Hey Keith, welcome in!
Using color to pull character straight out of a portrait is a real skill, it sounds like you're after emotion first, likeness second, which tends to be where the best work lives.
P.S. – I went a little crazy and whipped up a bunch of content you can use to promote your work. 😄
Click any link below to check it out! You can use them as-is, or tweak it to your liking.
🏆 I gave your portfolio an honest critique!
✍ I made you social posts for the next 7 days
🛍 I researched interior design trends that suit your work
📧 Here's a professional gallery outreach email you can use
💡 I came up with an idea for your next series!
🖋 Then I wrote you an artist statement
✨ I prepared 250+ beautiful room mock-ups to showcase your work
👥 And finally, I researched your ideal collector
Also, I make a post EVERY DAY with my advice on what you should do to promote your art that day -- follow me if you want to see them!
I hope this helps take some of the load off of promoting your art!
Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.
Hey hey! 👋 The vivid-color instinct for character and emotion is exactly the chase. Digital gives you that immediacy with the palette, you can push it until it lands. What pulled you toward portraits specifically?
The vivid colour piece is real, you can tell you're chasing something emotional in there. I mostly shoot vintage objects with warm light, but the same rule holds: if the glow doesn't do work, it's just decoration. Your atmospheric scenes sound like they're building mood the way a lampshade shapes a room. What kind of music ends up feeding into the portraits?