Advice on submitting to portrait agencies
 

Hi all,

I've been a silent reader for some time and have found this site to be a great resource. My hope is to get your advice on the pros/cons of signing up with a portrait agency - is it a good career move, how to decide which is the best fit, etc.

I think I have what it takes to be attractive to them. Assuming that, I'm expecting that what's in it for the artist is a steady amount of work and healthy income.

Is that accurate? Any opinions, actual figures or stories to relay would be helpful. I am located in the twin cities of Minnesota and work in oil and watercolor.

Thanks everyone.

At the ASOPA conference a number of panel member speakers described what the various portrait agencies are looking for. One panel participant summarized it thus, "They are not looking for a diamond in the rough. They are looking for a fully polished diamond complete with a solid track record of portrait sales."

A few of the agencies had representatives there. One of them (I forget which) said that they'd like to see a portrait artist who has established a market for him or herself in their own region with a track record of selling at a starting price of $3,000.

I don't know what your work is like or your experience level, but that may be exactly where you are, in which case, you might want to go for it.

However, other people at ASOPA said that being represented by an agency is no guarantee of steady work. Many portrait agents have a very large roster of artists that they represent.

There are some other threads here that touch upon this issue. One post in particular by Peggy Baumgaertner comes to mind. You might want to use the search feature and check around elsewhere on this site to see what opinions others have expressed.

Good luck!

Michele,

Thanks for your advice and for some insight into the expectations of the agencies. I think I'd match their criteria, with the exception of the big market presence (yet). ;)

What I get from your comments is that, as far as from the point of view of an artist, the benefit to work with an agency is maybe not to gain steady clientele, but perhaps to gain the Higher $, more prestigious commissions. The only reason I say that is if the agencies want to see that you have an impressive market that you've built, then if the artist already has a busy market, well then what's the motivation to hook up with an agency?

I guess I still don't understand if an agency relationship is something an artist does at the start of their career, as the pinnacle of their career, as a limited chapter or as a lifetime solution. What "type" of artist finds working with an agency the right professional lifestyle?

Thanks again,
Linda

Like working with many "agents" (as artists or actors or dancers) you can't seem to get one until you don't really need one anymore!

I have never worked with an artists' agent so I'll leave the rest of your questions for some of the forum participants who have.

Linda,

I think one of the factors that enters into the equation is style. If the agency already has one or more artists painting in a style similar to yours, then they might be inclined to pass for the time being if they have a good and productive relationship with their existing artist or artists.

There are some artists whose careers are not very developed, yet they are fabulous and offer something different that the agency feels is marketable. I can imagine an artist might be picked up by an agency on that basis alone.

Based on the somewhat limited information I have, I believe there are many variables, despite what is normally considered ideal. For example, if an artist is very talented and marketable and offers something different, yet is consistently difficult to get along with, I would think the agency could decide to not represent them.

I believe some agencies only accept new artist submissions during certain times of the year.

In the past, I've written to some of the agencies and invited them to post information in the Forum for the benefit of the artists. I'll write again and inform this of this question and see if we can get some answers directly from the source if you like.

Thanks, Cynthia for inviting the agency community to review the question! What a great idea.

Linda

Okay, it's done. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

No response?
 

Hi all,

Just another request to all to share their opinions on this question. I'm surprised that not much discussion has happened on this string, as I thought this would be a topic many would have comment on!

Please share your experiences if you can. Judging from the number of people who have looked at this topic, there looks to be a lot of interested readers.

Thanks again,
Linda

Gallery Response
 

Linda, I can

Thanks
 

Thanks for the input. It's reassuring to hear suggestions of what works for getting started. I am "working that angle" and I hope it reaches the right audience.

Thanks again!

There are lots of tips in the business and marketing sections of this site. Check there for a wealth of ideas.

I see your question has not been adequately answered to this point. I will try my best to at least provided you with a little additional information.

(I have been a member of most of the national portrait agencies, but am currently not represented by any of them.)

How to submit work:

Each of the portrait agencies has their own method of portfolio evaluation. Because of the burgeoning numbers of portrait artists submitting, they have been forced to standardize their methods. Some will do portfolio review once a year, some once a month. You can easily call any of the agencies and ask for a copy of their portfolio review requirements.

How to get the agencies interested in you:

As stated earlier, the agencies are not interested in a diamond in the rough. They want a polished stone in a pretty box. They want a consummate professional. Even if you are a consummate professional, if they already have 30 artists in your price range and are not adequately supplying those artists with work, they will not be interested in adding another. If however, they have had an artist who has "drifted" up into a higher price range, they might have an opening for a new artist. The agencies take on maybe 3 to 8 new artists a year. Ten years ago when I asked this question, Portraits South was receiving 350 portfolios a year. I can only imagine the staggering number they receive today.

Being in an agency is no guarantee you will get work:

If you are submitting to the agencies to fill your schedule with commissions, you could be very disappointed. Even after being accepted by the agencies, I might get one or two (or no) commissions in a year. This is not the way to go if you think the agencies will get you work that you cannot get on your own. You need to have a solid portfolio, a solid body of work, a solid professional persona, a solid personal cliental, in other words, a solid career before going to the agencies.

Getting Noticed:

Winning one of the top portrait awards might get the agencies to take a look at your portfolio, as will being published in one of the major magazines. This is one of the reasons to become a member of the various portrait societies like the Portrait Society of America, American Society of Portrait Artists, or the regional groups like Portrait Society of Atlanta or the various ASOPA sub groups like NYSOPA or Connecticut SOPA. There is much networking at the conventions held by these groups, and representatives from the various agencies might be in attendance.

Commissions:

Be aware that the agencies take a 40% commission (at least...) for work they generate, and that all secondary commissions are also at 40%. They also require the artist to supply them with promotional material. When I was with Portraits South I needed to provide them with 15 portfolios with 12 - 15 8x10 photographs in each portfolio (...do the math, that's 225 8x10 glossies I had to provide to Portraits South...), as well as to replace those photographs with new photos of new paintings, and provide a sample portrait which needed to be replaced approximately every year. Portrait Brokers charges a promotional fee to each of the artists it represents and provides the clients with color reproductions of artist's work, and also needs sample portraits every year.

Working with the agencies can have a very significant upside. I had a great relationship with Portrait Brokers. They were very kind to me, I loved the camaraderie of being with the other artists, and there was definitely a certain cachet to being a member of that group. But it is not the place to start in your career. It is not the place to go if you are having trouble getting commissions.

When I found I was fully booking out commissions from my own contacts, I resigned from agency representation. I like keeping my own books, being the first to contact the client, controlling my rate of completion and number of portraits, and I spend my advertising dollar to garner client interest rather than agent interest.

Peggy

Thank you so much, Peggy, for posting this! Your suggestions will go into my "marketing" file.

Peggy, thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences. For me it is especially helpful to have your comments, knowing your career & great skill, and as you are in the same "region".

Much appreciated....thanks again