Are These Good Enough To Sell?

[Pielstick]

My girlfriend is an interior designer, and one of the core talents required for this is drawing, something she has done all the way through art college and university. Knowing my love of aviation she has recently started to draw aeroplanes for me. She is now interested in doing this to make a little supplemental income, perhaps selling them on Ebay.

Below are a couple of drawings she's done for me, the Gladiator was a Christmas present last year, and the Lightning was a birthday present for me. These are the first two aircraft she has ever drawn... Is her work good enough to sell? If so, how much do you think drawings such as these are worth?

Honest opinions sought please...

Cheers,

Nick

[Test Graham]

OK. She clearly has considerable talent, and who knows what will sell on ebay. However I think she needs to pay a little more attention to perspectives, and the treatment of circles.

In particular, on the Gladiator, the serial (which needs another number) is flat and at an odd angle, rather than following the curves of the fuselage. The exhaust pipes appear to be nearer 6 o'clock and 4, rather than seven and five. The wings appear to come together to port, nearer the viewer, whereas perspective would require the reverse. The windscreen is unconvincing.

The Lightning is much more impressive, beautifully caught. But again the nose circles don't quite gell, the radome is properly offset yet appears too head-on. I think it and the rim are a little too circular. And does the refuelling probe really grow out of the undercarriage leg, with no shaping at the tip?

You may make whatever comments you like about critics, I know I can't draw, and she quite clearly can. All comments are made with the very best of intentions. However, there have been a number of books dedicated to drawing aircraft, and I suspect they contain a number of tips that she would find useful. You've missed Xmas, and indeed the Guild of Aviation Artists show (though some may still be on display in Cosford) which is well worth seeing, but has she a birthday coming up?

Edited January 26, 2010 by Graham Boak

[pigsty]

I've seen much worse than that Lightning, occasionally while I was holding the pencil. Graham's points are all valid but I think the minor errors he describes derive from a combination of working off a photograph and not being familiar with the anatomy of an aeroplane. There's usually a lot less detail on oil paiintings, and that includes some from the GAvA. A bit tighter observation - plus help from your good self? - would work wonders there. But the main things are that the light is right, the back-lighting and highlights are right, the dark bits are right, and the choice of angle and cropping is a fine one. I'd keep going if I were your other half!

As for whether they're good enough to sell, only a buyer can answer that. Personally I'd try the Lightning on eBay and see what happens. The Gladiator, perhaps not - although, again, the treatment of light and reflections is nice. (I've just noticed - there's no pilot!)

[hovis]

firstly, i'm no artist, i can only speak about what i see.

i absolutely love these pics! yes i know they are not perfect reproductions of a photograph but isn't that what makes them unique? it's seeing how certain aircraft are perceived through the eyes of someone with little practical aviation knowledge, and to me that makes it all the better

i'll not say anything about the gladiator, because it's a first attempt and it was for you as a present, if my girlfriend gave that to me i'd keep it and hold it with very special regard.

the lightning though to me is stunning! it's very raw, it's her impression of it and holds an innocent charm for me, it wasn't drawn quickly for commercial reasons so it's very honest.

if i wanted a technical drawing of a lightning on my wall i would get one, and if i wanted an artistic impression, i'd go for this.

they mightn't make yous millionnaires overnight, but yes, sell them!!!

Edited January 26, 2010 by hovis

[AnonymousFO98]

Hi Nick

down side first-short comings have been pointed out above- no need to dwell on that

i doubt if these are her strongest works. would consider them as practice/studies so personally would not put these up for sale

Upside

she obviously has talent and technical ability

aviation art i would not consider easy- so keep working at it!

also i would imagine there are subjects that she is more at home with and as an interior designer will doubtless have an idea of subjects that people want on their walls. Am sure she will be able to sell other subjects while working on the avaiation

it is partly a question of getting to know the subject.

get her to a museum with camera and sketch pad to do some walkarounds and note taking.

hope that helps and good luck

Edited January 26, 2010 by walrus

[Pielstick]

Thanks for the replies everyone, they are much appreciated.

Both these drawings are her first attempts at aeroplanes and are a far cry from her normal subject matter, and they were both done as gifts for me so of course I will not be selling them. The idea we had was either for me to pick photographs for her to reproduce in drawings, of aircraft that I know will be popular, and then sell them on Ebay.... or for her to take commissions - i.e. you pick a photo you like and she will draw it. All for a modest sum, maybe £20 perhaps - it's difficult to set a price because I couldn't find much like this on Ebay, especially original drawings.

the lightning though to me is stunning! it's very raw, it's her impression of it and holds an innocent charm for me

I feel exactly the same about it. What is all the more special is she chose to draw the Lightning not knowing it's one of my three all time favourite aircraft.

I think the minor errors he describes derive from a combination of working off a photograph and not being familiar with the anatomy of an aeroplane

I think you've hit the nail on the head there - she knows absolutely nothing about aircraft, and decided to do both these drawings without telling me anything - they were surprises

get her to a museum with camera and sketch pad to do some walkarounds and note taking

That's a good idea, I'll certainly try and help her with recognising the various parts of an aircraft and getting to grips with the details.

Thanks again everyone

Nick (and Sanja)

[cdplayer]

Hi Nick

Well I think I would be very touched if my wife did a drawing for me !!!! Its a lovely present and in many ways its the thought that counts.

saying that I just want to make a couple of observations.

I think the progression from the gladiator to the lightning is vast. So the next drawing will be even better. Very soon she will be drawing aircraft like a pro.

Its interesting that you say she is an interior designer. personally Im an architect but over the years have specialized in architectural illustration and consider myself quite experienced with years of practice. Last Summer I thought I would do some aviation subjects and boy what a shock !!! having reached a relatively high standard with my illustration work I was shocked at how difficult the transition from straight line architectural stuff to curvy aircraft was. All the techniques and methods for my usual work just didn't apply so I felt like I was at the bottom of the learning curve. (and to be honest it was a blow to my confidence) However that development from the first drawing to the lightning is exactly what I started to see in my work. KEEP at it !!!

Secondly. do what I do and CHEAT CHEAT CHEAT. anything to make life easier especially with the perspective. What I do is find the picture I want to use then scan it into the PC then print it out to the correct size. then rub graphite onto the back and with a Biro transfer it onto the my sheet of paper. That way you will avoid perspective issues. Do it lightly and only the bare essentials. Then start drawing as normal confident that all the bits are in the right place SIMPLE !!!! That way you can concentrate on the fun part of rendering the light and shade.

I think the line work is very good on the lightning and really describes the curves nicely.

As far as selling is concerned. Don't bother selling stuff for £20 on ebay. I think that cheapens the effort and the sentiment. Maybe get some giclee prints made and sell those for a few quid instead. But I would frame the originals and keep them somewhere that you can admire them.

Cheers Nick, I hope you don't mind my thoughts on the subject.

Please post the next drawing that your girlfriend does, as I'm very interested to see how she improves.

chris

[Pielstick]

Thanks for your kind words Chris, both Sanja and myself have seen your work posted on the forum here and enjoy them very much.

The technique you mention is exactly how she has done these drawings

This evening she has been doing a drawing of an 11th Century church that is very close to where I live (a local landmark) as a gift for my mother, if she lets me I will scan it and post it once she has finished. As soon as she does some more aeroplanes I will post them too.

Thanks,

Nick

[keefr22]

The idea we had was either for me to pick photographs for her to reproduce in drawings, of aircraft that I know will be popular, and then sell them on Ebay....

Hi Nick,

Don't forget though that if they aren't your own photos, the copyright of the photograph belongs to the photographer & if you don't have their 'permission to reproduce it in any form' - which I've always taken to include drawing it - then you may find they could be unhappy if you are selling it for profit (& I can't see why else you'd be selling it?!) There was a lot of discussion a few years back on an aviation art forum that when the RAF were heavily into their idea of licensing the roundel that they had actually started making noises about trying to get artists to apply for licenses to draw & paint RAF aircraft! I don't know what eventually became of that stupid idea as I lost interest in drawing & painting shortly afterwards so stopped visiting that particular forum.

And I too, love the Lighting - fantastic angle of view, really nicely captured!

Keef

[atdb27]

Hi Nick

Your good lady has the begining's of an eye for capturing an a/c on paper/canvas.

Re the Lightning there is no pitot probe, ventral tank gun ports and she has drawn Firestreak misiles not Red tops!

Perspective/Proportion

The port ventral strake may not be visible at this 'angle'.

Main wheels should be of equal size angle.

Refuel probe?

What will she 'draw' next for you?

Look forward to seeing more of her efforts.

Adrian

[Deon]

Cant really comment on the drawings as Im not qualified, but I do like them. As for pricing Ive bought A4 oils from a shop in Newquay of a gladiator for around £30 ( some 10 years ago) and bought good quality A4 pencil sketches for around £20 recently but not off ebay. If you were going to sell on ebay id flog them as a series of limited run prints once you've got stuff you're really happy with. Id say the Lightning is close to the quality Id pay for and Id echo the idea of working from yopur own blown up photos - no copyright and no peeking round the side of the subject to accidently draw what cant be seen

[pigsty]

As for pricing Ive bought A4 oils from a shop in Newquay of a gladiator for around £30 ( some 10 years ago)

Not Treasure Trove on Bank Street, by any chance? Awful daubs, I've always thought ...

[ChrisITA]

Hi Nick

With my trained artist hat on I'd have to see the only real problem for me is the perspective. This is most apparent to my eye on the first drawing where the wing tips on the near side are closer to each other than the wings on the far side

Your girlfriend obviously has considerable talent though and handles line and tone very very well.

I can see what others mean about issues coming from not knowing the aircraft. I think the best way to get to know something like this is to build a model, turning it over in your hands and putting it together gives you a real understanding of its visible structure and form. Maybe your girlfriend should build a couple

[Deon]

Not Treasure Trove on Bank Street, by any chance? Awful daubs, I've always thought ...

Quite probably, but there was one fella doing biplanes and cars rusting in the hedgrows which I liked, and the quality is IMHO similar to what peilstick has put up in his first pic, although I think a work up of the lightning would be rather better and whilst I can appreciate the technical brilliance of the great masters, Id rather have somethng done by a 'real person', warts and all!

[Scarlet]

and she has drawn Firestreak misiles not Red tops!

Nowt wrong with that, F6's carried both.

http://www.lightning.org.uk/photo.php?img0032.jpg

[Pielstick]

Thanks for the replies, I haven't looked in here for a while!

At the moment my girlfriend is spending most of her time preparing her final project for graduation, and when she's not doing that she's practising working in 3DMax and AutoCAD! Unfortunately it means no more aircraft drawings until after the summer when she graduates.

Nick

[Steffi]

Those have to be your favourite presents ever I would love to get those even if they costed something like £40

[AnonymousFO98]

Hope the final show goes well for her Nick

wish her luck

[AnonymousAA72]

Re the Lightning there is no pitot probe, ventral tank gun ports and she has drawn Firestreak misiles not Red tops!

Adrian

Assuming its an F6, then Firestreaks are okay - they carried both (though not at the same time!!).Likewise not all F6's had ventral tank gun ports/blisters.

And ditto on what the others have said here...some raw talent there - good luck to her!!