Portrait Artist Forum - View Single Post - How to get the in-come coming?

Michele Rushworth · 09-13-2004, 10:13 AM

Your work is very accomplished and I think it's just a matter of choosing a few well-focused marketing activities.

As a first step I would spend time thoroughly reading all the threads in the business and marketing section of this forum. There is a wealth of information there.

Suggestions I found in that section truly launched my business as a portrait artist. In three years I went from never having had a single commission in oils to having a backlog that's usually about a year, at prices that make me happy, and with lots of portraits now in my portfolio that have made my clients happy.

What worked best for me was doing private school charity auctions. Check out the forum threads on that topic to see how I and others made it work.

The next thing I would do would be to have a website created for yourself, in lieu of any new flyers or brochures. A website will give you a much broader reach and gives clients the impression of a higher level of professionalism (if the site is well designed).

I don't know what size city Gainesville is or what the economy is like in your area. I would focus on whatever city is closest to you that is big enough and wealthy enough to have a few Mercedes Benz dealerships. The people who buy those cars (high income, stable, conservative) are also often the same ones who buy our product. You don't have to live in whatever city you want to market in.

Getting good work (which you already have) in front a large number of the people who have enough money to buy it -- that's the key.

Any advertising you do needs to be targeted to the top income groups, and it needs to be repeated often in order for it to work. A one time ad in the local newspaper won't work. A twelve time ad in the Junior League newsletter might.

I have not found that entering competitions or winning awards got the attention of any of my clients. Those competitions were mostly viewed by other artists and would be useful if you wanted to focus on getting students for your workshops, but not necessarily for attracting portrait clients.

Good luck!

09-13-2004, 10:13 AM	#2
Michele Rushworth CAFE & BUSINESS MODERATOR SOG Member FT Professional Joined: Jul 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 3,460	Your work is very accomplished and I think it's just a matter of choosing a few well-focused marketing activities. As a first step I would spend time thoroughly reading all the threads in the business and marketing section of this forum. There is a wealth of information there. Suggestions I found in that section truly launched my business as a portrait artist. In three years I went from never having had a single commission in oils to having a backlog that's usually about a year, at prices that make me happy, and with lots of portraits now in my portfolio that have made my clients happy. What worked best for me was doing private school charity auctions. Check out the forum threads on that topic to see how I and others made it work. The next thing I would do would be to have a website created for yourself, in lieu of any new flyers or brochures. A website will give you a much broader reach and gives clients the impression of a higher level of professionalism (if the site is well designed). I don't know what size city Gainesville is or what the economy is like in your area. I would focus on whatever city is closest to you that is big enough and wealthy enough to have a few Mercedes Benz dealerships. The people who buy those cars (high income, stable, conservative) are also often the same ones who buy our product. You don't have to live in whatever city you want to market in. Getting good work (which you already have) in front a large number of the people who have enough money to buy it -- that's the key. Any advertising you do needs to be targeted to the top income groups, and it needs to be repeated often in order for it to work. A one time ad in the local newspaper won't work. A twelve time ad in the Junior League newsletter might. I have not found that entering competitions or winning awards got the attention of any of my clients. Those competitions were mostly viewed by other artists and would be useful if you wanted to focus on getting students for your workshops, but not necessarily for attracting portrait clients. Good luck! __________________ Michele Rushworth www.michelerushworth.com [email protected]