I get  inquiries and requests to do custom work from a lot of different sources. I just wanted to create this journal and pin it to my profile page so I don't have to respond to the same questions that I tend to get frequently.

Free Work
I get asked a lot, and I mean A LOT to do free work. While I'm no stranger to free work (Heck I donated close to 10 large paintings and prints to charities last year) and when I offer to paint without pay it's because it's a gift from me and it means something. Please don't ask me to do free work, if I see your project and want to donate my time to it I will approach you. I have never, ever EVER asked someone to do free work. I believe people are worthy of the payment based on the work they put into something. Free work is really something I choose to give on my own terms. You don't have to try and sell me your vision, project or dream and top it with I'll get great exposure. My work was in Vogue magazine, has been on TV shows several times. I had 30+ paintings at one time on a TV series, I've had several celebrities share my work on social media and none of this brought me anything. Exposure is great, but it doesn't pay the bills.

Rates:

I also get asked a lot to work on these really large projects and people want quality art but at really low rates. Let me give you an example. I was asked by a group to do a fairly large painting with all these details and ideas, they wanted to know how much I'd charge. I told them well you're going to be out 100-150 before I even apply paint to canvas or Wacom pen to tablet. It will cost me that much in materials or to order the print. Your project sounds like it would take around 22 hours.  This painting is going to run you in the ballpark of $900. Their response was they wouldn't go any higher than 250. I said I understand you have a budget but I'd like to break this down for you.
You're asking me to work 22 hours with a budget of $250. 150 goes towards supplies/print, this leaves me 100 dollars.  You're paying $4.50/hour for a skill set not many have because while there are a lot of artists out there, they truly only make up a very small percentage of the work force. Does this sound fair to you?  Their response was they'd save up for it and get back to me.
 
Seriously folks, I'm not greedy and to be honest my rates are lower than most professionals, but I have to set a value on my work or else I'll be selling myself short.  Rates can't be decided with a set price unless if I was only doing cookie cutter paintings, which honestly I'm not going to do anymore unless it's my own thing. When I say cookie cutter I mean you'll get x amount if I only do line-art, you'll get x amount if I only do characters without background...etc. I am a painter, I'm pretty versatile in my work and you can get a pretty good idea of what I do in my gallery. I will listen to your project/idea and give you my best guess on the number of hours I'll spend on it and base my price on that. I'm finding this easier because each project is different. Some can be done in a few hours, some in two weeks. (I'm currently working on a 30 x 40 oil painting that's taking a week)  So if you like my work and you're willing to invest in your dream, please send me a message and I'd be happy to talk to you.

If you're approaching me with the intent of saying "I can't pay you much" then please, I don't want to waste your time, there are plenty of artists on DA that would love to work with what you're offering.

Can I use your work?:

I also get this question a lot, and there have been a number of times when people just take it anyway and use it without asking. Which by they way, isn't cool....at all. If you're sharing my work on your blog or any social media, you don't have to ask. As long as you're not removing my info and claiming it as your own I'm totally fine with you sharing it, who doesn't like free marketing?

If you have a project you're working on that is non profit and you'd like to use one of my images, please ask first. If you don't get a response here (which I'm not always on DA) please email me at coolart(at)stevegoad(dot)com and I will get back to you. Or look me up on Facebook and send me a PM. www.facebook.com/artofstevegoa…  If you don't get a response from me based on YOUR time frame then by default the answer is no. Otherwise, please wait for a response.
There are commissioned work in my gallery that people have hired me to do of their custom character, so it wouldn't be nice to use their own character for something of yours. 

With that said I really do appreciate the kindness towards my work and for those that take the time to comment. I'm not always the best at responding to every message on DA so if you'd like to communicate reach out to me on Facebook or email me. Thanks all, take care.

-Steve

 I recently was asked for my Superman artwork to be featured in a documentary called "Look To The Sky", the request was from Brett Culp who also created "Legends of the Knight". You can view this documentary on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu...etc, I have to say I was really impressed with the quality, music, stories and emotions the film stirred in me. It's definitely a good watch, it'll leave you thinking about what you're doing with your gifts and how you're helping those around you. We truly are bombarded with negativity in this world, so it's important to see the good to restore hope.


Legends of the Knight filmed in over 100 cities and raised $75,000 for charities that literally helped thousands of people. I'm honored to have my work shown in this next project of Brett's, I'm looking forward to seeing it and how it will affect people.

Please consider watchingi the trailer and sharing this project with everyone, help spread the word to get this project headed in the right direction.

Trailer to Look To The Sky:
www.indiegogo.com/projects/loo…



Info on Legends of the Knight:
www.wearebatman.com/

Superman is Real!

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There's been a lot going on this year with my artwork, I was in Vogue Magazine, licensed artwork to Cinemax on a show called Banshee, I received South Dakota's Artist of the year from "Exploring Tosca" magazine, and just recently my work is about to be featured on a documentary by Brett Culp titled "Look to the Sky". www.risinghero.org/#1


I'm making small steps towards a better art career but I still feel at times I'm not doing enough, there's always another level of excellence in pretty much all that we do. Call it human nature I guess, I saw an illustration one time that defined this perfectly. It was of a woman standing at the peak of a mountain, she was so high you could see the circumference of the earth and she was still reaching up to the sky as if to grasp for more.

Making steps towards a better art career is fine and all but I'm to the point where I think about how does this really help those around me. It's something we should all ask ourselves, what are we doing to really make a positive difference in someone else's life. I truly believe our gifts weren't intended for us. Sure we can experience the rewards they may offer as a perk but in the bigger picture they were meant to do good for others. When asked to have my Superman painting in "Look to the Sky", I started watching videos about Brett Culp and what all they were doing. It's very inspiring stuff, they raised $75,000 for charities on their last project "Legends of the Knight", and that is exactly what I'm talking about. These people are using their gifts to benefit others. It's a thing of beauty and I'm honored to be a part of it....albeit a small part but a part none the less.

www.facebook.com/brettculp/vid…

If you're on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon..etc check out "Legends of the Knight", it's very inspiring stuff.

In Art matters I have unplugged from Digital work(just for a bit) and took up Charcoal. I have started selling prints world wide but want to offer something a little unique to those not wanting an open print. I'm planning on making a charcoal section on my site and offer the sale of original pieces of work. The last time I used charcoal was when I was a kid so I was a little nervous at starting something, so much has changed in the medium since the last time I used it. I never thought you could take charcoal powder, mix it with acetone and use a paint brush.
Have a great weekend all.


  


I'm also making a point in promoting other artists with low page views here on DA that I believe deserve more. Don't just view the art shown here, visit their pages, follow them and show them support. Please check out these amazing artists and their charcoal works:

Mature Content

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I was recently asked to be a featured artist for ArtRage, every painting done in this article was created with their product. This is a product I've used since the first release and will continue to use due to the way it mimics traditional mediums. You can view the interview here:

www.artrage.com/artist-feature…

A lot of people seem to shy away from this product for professional use from the $60 price tag. Which I find odd, because since when do we need to pay $500+ for something to produce professional work. I've seen amazing artists have complete art shows with artwork that were created with crayons. And how much are a large box of crayons, $4?

Don't let the price tag mislead you, this is a product for professional work. I'd like to thank Hannah, the ArtRage community manager, for choosing me as their next featured artist. I'm honored! It was fun going through my work and realizing just how often I use ArtRage, I could've easily added another 6-7 paintings to the article that were created with the program.


Check out some of the other ArtRAge Artists:

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My Intuos 5 tablet stopped working recently and I had a Huion H610 sitting on the shelf as a backup. When I purchased the Huion I couldn't even use it yet because they didn't support Windows 8, luckily at the demise of my Wacom I noticed the Win8 drivers were ready. I've been testing it out this past week and I must say it's definitely a solid choice for those on a budget and perfect to have as a backup tablet. (The last thing you want is to be down for a few days/weeks while you wait on your replacement)

Pros:
1. Same pressure levels as a wacom
2. When drawing it has a nice textured feel like you're drawing on paper
3. Configurable express keys
4. Touch and non touch version. I personally dislike the touch tablets, it doesn't mesh with my painting style. Way too often when I'd go over a completed piece I'd find little dabs of paint from my hand/finger from accidentally touching the tablet.
5. The ability to turn the pen off. I personally find this a neat feature to click the pen and lay it on your tablet without it interfering with your normal mouse control.
6. Pen doesn't feel cheap like most battery pens.
7. Price: $50
8. I seem to be getting better sensitivity in certain programs like ArtRage, Paint Tool Sai and Painter


Cons:
1. I've noticed when booting to windows the first time  sometimes the express keys don't work. I had this happen with the intuos as well and a reboot would fix this but with the Huion you just unplug the tablet and plug it back in to correct it.
2. Battery pen  NOTE: The Pro version pen doesn't require a battery.
3. No Eraser - Some might agree that this is a con but I never used the eraser on the Wacom pens so I don't miss it.

A couple of samples I've done with the Huion:

      

I'm making it a habit to find artists with little exposure on their DA Page who definitely deserve it.
Under Appreciated Artists:

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