I added a few more to my series of men oil pastel drawings. These are all 4×6 inches on cardboard, and available for purchase.
If you’re wondering why the price for my 4×6 inch portraits on cardboard is higher than my portraits on watercolor or construction paper – it’s because the cardboard paintings take a lot of prep work.
First, I have to break down boxes, and cut the cardboard into smaller manageable pieces. Last week it took me two hours to cut 2 boxes into 4×6 pieces. It’s a lot of measuring, and time spent leaned over my cutting mat with a sharp knife in hand. Not only is it back breaking, but the whole process isn’t something I enjoy doing, if I’m being honest.
I used to not mind the cardboard cutting process, but that changed when my husband ended up in the emergency room back in late October because he slipped while cutting a box out in his shed. I felt so awful. I had just given him a new utility knife, and he was trying it out. :/ He ended up with a nasty, deep painful cut and a bunch of stitches, which was only the beginning of a long saga.
Long story short – it got infected, took forever to heal, the skin all around the cut turned black, and he lost the tip of his finger. He actually lucked out because he could have lost his entire finger. The doc said if it didn’t start healing properly, he would need surgery to amputate.
It was a traumatic, scary experience to watch him go through, and it made me look at my cardboard art in a whole different light. I stopped using cardboard as my substrate for about 6 weeks, just so I wouldn’t have to cut up boxes. I now wear a safety glove (which I should have been doing all along), and I’m super cautious. I didn’t give much thought to cutting cardboard in the past, but now I do every time I pick up a knife.
Man No 22
SOLD!
After I get the cardboard cut up, I have to gesso the front of each one – twice, letting them dry in between. This is another few hours of my time. Only then can I begin to think about the artwork, which is when the real work begins. What to draw? Hm…this process can take a while.
Once I have the drawing completed, I usually also paint the back of the cardboard. Not only do I prefer the back of my paintings to look as nice as possible, but I need space to title, sign & date each one.
Man No 23
SOLD!
When I’m working on watercolor or construction paper, I don’t have to work nearly as hard. I still have to cut up the paper, but with a paper cutter, not a sharp knife. It’s a much faster process. I don’t have to gesso the paper, just cut and draw. Less work, less time involved, less risk of injury = lower price for the watercolor paper portraits – for now. My prices are always subject to change, and do all the time. At some point, all my 4×6 inch paintings will be the same price – just to make life easier. Until that happens, enjoy the lower prices on the paper ones.
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Playing in theaters now! See my artwork in a new movie – The Whale starring Brendan Fraser.
I’ve been busy slashing prices in my eBay store and on Etsy. Some artwork I have marked down to only $10 or $15. I’m trying to clear out older paintings, so I have room for the new ones.
As always, if you want to say hello or have any questions you can write me here. I love getting email, and hearing from you.
Other places to find me online.
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