As I build more of the Hexcell site out around Blue Max I am on the look out for artwork to make the whole thing attractive. In particular I am looking for pieces showing WW1 fighters in action. It turns out aviation art is a small and technical niche – not something that is liable to turn up in clip-art or stock image collections.
I have found several artists whose work really stands out. The usual practice in the field however is to sell originals and prints. I want to license the images for use on the web.
One artist who has responded to my inquiries has been Russell Smith. He has offered to license his images for a very reasonable fee. Unfortunately my current operating budget for this project is $0.
I think Russell’s work is fantastic. The piece I would like to use is Wolff’s Requiem, a painting which Russell details the creation of at his website. After seeing the work required to create something that is both artistic and historically plausible I think the fee he is asking is more than reasonable.
While I not using his work in the Hexcell site yet, I thought I would share with you an appropriately attributed sample. Enjoy.
Wolff's Requiem
(Click the image for more details on this painting, including how to purchase it from the artist.)
What’s the very reasonable fee? i.e. what size donations are you looking for?
A reasonable fee is US$50. As for the size of donations, well that’s totally up to you and what you think of the site.
Thanks to Friendless who has made a donation offline.
ehi man, you should make this section more visible 😀 It’s a nice idea to add art to the site and Mr. Smith paintings are awesome. Plus, your work deserve to be supported. Good luck !