Having been on sale at dreamtime.com exclusively for about nine months only on of the illustrations, one with plain black silhouettes, has been sold once. Generally my sales at dreamtime.com have been slow due to very limited portfolio. Artists who have more to show get more exposure and more sales. I would need to upload much more to get faster earnings.
This illustration has attracted 15 views witch means it has not been searched after a lot. The niche I’m targeting is probably a little too narrow. I’m still positive that on the long run this illustration will yield more sales.
Plain silhouettes are easily customisable and thus they will probably do better than the detailed illustrations that might be just a little too expressionistic to do well on micro stocks. They can however act as portfolio samples for commissions.
When I look at the ready series of illustrations words that come to mind are submissive, obedient, good girl and content. (Fig. 34.) There is no protesting or teenage rebellion present. The character is somewhat passive to her situation.
The stereotypical roles of a victim and servant are present in the outcome. I feel the topic justifies these presentations as it is an important social issue to bring up and corresponds with my experiences. Never the less these are negative roles and something that a Sub-Saharan African viewer would probably not prefer to identify with.
Figure 34: 9 of the final illustrations in mock up frames.
Figure 35: Final illustration with plain black silhouettes.
Figure 36: Sales situation of the plain silhouette illustration titled African child house help. The symbols mean that the illustration is graded as level two in dreamtime’s system, it has been seen by 15 users and downloaded once and it’s sold exclusively in dreamtime. Screen shot from dreamtime.com on 14th March 2018.
Figure 37: Thumbnail of the illustration and details of the sold item. The buyer had a subscription, she or he downloaded the maximum size of the image and used a search word “asian”. Screen shot from dreamtime.com on 14th March 2018.
4.5.1. Afterword
“Aunty, won’t you leave your mp3 player for me now that you’re leaving?” Araba begs. “Hey! I’m not sharing my will here. I’m coming back you know.” I say and sensing her true feelings add “I will come back before you notice. You will be so busy with studies that you won’t have time to miss me.”
After having spent five years in Ghana I would return to Finland for two years to do my masters. Araba would have to stay behind to finish her studies. She would have one more month of junior high school left and after that she would join a boarding school for senior high.
“I love you!” I whisper and hug her clumsily slipping the mp3 to her hands to relieve my guilt. I step into the car and we drive away my little baby boy blissfully unaware he would not see his big sister for two long years.
ILLUSTRATING THE OTHER 