BBVA Update for 5/3/12

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:
Now work continues on CTS #1 with the coloring and CTS #2 with transfer for finished pencils.
With all that you wonder is there anytime for anything else?

Well to answer that question is yes.
Always.
In the last week I have managed to transfer two images to a larger version of scratchboard (11"x14" to be exact) of last weeks smaller version of "Hunting Party 2" and the edition of War Ram "Decimation" 

"DECIMATION" 11"X14" Scratchboard
copyright 2012 Alan Bennett and BBVA

These I believe will be the last of the large scale scratchboards after a fairly interesting conversation I had with another professional artist and the realization that I said what I needed to hear. 
Limit production.
Now mind you I said production not creativity.  That will always be going on no matter whether or not you want to stop it.  To paraphrase the interaction i had with a professional painter at an art store I work at I said "as an artist its part of your job to know how to present your work.  This means learning  the art of selling yourself.".  Its not an easy task to pick up.  Most creators (regardless of how enthusiastic they are of their projects) never want to take the time sell.
EITHER its because of:

1). fear of success because now they have to produce work of the same quality on a regular basis.

2).  The artist in question is too humble in their opinion of their work and constantly undercut themselves in pricing of the work.

3). Feel as if they stop creating work it will never come back.

4). They are addicted to the creative process like a sex addict and can't stop themselves.

5). All of the above- to one degree or another.

I have in my time personally known artists that are much more talented than I but they constantly find ways of  sabotaging themselves by constantly correcting flaws in their work.  And they are no closer to getting the work out there because of this.
Truth is it will never be perfect.  You could work on a piece till the cows come home and it still wouldn't be done.
That is a crying shame.

So learning the process making cold calls to galleries around the area, the introduction of yourself, learning what their specs are and how and who to get a hold of.

But knowing it and doing it are two different things- I know.

The other thing that I wanted to talk about goes to presentation and the idea of scarcity.
One friend of mine says that scarcity of a image is the key to success.  I understand that idea but I don't agree with it. 
Artists seem not to really want to embrace the new technology that exists here in the 21 century.  Its a foreign language to most and they hope that someone will come along to help them.
Ain't gonna happen.
So to take matters into my own hands were the following I to came up with to promote the scratchboard:

1). Have a show of originals.  Run for a month.

2). Offer after show prints of same work but cheaper than original.

3). Offer another option of digital print a gleece for the cheapest value.

4). Digital download onto printer or desktop Kendal or Nook. 

And like print on demand on for comics everything is offered really really cheap. 

And to illustrate this concept lets say you have one original for $10,000.00
Then you offer 200 prints at $500.00 that = $ 10,000.00

OR you could offer to say
That I  have a website that is offering digital print called a giclee for $100.00.  That is potentially a million dollars or more.

So scarcity in today's ever changing collectors market is not  counted in decades or even a single year, its marked in days by hits online. 

So there you have it for BBVA.