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Dianne, the question is, was it profitable?
I know it is good exercise and the idea of taking what you get is a great way to get out and stretch, but in a sense, does it dilute your marketability because you are not doing your VERY BEST. It is also, as you say, a lot of work for the model.
I think the street art expectation is to be part of the performance "model for a day" and brag it off at home. But as a high end portrait artist, seeking serious commissions, is the income, say $40 an hour at the LEAST for $20 a 30 minute portrait if you get booked. To make it economical you have to have a style or gimmick. Something to get them to sit there and line up to be next.
Were you selling finished art along side these demos?
I am struggling to get the paycheck coming in from this. I am nearly out of clients in the day job and seriously pursuing angles to get a predictable flow. I have done demos for NO pay, which I think is in a sense a better plan, just as teasers to get people interested.
This is a marketing and PR room. I am serious, what you all think as far as the longer term benefit of street art.
(I had my socks knocked off five years ago by a street artist in New York. The charcoal work was amazing! His skill was fun to watch. It was a good half hour or more of work and I never asked what he charged. BUT the likeness was crummy. A very convincingly real and sharp piece unless you knew the sitter... is that a career or an advertisement?)
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