What kind of Artwork does Secondlife need most? Is there anything you need, or just haven't seen much of?

[Alyxen]

By artwork, I mean anything flat - however I specifically am looking for what kinds of painting style artworks are needed?

I will be opening a large art museum that is going to display every form of painting, as well as text/audio descriptions of art styles and history.

I have been working for years in every style trying to mix and match and explore - but that means I have over 6000 pieces of art to pick from and I cannot upload them all.

*Edit for clarification: 6k+ of my own work... Lol why would I bother uploading random stuff? There might be 20 examples of the greats like Michelangelo for historical exhibits and discussion to show style origins.

Edited May 25, 2023 by Alyxen
Clarification

[Persephone Emerald]

Pictures are easy to upload, so I'd imagine they need to be special for people to buy them.

I imagine tasteful erotic art would have a market, but your best way to get ideas would be to see what other SL artists are selling from galleries.

[Coffee Pancake]

The SLM is flooded with with "erotic art" .. I wish it wasn't. 

[Scylla Rhiadra]

56 minutes ago, Alyxen said:

By artwork, I mean anything flat - however I specifically am looking for what kinds of painting style artworks are needed?

I will be opening a large art museum that is going to display every form of painting, as well as text/audio descriptions of art styles and history.

I have been working for years in every style trying to mix and match and explore - but that means I have over 6000 pieces of art to pick from and I cannot upload them all.

I'm a little unclear on what you want to do here. Have you been collecting RL art images, and you want to display those? Are these your own works?

In terms of 2D art, there are four main categories in SL. Far and away most common and popular are images produced within SL, and usually processed through Photoshop and similar. There is a growing amount of work as well produced using AI, either to modify SL photos, or on its own. And there are a number of people who produce RL artwork, be it painting, collage, or photography, who upload it to SL and exhibit and/or sell it here.

And then, finally, there are museums or galleries that focus on "established" RL artwork -- the Impressionists, the Surrealists, etc. These tend to be quasi-educational galleries, where the idea is to introduce people to particular artists or schools of art. These can be quite eclectic and niche: I knew one collector who had a room in his gallery dedicated to Gustave Courbet's "The Origin of the World" and works that referenced it. My sense from your description is that this is the sort of thing you're talking about?

If you can be a bit more specific about what you want to do, we can probably be more helpful.

[Polenth Yue]

I'd suggest going with whatever you feel like doing first. If you want to see art by other people to look for theme holes, the Raglan Shire ArtWalk is currently running. All the hedges in Raglan Shire are covered in art by numerous different artists. Given you have a lot of textures to upload, I'd also suggest looking into premium plus, as texture uploads are free at that level. Especially if you want to make 1024 and 512 versions of each picture, as that'll get expensive fast.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

This will be original hand-painted art for sale that you made?

I occasionally visit galleries to buy pieces for my home. I can't tell you what's missing, as we seem to have a bit of everything around, but I'm a sucker for some fun pop art and haven't found too much of that yet (outside of the occasional furniture store). I don't mind if that's digital.

On the other hand, I also love Surrealism, so that'd be welcome, too.

[Alyxen]

9 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

I'm a little unclear on what you want to do here. Have you been collecting RL art images, and you want to display those? Are these your own works?

Its my own work. I will have a few of the basic historical artists for informational examples, and then show my own explorations and remixes of each theme and style. I want it to be an infinite art museum. It will have a number of generative rooms and galleries to wander through and listen to the audio of the history of art, and the major artist of the style.

But also, I need to sell the art to keep open, so knowing which styles to focus on for expanding the selections further is helpful.

I also sell art on POD sites, so it could let people order any art or customs for clothing, furniture, or artwork in real life too.

[Alyxen]

2 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

This will be original hand-painted art for sale that you made?

I occasionally visit galleries to buy pieces for my home. I can't tell you what's missing, as we seem to have a bit of everything around, but I'm a sucker for some fun pop art and haven't found too much of that yet (outside of the occasional furniture store). I don't mind if that's digital.

On the other hand, I also love Surrealism, so that'd be welcome, too.

All original (except historical examples that are CC0). Some original hand painted art, a few RL pieces, but the bulk is digital artwork from illustrator to photoshop, or other programs.

I also have a bunch of mesh frames, but I am hesitant about them before the PBR update because they will get so much better after.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 minutes ago, Alyxen said:

Its my own work. I will have a few of the basic historical artists for informational examples, and then show my own explorations and remixes of each theme and style. I want it to be an infinite art museum. It will have a number of generative rooms and galleries to wander through and listen to the audio of the history of art, and the major artist of the style.

But also, I need to sell the art to keep open, so knowing which styles to focus on for expanding the selections further is helpful.

I also sell art on POD sites, so it could let people order any art or customs for clothing, furniture, or artwork in real life too.

This sounds really interesting! It might be worthwhile to connect to others in the gallery / art scene here, as it might help get word out, especially if you hold events and openings for your own work.

I'm going to tap @Katherine Heartsong here, as she also sells her own RL work in SL. She might have some good insights for you.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 minute ago, Alyxen said:

All original (except historical examples that are CC0). Some original hand painted art, a few RL pieces, but the bulk is digital artwork from illustrator to photoshop, or other programs.

I also have a bunch of mesh frames, but I am hesitant about them before the PBR update because they will get so much better after.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! I can roll with digital art, too! 

I just finished a much needed decorating project and my walls are looking pretty bare, so...keep us updated and let us know when it opens. 👀

[Aethelwine]

Some of my favourite artworks from SL reference SL in some way. Just as examples I have a series that are classic paintings where the humans are replaced by Tinies eg the Nighthawks at the Diner redone with Tinies. Another artist did a cut out avatar with a woman twisted in a scream as she reaches to her bald head - obvious to the observer that her hair hasn't rezzed. Another by an Italian Artist with a framed scene being built with prims complete with cut out long haired male outside the frame arm raised with dotted line extending to a prim he is manipulating within the frame.

Not suggesting you copy that exactly, I just think if you can make the art in some way refer to the SL experience it adds a smile and a bit of additional interest. 

[Alyxen]

1 hour ago, Aethelwine said:

Some of my favourite artworks from SL reference SL in some way. Just as examples I have a series that are classic paintings where the humans are replaced by Tinies eg the Nighthawks at the Diner redone with Tinies. Another artist did a cut out avatar with a woman twisted in a scream as she reaches to her bald head - obvious to the observer that her hair hasn't rezzed. Another by an Italian Artist with a framed scene being built with prims complete with cut out long haired male outside the frame arm raised with dotted line extending to a prim he is manipulating within the frame.

Not suggesting you copy that exactly, I just think if you can make the art in some way refer to the SL experience it adds a smile and a bit of additional interest. 

That sounds fun! I'm opening up portraiture and 3D art based off screen shots soon, a comical series sounds like a great thing to explore, thank you!

[Maitimo]

For me, it needs to be original, not just stuff found on Google Images and uploaded (if it's that, it better be on sale for less than L$10). It needs to be made by you, the seller. There's plenty of SL and RL photography in SL already but I think there's a shortage of RL fine art media; real watercolour, oil paintings, illustrations, even textiles (tapestries, embroideries), as oposed to SL and digital art, of which there's plenty. And I can understand why; I've tried to scan or photograph my own RL pieces for upload into SL and it's hard, especially when they are larger than 8"x 11".

Beyond that, it needs to be mod, so I can resize it and take off the darn Full-Bright that everyone who sells art seems to think an art piece must have. (Hint - don't. It looks dreadful in any light that isn't Mid-day or CALWL). It needs a nice frame. 

As for theme and style; what I need there will vary because it needs to match my room in style and colour palette, and I change my home and decor about once every 3 months, and my needs for each one will be very different. Generally though, I prefer art that is, or looks like, traditional RL fine art. Landscapes and the like, maybe abstract for a more modern room. The styles I'm currently looking for are classic Victorian-style oil-painted landscapes, and cottagecore-style illustrations (e.g. delicate ink-and-wash botanical or bird illustrations and the like). But in the past I've had many other themes; including traditional Japanese (woodcut prints and textiles), medieval (again, textiles, tapestries), nautical themes, modern abstract with bold splashes of colour, boho psychedelic art, and more.

What I particularly like though, is matched sets of three or four images on a single theme, in the same style, with the same frame, that can be hung together. 

[Alwin Alcott]

4 hours ago, Alyxen said:

but that means I have over 6000 pieces of art to pick from and I cannot upload them all.

P+ and uploading is free ..

 

Quote

What kind of Artwork does Secondlife need most? Is there anything you need, or just haven't seen much of?

to that .. there's so much to find with a simple google search, upload for 10L$ and you put it on the wall. That market won't get rich by my contribution.

[Aethelwine]

2 hours ago, Alyxen said:

That sounds fun! I'm opening up portraiture and 3D art based off screen shots soon, a comical series sounds like a great thing to explore, thank you!

Not just comedy, SL art is a great medium for Trompe L'oeil or for surreal\ post-modern juxtapositions of ideas. Comedy is good but you can also use those techniques to be thought provoking.

[Aethelwine]

Molly Bloom's work springs to mind with regard to breaking free from a flat canvas. One of their works as an example captures the stumble of an Alice in wonderland styled Knave or Queen with a pack of cards in their hand, the cards flying out from the frame frozen in a moment.

With SL you can create effects that can't be done in real life.

[Katherine Heartsong]

Hi @Alyxen! Though I appreciate @Scylla Rhiadra's shout out, I'm not sure I can suggest much that will help. It seems to me that various "styles" of art sell about equally well in SL.

I've been a RL artist for four decades, and am slowly moving back into it full time as my main (still artistic) career winds down a bit. I started out as a realist doing landscapes, portraits and nudes; moved into large scale colour field, geometric minimalist, and gestural abstracts; and have evolved/settled into a style I now call a simplified form of American Modern/folk/storybook type look. Hard to describe but think inspired by artists such as Wiest, Ben Gershon, Avery, Willard Nash, Raymond Cote, Stuart Davis, O'Keeffe, Arthur Dove and those folks. I currently only do commissions for the larger pieces in my studio, and studies I create digitally and sell as prints.

There is definitely a strong market for pictures, especially landscapes and atmospheric sims, taken within SL then artistically manipulated in Photoshop etc. There is also a lot of original art as well across a variety of media and subject/genre. Everything from traditional subjects through erotica and abstract. Pricing needs to be something affordable but not seemingly cheap; I price mine usually at 350L which is equivalent to less than a coffee RL.

My own is often just abstract "scribblings" done digitially on a large Wacon tablet, that look, for the most part, not much like my larger RL work. I'm focused more on colours and feeling than representative art, at least in SL. They take an hour or two to create. There's no way to make a living as an artist in SL. I could not begin to charge anywhere near what my RL time is worth; I think we all just do it for the love of it and also to get original art into the folks who are in SL to enjoy.

@Alwin Alcott has a great point ... if you do plan on uploading hundreds then the P+ account will be worth it.

I suppose the last thing to decide is how you want to sell it ... in world, in a marketplace store, both? And also editions. Will your works be the equivalent of PoD prints with unlimited supply, limited quantity, or (like mine), one offs. If one-offs, note that inventory management between in world gallery and a MP store will need to be manually done since you can not tie a piece sold in one of those to the other.

Join all of the artist groups and chat with any of us. The artist community (painters, photographers etc) are a great bunch and are strongly supportive of new art and artists in SL, and often share gallery space or exhibit each other's works. I have space on my gallery wall, for example, for about 12 works from a guest artist.

PS. @Maitimo I've gone back and forth on full-bright texture for the painted side of the board. I get more complaints about it not being full bright than the other, but take your point and may update again in the future.

Edited May 25, 2023 by Katherine Heartsong

[Love Zhaoying]

What IS "Art", anyway?

Sorry could not resist.

I JOKE!

 

[Love Zhaoying]

26 minutes ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

PS. @Maitimo I've gone back and forth on full-bright texture for the painted side of the board. I get more complaints about it not being full bright than the other, but take your point and may update again in the future.

Does full-bright texture help replicate the effects used by Maxfield Parrish (who famously painted "under-washes") and Thomas Kinkade ("the Artist of Light")?

[Katherine Heartsong]

36 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Does full-bright texture help replicate the effects used by Maxfield Parrish (who famously painted "under-washes") and Thomas Kinkade ("the Artist of Light")?

You mentioned Kinkade in a discussion about art? Ewwwwww.

Full bright, for me at least, allows the colours to really pop off the board/canvas/surface so it always appears like it does on my computer screen. You'd be surprised at the crappy lighting most people put up with and that makes the art look dull and lifeless.

That said, I understand @Maitimo's point that in spaces where you want realistic evening light and dimmer settings, a work of art that is turned on like a light bulb is a problem.

To your previous question ... what is art? Hmm. Now there's a can of worms. How many years you got to chat?

Edited May 25, 2023 by Katherine Heartsong

[Love Zhaoying]

3 minutes ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

You mentioned that name is a discussion about art? Ewwwwww.

I certainly hope you mean Thomas Kinkade!  Maxfield Parrish is a "deity" among Artists. 

4 minutes ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

To your previous question ... what is art? Hmm. Now there's a can of worms. How many years you got to chat?

No, let's not go there! It was a joke! Too many threads have gone horribly awry in that discussion, because everyone else is wrong.

[Katherine Heartsong]

27 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I certainly hope you mean Thomas Kinkade!  Maxfield Parrish is a "deity" among Artists.

Of course! I clarified.

[Polenth Yue]

I sell art on basic prims and full bright it for sale... but it's mod. So people can resize it, put it in a frame of their choice and turn full bright off. Making it no mod is a pain for anyone buying it.

[Arduenn Schwartzman]

5 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

What IS "Art", anyway?

If it meets the following criteria...

1. You can't tell what it is.
2. Crazy rich people want to pay a ton of money for it.

Then it's art.

5 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

I JOKE!

I'm dead-serious.

[Love Zhaoying]

5 minutes ago, Arduenn Schwartzman said:

I'm dead-serious.

Why so serious? All you need is a Dutch Angle, and *poof* It's Art!

Darn, it didn't show the Joker picture in my link.