Hi /biz/, I am looking to pursue a side-hobby in artsy bullshit like digital painting and sculpting. I'd be putting around 6 hours a week on the weeks I focus on it.
For sculpting, I'll be starting with copper, aluminum, concrete, tin, lead, wood, and textiles. Casting and forging will be possible. Painting, electroplating, and engraving will be available further down the line when I can save more money. A few personal projects I'll be starting with are gun parts like stocks, handguards, ect. No, I will not be ruining valuable antiques or doing antique fraud.
So I ask to any /biz/inessmen with experience in the decor industry and art patronage: What are good sellers these days and what are predictions for the future? I need the practice and I am willing to craft with sales in mind if the price is right. My 5 minute googling mostly came up pretty bunk.
>>1295383
what can you actually do
what can you actually sculpt? What have you made before? what is your training? where do you live?
>>1295440
Zero experience. With the exception of CAD, youtube videos, and research on how not go douse yourself in molten metal or set yourself on fire, this is new to me. The main reason I want to get into this is because I already have free access to tools (saws, files, powerdrills, grinding stones, ect.) and the startup cost for a casting station will be pretty low. I'll have to look into the local colleges to see if they offer a sculpting class.
I live in Illinois, near a college town of 100k+ people and a two hour drive away from Chicago (45 minutes if you take the train). Good combination of urban, suburban, rural, and international crowds to appeal to.
>>1295383
I write short horror stories as a hobby. My stories were published in two books and some magazines. I never had the "ow, I'll make money with it" I just did what I like and people liked that too.
>>1295510
First thing I think is to look at what other people are doing. Doesnt need to be in your city or even country. If I was trying to get into some kind of art/craft/custom fabrication, I would look into what is marketable and think about if I could pull it off.
Do you have any idea at all about what you plan to make??
If not, what the fuck are we even talking about?
>>1295383
Josh Hartnett
>>1295583
That's why I made the thread, to see if anyone else has already done this themselves and so far, my research is all over the board.
There's a shitload of erotic bronze statues on ebay, that's been my only finding so far. The molds to make concrete garden path stone molds are also cheap and the finished product sells for a decent price, that has potential to be my start until I want a better challenge than just stepping stones. Concrete and bronze jewelry are sold on Etsy, but I don't know how hot they sell. Kinda sucks that I can't find the stats on those sales because I'd enjoy making them.
>>1295575
I am not doing this with money as a primary motive, just as a bonus and an external motivator. I have to make random shit for practice anyway, might as well see what people are willing to buy at above scrapping prices. If it was for the money, I'd find a job in construction or carpentering. I also write apocalyptic sci-fi and dark fantasy fiction, but only when I feel like it and if I publish anything, I'd publish it myself online and sell stories cheap or make them free. The few people I showed my school project writings to enjoyed them as well, but I can't find the discipline to set time aside or even to remember to work on more.
