Selling things when you're poor

I'm not concentrated on portraits. However, I've seen street artists who sell their work on the spot, doing portraits. It would be a way for her to earn cash without having a bank account, or having to work in secret at home, etc. Just brainstorming here. If she works fast, as you've indicated, this could be an ideal source of income AND a way for her to be discovered by the right people, if that's the way you want your story to go.

As for buying art supplies ...I do suggest you visit an art store, if you haven't already. You will be shocked at how much charcoal and A4 charcoal paper cost, if they are art-worthy. Drawing with charcoal on typing/inkjet printing paper doesn't last—charcoal doesn't stick well to certain kinds of paper surfaces. (If she were to draw with an ordinary pencil on typing paper, that would be one thing she COULD do without a lot of money. I did a lot of that when I was a child at home.)

I know, because I actually AM an artist, with an undergraduate minor in it, and I own a lot of art supplies. Drawing with charcoal is one of the things I used to do before my eyesight changed. A stick of graphite is also very rewarding, and the stick lasts longer than a stick of charcoal, which tends to crumble away. Both of them are messy, though.

Oil pastels are relatively cheap to buy, if you aren't bothered with quality, and they stick well to just about anything, including cheap paper. That's another possibility, if she wants to work in colour.

 

Wonderful.

How much does A4 paper cost? What about a stick of charcoal for drawing?

How long does it take to make one picture?

What would, in your eyes, show that an artist was good at their work? What is the experience of drawing, like? What must you concentrate on, when making art?

 

This will give you some idea of cost ...you see there is a fairly cheap one, but the prices of the others is kind of consistent. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=A4+sketchbook&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Charcoal is VERY smeary, so if she wants any of her drawings to last, she will need a spiral bound sketch 'book' rather than just pieces of paper. They keep the drawings in place. Spray fixative is usually also used by anybody working in charcoal, which helps keep the drawing in place.

Be aware that if you're using a stick of charcoal on an A-4 ground you're only going to be able to make really broad strokes. In other words, detail won't be possible—and charcoal wears down really quickly. It's easy to go through two or three sticks of charcoal per drawing, although I've never worked on a ground that small with charcoal. If she wants detail, she'll need charcoal pencils (and a way to sharpen them.)

Given your story circumstances, is there a reason she couldn't just use a soft pencil? A number one or ordinary number two? That way she could make very detailed drawings that would hold up a lot better than charcoal. A little plastic sharpener is easily obtained.

How long does it take to make a picture? It depends on how fast you work, how many details you include and how much 'editing' you do. We all work at different speeds. If you're just making a quick sketch it can take only a couple of minutes. (And some quick sketches are really good to look at later, because the artist captures a moment of action and freezes it.) A detailed drawing can take days.

Like with writing, art appreciation is in the eye of the beholder. For me, I stop and gasp with pleasure at a picture that says something to me about the subject of the drawing/painting. Or if it's abstract, the design grabs me for some reason. Or the colours. Like with writing, no artist is universally loved, so it's more or less up to the viewer what works and what doesn't. "I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like" is often used to make fun of people who are unsophisticated. But in truth, that IS truth, in my opinion. Sophisticated people may be able to talk more glibly about what they are seeing, or understand some principle that the viewer may feel but not be aware of (the Golden Section is a good example.) But that doesn't mean one person's view is less valid than somebody else's when it gets down to it.

Ah, the concentration. That is what makes 'doing' art so wonderful. For me, art is different from writing. When I'm writing I'm also concentrating, but the work is all brain work. And it's a lot more tiring. Art, on the other hand, is more instinctive for me. I just do it. I can have music on in the background, or even be talking to people while I'm working, and the work continues to happen. If somebody talks to me or some background noise intrudes while I'm writing I have to stop. I guess those things engage the same part of the brain, and once cancels the other out. However, drawing comes from another part of the brain, apparently. (Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is an excellent book. It contains a particular exercise that illustrates its principle really well.)

Here's the exercise. Take somebody who claims they can't draw. Give them a portrait picture of somebody's face ...like a high school yearbook photo. Tell them to draw that person. What is very likely to come out is something that looks like a kid's drawing. The kind that proud parents put up on their refrigerators with magnets. THEN tell the person to turn the same picture upside down and draw what they see. The results are amazing. The second drawing is always 'better' than the first one was. Because the artist IS drawing what they actually see, not what they think the subject ought to look like.

If an artist can get into that disconnect, where they forget the purpose (and the result) of the drawing and just draw what they see, then they've jumped a huge hurdle. (Obviously if they are drawing from their imagination that's a different thing ...but that's never been what I do, so I can't say how that works.)

 

So what do you think should be used for 'poor person with good talent in making things', and then wishes to sell it on the street?

Oil? Charcoal? Pencil sketches?

 

If they're a magical artist, they can use whatever media they want.

This:

Spoiler: for size

was made with a ball point pen. Pick whatever you think sounds good, and once they start making money they can move into other things.

 

*whistles*

Thank you.

 

I'm giving you an example of where people offer internet advice online. Not all of these sites verify who is giving advice - as a provider, you just sign up to them, and your success is based on reviews.

She can get paid through Paypal.

 

Hmm... no quite the thing I'm planning for, though. Sorry.

 

Little superhero would visit the library. Libraries are free for the internet, and librarians are always sympathetic to struggling talent. The librarian would open the Ebay account. All the support characters might be the unemployed fellows at the booths, the IT cubicles. All free. Free.

 

*thinks*

I gave her supercrafting and the ability to conjure food from thin air.

How about hiring homeless people to set up stands or booths, so that she pays them in food, makes them clothes, and in return they sell her stuff?

Sorta like a mafia boss. Only dealing in embroidery and paintings, not drugs.

 

Sounds like a great way to draw attention to yourself. "Where's your permit for this stand?" leads to "Where's she getting this food from?" leads to a whole kettle of fish that could go very wrong for her.

Also, my understanding is that homeless people can get food well enough. Maybe not as much as they'd like, but they don't tend to be starving. Money is a much more powerful motivator as it actually solves the issue of being homeless. Food just makes it slightly more bearable for a little while (and considering they have no way of storing it, it would be a very little while)

Desperate homeless people aren't exactly unlikely to take the dosh and run at the end of the day, especially considering the rates of addiction in the community.

 

Runs with the same issue as the art (permits), and gets even worse. Because, well, you're selling food. People are going to ask where you got them from?

 

If you had a character who knew how to build those little signs that say, "Live, Love, Laugh" they'd make a killing. Anything trendy and hip that people like to put around their houses to make themselves seem cultured or worldly.

 

Regards the computer usage, in my city you can access the internet via the public library for free. Of course, the hours suck they normally open from 10 am to 5 pm or occasionally 8 pm. That kind of cuts into school and any chore time she has. And then the actual computer usage is limited to 2 hours a day.

As far as I know there's no prohibition on logging in to EBay or whatever and selling/buying things on a library computer but if she starts making a killing, people are going to ask questions.

 

Just found out something. New York city allows you to sell artwork without a general vendor license.

https://www1.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/description/general-vendor-license

 

Thank you all for your help. This is a prologue.

https://www.writingforums.org/threads/healing-light-exalted-modern-world-au.163487/

 

So, @jannert . If you see someone by the roadside, selling artwork, or someone else's artwork...

How much do they earn a month?

 

Why does she want to keep her art from her parents? Wouldn't she be more likely to want to financially help them than to keep a secret from them.

I used to go to a cafe (not in the US) where an artist would randomly select people, either an individual or group. Then he would draw the picture and when it was done, he would go up to the table and try to sell it to the person or people he drew. I was a regular there and bought so many of those little pictures. The artist sold them for next to nothing, but it was something he did almost every day as a way of getting by.

Another thing to consider is that people like to buy art that is signed by the original artist. Even the guy in the cafe signed his work. He was actually really good, but art is a hard way to earn money. I have bought art on the street, but I would not buy art from eBay. And unsigned piece of art my a secret artist is not likely to do all that well no matter what the platform is. And does the government really care all that much about a young, talented artist? The government doesn't even care that much about art.

You could have her take art supplies from school if art class has survived budget cuts. Art is usually the first thing to go.

I would spend a little more time thinking about the realities of being an artist and selling work. It's hard. Being unknown and having a secret identity is only going to make it harder. No matter how good someone is, there is always someone better. Magic or not, there is always going to be a struggle getting people to recognize it's importance and worth. And, I think, art like you're describing it has got to be one of the hardest things to sell on eBay. It would be hard to sell anyway. If I was your character I would probably be pissed that my magic was to create art.

I would take the food, though. If her family is poor and struggling, wouldn't she want to share her magic to create food with them? No one wants to eat alone.

 

Banksy.

 

Hmm... you're right. Helping out at the place in the restaurant would work. Selling stuff for money would work.

Maybe as decorations? I still want her to have a form of independence and have her own projects. Can an artist have multiple signatures?

Would it be plausible for her to sell in one place, and then sell in another to up the revenue?

 

The food magic seems more believable. I don't know how poor they are but I think parents would most likely encourage their child who can create food out of air. They might even take advantage of that, depending on their personalities, and the girl would instantly give them cash as long as the food is delicious and clean. The parents might even believe her if she tells them she just got her magic upon waking up one day.

The parents may not like the idea that she makes art because they're already poor and some parents don't think art is good enough to feed you. (which happens in real life) Maybe that can be a motivation for your character. That may also explain why she wants to keep her identity a secret while selling stuff.

As for the stuff she makes, maybe she can create miniature models/robots or sculpture. That might be good because it can be noticed by collectors and hobbyists. You can check out model kits if you want. She could create something like those but in addition, it can move. I'm not sure about the supplies though. The girl can use stuff inside her house like old chairs for pieces of wood.

Not sure about the government. She's gotta make something that would gather their attention or it could be her powers came from a secret experiment that the government is working on. That secret experiment may have lost in their hands and found it's way to the girl.

 

You can be anonymous in the eyes of almost everyone with ebay. Banking info is all behind the curtain. Paypal can be a business account with the business name. No one has to see her real name.

The biggest issues as far as anonymity is shipping. You need to have a return address. She should set up a PO BOX (which does cost a little money). Which means people will know the area she lives in unless she sets up some distant PO box that she has a friend/employee take care of and forward stuff to her. Which is a very paranoid and unlikely situation for the average person, but you are writing fantasy so...up to you.

As someone else mentioned...she needs certain things. A camera, lighting, and etc. You can't successfully sell things online without good pictures. Have her use pirated software (photoshop) that she learned from free youtube videos. She can borrow someone's camera/good phone until she makes a little cash and gets her own used one secondhand on ebay. She can learn how to master using outdoor/natural lighting (again from youtube videos) until she can afford lighting inside. The government gives poor students laptops. She can do this and do it for little money.

Now, she's underage. That's not going to work. You need to be an adult to operate seller accounts on ebay/etsy. You will need to figure out how to set up her situation. Steals a family members identity, gets the help from an adult, etc.

Master craftsman...well I can tell you a lot of stuff ain't worth the time it takes to make it or the cost of supplies, as far as sales go. There is a lot of competition and sometimes a lot of "grinding" (need to sell a very large amount to see some good money--aka not worth it). However, there are people who make good money in any craft. They are the outliers, but it sounds like you're girl is an outlier. Pick something that is cheap to make. Pottery for instance requires clay, a kiln ($$), glazes, potters wheel, and a place she can do it..it's not a poor man's hobby. However you can make anything work if there is something specific you want her to do. Borrows the local university kiln, steals glazes, works at the clay store and gets it for discount/free. I don't feel like I can point at one thing and tell you "that" because you have full understanding of her supernatural skills and I don't. I'd say pick a craft that interests you and figure out how to make it work.