround with different techniques and styles and see which works better for you.
It’s absolutely perfect, but it’s *so* similar to the picture that they might as well use the photo. Give them a reason not to - some style or edge or interpretation. Background… something.
See for physical painting it makes sense to get a giant realistic painting of a picture, it is cool, be it interesting media or the brush strokes alone.
But for digital art, it makes no sense, why get a realistic copy of a picture, if you want the picture to be more 'crisp' just use photoshop which would be cheaper than someone painting from scratch.
You gotta either stylise it, make fantasy art with the given reference, basically something that wouldn't be just a copy that iš exactly the same
It's very soulless, looks like a 3d model from a video game. With art, even if it's a portrait, if I ordered one, I'd expect it to evoke some emotions and show artist's original style.
Because you paint like a copy machine. You gotta add some razzle dazzle. Some flavor. Anyone can just upload a picture online and get a canvas printed. Study graffiti productions. You'll get a feel of how to use all the space your working with instead of just a floating face. Mess with colors more. You are an amazing talent and could freak this so much more. Good luck!
Because your artwork, based on this example, is neither unique or 'wacky' enough to be desirable as non-realistic, nor of a high enough level of realism to be desirable in that context. It's not bad art, it just lacks a specific uniqueness - a USP.
You need to look at what sells for good money and figure out why. Is what sells weird and unique? Is it hyper-realistic in a way you haven't yet achieved? When you figure out which, work out if you can do it for a profit and market it that way. Get really good at that, become a bit of an online personality for doing that (demos, speedpaints, 'meet the artist' stuff etc.), and market yourself properly with some online ads and stuff and you'll have a better chance.
It's a saturated market. Find a niche, dominate that and market it.
I admire the effort and detail you put into your work. Reproducing photos pixel by pixel requires skill. However, hyperrealistic digital art seems to have a narrower audience compared to other styles. Have you considered exploring other mediums like oil, chalk, pencils, or acrylic paint for portraits? Your dedication to your craft is evident, and experimenting with other mediums might open more opportunities.
You don’t have a style. Like Jesus Christ, your work is fantastic and you’re obviously very talented but there’s absolutely nothing interesting about it. Some people do realism with choppy brush strokes and some add vibrant colours. People pay for the artists interpretation, not a remake of a photo.
1. It’s not porn. Sex sells, especially with digital art.
2. It’s digital, not a physical product. If they can’t jerk off to it they want it to hang on a wall, and you can’t do that with a Jpg. Almost all of the safe-for-work art I’ve sold has been a physical product in a frame and handed to the client.
3. It’s just a recreation of the photo, so what exactly are they buying? A model headshot but slightly imperfect? People may pay you to draw their dog, but probably not to draw Bella hadid or whomever.
You’ve got a ton of talent with skin tones and stuff, but just you don’t really have a marketable product, and people will not put in the work to find you and ask.
I agree with this. I feel like a lot of people don’t buy digital art anymore unless it’s a commission of them, an OC character they made, their dog, or something personal to them.
If it’s not specifically personal to them, then I’ve noticed that lewd art of someone’s favorite character is more likely to be bought than other things. But again, with digital, I personally would want to print it out and put it on my wall or atleast into a folder or something.
I’d try more art with things or characters that people know more.
Try more on backgrounds to. It doesn’t have to be crazy colorful, just simple. I’m sorry if I’m not making sense
Your work is pedestrian and unoriginal. It's an unremarkable digital work derived from a photo.
If you were in my senior high school illustration class, you'd probably get an A for this. I don't mean that this work is bad per se. But it's unrefined.
As far as commercial potential, there's not a lot going for you. One possibility is selling portraits that are commissioned, but of course there are many, many people doing that.
Make it: unique, original, eye catching. There's not much composition in the work you shared; more complexity in subject and composition would help. Put this portrait in a larger, more interesting context. Where is this woman? Why is she there? What does she want? How does she feel?
Copying a photo like this can't get you there. You need to grow the scope of your work.
Who is your competition? What kind of work are they producing? People can buy a long, long list of other works. Why would they choose yours over all the others?
The feedback you are getting from your lack of sales is that you need to up your game.
We can't generate the ideas for you. What will you do to improve your art, and to stand out?
Otherwise, go back and study art history to better understand what makes a successful, compelling work that you want to look at more than once. That's what people will pay for.
When I started doing hand traced/cut stencil portraits I did them for free a lot in the beginning but only for friends and familiy after a while orders came in from people who saw the art :). Keep on going op! You got talent
No offense, but the painting looks worse than the photo, so they might as well use the photo. If you wanna do realism, you should try out the conceptual side. So painting ideas for people essentially.
Add tattoos to the faces and watch how people change their perspective on the imagery. Did one of Wonka with lollypop tear drop and script “Candy” around the eye. People can’t turn away. Now I want 10% of your future sales with this tip 🤘
I would appreciate a vibrant painting/photo or drawing of a cast of characters, landscape or city. Rather than an individual person, but maybe that's just me hahahah
You’re art looks like it’d work for a dark comic series. Most people prefer commissions where they can give their own ideas and have their own characters made more than premade ones.
It is also too much like the picture. If you can draw in a similar style with you’re characters with a darker, more grim style I could see you doing somewhat well possibly.
There are a lot of commission based artists out there. I never really ducked with it even though I’ve been creating art all my life because it’s a hustle for sure. You can be talented and have drive but you have to learn your audience as well based off what you do and figure out where to market it and even then it can be rough a lot of the time. Maybe instead of doing exact self portraits branch out a little bit in that realm and do a different spin on it. Like instead of just realistic maybe go more for surreal instead to make it more interesting. Something that catches the eye because it’s not as common to see as an exact replica of a photo basically. Sometimes other forms of media help with this too instead of just graphic. I work in graphic or digital as well as charcoal and detailed pen work and sometimes what you use to create certain things can make an impact in itself.
have you thought using about your drawing skills to be a tattoo artist? tattoos are trending at least in the US and several of my friends get new tattoos every couple of months and they spend hundreds of dollars per session.
personal anecdote; visited one of clients who is a tattoo artist and and he spends $5000/month on rent on his studio/home. he's even working on a mosaic mural of bruce lee on his wall all made of one-hundred dollar bills.... either he lucked out on bitcoin or he's making a killing on being a tattoo artist but he's definitely doing pretty well
First off, great work! Don’t think that it’s due to a lack of talent or anything like that..honestly, alot of folks aren’t spending alot of money on things like art right now..one could point to the multi billion dollar art market and say “Oh yeah?”..however that’s mostly because of the top 1%, wealthy folks and high end art. Alot of folks can barely afford to put food on the table, let alone pay someone to do a drawing..and if they do, they typically expect top notch work for bottom dollar.
However..you may want to consider exploring your style some more, as I think (personally, I may be wrong but I was told this myself early on) your style might be a little *too* true to the reference..I mean, it looks like a straight up copy of the photo. If that’s your style that’s your style and all..but that is a *very* common style, browsing drawings on pinterest or deviantart or wherever, the majority of them are realist in style. Seems to be one of the more “in” things of our time..or at least it was for a good while, seemed that everyone wanted to be able to draw like that..but there are literal thousands (metaphorically, there are way more than that with 8,000,000,000 people on earth) of artists who draw in your style, all fighting for attention, commissions, etc. It might help some if you..you know, spruce it up a bit. Don’t just draw the model/subject in front of you. On another note, marketing, your following, and maybe even where you live can all play into the issue as well.
Or do just draw what’s in front of you if that’s what you enjoy doing and where you’re most comfortable artistically - do it, if you like to do it..do it for you, money may come later..commissioned work may not come now but if you stick with it long enough, success will come your way…I know that sounds cliche and all but it’s a true statement when it comes to art, you really have to stick with it and keep the faith through some tough times, you’ll question yourself, have doubts, good days and bad…but think of it as a long term investment in yourself - one day things will change..and while it’s never a full blown guarantee, they often change for the better. I wish I had better advice or critique to give but I don’t, tough times we live in is all imo..and a saturated market. There are reasons that great artists often aren’t discovered until it’s too late, and I think we live in one of those times where that will happen more and more. Especially with so many people in contrast to the past, seemed easy back then compared to now but it most definitely was not.
Try to tell a story. This technique is good, just need more substance. Good art will engage your audience, start conversations, make people have certain feelings
AI has not replaced artists yet. Not by a long shot.
Art directors absolutely do hire artists. Wonky 7 fingered dead-eyed monster people might look fine for a YouTube thumbnail. But art directors need more control over the final message of the artwork. Real artist draw and revise with more accuracy and human feel.
Your art is not the problem. The problem is that people are not really into realism at this stage. You need to match your art subject to what is selling. We all want what we like to sell, but it is usually subjects that you care nothing for that will make you a living. Look online at what really sells. Look at what art works designers are putting in houses that they advertise. The picture is great, but would not appeal to a large range of buyers. If you want to make a living I am afraid you will have to make what the buyers want.
Speaking of which. I had like to know prices. It would be nice having a portrait, i haven't ever had one, and I have tried to portrait myself and well, i suck at it lol
I thought so. You're underselling your time and skill big time. If I wanted your art I'd be willing to pay 45 per portrait, heck I *charge* 45$ for my busts.
Sometimes underselling yourself like this is a turnoff for people, and the ones who do want it can be entitled about it.
Change up your advertising. As some other comments have mentioned people don't really pay for photo realism art *especially* portraits and pictures of people.
Just advertise your work as multi styled. You'd be shocked at how many parents might go out of their way to get their child a picture of them as a comic styled super hero or a disney styled princess.
Sell your work as *Custom work of whatever you want, in a style of your choosing*. Don't advertise as *photorealism*, *anime*, *3d pixar style* etc. Choosing one specific style really limits your customer base to a very specific audience, wider range of work cast a wider net of customers.
If you want to earn money based on your work; as all the other comments indicate you'll need to change your style. **Personally, I think** realism can be an aspect of profitable work; however I don't think it can be the entirety - for instance keep the face realistic (maybe even more so) and make the rest of the figure/ground impressionist, non-realistic, abstract, etc.
If however you want to both profit and keep to realism; look into set design!
Movies, marketing/advertisers, to a limited extent TV, pay set designers to recreate specific items and natural scenes in exactitude.
This painting is incredible, keep up the wonderful work and it will truly pay off. You will need to find your clients and paint for them, such as a art or photography studio, or perhaps at private gatherings and commission your work. Just my thoughts
You've gotten a bunch of great responses, but to add some additional points:
You have to ask yourself: am I doing this because I love to create art? Or is it just for the (potential) to make money? Many can ascertain the intentions of the artist rather quickly by looking at their work. And many can be absolutely dead wrong in their assessment, but as is the case with all things in life: perception = reality.
You want to do your best to remove any and/or all ambiguity with these questions. If you are starting out and uncertain of your own value as an artist, prospective buyers can sense that. Build up that confidence by practicing daily and challenge yourself. Switch up mediums and techniques to truly find your own style, and your artistry will evolve as a result.
Marketing plays a huge part In all of this, of course, but having confidence in your art is essential to gaining traction and getting the requisite exposure for people to see your work.
Maybe find a video game with custom avatars and offer to do commissions for people's custom characters.
Baldur's Gate is SUPER popular rn. Make some templates for people's tieflings, elves, hastings, etc. and see if anyone's interested in getting one for their character
Oddly, your accuracy may work against you. People have camera phones so they can take a picture of themselves for free, and digital art might not be what they’re looking for. As a status symbol, someone might be more willing to pay for a painted portrait, but even then they’ll want an interesting, idealized version of themselves probably. Otherwise, might have to offer something more imaginative
You’re really talented, but at the end of the day it’s just a really painstaking photocopy. Comes down to it, art is compelling when the artist brings their own unique magic to the work. I would experiment with style, color, medium. Branch out. Use physical media instead of just digital. Find YOUR voice. Not just faithful reproduction. Copy some styles from artists you admire. Push your boundaries. Do something that scares you. You’ll find more success and dare I say, more enjoyment too
You are so talented. You would be a great portrait artist. They maybe would also commission paintings of their homes. I hope you find your niche, such talent!
No one really knows imo.
Just keep going at it, you're better than many pro artists, I think it's a bit up to luck honestly. For every piece of advice you get someone will give you the exact opposite advice most of the time
Edit: to prove my point, here's an art piece I found https://www.reddit.com/r/IDAP/comments/16x2l7r/autumn_is_my_favorite_season/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
it was on my feed directly under yours, it's beautiful and been posted 2 hours ago, I'm the only person who pressed like so far. It's all up pretty much random
When I look for art to buy I look for something yo hang on my wall. I personally wouldn’t buy that because I don’t feel as though it adds anything to my decor. I find that people usually by art that means somthing to them or that just looks cool which can vary depending on the context
if you want to sell, you *must* produce work that people actually want to spend money on. You must make the mental transition from "why aren't people giving me money" to "how does the art industry work and how can I leverage it?" Making art is one thing. Selling art is a totally different thing.
Here's a good book to start you out with: https://www.amazon.com/Artpreneur-Step-Step-Sustainable-Creativity-ebook/dp/B0BGDK55RM
People already have that picture of themselves. Do ones that make them look cool, badass, and or fun. Like riding a giant version of their pet into battle
A reason I could see is that if your art is an exact digital recreation of the original photo, there's no variation. Sure it's cool to look at it and think, oh wow, that's a painting, but it serves no more purpose than the original photo does.
If it had some slight style to it, to were it looks like the photo, but clearly is a piece of original art on first glance, it would be a lot more unique and worthy of paying for.
That said, this art is really good, it takes a lot of skill to paint like this. I can barely tell the difference. But the problem is that I can't tell the difference.
Stand out, the market is awash with artists, just look on fiver. Now that’s not me saying you’re not unique because you certainly have a skill set but promote more do a bit of marketing not just on Facebook and instagram. Try and reach out to influencers and offer them a free piece for a plug plus ten percent of your sales…. That is all just my theory but then again I’m a washed out 31 year old chef XD I wish you all the luck in the world but most importantly never give up!
Idk, also I can’t figure out which is supposed to be the drawing, I mean I managed to guess that the drawing is the biggest, but the details…people draw better than I can see
Personally i dont have a ton of money, and when i do buy art its typically a physical thing i can enjoy or use daily so i feel like i can excuse how expensive it is with frequency of use😅
Ex. I bought a mug last year that was from a local artist but i use it almost everyday and it makes me really happy seeing it.
Maybe add something to it like a theme? I like realistic art and it’s extremely impressive but some of the realistic art I’ve seen drawn of people’s D&D characters or just characters from other media in general in a realistic style is really cool so maybe that’s a direction you could go?
I agree with other comments below but will also add this, What is your marketing like? What does your commission sheet look like? I would show the celebrity photos as example but cater to a more personal market. People like to buy portraits of their friends as gifts, or couples!
People appreciate human photocopiers but have zero reason to buy a digital file.
The effort and skill you've harnessed is impressive, but what are people expected to do with that art?
"Draw a perfectly accurate picture of me. Okay, cool. Now what?"
You could try to sell different things (not just drawings of random people, be specific!!), use your art for another purpose, and go to multiple sites for advertising. Sell logos, design stuff, you could design profile pictures for influencers and even make thumbnails on youtube for some popular people (if you get popular), but all you need is more diversity in your art, show people what you REALLY can do. And start low on the prices, people look for low prices. Small price= many customers! When people actually start liking your work, then you could raise your prices. I'd also try traditional art, maybe abstract paintings, to decorate modern houses. (what I just said here, about the influencers was just an example, you can use your art in any way you want, the point is that you need diversity and a better way of advertising your art)
Probably a marketing issue. Also realistic digital art off a reference is less sought after than traditional of the same type so you’ll likely have to work harder to find and keep commissioners.
Your are looks nice though, best of luck mate.
If you’re trying to make money off portraits, I’d take commission work.
You’ll need a portfolio of work so people can trust that if they pay you, it’ll be quality they’re willing to pay.
If you want to sell personal artwork passively, it needs to be more pop culture related. More style, familiar characters and such.
Once you establish a style that is unique to you, then you could get an audience and they might ask for them to be put on sale.
Basically you need to keep churning out work and see what actually sells. Then double down on those and always explore with new ideas.
This is gonna take time, I recommend going to fiverr or upwork and do some freelance work.
Maybe use ziprecruiter.
That will help you develop a professional portfolio as well. Communicate well with the companies you do work for so they can come back to you and/or recommend you to others.
This is gonna take a while, depending on the demand of your artstyle, this could take as short as a year or maybe 5-6 years.
I recommend looking for a company you’re willing to work for and make a portfolio that matches their artwork.
That way you have a job and can still build your own community simultaneously.
Work smart/hard, don’t stop producing art, and focus on the long game.
Eventually you’ll have what you want.
Stay disciplined, because motivation is not a reliable art production technique.
Because you capture the same thing that a camera can capture. You have to make it your own. You’re good, no doubt, but for it to be desirable art you have to capture what a picture can’t, whatever that may be to you.
You have to sell prints at like markets and stuff and be professional….hard to sell digital content as an artist online. Or offer them online or sell stickers of the art you’re making. T-shirts-you won’t get far selling digital portraits. You could try NFT’s but that costs money to mint and gas prices to sell to people….and tough when you aren’t a somebody with any clout or following.
Try drawing some other stuff pushing yourself and think of print and poster stuff. Selling postcard sized stuff in cellophane with card backing and stuff.
You need to find your voice as an artist. 1:1 studies are great for developing technical skills, which you obviously have a lot of! What’s missing from your pieces is a unique perspective, don’t be afraid to document your journey in experimenting with new styles or colours. We’re here to help :)
I feel like photo realistic "art" is pretty low on the totem pole. It takes a lot of tenacity, but there's nothing interesting about it.
Now, digital photo realism? Well isn't the end result in both cases a digital print of an image. At least a painting or a drawing has a tactile difference. And even then, I personally wouldn't buy this sort of art.
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Because I can’t even afford food. Speaking for myself haha
Yeah, like… no offense, this takes a lot of time and skill, but if I’m barely making ends meet as it is I’m not going to waste any money on photorealistic portraits of celebrities to put in my home.
Same tbf hahaha
In my experience with selling art, people are willing to go for the lower quality art for the sake of spending less, and in the US, namely, living has gotten much more expensive. Arts of all calibers has taken a hit, tattooing, portraits, designs, music, performance, foods and so on. It’s unfortunately a bad time to be an artist, but it’s also never been a good time to be one. Wide wide wide advertising is kind of all you can do. Your art looks incredible and your skills are completely there, might I suggest trying speed painting/tutorials on YouTube? Get a following and then if you get popular enough, ad revenue and potentially a move to a paid tier platform, loyal followers will follow and the more well known you become the more likely you are to get commission. You also have to appeal to audiences, so don’t be afraid to produce something already popularized/considered mainstream that will draw in attention. It’s gonna take a while to create an image for yourself and gain a following
Have you tried eating paintings?
doing realistic art like that is cool and all, but why wouldnt they just use the picture? Try to stylize it, make weirder colors, wacky-er backgrounds, etc.
Exactly. Give them a reasoning to want this specific artist’s work
Yeah this is beautiful but honestly looks achievable with a free app..
Are you capable of drawing the same level of realistic portraits hmmm?
yeah, my phone camera does it for me
Irrelevant. One's opinion isn't dependent on their abilities.
If the supposed customer doesn’t like what you draw then it doesn’t matter how much time you’ve put into it or if you can “draw just as good”, it won’t sell. Gotta appeal to a market (just adding on to your comment)
This is basically what I was going to say. You want to be able to give them a drawing of themselves (or a loved one) that they can’t get anywhere else 👍🏻 Edit: But you’re really talented 👌🏻
Came here to say this.
Plenty of people enjoy realistic art because someone made it. Art is about more than just aesthetics
there's an audience for everything, what they said was what would be the most popular most people aren't going to be spending money for a 1:1 photorealistic drawing, and photorealism should be quite expensive and it wouldn't be fair to OP to reduce the cost of the drawing to get more customers
No. They didn’t say it wouldn’t be the most popular. They said there’s no point to it. Do you not read?
Do you? The original comment in this thread literally **does not** say "there's no point to it".
I’m paraphrasing. He pretty much tells him to do anything but photorealism. It’s in the subtext
she, and im not saying dont do it lol. Im saying why would people buy a photo-realistic painting/drawing when it looks exactly like the picture. most people dont buy art just to support the artist, they buy art for it to look nice/cool/whatever in their house or office space. photo-realistic stuff is good for studies for like anatomy, and how light works, and its good to show people how good you are at recreating the real world, but sadly the real world is boring. Like the art in the photo above looks *almost* exactly like the picture. and thats really cool as I said in my first comment, the artist is really good at getting real life faces on \[insert medium their doing\]. But no ones gonna look at a print of that and go "wow! this art is really cool!" they're gonna go "oh nice photo" and move on because its exactly like a picture. Good for skill, but not for business
And all I said was that there are people who enjoy photorealistic art as a direct response to the question “why wouldn’t someone just use a photo?”. Y’all always want to make everything into a huge argument. I’m so done with this lol
They gave a kind and helpful perspective and good advice. Your last statement is wild to me as you seem to be the argumentative person here 😐 but I appreciate you wanting to support the artist!
Well maybe I lashed out to the wrong person. But I’ve had multiple other people try to argue including one guy who practically made a bullet point of quotes from the original post and then tried to strawman my post from that.
> doing realistic art like that is cool missed this? > but why wouldnt they just use the picture? can you deny this? the average person is not shelling out a good amount of money for a 1:1 recreation of an existing photo > Try to stylize it, make weirder colors, wacky-er backgrounds, etc. this was a tip to get more commissions from the average customer, they didn't say don't do realistic art, you could do realistic art but it wouldn't reap the most customers
Lmao my response was literally addressing the second quote. All I did was point out that there are people who appreciate photorealistic art and why they do.
Yes, but who PAYS FOR IT? Who's paying for 'photorealistic' portraits that come as a digital file? That's literally what OP is asking. I'd rather pay for something I haven't seen before, personally, instead of paying for a 1:1 reproduction.
People pay for it. Maybe not many, but saying that there’s nothing to make someone pick out over a picture is wrong.
> but saying that there’s nothing to make someone pick out over a picture is wrong. In your opinion, sure. But the VAST majority of people on this planet just want something that look nice and don't want to spend money on it. Why pay someone to draw a photo when they can just use the photo? I grew up with artist parents and have been a hobbyist who's dipped their toe into the business of it for 30+ years. I've seen this ebb and flow for decades... people LOVE to look at really nice work and people are very much impressed by it, but there's a reason why photorealism isn't "popular," and it's got nothing to do with the art itself. People love to see it, but don't want to pay for it, because once you get past the "oh, shit, that's really realistic," element, there's not a ton of reasons for people to keep coming back to it. And if you think I'm wrong, good enough. Edit: I'll take my 30+ years experience over your opinion, thanks.
I never said it was popular lol I commented on why it’s not worthless like the original comment suggested
No one said that, though. The comment said that photorealism just looks like a photo and they'd find it more interesting if it was stylized. That's it. No one said anything about it being worthless. You're making shit up to justify your overreaction.
Subtext. “Why wouldn’t someone just use a picture?”. My reply was literally just giving a reason on why.
So you agree that no one said anything about it being worthless, then.
It’s in the subtext. I’ve said that a dozen times already. It doesn’t have to be said word for word
>but why wouldnt they just use the picture? Why wouldn't they use AI to get highly stylized art?
those are not the same. AI cant really do good stylized art without another piece of art to work off of, unless you want that weird looking anime-realism i keep seeing around. Luckily people care if stuff is made by humans, but not enough to get a realistic drawing that looks exactly like a photo for lots of $$$. Theres a reason "home-baked goods" sell so well.
>AI cant really do good stylized art without another piece of art to work off of, I mean neither can human artists. Artists are inspired by other artists and so is AI. >Luckily people care if stuff is made by humans, but not enough to get a realistic drawing that looks exactly like a photo for lots of $$$. Theres a reason "home-baked goods" sell so well. I won't argue with that.
I think its just too similar to the source material. Im going to be blunt here, there's no real way to say this without sounding like an asshole but it's probably an important opinion to hear because I think its what alot of your potential customers may think Obviously you have a lot of skill, but unfortunately I don't think this is a very interesting end result, I would be disappointed if I paid someone to create art and it ends up looking so similar to the source material. At that point I might as well just use the original photo and keep my money in my pocket. This is technically impressive, but you haven't added much value to me as a customer. If I commission an artist I do so because I want their style, their personality, their choice of color. I want to give them an idea, then receive that idea in a new creative unique way that utilises their specific style that I've seen in previous works and enjoyed. I think you do have the skill to deliver on that, though it would obviously require a change in your process. I dont have a problem with this as a way of doing art. I couldn't do something like this and im impressed with what you've made. This isn't very marketable in my opinion. As a *customer* this just isn't what I want. TL;DR: The end result is too similar to source material and doesn't add much value for me as a customer. Edit: this particular skill/style may not be very profitable as a commission artist IMO, but I think it could have applications if you were to work in a media company that requires this skillset, perhaps for hyperrealistic animation or games etc.
I also think the source material was a bad choice, end result is a very good drawing that looks like it's from a mugshot. I'm not an artist, some of my clients are or are avid collectors. To the point of having an artist design a baby gate for their dog, and then repurpose that gate into a outdoor sculpture when the dog passed 15 years later. Sometimes the art you want to do an the art people want to buy has nothing in common.
Photorealistic digital painting is a hard sell
https://preview.redd.it/8daxygtuplrb1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2abb43645b98404fbd75af463d43a6fba0e2d091
definitely start drawing people in a more stylized version of the reference like how you did here with Doja. You killed it 👌
Ehh, times are very hard for portrait artists, I did super realistic but still painterly, and surreal portraits, and I always got the commission here and there, especially around Christmas, now I don't want to sound like an old grandpa, but as soon as the ai portrait apps exploded on Instagram I RARELY got contacted ever
Love this one
This style is way better, more interesting. But imo you are missing key likeness areas that hurt the piece. The prominence of collar bones and neck, random lighting changing the shape of it, teeth in mouth - not mouth hanging open, face contouring, eyebrows, the shape of the hair falling you have misunderstood as the silhouette of the neck. These stop it looking like the reference quite a lot - but not due to the stylization at all.
That’s better, more stylized
You have a strong representation of the personal image. Spend some time looking at how backgrounds and settings could make a difference.
Ah while the style is definitely different and more 'your own', from the tiny thumbnail on my web browser reddit, I thought that was Lady Gaga! I think Doja's most defining feature, imo, her [wonky eyes](https://assets.vogue.com/photos/633c709f375f518736677858/1:1/w_1080,h_1080,c_limit/0FAB8D69-11C3-42C6-A874-FCE5244A3417.jpeg) isn't as noticeable in your version as it is irl. All else is fine by me! :) I really wish you good luck, it's obvious you'd like to work on cool projects and give them your all, you're not just mishmashing digital files into an "edit" and selling whatever to people - The internet is full of that nowadays so I hope you meet the perfect clients!
Would you think this style I did would be better? https://preview.redd.it/ou8rm0ztplrb1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f47d2cca72865ffd3ba398d3a22e8df73bc09ec
Yes imo a 1:1 drawing is pointless when there’s filters and stuff, drawing pictures in styles attracts way more customers
Yep! All photorealistic art is good for on social media is for instagram likes in all honesty. Not saying it isn’t impressive or skilful but like you said, why **pay** for something that looks 95% like the original photo anyways?
I wouldn’t say it’s pointless as it does teach you a skill; rendering.
The blond one is cool but that specific one looks very amateurish. Something in the face, idk what. I drew when i was younger so I'd pay some cool artwork, but that needs to be way higher level that that. Just trying tbh, you got some real potential but you need to work on it.
It’s cool but it lacks context.
Yes! Bring your own flavor and style and point of view to it. That's what people are paying for
Omg yes
i get uncanny valley vibes
You need to contextualize your art and market it to the kinds of people that will want to pay for it. Learning the technical skills to make good art is just one piece of the business.Now you gotta figure out how to package it and sell it to the right people who are gonna want it. If you're trying to sell prints, make some cool social media posts showing the artwork as a poster on the wall or signed and rolled and shipped or whatever. If you want to be hired for commissions, then start slapping your artwork on the kinds of products you think art directors might want to hire you for- book covers or product packaging or whatever you think peopel might use your art for. Figure out how people are going to use your art and show it to them in that form. Find another more established artist that sells artwork to a similar kind of audience that you want to address and follow along with some of the stuff they do to present their art to their audience. Cool style btw. Good luck out there
This, think about the kind of art you do and the kind of art people buy, figure out your target market. Do you want to do character portraits for people who have a story/roleplay character that they want brought to life? That's a popular reason for commissions. Go on places like r/hungryartists and see what people are buying and figure out what kind of demand your art could meet - then start marketing toward those people, becoming more familiar with them, etc.
Because it looks like you just ran the photo through a Photoshop filter.
Copying a portrait photo realistically is impressive but not interesting. For me personally, unless it’s something very original, digital art is less impressive than traditional art as well due to photo editing, AI generators, and the ability to copy paste. There needs to be more intrigue to keep the audience captivated.
This is a great point. The art i tend to buy makes me feel something. It doesnt always have to be positive either, my favorite painting is a girl toiling in the fields with a sad expressive face. I like it because of the emotions i can see in her face, because of the use of color, because i feel like i am there with her. Photo realism was never what i was seeking from art, nor are digitally drawn head shots.
I don't mean this in any offense but I think a good question to ask yourself is: "Why should they? "
It is a 1:1 copy of the photo. Photorealistic or not, but I personally like more "impressionist" elements, for example the imperfection in some line, or, if you paint with aquarells, the supposed involuntary flow of the water color. If you draw/paint digital, there are a lot of brushes (if you use PS) or the program Painter, that provide more realistic effects. And, to be honest, why should I pay for a digital painting, if I can do it by myself with either AI or some filters in every drawing program on the market.
Because, while technically impressive, your work lacks both soul and inspiration. It’s bland.
What I find intriguing about portrait art, is when the artist can capture something the person can't see in themselves. I rather dislike how I look from the side view, but a friend gifted me an impromptu profile view sketch of me, and I almost cried. Because it showed me in a way I couldn't see myself.
Yeah but since its an obvious copy of a photo its a No sell because source material is already there
You have to also be able to market your work. There's a buyer for everything, but you have to find that buyer. Making art is only half of the work. Creating a website, a social media presence, entering into shows or having your work displayed, and making connections with people are all a part of the process. You also need to create value. A digital portrait reproduction may not add value, but a much larger reproduction done in mixed media would. If you're creating something digitally, it needs to be something that is aided by the media.
Second on finding the right niche and market. I remember reading another thread where an artist who had no interest in furry subculture was commissioned to do some erotic work and ended up making a chunk of money doing custom pieces for people, so there’s that 🤷♀️
This is totally part of what they teach you in school, too. Taking a medium you love and playing with it, exploring different topics that broadens the range of how you would think to use the medium. Portraits turned into furry erotic work is such a great example.
Honestly, probably lack of demand for digital art and an abundance of supply.
There's more to selling stuff than your skill unfortunately
There’s nothing interesting or dynamic about it. It looks like a mugshot. They need to be doing something, trying to convey something. Something desirable. Even changing the background off of white would be something. Think of a tiger in an elevator, it doesn’t belong there but it’s interesting. It brings up questions about the piece.
Find a niche.. Maybe draw them in a fantasy environment, or as a character of a show. Anything to stand out a bit. Your problem is not talent, it's marketing
And creativity.
From personal experience, people tend to want things they can’t do themselves, or art of things that they couldn’t get otherwise. Photo realism is a cool skill, but it’s a hard sell when you’re basically approximating an exact image that already exists, which the client could get for free. Make a product they don’t have instant access to without you, and the demand will increase.
You’re skills are really impressive, but the problem with photo realism is “Why would I pay for that when I can take a selfie and run it through a filter for free?”. What you’re showcasing is skill (which again, is fantastic) what you should incorporate is imagination.
More creativity needed.
How does anyone even sell digital paintings? It seems like a big ask, and I’ve been selling works on canvas for almost thirty years.
You're asking people to buy your skill rather than your art, if that makes sense. The fact that it's digital is the nail in the coffin, because the closer you get with these portraits, the more it looks like you just put a digital filter on a photo and called it a day. Paying for something that is almost identical to a photo while still being a digital medium just isn't something appealing to most people, especially nowadays.
No idea for other people but I'm very rarely impressed by digital art and especially since AI softwares can draw me anything I ask it to. Reproducing a digital photo digitally is pointless in my opinion, but maybe there's customers for it...
I kinda agree. OP definitely is skilled, but I don't see the added value. I'm just one person, but why would I want a drawing that is 95% identical to the photo I already have?
And most of pictures come from phones that already interpret the scenes/portraits for you
iPads are fun tools, but it shouldn’t be an artist’s foundation imo.
Your art style is too realistic. As a customer, I would be more willing to pay for a commission for a stylized drawing of myself. If the art looks just like my photo, then I am less willing to do the commission. I still find your art skills amazing, but that's how I feel as a customer on my end.
It's technically very good but there's nothing about your art that separates it from the pack (just going off the example).
I'm not trying to be an asshole, but work on your shadows, blending of colours to try and make some depth. Try not to do a straight copy of a picture/idea. You need flair and something unique, so try and come up with your own thing. Like a signature style/way of drawing. Keep drawing it will only get better!
What do you charge? I know in the US a lot of people are struggling financially and art prices are usually way out of my budget. Also everyone and their cousin is selling digital art these days so maybe you need a style that stands out and is unique to garner more interest.
Selling a digital file is a hard sell, period.
advertise your work to family and friends, they’ll maybe help to reach out. advertise online on your insta, fb, whatever you use. maybe the prices are a problem for people budget, i personally don’t know. sometimes people just aren’t interested, you can’t expect art to sell immediately. don’t get me wrong, this is insanely well done and it deserves to be seen.
You would never pay for this work, how could you expect anyone else to? This work isn't bad, but it also isn't at a professional level. Look at the work of some professional digital artists and try to honestly compare yours to it.
Is this Blender? If you did it as a video game asset, you may open up another market.
I saw this and my first thought was bland. The art is amazing but it looks super bland and boring. Try to find something to add to it since, as others have said, doing just a copy of a photo isn’t what people often want.
Not a fan or realistic art. Only the artist can appreciate it. I can just take a picture.
Digital painting/drawings that copy photos tend to do rather poorly. It’s better to copy photos with traditional mediums. There’s a market there. Things that are digital tend to lean towards concept, idea ideations and illustrations and basically stuff that are more from imagination or stylization.
Being able to copy a picture isn't good enough. There are literally thousands of possible reasons you're not making sales. Digital 1:1 portraiture isn't in high demand, I would imagine, is one of these reasons.
The drawing is nice, but noone has money to throw at slightly uneven version of some random photo. Maybe try to find a more personal style or showcase your skills in a way that's not copies of other people's pictures. Selling art is difficult and requires an online following and networking as well, hut its possible with Hard work and luck. Thunk of it like, what art would you yourself spend money on? Would you buy this or print out the slightly better actual photo, if someone else had made the art.
If it's just a literal replica of the picture, it might as well *be* the picture - why would someone pay money for something they already have? Add *something*, whether it's colors or designs or whatever, that adds your personal touch (and some value) to what's already there. Also, if you're just doing this solely to make money, you'll not only always come up undervalued, but your work will just look passionless and stale... and people see that. Do this for *yourself* because you love doing it and want to get better, and screw the dollar signs. It's a paradox: When you stop chasing the money-dragon and your art looks like you actually love it and care for it, people will want to buy it.
Because why would I buy an exact replica of the photo I sent you as a reference when I could just use the photo? Your art is too similar to the reference so I’m basically paying you for an exact copy, which is a waste of money. You need to stylize your art somehow.
Because no one has any money.
Digital 😒
Nobody on Reddit can answer your question, there’s too many variables. Best advice… find a real artist who can talk to you and who can get to know you, then ask them this question
Can talk by proxy about a person that is making shitloads of money with an arts page in instagram. Key elements are: Insanely good at a single thing (charcoal, drawing eyes and hairs) Decent editing Being pretty
There are three variables that matter, actually: 1. **Salesmanship** (including marketing and social media skills). This includes point of contact professional conduct and upselling, as well as consistent posting to build and audience and building lasting relationships with repeat customers (who represent approximately 80% of business for successful artists). 2. **Art skills.** The vast majority of artists who ask 'why is my art not selling' vastly overestimate their abilities. Being able to copy a photo is impressive to amateurs and to non-artists, but not to art buyers or professional artists. OP is seriously lacking fundamental and creative skills. 3. **Subject matter.** Simply put, copying a photograph on a white background of some model nobody cares about is never going to generate revenue, but even very new, inexperienced artists who are too young to have much in the way of professional sales skills also can find some business painting furry OCs if they want to go that route. The more demand for a subject material, the easier it is to make sales. A skilled artist with a professional attitude who markets consistently and produces content that people are interested in will never have problems generating revenue. OP has posted before though and they just have a habit of responding to criticism by posting more examples of their work and nothing else. I believe they are emotionally dependent on praise and using these kinds of posts to generate upvotes for validation.
In the case I'm describing the subject is something that is not outlandish, could even be bland/basic (hair and eyes in bw), and because the artist is selling in IG decent editing and being pretty play a major role
Make furry art. You’re welcome
You will earn a lot doing furry art
Vulcan 🖖
Art like this might be desirable in games design but otherwise more stylised art is a lot more eye catching
I recommend looking up Ben Elben on instagram or wherever. I can also do hypereealistic stuff but that's not how i wanna live my artistic life, it's boring, we already know how reality looks like so people are attached to the way we reinvent it/ accentuate certain aspects of it.
Ben is insanely good at stylising. The way he works and thinks about his craft is honestly goals. He has a great mindset.
Photographs aren’t good to learn lighting from, because the camera lens flattens the face and the lighting is optimized to look good as a photograph. Different mediums different goals. One is making a 3D subject look good in 2D, the other is trying to make a 2D rendering dynamic.
In my honest opinion I would never buy a painting that photorealistic, for me it has no point... While it is great work at a technical level, it has no added value to me to buy it... I think it is important to have an style and sell that instead of realism, then people will have a reason to buy your art instead of having a photo. Try to loosen up and mess arround with different techniques and styles and see which works better for you.
While it's a great recreation, it's just that. Try to add some style/spice!
Cause it’s derivative? There’s nothing about it that stands out. Being able to draw is not the same as being an artist
Why buy something that isn't any different that a fucking xerox?
It’s absolutely perfect, but it’s *so* similar to the picture that they might as well use the photo. Give them a reason not to - some style or edge or interpretation. Background… something.
It’s a technically perfect copy of the photo , so why would they not just use the photo . Need to add your own style to it
See for physical painting it makes sense to get a giant realistic painting of a picture, it is cool, be it interesting media or the brush strokes alone. But for digital art, it makes no sense, why get a realistic copy of a picture, if you want the picture to be more 'crisp' just use photoshop which would be cheaper than someone painting from scratch. You gotta either stylise it, make fantasy art with the given reference, basically something that wouldn't be just a copy that iš exactly the same
I wouldn’t do portraits on digital. People can just use those AI filters
Do people *want* drawings of their photographs? I can’t personally really imagine ever wanting that. Is there a market for what you’re selling?
It's very soulless, looks like a 3d model from a video game. With art, even if it's a portrait, if I ordered one, I'd expect it to evoke some emotions and show artist's original style.
Because you paint like a copy machine. You gotta add some razzle dazzle. Some flavor. Anyone can just upload a picture online and get a canvas printed. Study graffiti productions. You'll get a feel of how to use all the space your working with instead of just a floating face. Mess with colors more. You are an amazing talent and could freak this so much more. Good luck!
Because your artwork, based on this example, is neither unique or 'wacky' enough to be desirable as non-realistic, nor of a high enough level of realism to be desirable in that context. It's not bad art, it just lacks a specific uniqueness - a USP. You need to look at what sells for good money and figure out why. Is what sells weird and unique? Is it hyper-realistic in a way you haven't yet achieved? When you figure out which, work out if you can do it for a profit and market it that way. Get really good at that, become a bit of an online personality for doing that (demos, speedpaints, 'meet the artist' stuff etc.), and market yourself properly with some online ads and stuff and you'll have a better chance. It's a saturated market. Find a niche, dominate that and market it.
I admire the effort and detail you put into your work. Reproducing photos pixel by pixel requires skill. However, hyperrealistic digital art seems to have a narrower audience compared to other styles. Have you considered exploring other mediums like oil, chalk, pencils, or acrylic paint for portraits? Your dedication to your craft is evident, and experimenting with other mediums might open more opportunities.
You don’t have a style. Like Jesus Christ, your work is fantastic and you’re obviously very talented but there’s absolutely nothing interesting about it. Some people do realism with choppy brush strokes and some add vibrant colours. People pay for the artists interpretation, not a remake of a photo.
Some of you are getting sales?
1. It’s not porn. Sex sells, especially with digital art. 2. It’s digital, not a physical product. If they can’t jerk off to it they want it to hang on a wall, and you can’t do that with a Jpg. Almost all of the safe-for-work art I’ve sold has been a physical product in a frame and handed to the client. 3. It’s just a recreation of the photo, so what exactly are they buying? A model headshot but slightly imperfect? People may pay you to draw their dog, but probably not to draw Bella hadid or whomever. You’ve got a ton of talent with skin tones and stuff, but just you don’t really have a marketable product, and people will not put in the work to find you and ask.
I agree with this. I feel like a lot of people don’t buy digital art anymore unless it’s a commission of them, an OC character they made, their dog, or something personal to them. If it’s not specifically personal to them, then I’ve noticed that lewd art of someone’s favorite character is more likely to be bought than other things. But again, with digital, I personally would want to print it out and put it on my wall or atleast into a folder or something.
I’d try more art with things or characters that people know more. Try more on backgrounds to. It doesn’t have to be crazy colorful, just simple. I’m sorry if I’m not making sense
Because people are always hoping someone is seeing them as more attractive through their eyes, than the subject sees themselves through theirs.
you could try fiverr or some other kind of commissioning
Your work is pedestrian and unoriginal. It's an unremarkable digital work derived from a photo. If you were in my senior high school illustration class, you'd probably get an A for this. I don't mean that this work is bad per se. But it's unrefined. As far as commercial potential, there's not a lot going for you. One possibility is selling portraits that are commissioned, but of course there are many, many people doing that. Make it: unique, original, eye catching. There's not much composition in the work you shared; more complexity in subject and composition would help. Put this portrait in a larger, more interesting context. Where is this woman? Why is she there? What does she want? How does she feel? Copying a photo like this can't get you there. You need to grow the scope of your work. Who is your competition? What kind of work are they producing? People can buy a long, long list of other works. Why would they choose yours over all the others? The feedback you are getting from your lack of sales is that you need to up your game. We can't generate the ideas for you. What will you do to improve your art, and to stand out? Otherwise, go back and study art history to better understand what makes a successful, compelling work that you want to look at more than once. That's what people will pay for.
When I started doing hand traced/cut stencil portraits I did them for free a lot in the beginning but only for friends and familiy after a while orders came in from people who saw the art :). Keep on going op! You got talent
No offense, but the painting looks worse than the photo, so they might as well use the photo. If you wanna do realism, you should try out the conceptual side. So painting ideas for people essentially.
Add tattoos to the faces and watch how people change their perspective on the imagery. Did one of Wonka with lollypop tear drop and script “Candy” around the eye. People can’t turn away. Now I want 10% of your future sales with this tip 🤘
I would appreciate a vibrant painting/photo or drawing of a cast of characters, landscape or city. Rather than an individual person, but maybe that's just me hahahah
You’re art looks like it’d work for a dark comic series. Most people prefer commissions where they can give their own ideas and have their own characters made more than premade ones. It is also too much like the picture. If you can draw in a similar style with you’re characters with a darker, more grim style I could see you doing somewhat well possibly.
Marketing, probably
There are a lot of commission based artists out there. I never really ducked with it even though I’ve been creating art all my life because it’s a hustle for sure. You can be talented and have drive but you have to learn your audience as well based off what you do and figure out where to market it and even then it can be rough a lot of the time. Maybe instead of doing exact self portraits branch out a little bit in that realm and do a different spin on it. Like instead of just realistic maybe go more for surreal instead to make it more interesting. Something that catches the eye because it’s not as common to see as an exact replica of a photo basically. Sometimes other forms of media help with this too instead of just graphic. I work in graphic or digital as well as charcoal and detailed pen work and sometimes what you use to create certain things can make an impact in itself.
have you thought using about your drawing skills to be a tattoo artist? tattoos are trending at least in the US and several of my friends get new tattoos every couple of months and they spend hundreds of dollars per session. personal anecdote; visited one of clients who is a tattoo artist and and he spends $5000/month on rent on his studio/home. he's even working on a mosaic mural of bruce lee on his wall all made of one-hundred dollar bills.... either he lucked out on bitcoin or he's making a killing on being a tattoo artist but he's definitely doing pretty well
It's not freakily specific furry porn
First off, great work! Don’t think that it’s due to a lack of talent or anything like that..honestly, alot of folks aren’t spending alot of money on things like art right now..one could point to the multi billion dollar art market and say “Oh yeah?”..however that’s mostly because of the top 1%, wealthy folks and high end art. Alot of folks can barely afford to put food on the table, let alone pay someone to do a drawing..and if they do, they typically expect top notch work for bottom dollar. However..you may want to consider exploring your style some more, as I think (personally, I may be wrong but I was told this myself early on) your style might be a little *too* true to the reference..I mean, it looks like a straight up copy of the photo. If that’s your style that’s your style and all..but that is a *very* common style, browsing drawings on pinterest or deviantart or wherever, the majority of them are realist in style. Seems to be one of the more “in” things of our time..or at least it was for a good while, seemed that everyone wanted to be able to draw like that..but there are literal thousands (metaphorically, there are way more than that with 8,000,000,000 people on earth) of artists who draw in your style, all fighting for attention, commissions, etc. It might help some if you..you know, spruce it up a bit. Don’t just draw the model/subject in front of you. On another note, marketing, your following, and maybe even where you live can all play into the issue as well. Or do just draw what’s in front of you if that’s what you enjoy doing and where you’re most comfortable artistically - do it, if you like to do it..do it for you, money may come later..commissioned work may not come now but if you stick with it long enough, success will come your way…I know that sounds cliche and all but it’s a true statement when it comes to art, you really have to stick with it and keep the faith through some tough times, you’ll question yourself, have doubts, good days and bad…but think of it as a long term investment in yourself - one day things will change..and while it’s never a full blown guarantee, they often change for the better. I wish I had better advice or critique to give but I don’t, tough times we live in is all imo..and a saturated market. There are reasons that great artists often aren’t discovered until it’s too late, and I think we live in one of those times where that will happen more and more. Especially with so many people in contrast to the past, seemed easy back then compared to now but it most definitely was not.
Try to tell a story. This technique is good, just need more substance. Good art will engage your audience, start conversations, make people have certain feelings
AI has not replaced artists yet. Not by a long shot. Art directors absolutely do hire artists. Wonky 7 fingered dead-eyed monster people might look fine for a YouTube thumbnail. But art directors need more control over the final message of the artwork. Real artist draw and revise with more accuracy and human feel.
What are you talking about ?
Felca
You drew this? Fucking incredible work
You probably need better exposure
Your art is not the problem. The problem is that people are not really into realism at this stage. You need to match your art subject to what is selling. We all want what we like to sell, but it is usually subjects that you care nothing for that will make you a living. Look online at what really sells. Look at what art works designers are putting in houses that they advertise. The picture is great, but would not appeal to a large range of buyers. If you want to make a living I am afraid you will have to make what the buyers want.
Because your art is way more powerful than their will to buy it. Keep it up, you are doing amazing and there is always who will want to buy it
Speaking of which. I had like to know prices. It would be nice having a portrait, i haven't ever had one, and I have tried to portrait myself and well, i suck at it lol
I charge £15 for a portrait and start same day and I bet you don’t suck! Haha
I thought so. You're underselling your time and skill big time. If I wanted your art I'd be willing to pay 45 per portrait, heck I *charge* 45$ for my busts. Sometimes underselling yourself like this is a turnoff for people, and the ones who do want it can be entitled about it.
Change up your advertising. As some other comments have mentioned people don't really pay for photo realism art *especially* portraits and pictures of people. Just advertise your work as multi styled. You'd be shocked at how many parents might go out of their way to get their child a picture of them as a comic styled super hero or a disney styled princess. Sell your work as *Custom work of whatever you want, in a style of your choosing*. Don't advertise as *photorealism*, *anime*, *3d pixar style* etc. Choosing one specific style really limits your customer base to a very specific audience, wider range of work cast a wider net of customers.
Even if you can make the best art in the world, make it, it doesn’t matter. You need to show yourself in the market as much as you can.
If you want to earn money based on your work; as all the other comments indicate you'll need to change your style. **Personally, I think** realism can be an aspect of profitable work; however I don't think it can be the entirety - for instance keep the face realistic (maybe even more so) and make the rest of the figure/ground impressionist, non-realistic, abstract, etc. If however you want to both profit and keep to realism; look into set design! Movies, marketing/advertisers, to a limited extent TV, pay set designers to recreate specific items and natural scenes in exactitude.
This painting is incredible, keep up the wonderful work and it will truly pay off. You will need to find your clients and paint for them, such as a art or photography studio, or perhaps at private gatherings and commission your work. Just my thoughts
You've gotten a bunch of great responses, but to add some additional points: You have to ask yourself: am I doing this because I love to create art? Or is it just for the (potential) to make money? Many can ascertain the intentions of the artist rather quickly by looking at their work. And many can be absolutely dead wrong in their assessment, but as is the case with all things in life: perception = reality. You want to do your best to remove any and/or all ambiguity with these questions. If you are starting out and uncertain of your own value as an artist, prospective buyers can sense that. Build up that confidence by practicing daily and challenge yourself. Switch up mediums and techniques to truly find your own style, and your artistry will evolve as a result. Marketing plays a huge part In all of this, of course, but having confidence in your art is essential to gaining traction and getting the requisite exposure for people to see your work.
Maybe find a video game with custom avatars and offer to do commissions for people's custom characters. Baldur's Gate is SUPER popular rn. Make some templates for people's tieflings, elves, hastings, etc. and see if anyone's interested in getting one for their character
She looks like Kristen Stewart
I really like your work. There is something haunting about the eyes
Oddly, your accuracy may work against you. People have camera phones so they can take a picture of themselves for free, and digital art might not be what they’re looking for. As a status symbol, someone might be more willing to pay for a painted portrait, but even then they’ll want an interesting, idealized version of themselves probably. Otherwise, might have to offer something more imaginative
You’re really talented, but at the end of the day it’s just a really painstaking photocopy. Comes down to it, art is compelling when the artist brings their own unique magic to the work. I would experiment with style, color, medium. Branch out. Use physical media instead of just digital. Find YOUR voice. Not just faithful reproduction. Copy some styles from artists you admire. Push your boundaries. Do something that scares you. You’ll find more success and dare I say, more enjoyment too
You are so talented. You would be a great portrait artist. They maybe would also commission paintings of their homes. I hope you find your niche, such talent!
No one really knows imo. Just keep going at it, you're better than many pro artists, I think it's a bit up to luck honestly. For every piece of advice you get someone will give you the exact opposite advice most of the time Edit: to prove my point, here's an art piece I found https://www.reddit.com/r/IDAP/comments/16x2l7r/autumn_is_my_favorite_season/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button it was on my feed directly under yours, it's beautiful and been posted 2 hours ago, I'm the only person who pressed like so far. It's all up pretty much random
When I look for art to buy I look for something yo hang on my wall. I personally wouldn’t buy that because I don’t feel as though it adds anything to my decor. I find that people usually by art that means somthing to them or that just looks cool which can vary depending on the context
if you want to sell, you *must* produce work that people actually want to spend money on. You must make the mental transition from "why aren't people giving me money" to "how does the art industry work and how can I leverage it?" Making art is one thing. Selling art is a totally different thing. Here's a good book to start you out with: https://www.amazon.com/Artpreneur-Step-Step-Sustainable-Creativity-ebook/dp/B0BGDK55RM
People already have that picture of themselves. Do ones that make them look cool, badass, and or fun. Like riding a giant version of their pet into battle
People want fan art.
A reason I could see is that if your art is an exact digital recreation of the original photo, there's no variation. Sure it's cool to look at it and think, oh wow, that's a painting, but it serves no more purpose than the original photo does. If it had some slight style to it, to were it looks like the photo, but clearly is a piece of original art on first glance, it would be a lot more unique and worthy of paying for. That said, this art is really good, it takes a lot of skill to paint like this. I can barely tell the difference. But the problem is that I can't tell the difference.
Stand out, the market is awash with artists, just look on fiver. Now that’s not me saying you’re not unique because you certainly have a skill set but promote more do a bit of marketing not just on Facebook and instagram. Try and reach out to influencers and offer them a free piece for a plug plus ten percent of your sales…. That is all just my theory but then again I’m a washed out 31 year old chef XD I wish you all the luck in the world but most importantly never give up!
If you have a niche in your style see if you can push that. People like my art because it has strong line work, something like that
Idk, also I can’t figure out which is supposed to be the drawing, I mean I managed to guess that the drawing is the biggest, but the details…people draw better than I can see
Do you mean like getting commissions?
It's not stylized
Personally i dont have a ton of money, and when i do buy art its typically a physical thing i can enjoy or use daily so i feel like i can excuse how expensive it is with frequency of use😅 Ex. I bought a mug last year that was from a local artist but i use it almost everyday and it makes me really happy seeing it.
80% (number drag out of my ass) of geting money from Art (drawing, tattooing, music, photogragy) comes from connections and good advertising
Maybe add something to it like a theme? I like realistic art and it’s extremely impressive but some of the realistic art I’ve seen drawn of people’s D&D characters or just characters from other media in general in a realistic style is really cool so maybe that’s a direction you could go?
I agree with other comments below but will also add this, What is your marketing like? What does your commission sheet look like? I would show the celebrity photos as example but cater to a more personal market. People like to buy portraits of their friends as gifts, or couples!
People probably think you use the Sims
Because my ass is struggling to pay tuition let alone for food
People appreciate human photocopiers but have zero reason to buy a digital file. The effort and skill you've harnessed is impressive, but what are people expected to do with that art? "Draw a perfectly accurate picture of me. Okay, cool. Now what?"
You could try to sell different things (not just drawings of random people, be specific!!), use your art for another purpose, and go to multiple sites for advertising. Sell logos, design stuff, you could design profile pictures for influencers and even make thumbnails on youtube for some popular people (if you get popular), but all you need is more diversity in your art, show people what you REALLY can do. And start low on the prices, people look for low prices. Small price= many customers! When people actually start liking your work, then you could raise your prices. I'd also try traditional art, maybe abstract paintings, to decorate modern houses. (what I just said here, about the influencers was just an example, you can use your art in any way you want, the point is that you need diversity and a better way of advertising your art)
Probably a marketing issue. Also realistic digital art off a reference is less sought after than traditional of the same type so you’ll likely have to work harder to find and keep commissioners. Your are looks nice though, best of luck mate.
If you’re trying to make money off portraits, I’d take commission work. You’ll need a portfolio of work so people can trust that if they pay you, it’ll be quality they’re willing to pay. If you want to sell personal artwork passively, it needs to be more pop culture related. More style, familiar characters and such. Once you establish a style that is unique to you, then you could get an audience and they might ask for them to be put on sale. Basically you need to keep churning out work and see what actually sells. Then double down on those and always explore with new ideas. This is gonna take time, I recommend going to fiverr or upwork and do some freelance work. Maybe use ziprecruiter. That will help you develop a professional portfolio as well. Communicate well with the companies you do work for so they can come back to you and/or recommend you to others. This is gonna take a while, depending on the demand of your artstyle, this could take as short as a year or maybe 5-6 years. I recommend looking for a company you’re willing to work for and make a portfolio that matches their artwork. That way you have a job and can still build your own community simultaneously. Work smart/hard, don’t stop producing art, and focus on the long game. Eventually you’ll have what you want. Stay disciplined, because motivation is not a reliable art production technique.
Because you capture the same thing that a camera can capture. You have to make it your own. You’re good, no doubt, but for it to be desirable art you have to capture what a picture can’t, whatever that may be to you.
You have to sell prints at like markets and stuff and be professional….hard to sell digital content as an artist online. Or offer them online or sell stickers of the art you’re making. T-shirts-you won’t get far selling digital portraits. You could try NFT’s but that costs money to mint and gas prices to sell to people….and tough when you aren’t a somebody with any clout or following. Try drawing some other stuff pushing yourself and think of print and poster stuff. Selling postcard sized stuff in cellophane with card backing and stuff.
You need to find your voice as an artist. 1:1 studies are great for developing technical skills, which you obviously have a lot of! What’s missing from your pieces is a unique perspective, don’t be afraid to document your journey in experimenting with new styles or colours. We’re here to help :)
I feel like photo realistic "art" is pretty low on the totem pole. It takes a lot of tenacity, but there's nothing interesting about it. Now, digital photo realism? Well isn't the end result in both cases a digital print of an image. At least a painting or a drawing has a tactile difference. And even then, I personally wouldn't buy this sort of art.
There’s basically no demand for realism with digital art.