Students sell their art
With Christmas just around the corner, students are scrambling for money to pay for gifts for friends and family. Some students, however, sell art works year round for the holidays, the future, and a little bit of extra spending money.
A few of these students are Seniors Kiera Bell and Aubree’ Keller and Junior Paul Olajimi.
“I started selling a couple of years ago upon request,” Keller said. “A couple of my friends had seen my work and wanted them.”
If enough people buy, it can be a profitable business and enjoyable for the artist. Olajimi usually deals with tattoo design.
“[Other students would] hear I was good at drawing, find out who I was and give me five dollars to draw some name that I could sketch at my desk before class even started,” Olajimi said. “Easy money. That’s how I got my first pair of Nike’s actually.”
Art is varied, Bell usually works in animation drawing and Keller woks in absurdist style. All three artists use different materials for different projects.
Olajimi works with ballpoint pen for normal tattoos and PrismaColor pencils for colored tattoos, sold for $10-$20. He uses acrylics for canvas work and Computer Illustrator for vectors, logos and illustrations, neither of which he has started selling.
“I usually make the designs in one sitting and have it to the customer in a day or two,” Olajimi said. “Bigger illustrations take a little longer, never longer than a week though.”
Bell uses acrylic and water paint, colored pencils, charcoal pencils, graphite, calligraphy pens and mix media. And prices can range from $10-$100 dollar depending on size.
“I like taking my time so the piece turns out just right,” Bell said. “I have to talk to the customer and ask what they want and what they generally want it to look like.”
Keller works mainly with acrylics and heavy oils on canvas and digital art. She also has experience in charcoal and granites.
“It depends on the piece but I usually take from an hour to eight hours,” Keller said. “Prices vary based on the medium and size of the piece. If anyone has questions feel free to contact me.”
Olajimi seems to have it all figured out. He is 1/3 of the street wear brand “Elævated”.
“My hustle is appreciated, praised and legal,” Olajimi said. “Work hard and stay humble.”
