Thursday, 16 November 2023

TAD & FFO -- "Smiles"

I'm linking this art post with both
(whose prompt this week is "smiles")
and with Nicole's Friday Face OFF.

I've recently completed my first
art course learning how to do
portraits of people in coloured pencil.

It was VERY challenging and
I'm really struggling with how
to depict shadows on skin tones.
I need a LOT more practice!

But this little girl does have
a charming gap-toothed smile,
so here she is!


A person told me recently that their grandchild
gets $20 per tooth from the Tooth Fairy.

TWENTY BUCKS!

I got 25 cents per tooth back in MY day
(admittedly 60 years ago, but still!)

What did YOU get as recompense?
And what do your kids/grandkids get now?

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

47 comments:

  1. I hear portraits are one of the hardest things to do, but I'd say you did pretty damn well. Hell if I did that I'd probably look like a stick figure. And the Tooth Fairy? You're supposed to get money? You don't want to know what I got for teeth I left under the pillow!

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  2. I hope you get a lot more practice! But I like this effort too.

    I don't know where the Tooth Fairy gets these kinds of funds. Thank goodness parents/grandparents don't have to be on the hook for $20/tooth -- children are expensive enough already. Without the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus covering some of these costs I do not know how parents would cope.

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  3. I love your drawing; I love that smile.

    I think we got fifty cents and I think my nieces used to get 5 bucks!!!

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  4. I don't remember getting more than a dime, but this was 50 years ago, so maybe adjusted for inflation it's $20😒

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  5. Portraits?
    Notoriously difficult. And weren't we just commenting on color drawings in my blog?
    As for the tooth fairy? I don't remember how much I got! I know I got money, though...

    XOXO

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  6. Awesome drawing! I find it impossible to get a good drawing of people - the proportions are so hard. You have done a great job!

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  7. Excellent work Debra! $20 sounds a lot

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  8. Hello Debra, That smile really comes through because you have involved the entire face in it. Perhaps it's my imagination, but there seems to be implied motion, also, as though the girl's smile has just stretched out, and she is turning her head at the same time, giving her the look of being delighted. --Jim

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  9. CLAP CLAP CLAP!!! Well done Debra!!! I can relate about the coloured pencils with the shadows and highlights. I took a course a few years back and we did an old man's face and it was a challenge, but so much fun to learn. and btw...TWENTY BUCKS??? I'm of Scottish descent and I was lucky to get a dime lol

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  10. Money for teeth! I grew up in the wrong culture, clearly.
    Portraiture is very difficult. Good for you for making such a good start.

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  11. Amazing as all your drawings are. I can't remember what I got. Our children had 50p, today I think the grands get £1 - when the tooth fairy remembers!

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  12. This painting brought to mind that old song "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.
    My two front teeth. See my two front teeth". $1 was the going rate in my family, back when a dollar would translate into a toy and/or lot at the candy store.

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  13. Hello Debra, At an extortionate $20 each, it would pay for your little friend to invest in this handy device:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/296014011389?hash=item44ebcf5bfd:g:tcgAAOSwa4BlPlJU&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4OFgFZL4gWTSMBLiT529AZjHmPB8kwYuA3nkLiXjQenLdWicU13rXs1IExtiI7%2BU27%2B9I9PNhTbbq45XLNNz2Ndo%2Fvr3CoEPiYenyFGZhE7SypV2Gl2TT3W669RzaabMnKRFg%2FkpVCj76vnX1ZbzZF9ok3FD0jrzJsEcvBoW7Pb%2Bq%2B9MeFXXCpyUPQJBjKOZ2xMJvbCqoGo1dW%2FZJea48LHzYqiy1f1PgAsR9trcXCA%2FvPlT78u%2BEF4Ylg4%2FTPZAKb0nuQuju2Mh2y3ZWBdATMky6kAETd%2BIu2%2BjlIpJYn5B%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_b0y5D7Yg

    No wonder she's smiling!
    --Jim

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  14. I love the smiling girl! I also love that she is missing the bottom two teeth instead of the expected top two.

    I can't remember precisely how much we got for a tooth but it was probably a quarter, maybe fifty cents. I think my kid got a dollar. $20 seems like very steep inflation! The Tooth Fairy must have some supply chain issues.
    Cheers!
    E

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  15. Wow, she is very, very cute and beautiful, you did a great job!
    In Germany you get... nothing per tooth!

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  16. I don't recall ever getting $$ for teeth!

    Your portrait is delightful! It made me grin as soon as I saw it! Good work ~

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  17. A wonderful picture, dear Debra, and I can't discover the slightest flaw in shadows on skin tone! I find gap-tooth smiles particularly charming! :-)
    In Austria, when I was a child, there was no Tooth Fairy (and no school cones either) - terrible childhood, I know ;-) We simply wrapped a thread around the tooth, the other end of the thread on the door handle and then slammed the door. With any luck, my father or mother said how brave I was. That's it.
    All the best, Traude
    🍂🕯️☕🍂☕🕯️🍂
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/11/ruckblick-auf-die-fotoausstellung-la.html

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  18. I can't remember what I got per tooth, too long ago. I talked to my sister who said 5, 10, or 20 dollars is normal these days.

    I found this that I thought you might be interested in...
    https://blog.redbubble.com/2014/09/when-do-art-materials-expire/

    And this that I can't see because of my adblockers...
    https://news.artnet.com/art-world/7-deadly-art-materials-to-watch-out-for-1081526
    I did manage to find a little info...
    Here are seven deadly art supplies to handle gingerly, and with great care.
    Cadmium. Red paint. ...
    Arsenic. “The Strawberry Thief,” 1883, by William Morris.
    Lead. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889).
    Polyester Resin.
    Fiberglass.
    Formaldehyde.
    Large Pieces of Metal.

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  19. @ Parnassus (Jim) -- That Imitation Human Teeth Silicone Mold is too, TOO funny! But I bet the Tooth Fairy can tell the difference between real and fake teeth. After all, she's a professional.

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  20. PS: Oh, I forgot to say that my daughter didn't get ANYTHING for her teeth either. The Tooth Fairy probably doesn't know our country ;-) But my daughter got a MARBLE as a small reward whenever a small reward seemed important to me. She collected them and enjoyed playing with them. And I got (rarely) colored pencils or family Flintstone erasers as slightly larger rewards ;-)
    I don't think you need a reward for losing your teeth, it happens on its own. And it sends the wrong message to children to be paid such huge amounts of money for something that is taken for granted.

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  21. This is a great piece. I love her smile. You captured her innocence with that smile. I love it! I wish I had as much talent as you show in your artwork.

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  22. @ Mike -- Thanks for those two art supply related links! I have just taken up painting in gouache, so the info about the mold issues it can have was eye-opening! And yes, art supplies can bring health risks so one needs to be careful around certain items. Good ventilation and sometimes even masks are needed to work with certain art supplies.

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  23. BEE-autiful work, Debra. I THINK I got a nickel for a tooth — although it might have been 2 cents. I just know my best friend got a dime and I was not happy about it. And I KNEW who the tooth fairy was.

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  24. We were lucky to get ten cents. Our grandkids get $5.00 these days.

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  25. Such an adorable portrait. What a smile!

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  26. Congrats on the portrait.
    Wonderfully done, Debra.
    We gave our kiddos a dollar but it was the gold Sacajawea coin so they they thought it was pretty cool and it looks a lot better than a regular dollar bill.

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  27. That portrait's a beaut!

    The TF must have been on a sabbatical during my childhood, lol.

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  28. That is a fantastic portrait!! Well done!

    -Soma

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  29. I got a 25 cent piece. We called them Quarters. Probably equivalent to 5 dollars nowadays. I also got my first piggy-bank.

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  30. We got nickels for our teeth, though I think my eleven year younger sister got dimes or even quarters. My teeth were lost in the forties. I paid my grands a dollar a tooth, ten years ago. I wonder what kids get these days.

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  31. You are just a natural. I would love to take the art classes you take. Yes, the foot is amazing pain right now. I find that warm water bath helps. Thank you for your well wishes and for joining FFO. Have a nice evening.

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  32. Love that gap-toothed face, it's beautifully made! In Englad I used to get 6 pence, not a lot but I liked saving those 6 penny pieces. Hugs, Valerie

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  33. I know that portraits are difficult. I think you did a great job.
    We generally got a quarter for a tooth, if we were lucky. Lol....times were tough -but then even now times are tough --$20???? way too much.

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  34. Wow Debra, this blows me away. You really have the knack, and I can imagine how fabulous you will be once you get the knack. I think you have the knack here. Have a super weekend. hugs-Erika

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  35. ...what a cutie with the missing teeth. Our 20 year old granddaughter says that $100 is today's $20. Sad!

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  36. A quarter a tooth back in the day !!!..You are very brave to try portraits...and good..I don't think they're my thing...No Fur, faces, feathers and some other "F" that I can never remember..
    Have a good weekend..

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  37. Well done. I don't recall what I got from tooth fairy.
    Coffee is on

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  38. i believe you have gift to draw so well dear Debra !

    i am sure it won't take you long to put life into your portraits as i she the smile of little girl and the glitter in her eyes speaks to one's heart strongly :) congrats and best wishes for further success my friend!

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  39. You are great. Her eyes are bright and full of life.

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  40. The tooth came in a small box... :-)))

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  41. You are so talented ~ this is such an adorable loving portrait ~ Wow!

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  42. Well, if you learned to do portraits that well from one course, I want to know what course you took. My goodness, I think that your young lady with the gap-toothed smile is a delight and I would love to be able to come close to creating a portrait so realistic. As for how much kids are getting today from the Tooth Fairy, I haven't a clue, but I am guessing it is way more than necessary. I was never rewarded by a tooth fairy when I was young. I think I may have given my own kids a quarter when they lost a tooth, though I don't remember for sure if I did or not ... too long ago, I'm afraid.
    Have a lovely Thanksgiving with family Debra ...

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  43. @ Andrea @ From The Sol -- I have taken previous portrait courses, but this one is the first using the medium of coloured pencils. Sorry for not expressing that more clearly in my post!

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  44. I think it was a quarter per tooth. I remember the string tied between a door knob and the tooth. Slam the door and the tooth was removed.
    Nice drawing.

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  45. Deb, she IS adorable. You did a great job. I can't imagine how difficult faces, skin tones, expressions would be to draw/color.
    I used to get fifty cent pieces. (Do they still make those?) My girls would get $1 from what I remember.

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  46. Not having been blessed with children or grandchildren I have no idea what these things cost nowadays.
    I would have guessed a quarter

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  47. My stepdaughter gets five which I feel is low

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