Sweet Aussies for a sweet Aussie Lady

[whiteling]

Today's the birthday of maewyn_2 !
Many happy returns of the day, my dear!! I hope you are enjoying your special day.

Hope you don't mind if I post a not completely accomplished water-colour picture - I thought it would be very fitting. ;-)

Comments

[maewyn_2]

Oh Whiteling! That's absolutely beautiful! Thank you very much! Koalas certainly are cute and cuddly - the babies, especially so

[whiteling]

That sounds like you've had an interesting day indeed. Your colleagues managed it to sweeten your work day in a rather pleasant way. Mhhhmmm - Black Forest cake and Blackberry Cheesecake! Delicious!

Happy to hear that you liked the picture! :-)

[julchen11]

Soooo beautiful, Eva! What a lovely gift :-)

[whiteling]

Thanks so much, dear Julchen! I enjoyed painting it very much. :-)

[mariole]

Aw, adorable! *scratches behind their ears*

[whiteling]

Thanks, Mariole! :-)

[mechtild]

That's wonderful, Whiteling! (Yes, I just got back.) I love your watercolour work in this picture, the spare but perfect choice of colours.

[whiteling]

Welcome back, Mechtild! I hope you had a good time with your family.

Thanks a lot for the compliment. I completed it by now, darkened some areas of it and added a few details, nothing too earth-shaking though. Will post it on DeviantART, as soon as I have figured out how to make a link to a picture's older version.

[mechtild]

I look forward to seeing the finished piece. But, as it appears in its near-completion stage above, it has its own appeal. It reminds me of an old oriental watercolour, or whatever they are done with--those paintings of birds or plants or mice or cats done in sure but swift-looking strokes, using a spare, muted palette. They have enough detail to be completely representational but enough unpainted areas to leave space for the viewer's mind to roam around.

[whiteling]

Beautifully out, Mechtild. I absolutely agree, it is especially charming with watercolour artwork when it is not "too" perfect or "too" defined. Let the colour and the paper breathe!
I have replaced the originally posted painting by the finished pic at DA now. I reckon the difference is not too obvious, but it was the icing on the cake, so to say. You can see the old version in the scraps section.

[mechtild]

Oh, they look great together! I love being able to see how a piece progresses. When you say Deviant Art prints are quite pricey, does that mean they are published by DA, not the individual artists? Hunh.

[whiteling]

Yes, Deviant Art is like an agency or an art publisher. If the artist has decided to have prints made from his artwork (Photo prints, Calendars, Greeting Cards, Postcards etc.), he can choose between different sizes (4"x6" to 24"x36") and various types - glossy, matte, lustre... Selling price of a 20"x30" print for example is $49,95 (artist profit is $6,70). I've never seen a DA print, and can't therefore not judge how good the quality is. DA bears packing and shipping though, too. Seen in this light, it's a rather comfortable way to sell prints, but to my mind the proportionality of selling price and artist's profit is a bit odd.

[mechtild]

Yeah, it doesn't sound like much of a percentage, does it? It's not much better than 10%. But how much do artists get from professionally made and sold prints? Maybe not even that much. It does seem like you'd do better selling your own, but maybe the exposure you'd get on DA is worth it. And the fact that they handle all the troublesome part is a boon. Maybe the profits help them keep the site functioning.