What am I doing wrong?

**avgas** · 27th September 2010, 10:52

I am going to do a bit of free e-promo stuff for a mate in Dec. email me (farrst@gmail.com) if you want me to do a little for you as well.
Cheers
-Stew

**KiWiP** · 27th September 2010, 11:39

I don't think it's your talent, you obviously have buckets of that.

I would say it's your marketing. Your website is more an advert for the webdesigner than you (not good one though). Look at the size of your photos to your webpage. They should be large and the focus not small and stuffed in silly frames. Look at trademe and how they present photos of the goods. One large and several small that can be easily zoomed in on. Get a decent photographer to take photographs of your work, not snaps (all sorts of horrible things going on there crap backgrounds/foregrounds, flash bounce of product...) Have a look at succesfule websites (e.g. Apple) and copy good ideas.

You need a bigger and more diverse portfolio, Do some freebies for friends and family, do cost jobs for local businesses just to get a bigger gallery, and that gallery needs to be presented in a light to show off your work.

For another market I've always wondered what my dive tanks would look like painted up? How much would that cost?

Best of luck with the business

**Grasshopperus** · 27th September 2010, 13:18

I agree with everything that everyone else has already written. Let me add some more.

We're all very lazy, make it easy for me;

In the case of a helmet spray job

1. How long does it take you to do the work, will I be without the helmet for a week or can you do it while I wait (I realise this will be dependant on the size of the job but we need indications)

2. How do you charge? By size of the logo? Or the number of different colours used?

3. How do I submit designs to you? JPG? Photoshop PSD? Napkin?

4. How much?

Your website is like a portfolio but we want an e-Commerce type site where you show some work and then tell us how much it cost the customer. We want some text describing what surfaces you can work with, what types of paint you use, and all the other things I described.

Also, no offence, but for a graphic artist your website is right on the line of not looking good enough, and that's supposed to be your core business right? (Looking good that is). Bite the bullet and conform-it-up a bit

I want a boba fett helmet, but how to do the visor so I can still see through it?

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**Botany Honda** · 27th September 2010, 13:35

How about sending us some of your information/CV etc so we could pass it on to our customers?

**Mom** · 27th September 2010, 13:48

I dont think I have ever seen you post on KB, I just checked, 20 posts in 5 years is hardly like to get you noticed on the forum. Like others have said, up your profile on here by posting a bit more, and advertise what you do in your signature.

Best of luck!

**avgas** · 27th September 2010, 14:20

Originally Posted by Grasshopperus

I want a boba fett helmet, but how to do the visor so I can still see through it?

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They spray a mesh rather than a coat

however I can't imagine visibility is any better really.

**imdying** · 27th September 2010, 14:24

There's also a perforated vinyl they can print on, have a look at the back windows on taxis (although AFAIK that might be illegal now, so maybe there isn't one around to see... but that's an example of where it is used).

**Conquiztador** · 27th September 2010, 18:21

In NZ everyone knows a mate down the road who can do it cheaper. It is the curse of the talented. You end up doing jobs you don't really want to do just to get some jobs. But in your industry you sadly end up doing a day job so you can keep on painting.

You are clearly a talented artist, and so I take that you know of http://www.kiwiterry.com/ A god friend of mine. He was painting in NZ over 10 years ago. Very talented. Could not make a living out of it here so he moved to USA where he is now in the top 10 of them. In airbrushing videos, in magazines, painting for the "big guys".

Terry would display his talent at bike shows, at car shows. He once did all the prizes for HA's Drags. I used to do some custom work, build s/s custom 80 and 120 spoke wheels. The bikes we worked on would win first at the shows. But there was no future here, only a hobby. I stopped as I had a fulltime job that paid heaps better, he made the decision to follow his dream and moved to USA.

You can advertise all you want in NZ, you can promote your self. And perhaps you can get enough to pay rent and food. But sadly NZ is too small and there are too many who will do it cheaper.

Good Luck.

**disturbedair** · 6th October 2010, 10:51

Thanks for all your possitive and helpfull replies it is much appreciated, as far as the website goes i can't change that as it's a free website run by someone else, as for doing more mainstrem work i agree with you hole hardtidly but thats hard to do when no one will give me work

, cheers to the guys who contacted me for quotes on some jobs i gave dirt cheap prices and still didn't get any work so i'l have to go with Conquiztador on this one it's hard to get work when i give a dirt cheap price near on doing it for free but i still didn't get the work maybee they found some one to do it cheaper? but that tells me a lot that i have suspected about in this industry for sevral years now as Conquiztador said there's always someone else down the road who will do it cheaper, in the cases iv'e dealt with i'd say they would have to be doing the work for free and in some cases it is probably going to cost the guy that does the job so good luck to the guy that does those jobs you will be workin for free

, so cheers everyone i have decided to sell me airbrush and sraygun i just can't do it any cheaper.

**imdying** · 6th October 2010, 11:18

Link us up to trademe when you sell them

**disturbedair** · 6th October 2010, 12:31

lol imdying i new you were an airbrusher with that samey samey bullshit lol, and it wouldn't surprise me if all the people that have asked for qoutes are just other airbrushers try to learn how i qoute so they can undercut me, 99% of qoutes i get are other airbrushes wanting to do that, it's bloody sad but it's just the way looser's are i spose lol, but your to late on most of my airbrushes but i do have a paasche ab turbine airbrush that is tunned like a ferrari, if your into that one it's $250 cash firm. but you really have to know your shit to use one of those.

**imdying** · 6th October 2010, 13:03