Sometimes I have ideas that can be small and sometimes I can have ideas that are very ambitious........This #CruftsArtbook project is definitely one of the most ambitious I have come up with to date. The thought of creating a book of portraits of the top show dogs in the country was something that really excited me. So I have set about to contact as many people as possible each day sending out many emails to Breeders, Kennels, Breed Clubs etc. It has been a monumental task so far and I have had some amazing feedback from those involved and others keen to follow the project. I initially created a marketing campaign and begun contacting people. The amount of emails sent from my hotmail is still only a drop in the ocean compared to the number of dogs who were placed at this years show.
I think the initial response that you get from such a project is one of scepticism, you are essentially selling a project of yours in way of a portrait, but what people maybe fail to realise is that you are giving them the artwork upon completion, a portrait of their own dog hand painted and drawn and it is cheaper than the normal price you normally offer your customers. Not only that but it will feature in a book which I will have professionally printed by a top printer into a top quality book. It will be a lovely showcase of some of the top show dogs in the country and some of the top kennels. I already have two best of breeds onboard and a lot more highly placed dogs from this year's show as well as top kennels in the UK. Sadly as I began this project so late on my time to work on it is more limited than I would have liked but I can essentially work until Jan time on it, solidly until end of October then I can fit more work in on the project between Christmas commissions.
For me the main objective isn't to make money as the portraits are already offered at a reduced price, and the actual art books will be sold around the cost of manufacturing them so for me its not a money making project but something I am very passionate about doing. To put my art in a publication showcasing the country's top examples of as many breeds as possible is a real joy. From the smallest of breeds to the giant breeds no two dogs will be the same and I take it as a personal challenge to cover as many breeds as possible and show the various characters within the show dog "umbrella". I am choosing not to go for the typical show poses to draw from, but to draw relaxed compositions of dogs happy at rest, showing that show dogs are as much loved family members as the pet dog.
My training is in Illustration, and print and press is something I studied, so publishing a book is something that will come quite naturally to me. I aim to spread the word about my project far and wide and I have already gained a lot of interested in the project. I have also contacted Crufts personally to let them know what I am aiming to achieve. As far as I can see no other artist has done such a project and I feel it is very interesting to do a project such as this, taking you away from the normal collection of show photographs. I am also happy to include the dog's kennel info, with links to their website/page etc which is also good for their own promotion.
I have found in life and especially in my art career that nothing is given, good ideas are as cheap as salt but executing them as best you can is an art form in itself. Promotion and marketing is also one of my strong points and I would love this project to be a huge success, I will be contacting as many dog show papers and magazines as I can and I look forward to watching this project grow day by day. Thanks to everyone who is involved in making this dream become a reality.
LJArt x
I think the initial response that you get from such a project is one of scepticism, you are essentially selling a project of yours in way of a portrait, but what people maybe fail to realise is that you are giving them the artwork upon completion, a portrait of their own dog hand painted and drawn and it is cheaper than the normal price you normally offer your customers. Not only that but it will feature in a book which I will have professionally printed by a top printer into a top quality book. It will be a lovely showcase of some of the top show dogs in the country and some of the top kennels. I already have two best of breeds onboard and a lot more highly placed dogs from this year's show as well as top kennels in the UK. Sadly as I began this project so late on my time to work on it is more limited than I would have liked but I can essentially work until Jan time on it, solidly until end of October then I can fit more work in on the project between Christmas commissions.
For me the main objective isn't to make money as the portraits are already offered at a reduced price, and the actual art books will be sold around the cost of manufacturing them so for me its not a money making project but something I am very passionate about doing. To put my art in a publication showcasing the country's top examples of as many breeds as possible is a real joy. From the smallest of breeds to the giant breeds no two dogs will be the same and I take it as a personal challenge to cover as many breeds as possible and show the various characters within the show dog "umbrella". I am choosing not to go for the typical show poses to draw from, but to draw relaxed compositions of dogs happy at rest, showing that show dogs are as much loved family members as the pet dog.
My training is in Illustration, and print and press is something I studied, so publishing a book is something that will come quite naturally to me. I aim to spread the word about my project far and wide and I have already gained a lot of interested in the project. I have also contacted Crufts personally to let them know what I am aiming to achieve. As far as I can see no other artist has done such a project and I feel it is very interesting to do a project such as this, taking you away from the normal collection of show photographs. I am also happy to include the dog's kennel info, with links to their website/page etc which is also good for their own promotion.
I have found in life and especially in my art career that nothing is given, good ideas are as cheap as salt but executing them as best you can is an art form in itself. Promotion and marketing is also one of my strong points and I would love this project to be a huge success, I will be contacting as many dog show papers and magazines as I can and I look forward to watching this project grow day by day. Thanks to everyone who is involved in making this dream become a reality.
LJArt x
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