Thanks, Pat. It's 24" x 36". It's amazing how much paint you need to cover that sized canvas...
Sharon, this isn't a commission. I hired Sam (well, sort of - I gave her a stuffed bear as a thank-you) to sit for me, in order to have a full-figure sample piece.
Now I'm planning my shameless self-promotion. Here's what I've come up with so far:
The gallery that represents me has the painting hanging in their front window. I will go in and paint live in the gallery (something I've done a couple of times) for two weekends at the end of March.
I'm gearing all my ads and flyers towards Mother's day and graduation - sort of a "better hurry and get yours now while there's still time."
The hook to get people in and get them interested: I'm raffling a custom pet portrait - tickets are $10 each, and the proceeds all go to my local animal shelter. Consequently, the local paper will also run a feature story on the event (in addition to my paid ads.)
Ironically, the parents are desperate to buy the painting now, but they'll have to wait. I've been invited to exhibit it in a local show in May.
So, I have the ballerina, and I have
THIS ONE that I will borrow from the owner to display. The question is - what sort of portrait should I paint as a demo in the gallery?
A teenage boy? A grown woman? A girl in a graduation gown? Anyone have any suggestions?