The First Painting I Ever Sold

I thought it would be fun to take a look back and show you all the first painting that I ever sold. I have been painting and drawing my entire life, but didn't ever think that I could sell my paintings. I used to think to myself, "Why would anyone ever pay for my artwork?"

Some of you who just recently started to follow my artwork may not realize that I initially got my start as a professional fantasy artist selling ACEOs. ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. They measure 2.5 x 3.5" and are the size of a baseball card. ACEOs are highly collectible and there were many artists (and still are) making a living just selling ACEOs off of eBay and now Etsy and other venues.

Back when I was in college and I was scraping together every penny I had, I thought why not give ACEOs a shot? What do I have to lose? I thought it might be a fun way to make a little extra money while I went to school. ACEOs were small enough that I could paint one a day during my downtime.

So once I made the decision to do it, I had to decide what to paint and what materials to use. I love the fantasy genre, so I knew that's what I was going to paint. I debated about what materials to use for awhile, but decided on watercolors. I just love the way watercolors blend and create such a magical feeling which I think is perfect for the fantasy genre. Some effects you can create with watercolor (like salting and wet on wet blending techniques), you just can't mimic with other media.

After I decided on watercolors, I went to the Hobby Lobby by my house to buy everything! I was so excited, but of course I was on a college budget, so I bought a set of watercolors for $10! I also got the most inexpensive watercolor paper I could find.

Then I came home to paint. My very first ACEO that I painted and put on eBay actually never sold. I will save that topic and image for another blog post. The second ACEO that I painted and put on eBay was of an elf with an orb and she was casting a magical spell. It was painted in shades of blue and purple. I placed her on eBay for a 7 day auction and checked probably once an hour to see if anyone bid on it. It was getting down to the final days of the auction and someone bid on it! I think I sold it for $3.00.

I still remember the person who bought it and she will always have a special place in my heart for buying my first painting and taking a chance on an eBay seller with no feedback. And the whole experience of selling my first piece made me think that maybe I can actually be a professional artist and make money from selling my artwork. It's something that I will always remember and often think back to.

Here is the very first painting that I sold back in 2006! Unless you've been following my artwork since the very beginning, you've probably never seen her before.

Of course after I sold my first painting, I was definitely hooked. It was so fun to create something that I loved and have someone enjoy it so much that they were willing to spend their hard earned money on it. It was so rewarding and still is. I may look back at this painting now and cringe, but I think it's fun to look at your past and see how far you've come.

I hope you all enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with me! Now here's my challenge to you...if you are an artist, why not show us the first painting, sculpture or art piece that you sold? Post it on your Facebook page or blog and link below! I would love to see it and I'm sure everyone else would too. =)