How's Business?

Kent Curole · 02-11-2007, 11:43 PM

I'd like to know how has business (portraits) fared for everyone in the last few years up to this point. I live in a small town where it is extremely hard to get commissions even from very wealthy people. I like to hear a few comments from different parts of the country as well as artist in different points in their careers.

Thanks,

Kent

Julie Deane · 02-12-2007, 10:41 AM

I got a bumper crop of lower cost charcoals this year. It is mainly through being associated with one charity event.

Also several oil commissions. One came about through getting an article published in a local magazine. The others through charity auctions.

Debra Jones · 02-12-2007, 02:42 PM

Kent, don't let your location confuse your goals.

A couple of years ago, my landlord sold my rental from under me. The new owners were quite disreputable, and in spite of jolly, friendly, happy assurances they had many properties and would put me off for renovation, they evicted me on Jan 10. A month of business in the busiest month down the drain and no place to stay in a pinch, so I was a roommate for a few months. The woman who came to install my phone, a little girl who worked for the phone company, saw my pictures on the wall (finding places for the art was the BEST part of this situation... possibly the ONLY good part) and wanted a watercolor. Although she did small and inexpensive pieces, during the course of that year she got over a thousand dollars in work! If a blue collar single mother will spend that sort of money, never decide in advance WHERE you business is coming from!

I too, found it to be an amazing year. I was never so booked that I felt like I had "arrived" but as I am totaling my income for taxes, I have exceeded the average income of five years ago in my day job!!! Still hanging on to that day job.

I did an 8 subject family for Christmas kicking me into the four digit norm, but I do most of my work in the $300 - $700 range. One or two of the big ones, which require selling your multi person or full figure skills, help your confidence and I swear, when I started BELIEVING I was worth it, I had no trouble finding people who agreed.

Confidence and seeing your successes not your defeats will actually make a difference in your approach to finding and keeping clients.

I am still very heavy in the donation field but have skipped one or two of my charities to see if they miss me, that way I will create a stir by my absence! I have found that NOT giving up is important. However, making a decision to change direction will leave a void that has resulted in a flurry of attention and appreciation!

AND of course, never for a day, do I stop marketing myself.

I am still intimate, in that I have face to face, no travel projects. I do over half my work in pet portraiture, which the forum does not support, but it is a very reputable foot in the door for less furry subjects.

I also do Trophy portraits for hunters. I am more and more active in the AKC and UKC dog shows, and I find most of my clients do repeat business. A PACK of dogs would keep me busy for a year, or the human pups! It is all paint an canvas.

Julie Deane · 02-12-2007, 06:23 PM

Kent, I do think that your location will have a lot to do with how ready your clientele is for a portrait, but there are so many levels of portraiture, you could align what you do to what the local market will bear (or venture out of your local market). This forum has artists who do everything from sketches that take a few minutes to big-bucks oils.

Debra, do you work full time or part time? I get tired just hearing about all you are doing. When I get done with my fulltime job it is hard to get into gear for the evening art work.

Debra Jones · 02-12-2007, 06:34 PM

HA HA. I am doing less painting now that I am doing less day job. I am self employed as a manicurist who used to work a good 40+ hours a week and has rapidly dwindled to about 20 if I am lucky. There is the potential for a lot of quicker cash than many other part time careers.

The work I am finding hardest is the salesmanship, demonstrations, donations, visibility, publicity, teaching - anything to let them look for me. I am easy to find. Google me and put art with it and I think I come up like most of the page... but WHY! You have to know what a Debra Jones does to want to find her. Painting is easy.

Michele Rushworth · 02-12-2007, 07:35 PM

My revenue has grown steadily year by year. Most of my work is done for out of town clients nowadays.