constructive criticisms

[irishkelly74]

Just wanting some feedback on a few things. Why is it that the things we feel will be big successes in the eBay world ( alot of watchers, bidders...) turn out the opposite and the pieces that we dont expect to do as well seem to be the "winners". Does anyone else have this experience? I have 2 pieces on right now that I worked so hard on and have maybe 2 watchers and no bids. I guess I am just wanting some constructive criticism on either my auctions, pricing, photos... or do I just need to be patient? ha! You can check out my auctions and leave me any answers or advice. THX!!

[artistjillian]

You are totally, totally right... What we expect to be big hits aren't. What we put up, not expecting to sell - don't. EXACTLY! Ebay is SO unpredictable. What you experience is what every single one of us have had happen! Welcome to the wacky part of the world of ACEOs 😉

[maryn_grey]

Hi! Right, a patient Celt! Heeheehee! Anyway, I think your work looks great. I kind of think that a lot of the collage/assemblage artists are suffering a slow down right now - is that right, guys? I surely don't think it's a reflection on your work! Other than that, tho, I don't have anything useful to say.. :( maryn

[windy*paints]

I can't really give any advice on collages and such since I don't do them or collect them but as far as art in general goes, I think alot of it is just a matter of what people want. You can paint the best dog in the world but I won't buy it, I just don't collect dogs.

[beadtailrenee]

I just looked at your box and it is very lovely. I would suggest changing the background or using a different color for the text. The red against purple might be hard to read. Your photos are very good - they show wonderful detail! Maybe shorten your description, you don't have to mention each detail of how you made something. You want to create the sense of magic for your items - kind of like give buyers the feel of your creativity without giving away all of your secrets - does that make sense? It helps to have patience. That is hard but it does take time for people to find your items. I have been selling my jewelry since September of last year and it is just now gaining more interest and buyers. Don't give up!

[windy*paints]

Jillian is soo right. I have posted a few that I just didn't like.. personally.. and they were the first to get bids. And the ones I LOVE which are my 2 faces (Nyx and Persephone) still haven't sold. lol

[pandorasartbox]

I've been having that experience too. Spend hours on something thinking how great it will be only to be disappointed with the outcome. It is really quite frustrating, and I guess I'm not very patient either. Doing this because you need the money vs. doing it for a hobby also increases the frustration factor. Strangely I find I get the most watchers when something's not doing so well. My paranoia tells me it's because they're watching to see if it crashes and burns...LOL. I like to try all sorts of things so for buyers it may be like trying to go to a restaurant that changes the menu every day. I think the people who get the most bids and highest prices tend to do similar things and get known for it. I don't think the market appreciates artistic ADD. I'm sort of a newbie too so I can't say what the formula is for success. I may never know at this rate but I assume sticking with it and trying to do the best you can would be a good answer. I looked at your items and they're great, I like the layout too. Very cheery! Keep up the good work!

[mountainshack]

I think your auction page looks great. I agree that it seems the pieces I really like don't do well. Then something that I just whipped together, without any real creative energy will do good. I think it just depends on who's out there and sees your auction. One thing I did notice: It seems you're not using the Gallery feature on all of your auctions. I personally rarely will open an auction page that doesn't have a thumbnail on the listings page. Especially when there are thousands of items for sale - and especially for art. Some things don't need the gallery, but in my opinion, art does. Otherwise I really liked your work!

[irishkelly74]

Thank you so much for all of your advice and thoughts. I think the comments are right about my details about how each piece is made. I guess it isnt really necessary at all and may take away from the "oooh aaah" factor of just taking in the visual of a piece. Maybe it is a good thing that pieces I expect to do well, dont. That is what keeps me trying new ideas and see what works. I do have to be careful and not create to sell all the time. It does take away from the creative process. It's like when you are a child and you HAVE to read a novel for school as opposed to reading for the pure joy of the story. Thanks all!

[whisperwind]

Yes, I do think we all go through this. This last week I've had what I consider to be the best ACEO's I've done yet listed - and I think I had one sale, at the opening bid. Oh well. I've re-listed a couple - thinking maybe what with Easter it wasn't a good time to have some of these end - but the rest I will probably end up selling locally, giving to friends, or maybe relisting in a few months. Ebay is always like a roller coaster, it doesn't pay for me to get too fixated on how things are going any given week because I drive myself nuts if I do. I quit selling on Ebay some years ago because I was getting burned out trying to figure out what people were looking for and painting specifically to sell. This time around, I'm painting what I like! It remains to be seen how much money this will actually make me in the long run, but I know it's better for my nerves 😉

[shellrose]

I like the idea of a constructive criticism corner. That is something I miss about the watercolor class I took in college. At first it was difficult, more so to give a criticism than to receive. You don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But, if anyone would have time to look at my turtle cat card and comment, I promise I won't cry. I might pout a little, but not for long! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7407991522&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

[fashco]

I love your paperbag book!!! (not constructive criticism I know but worth saying;)) Emma

[anthea-m-art-and-design]

Hi Shellrose - I just looked at your turtle cat card and I think its really cute ... it looks like it could have just jumped out of the pages of a childrens picture book (I love illustration). Well done. 🙂

[mreas]

I make people pout and cry for a living. Here's what I'd tell you: Linear contours tend to flatten a painting, If you want a flat painting then go with that and emphasize the shapes and colors. If you don't want a flat painting then try not to rely so much on an outline to define forms. -Mean Mick

[robnzak]

Oooh...I wanna be mean too. I mean constructive. post # 5 was spot on about the background color and text. I'm really,really old and ANY dark background with color or italic text moves me to the back button (doesn't matter how great the art is). I just have a difficult time reading it. I'm more likely to hang around, check out other items and buy if I don't get a headache from looking. rob