Where to go? How to reach my potential clients?
 

Hello all.
I love this site and all its wonderful info, especially since it is all focused on portraiture. I have not posted much, but I sure do enjoy the wonderful paintings and all the advice others get.

I am a bit stuck on marketing. I could really do with some honest advice.

I mostly enjoy painting portraits/people. I do other stuff as well, but portraits are my 'thing'. I've had some commissions in the past year (the year I've been serious about my art). Now I want to expand, market, market, market.

But how? And Where? There are not many art fairs around here. Quite a few antique fairs, but after visiting some, I don't think I'd fit between the old clocks and silverware.

I am not sure if I'd should knock on gallery doors as I have yet to find a gallery around here that displays (and sells) portraits. But maybe one of them is open minded....new paths...?

I've got business cards, a website, a pocket sized and a large portfolio, greeting cards. I can print whatever I want. But I don't know who to send it to/give it to.

The only way I think might work is going to shops (children's shops) and ask if they want to put up some of my paintings. I can join local art groups (I am with one, which is filled with retired hobbiests...nothing against that...but might not be my market) and exhibit with them. Will do that certainly, but it takes time as they usually only have exhibits once a year.

I tell myself that the people who have gotten my cards are now pondering over a commission. After all, most people would not commission an artist every day of the week. They need to think about it. Maybe I am just impatient (would not surprise me...;))

Who's got more ideas on how I can reach my market. I wonder where people go who are thinking about commissioning a portrait. I don't think they go to galleries. Where do they find their artists? That's where I want to be. On a hopeful note: in my research of the local art scene and all, I have not found (m)any portrait artists and hence I hope there is a market for me out there.

Any tips on how to market myself....I would deeply appreciate them!!

I work in pastels. Plans to start using oils are growing....;)

Thank you very much. Sorry for the long post....

Hi Sophie,

There are tons of tips in other threads in the Business section of this site. Search around a bit.

There are also lots of good art marketing books available to order through the book section of SOG as well. Good luck!

Thanks Michele. I have read loads on this site, indeed. Lots of good info, but also lots of art fairs advice.
Thanks for your reply!

Also, be sure to check out Calvin Goodman's "Art Marketing Handbook."

Thanks, I'll go look for it!

Dag Sophie,

Living in your native land, I

Sophie, when I was starting out I left cards in a frame shop, after showing the owner my portfolio. He was impressed and recommended me to a woman who wanted a large posthumous portrait of her husband. Another useful tactic is to donate all or part of the cost of a commissioned portrait to a fundraiser at an upscale school. Parents who can afford such places can also afford portraits, and this provides excellent exposure. That didn't work for me but I know it's been a good marketing strategy for some.

You can also leave cards and brochures at upscale children's clothing stores, and put ads in papers with a circulation in the right neighborhoods or areas.

I have also gotten two commissions from my website but it's probably more realistic to view a site more as an online portfolio than as a way to entice people who are unfamiliar with you or your work. It definitely helps to be able to refer people to a professional-looking website when they're contemplating a commission. They enjoy showing the site to family members and that helps them commit.

Hi! Scott - ;) how's your Dutch? Nice to hear from across the Channel. I've never heard of anybody working with an agent, so am surprised to hear they do exist in Holland. The restaurant idea might be good, although I rarely look at the art in restaurants......but you never know.
And indeed.....a fine dinner should take hours and hours.....there's no better night out.;)

Leslie, thank you so much. Yes, I think I should make cards (with one picture of my work, or more?) and leave them at shops or so. I have been too shy to do so, up till now! I once had a deal with a frameshop who would put cards (and paintings) up for me in his frameshop. But his framing was so bad, and his service appaling, so I let him go. Shame, as it might have been a good deal!

Thanks for all your advice! I'll take it to heart.

Sophie, I make my own cards and can change the picture on them as I choose. I select a painting which will give me a good detail of the most important part, so that even though the image is quite small it shows my work and style. Some paintings are more complex and lend themselves less to this than others. For maximum impact on a small card, one painting, or a detail from one, is enough. I also have brochures - one has a mixture of adult and child portraits and another has only children, so I can target my audience - and I leave one up by my cards. The idea is that the brochure is for looking at, the cards are to take. I used to give a lot of the brochures away too but found that I got no return so have become more stingy with them since they're expensive.

Thanks Leslie.
I am going to force myself to go out next week and drop off some cards at shops and such.....scary...but gotta do it!:D

Thanks all!

Idea
 

Hi Sophie,

I just read through all the posts on this thread and I thought I would throw in my idea. I am working on my first commission of a beautiful little girl, I want to tell you how I got it.

I was at my son's cub scout meeting and I saw the cutest 3 year old girl. I walked up to her mother and told her I was starting out in portraiture and I would love to paint her daughter. She was flattered and loved the idea, I went to her home a couple of weeks later, took some photos and now I'm just about done with the photo. I told her that if she didn't like the painting she was under no obligation to buy it. In fact, it was HER idea to buy the painting. I told her I was just trying to build a portfolio.

Once the painting is hanging in her home I'm sure I'll get other commissions from the people that see this one. Plus, she and her husband have a son . . . .

The church I belong to will show artists' work. Not all the artists that are featured even live in town so I'm sure not everyone that exhibits at our church are members. With the holidays approaching you might look into having a 'booth' at a Christmas or Holiday market of some sort, if your town has one. You could have some of your portraits displayed and brochures or cards to hand out.

Also, many schools and churches hold silent auctions and you could donate your services, or a portion of your services. It would be a way for a lot of people to see your work. These are all in my plans but with two kids I don't get that much time to paint.

The place that I take my kids to get their hair cut has had the SAME photographs (of children) up for YEARS! If I had some samples of my work I feel sure they would display it, and I would offer them a small percentage of any commissions I would get. There is also a lovely cafe in my neighborhood that is cafe/gift shop and the walls are usually covered with oil paintings for sale. A couple of portraits hanging in a place that is frequented by moms with disposable income can't miss. The portrait I'm working on now will be a Christmas gift for dad.

Since you mentioned you had read some of the other posts about this subject, you have probably read about the 'unveiling parties'. Seems to me that word of mouth is the best advertisement. After my current portrait is finished, I'll paint a couple more portraits and then have some kind of 'showing' - at church or I'm sure I could talk a friend into hosting a showing of my portraits at her house.

Good luck and I hope these ideas are helpful,

Joan

Hi Joan,
So sorry for not responding sooner - been away for a while.

Thank you so much for your wonderful indeas! I will keep them all in mind.

I have since hung some cards on memoboards and such (but far from enough, still find it terribly scary to go out and ask) and had one phone call (!) from somebody who wanted to know how much a portrait would be. Unfortunately it was 'a bit more than she expected' so I don't expect to hear back from her.

I very much need to go out 'there' more often and scatter my cards around. I have donated a portrait commission to charity months and months ago and the winner of the auction has only now contacted me. I'll be starting that portrait soon. Hope it will lead to more...

Thanks for all the wonderful advice - I am sure I'll keep them all in mind and try to reread often.

Sophie, I too became tired of hearing, either explicitly or in their voices, that my prices were too high for those inquiring about my services, so I added my bottom line price to my brochure. It saves everyone's time, and prospective clients' composure, if they know up front what range of commission fee we're talking about. Good luck with your commission! I've had two people bid on commissions at auctions and have heard from neither; apparently this isn't unusual.

Leslie, thanks so much for your reply. Yes, I thought that as well, better put my minimum price on my cards next time....
Just had the first meeting with the auction winners. I was not expecting them to take me up on it anymore, as so much time has passed since the auction, but I am happy to do it, as it will be good PR to have a portrait hanging on their wall. We're now in the stage of picking out photos, or maybe making them. This is the tough part. ;)

Thanks for the tips.

Scary prices!
 

Hi Sophie,

I have a suggestion that you might find helpful when talking about prices. I think that if you have someone who calls you then that is great! Direct marketers hope for only 1-2% return on mailers. My suggestion would be to try and NOT tell them the price over the phone, to try and meet with them and show them the quality of your work. I live in Houston and people pay over $1000 for a photograph at some of the photography shops in town. There is so much more involved with painting a portrait, this may need to be explained to the potential client. If nothing else, you've shown them your work and made personal contact and maybe at a later date they'll come around to thinking a portrait is 'worth the money'. Or maybe after they shop around, they would come back to you after they realize the going rate for portraiture.

I do understand it's difficult when someone is on the phone and they ask you outright what your prices are. I suppose the right answer would be to hedge, but I doubt I could do that. Maybe you could give them a wide range of prices over the phone if they insist. I think the goal of the phone conversation should be to set up a meeting where you show them your portfolio.

I hope this helps, I used to do free-lance graphic design work and I think the same principles apply. When I got a call from the yellow pages, my goal was to set up a meeting and get to their office and show my portfolio. I also never told anybody "I don't know" when they asked me some technical question about printing, etc. I would always tell them I needed to check and then I would get back to them. I always had to guide the client and practically TELL them what they wanted, I found most of my clients knew almost nothing about having brochures printed and letterheads and logos designed. 90% of it for me was acting like I knew what I was doing.

Good luck. Keep posting, I enjoy hearing how you are doing. What do you mean by "making pictures" with this latest commission you have from the auction winner. I've thought about donating a portrait to an auction (or part of one???). I would like to hear how it goes.

Joan

I am impressed with all the warm and supportive posts here. Thanks again Joan. You gave an excellent idea about NOT telling prices but trying to get a meeting. I totally understand what you mean. After all, the woman who called has seen my card on a memoboard with a (detail of) ONE painting on it. She might or might not have looked at my website. Seeing originals is always a different experiences compared to seeing things on the web. I so wish she'll call back....;)

Thanks for your encouragement on the auction commission. with 'making photos' I meant 'taking photos' I suppose (my English....forgive me it is not my mother tongue).

I donated (to a children's charity in the UK) a portrait commission in september and only heard from the auction winners last week. The couple want their two children painted ( I donated a single portrait, so they've upgraded and will pay me the difference). No time for sittings, so photos will have to do. They had a few photos for me to look at, but I told them they were not sharp enough. They said they will take some more when they have the kids together (one is in boarding school so hard to get hold of). I offered to take the photos myself (I would prefer that) and they'd keep it in mind. I am now going to wait for whatever they come up with and see if I can work from that. I realised during my visit (not much experience here ;)) that they (as your former clients) knew nothing about the whole thing and I could have been much more confident and insistent on what I want and need.

I'll post my work as soon as I have something!
Thanks again for your kind encouragement.

When a prospective client contacts me, I encourage them to look at my website first. It has several samples, an outline of my procedure, and my price list on it. If I didn't have a website I would tell them my pricing on the phone.

If they are still interested, then I go see them with my portfolio book and I bring one or two original paintings. I think people who are unfamiliar with painted portraiture are often surprised at the prices and I don't really have time to go see people in person for whom it's a financial impossibility.

I've also never seen any photos a client took themselves that would be adequate as reference for a portrait painting.

Your time is your most valuable resource. I'd recommend you screen all prospective clients by letting them know your prices up front, and paint only from the very best reference that you shoot yourself.

I had the good fortune recently to sit in on a marketing discussion with Peggy Baumgaertner.

It was her practice, when responding to initial contacts (whether on the phone or in person), to find as quickly as possible a point at which you could speak the phrase - my prices start at $$$. After speaking this phrase you should remain silent, listen and observe how the recipient deals with this information. More often than not they will give you, whether verbal or through their body language, an indication as to whether you should continue the discussion or get on with your grocery shopping.

Now, she would say, lets all say it together - my prices start at $$$ .....

Great info here Michele and Mike. thanks!!
Michele, I know....photos taken by the clients are probably not so good. I have still much to learn as my commissions so far have been long-distance and hence, with photos from the clients. Here is an opportunity for me to photograph and compose myself, but I don't want to insist. I suggested it to the client and will wait their response. One day...I am successfull enough to turn down bad photos....till then I'll have to be creative with the reference photos I get.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

Mike....indeed,...my prices start at $$$...suppose it is the best and most honest way. I like Joan's suggestion though. Making sure they see what that 'high' price is for...

The only way you'll get "successful enough" will be to create your very best work every time, and that will be with your own, top quality reference photos.

Weak reference can only produce weak paintings, even in the hands of the best artist. Getting the best reference is by far the most important step in being able to create your best work, and hence build your career. I can't state this strongly enough: don't waste a single day working on a painting from reference that is anything but terrific.

You can easily learn how to take great reference photos by studying the photography threads on this site, or get a couple of photography books from the library. It's not that hard to learn, nor do you need special equipment, but doing it right will make all the difference.

Of course I know you're right....just need to tell the clients....:D

:thumbsup:

Hi Soap!
 

As you know we are kicking a lot of the same roadblocks.

A very odd sort of phenomenon is happening lately. I have been doing those puppy portraits, a lot from friends I already had, but they were taking my brochures and sneaking them into vets offices where other artists had material. One of them put it in the holder of the only visible competition. She makes a glossy post card with a single sample picture and her name and Pet Portraits on the card. On the back is a description of her work, that she can take photos or work from yours and a phone number and address block. Last week this woman called ME. I think she is feeling me out to perhaps buy (that is the cynical side of me) her business or just pass on her pastels and oils. She said she is going to move out of state and apparently is not the most computer literate in the world so she believes her client base will be left behind. I have shut my mouth and listened.

I will be meeting her next week at my earliest opportunity and what I have already garnered from her is pretty valuable.

Aside from the previous good advice of making the statement about your price, she has made it clear that you DO have to wait for them to ask! If they don't consider it an issue, neither should you. She assumes they are buying something they want and she will provide it. Because I do not ever buy without making sure I have the best possible price does not mean that EVERYONE works that way. I do know these people who see things and buy them (not really my art so far but -) in the mall or online. I have had a friend who recently started a store on Amazon remark how surprised she was that someone will buy a $5 item and ship it for $30! I am not one of them, but I want to cater to them. I have to assume they know what they want.

This brings me to the thought that I got drummed into me lately. Unless I wanted my portrait clientele to be Indians on the reservation, I should maybe not paint many Indians. If I want to sell to wealthy successful people, I should begin working on wealthy successful people.

I have donated 4 or 5 portraits to schools and churches and not received ONE commission. All they have to do is call me but nobody does. They just send the cash to the charity. However the last friend who asked, said I was not putting a brochure or book out, I was going to SIT there at the event and show them what I did. I did a picture right through the auction. I actually had a bidding war going. The winner upgraded to the only double portrait I have done so far and I made a 200% profit over the price of the donation.

Something becoming very clear to me is to aim high.

I am also realizing that you are doing much more homework than I am. I have my little sample brochure which I thought would cover me, but I am now beginning to actually organize print-outs on glossy paper in a larger format as a real presentation book. I have had little luck meeting face to face, but it make much more sense to have it ready at all times, just in case.

I think the single stunning piece approach is also a real winner. I recently did an 18 year old girl with a simple white top. Although it is not a real wedding dress, I think it is a nice sample for bride shops. I have a few cowboys. What the heck, I think I will take a card or two to the local boot and saddle places for the horsie set and maybe even the horse show double up with a person and a horse. As Linda said, it is not really difficult to set up a print out and make many different single pieces specific to the general client type.

My point here to myself, is to start thinking that I have the value. I recently saw a really bad artist who was doing crayon drawings of local buildings, smile at my always-friendly mom and when she said "hi", opened his portfolio right there and made a presentation. It was beguilingly direct and he was not offended that she said no. They had a pleasant chat while I talked to the gallery owner. BUT this man is making a sale now and then.

Did I help or just ramble? It is a pep talk for me as much as for you.
dj*

One of the best pieces of portrait marketing advice I ever got was written by our own Cynthia Daniel right here on the forum, a couple of years ago. She wrote that if you want to sell to wealthy people the subjects in your samples need to look wealthy.

That means having attractive people dressed in classic (not necessarily formal) clothes, posed in a setting that connotes wealth or at least classic taste. This could be as informal as a boy in a white polo shirt and khaki shorts posed in a nearby garden. On the other end of the scale it could be a beautiful woman in a formal gown sitting in a fancy chair holding roses.

Check out the kind of portraits displayed on the websites of the well established (and high priced) artists who show their portfolios on SOG. Look at what the people depicted are wearing and what the background is.

Debra, your work is wonderful and I know I couldn't create portraits as lush and rich as many of the things you have shown in the "open studio" threads. I think it's just a matter of marketing at this point, and yes, painting the right kind of samples.

Calvin Goodman's "Art Marketing Handbook."
 

Hello Tom,

I am reading the business section's posts these days, and I wanted to check out that book you cited. But I cannot find comments about it on Amazon or other sites.

As I usually appreciate your comments on this section, I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about that handbook ? In very few words, what is the content of that book, and why do you think it is worth buying.

Thank you very much in advance for your reply!

Karine

Karine--

It's available directly from Calvin Goodman at 11901 Sunset Blvd./ 102, Los Angeles, CA 90049. The TEL is 213-476-2622, FAX 213-472-8785.

It's usually sold at the PSOA conferences too, so they might be able to tell you where it's available.

Michele, do you know how Mr. Goodman distributes this other than directly?

It is very comprehensive, describing not only how to market portraits, but also how to do business with galleries, etc.

Best--T

Commission donation
 

I'm glad to see this thread come up again. Though I do a lot of searching and reading of old posts, this one has a lot of valuable info in it and I was glad to reread it.

Sophie, it's been almost 4 years since this thread and I would love to hear how your marketing has been going?

I'm donating my first portrait to our church silent auction on Sunday. It's posted on my website if anyone cares to see it. I'll report back how the auction goes.

I had 500 postcards printed up with my 'sample' image on it and I mailed out about 400. I'll have the remaining 100 postcards sitting next to the bid sheet for people to take home with them. Though I doubt 100 will be taken, it'll be interesting to see how many do get picked up. It's a big church.

My website is on the postcards so people can look at my prices, procedure, and other samples of my work. My goal is to send a postcard to my mailing list every 3 months. Advertising needs to be repeated to be effective.

Joan

Go for it!
 

[QUOTE=Leslie Ficcaglia]Sophie, I too became tired of hearing, either explicitly or in their voices, that my prices were too high for those inquiring about my services, so I added my bottom line price to my brochure. It saves everyone's time, and prospective clients' composure, if they know up front what range of commission fee we're talking about.

Sophie, Leslie is right. Listing your prices saves your time and theirs. I am in the process of creating a mail-out that lists 2007 prices next to 2008 prices. Clients can see that they have to sign a contract before Jan. 1 to take advantage of the old price scale. After posting my bottom line prices on my website, all I have to do is refer an interested client to the site. End of discussion. Most artists on this site do the same. Another benefit is that you won't feel the obligation to award anyone a "special deal." The information is there in plain sight. It also gets people to look at your paintings again and lends professionalism to your business.

You can do it. Go for it.

I know of someone who got a used version of Calvin Goodman's book through Amazon, though it was a 1985 edition so a lot of info is out of date. I don't know if it's available except directly from Calvin.

Carol's right...publishing a price list, or at least an entry level price, keeps you from wavering when someone tries to negotiate a reduction. Some folks just always do. They're not mean, they're just made that way.

Remember too, that when you raise prices--which you should do at some kind of regular interval as your skill accrues--you will always leave a segment of the market behind. You can't be all things to all people, pricewise. You're running a business.

A plumber doesn't come to your house and ask you what you'll pay to fix your pipes.

Thank you Tom for the quick reply!

I am glad everybody starts to talk again in this thread. Looking forward to hearing fresh and new information about Sophie and you all.

Thanks again,

Karine

When do you raise those prices???
 

The best idea is to raise them when you are JUST about busy enough for a rest.
In all things, it is a supply and demand situation. The best way to tell if your skill is increasing is to see how much the public is demanding you.
If you can keep up with your orders and you like the pace and income, you are just right. If you are a bit too busy, raise the pricing. One or two potential clients will not consider you but the rest will replace the income and when you get back to the same rate of production, your income will go way up.
It is not the BEST idea to arbitrarily keep raising prices without the equivalent demand.
It used to be hard for me to avoid the urge to keep discounting, but the client who sees what they want appreciates the simple and direct answer. I am much more comfortable with explaining my pricing is increased with added content... AND sticking with it!!

Discounts
 

It is so hard for me not to offer to paint portraits at a discount for friends and acquaintances. My main purpose of painting people is because I enjoy painting people, and I am still building my portfolio. Yes, I do like being compensated for my work (otherwise I would be painting for free), but it's more important for me to paint portraits that people enjoy and get those portraits in people's homes so I will get more commissions.

Rereading my post makes me sound like the worst business person ever. Why not just lower my prices if I think they're too high? Well, I would probably want to discount that! I must somehow think it's the 'friendly' thing to do.

I think this gets back to the main problem of being an artist who has a hard time valuing my own work. Hmmmph. I can certainly see how it would be better to have ONE price list and stick to it, I can see how it would be too complicated to offer this person or that person a discount, but maybe NOT that person a discount. This doesn't sound professional at all. (Michele, I have learned so much from your professionalism, you're probably cringing right about now.)

So, are there any reasons to offer a discount to a first time customer?

Joan

I appreciate all of these comments...

I do see a problem with the notion of charging a basement-level price with the expectation that it will "get one's foot in the door." A lot of artists start this way, and it's a trap. Unless you live in a very large town, word gets around that you work cheap, and that you're susceptible to discounting for no reason if asked. Thus, people realize your price isn't really your price.

I've been at this long enough to know that--except for the advertising I think I have to do because I'm afraid not to--a very large percentage of my commissions will be word-of-mouth referral or repeat business. If you've given the work away at the beginning, you will fight for the rest of your career to overcome the stigma of a chronically too-low price because believe me, word gets around. And it's hard to change people's perceptions of you later.

Better I think to assess, as objectively as possible, where on the portrait curve you fit by looking at the prices of comparable artists (you can start here at SOG), and averaging those and starting there. If you're going to be painting people anyway, why not get decent money for it from the beginning? Better to charge as much as you can and still look at yourself in the mirror than to hamstring yourself by starting out too low. One side effect is that you will work very hard (and get better faster) if you are trying to be worth what you're charging. I scared myself this way when I launched the business and it actually was a very good motivator.

Factor in the "perceived value" aspect, where folks assume if something costs more it must be better whether or not it actually is, and you begin to see how complex it gets.

In regard to discounts, a good rule of thumb is to never, or at least rarely, give an "unearned discount." For example, offer a discount if someone will give you an unveiling party at their house and invite thirty of their wealthy friends. But don't discount unless you get something back for it.

Artists can be their own worst enemies when putting a value on their work. It's difficult to be hard-nosed about this--it's a learned skill--but your creditors will appreciate it.

(I think Debra's advice about raising prices is right on the money. I'd just add that occasionally you need to check for inflation. Several years ago I hadn't raised prices in a while, and I suddenly realized that comparable artists had left me behind because I'd been distracted by other things, like trying to be a better painter.)

No more discounts
 

Hi Tom
am so glad that you posted your wisdom on this thread. I have reread your words three times now and they make a lot of sense. The problem gets down to really putting a fair price on my work.

It is just hard for me to utter large sums, or even have them posted on my website, for some reason. I do feel my work is valuable, but on the other hand I am "just starting out" - though I'm really not sure how much that matters.

I am also afraid I'll price myself out of any potential business if my prices are too high. Though, as you so eloquently pointed out in your post, low prices can be a career-long trap.

And I think your comment on "perceived value" has a lot of merit in our society today. If something is priced too low, how can it be any good?

I am guessing many portrait artists have this dilema, thank you for your wise words. And I am now convinced that I should not be offering any discounts. (That was quick!)

Joan

Well, I appreciate it.

I don't mean to sound as if I have all the answers...it's just that I've made all the mistakes and would like to see others avoid them if possible.

I had a breakthrough "flash" this past weekend myself: Any time I talk myself out of a job or out of asking for enough compensation, through my own insecurity, there always will be a less talented artist that would do it half as well for twice as much, and not feel guilty about it a bit. So that client is better off with me.

Best as always--T

long time no write
 

Hi
Gosh, this is an old thread. I had not noticed it was brought back to life as I changed my email address and only check the old one once in a blue moon. But I updated my details on this site so I should now get notice of new posts. Sorry, I have just not been around.

Its interesting to read this thread again. It reminds me of my 'situation' 4 years ago and its interesting to re-read all the great advice here. A lot of it I can use all over again I am afraid.

4 Years ago I did loads of marketing, with your help and suggestions. I printed off cards, flyers, did the charity auction portrait I referred to earlier (clients loved the painting!) etc etc. Spent a fortune on a good printer and all the printing supplies. It paid back very little. No follow up commissions on any of my sales.

In the past 3 years I had my two children so my painting had to take a step back. Funnily I did manage to do a whole load of graphite portraits via a baby-forum on the internet. Got some follow up commissions from that as well. Good stuff. I did not market myself big time so it all went quiet again.

This summer I took up my pastels and brushes again and started painting like mad. Had planned to build a body of work that was good enough to take to galleries. Am still trying to do that. But in the mean time a few of these works sold (to the parents of the child in the painting, who were so kind to let me paint their kid) (one sold in an open exhibition) so my 'body of work' is still not big enough to go knock on galleries doors.

I found in the past that printing my own reproductions (giclees), greeting cards etc just does not work out. It costs loads and loads of time and hassle - time better spent painting.

I've just finished two commissions and sold a few paintings so feel like I am on a roll again. I plan to order some postcards from a printing company and use those to hand out and leave at shops, toddler groups and schools. With two small children I just don't have the time to design and print it myself. I try to grab every spare minute to paint!

So, marketing remains a BIG challenge.
I still aim to create some paintings that might be attractive to galleries (not many galleries sell children in art) and that keeps me going and helps me to develop my work. I hand out cards whenever I find a new toddler group to go with my own children but am aware that I don't want to come across as pushy.

So, this is where I am at now.
Thanks again for all the great advice. Its worth reading and re-reading and adjusting my methods now and then.

I better get some more cards and start marketing again...... :D

Sophie
www.sophieploeg.com