Wedding vibes lift the spirits
I am so thankful that painting at weddings is part of my working life
This week started with the lows of being let down by a client and losing out on being paid for work I had completed but thank fully finished with a sunny day sketching for a lovely group of family and friends who installed my belief that I am on the right track.
Many of my commission pieces take hours of planning and sketching out ideas and it is quite hard for me to find the best time for asking for a payment. Before I start, once initial sketches have been done or once the work is complete.
I have had hundreds of clients and only a couple of times have people refused to pay or disappeared on me when it came to paying for my services. But of course those are the ones often remembered. That’s not true, I do remember all the kind comments, the photos people send me of my work on their walls, and the repeat customers and clients saying I had been recommended and they are all great. I just wish I could forget the bad ones.
I wouldn’t want to ask for payment up front as it looks like I don’t trust them but for the larger pieces I think I will have to ask at least for a part payment to cover the time I going to dedicate to the work. Sometimes working for yourself can seem a lonely place and I often doubt myself but mixing the work up helps me a great deal, and being part of days like weddings reaffirm the goodness in the majority of people.
If you are an artist or self employed let me know how you cope in similar situations and how you charge for your time and work.
Sunshine and happiness
I can’t actually remember my first wedding sketcher job, people often ask how I got started and I really can’t think how the transition took place but I am so glad it did.
I have been live drawing Edinburgh events for over ten years so it is not that big a leap, I started out sketching festival shows in the summer months and became fast at capturing a glimpse, a memory of an event without the details which can, for me anyway, take some of the life out of an image. I hope to spark a feeling, an emotion that then triggers the memory and that then fills in the gaps in my scribbles.
A wedding day can be filled with pressure though, there is only once chance to get it right and I always feel the anxiety until I have a drawing I am happy with. I start with an outline sketch of the ceremony space which I return to once the guests and wedding party have taken their seats.
I like to draw the venue and have been to some amazing castles and grand highland houses as MyWeddingSketcher and always surprised by how many gorgeous buildings are hidden away around the country, like Carberry Tower (above) which I visited this week which is just outside Edinburgh in Musselburgh.
I usually create around ten watercolours that I can then scan and turn into a lovely coffee table book for the married couple. But recently I have been combining this with favour sketching where I create little watercolour sketches of couples in their beautiful outfits. After seeing how wonderful guests look at weddings in colourful kilts and flowery flowing dresses it seemed perfect to capture that special day feeling with a little watercolour sketch.
It also makes for a great interactive experience as guests come over to find their sketch and look through the others recognising friends and family. It is a long day and I am sketched out by the end but I am already looking forward to the next one.
Some more wedding day sketches from recent happy days :) Let me know if you would like more details about the various packages I currently offer.
Mark, there is so much I want to say here, I don’t know where to start!
Your work is truly stunning. I can’t imagine the level of happiness brides and grooms must feel to see their day captured like this.
I also love the way you write about what you do. I feel like I can really hear you, I can feel the emotional journey you went on here, from the non-payer to the joy of working in such a wonderful way.
I’m sorry about the irksome client. I too am freelance and am still trying to navigate various payment issues. I do think you would be perfectly in your rights to ask for a deposit on each and every commission.
Also, I LOVE, Love, LOVE the piece you say is currently on the drawing board, of the figure, on the path through the trees. Wow. Thank you for sharing it.
You are absolutely on the right path - keep moving forward. 💖
Hi Mark. So sorry to hear about your recent bad experience. It’s often the difficult people who do often stick in our minds rather than all the lovely ones, even though they are the majority. I have started taking commissions for house and wedding venue portraits. I do take a payment up front, partly because I’m bad at asking for money, and as soon as I start sketching I’m likely to forget. I say up front on the website what the deal is (www.lindagaskellillustration.co.uk). When folk contact me there’s usually a few emails where we discuss what they want and they send through photos for me to work from. Once I’m happy I’ve got something I can work with I send them the invoice. When that’s paid (usually really promptly) I start work on the sketch, which they will then see at different stages. Hope that helps. I’m full of admiration for how quickly you manage to capture a likeness. When I’ve tried figure drawing at speed my images are rarely flattering!