How to get the in-come coming?

[Melanie Peter]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for the Junior League idea. I'm getting a sinking feeling and a reality check from yours and many other posts in the business/marketing section that children's portraits are the stock and staple of portraiture-as-income. Although I've done a thousand portraits of children (literally), I didn't recognize it as being the bulk of my market. What a whack in the side of the head! I'm not that fond of painting children. Maybe I've done one too many children's portraits.

This has been a problem my entire creative life: I keep changing!!! I'm trying to leave "cute" and "pretty" paintings behind and make portraits that show something else. I don't know what. But my recent portrait (attached) comes closer than ever. Once I only wanted to paint like Sargent and now I want to paint like Avigdor Arikha.

So I need to try to make a living without painting children, if that's even possible. Or if it is possible, I want to paint children without the cute-ness that is their most obvious trait. (Would anyone buy them?) Maybe this should move to a different discussion thread -maybe one on creativity issues... I continue to get my issues fused together. What to paint, how to paint, whether to paint figures or landscapes, how commercial to become? Unfortunately, I don't think I have a choice about the commercial part. Well, anyway, thanks to everyone for the marketing reality check! I appreciate so much your willingness to share ideas and your helpfulness.

Melanie Peter

To see Arikha go to http://www.marlboroughgallery.com/ar...a/artwork.html

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Melaine,

Your pastels are beautiful and thanks for posting them.

I just wanted to add a couple of ideas to Michele's excellent suggestions. It's possible that you are in a pricing dilemma, either underpriced (meaning that people think you must not be very good) or overpriced (meaning that you are in competition with more established artists). If you are priced high then you compete with oil painters. For some reason... and we all know how unfair this is... works on paper are seen as somehow "inferior" to oil painting. I don't know the answer to this problem.

You may be in an area of the country where people are not asking themselves whom to chose as an artist but instead asking why have a portrait painted at all. Selling the idea of portraiture is an additional task.

Websites are terrific for giving prospective clients an idea of what your style is all about and what your prices are like, but I think most of my commissions come about when people actually see my work hanging someplace. I don't think advertising is as important as this factor.

People are extremely literal when it comes to portraiture. If they see your painting of a child they'll wonder whether you can paint, say, a man. You need to have samples of just about everything, especially if you are aiming for corportate commissions.

I try to do at least one thing a day to advance my commissions, whether it's making a call, writing a letter, following up on a lead, etc. (I hate doing this.) This is in addtion to time spent doing paperwork and other business matters.

And lastly, I think that you are on the right track by not creating only portraits. I think painting other subjects and following your heart makes a person a better artist.

Let us know how it's going...!

[Michele Rushworth]

Linda, thank you for that "light-bulb" moment!

I think most of my commissions come about when people actually see my work hanging someplace. I don't think advertising is as important as this factor.

I looked over the last twenty commissions I've had and lo and behold, seventeen of them were from situations where people had actually seen my work somewhere. Hmmm.... perhaps I'll need to rethink my marketing plan for the rest of the year!

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Hi Melanie,

Originally Posted by Melanie Peter

This has been a problem my entire creative life: I keep changing!!!

Oh, don't look at changing as a problem! This is the wonderful thing about being creative, exploring new and interesting things, whether they be subjects, medium or technique.

What about focusing more on painting older children? They're usually not so 'cutesy'. Teenagers don't usually want that cuteness, at least mine doesn't!

I think it's interesting that most people, from my experience anyway, would have a portrait commissioned of their child before they would commission one of themselves. I think there are a lot of reasons for this, but those are the facts, around here at least. Parents are more willing to spend money on commissioning a heirloom portrait of their children, children that grow up so fast they want to capture a certain time in their life. I'm not saying people don't commission other kinds of portraits, it's just what I see a lot of. Being a parent, it's easier to spend money on my kids than it is on myself. (Hmm, I'm sure there's some kind of psychoanalytic puzzle there .)

Linda had a very good point, clients will hire you to paint what you're already painting and what they see in your portfolio.

Linda, I'm curious about the things you do to advance your commissions. What other things do you do? Gosh, I wish I had an idea about how to make that stuff more fun.

Joan

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Joan Breckwoldt

Linda, I'm curious about the things you do to advance your commissions. What other things do you do? Gosh, I wish I had an idea about how to make that stuff more fun.

When I have anything to do that isn't really much fun, I set a timer for, oh, 30 minutes (or whatever) and then I do the task until the timer rings. This is probably a sign of compulsive neurosis of some sort or another.

I have a shelf of black notebooks labelled with titles like "Potiential Clients" and "Marketing Ideas". I like things on looseleaf paper so I can rearrange my notes physically. Whenever people seem more than mildly interested in having a portrait painted I get their name and put it in my "Potential Clients" book. I follow up with either a letter, notice of price hike, or (rarely) a phone call. Following up is very important.

Similarily, when I get a brilliant marketing idea, I put it on a piece of paper and put it in my Marketing book.

I have all sorts of books to arrange my ideas. I'm sure many of you have mangaged to put all this on your computers but so far I haven't done this.

[Melanie Peter]

Linda, Michelle and Joan,
Thank you, thank you for your various perspectives. I have a tendency to think in black and white, and forget all the options in between. It's good to be reminded to look harder. Joan, it's a great thought that older children wouldn't want to look "cute." Linda, your notebook idea is great. One of my difficulties is that I don't know exactly how to get organized in a way that works for me. I have tried all sorts of methods, and found a few that work. I use ACT! for contacts but when they're out of sight they're out of mind. But the notebooks sound like my kind of order. Loose leaf paper that I can rearrange. Separate notebooks to function for different areas of the business. And yes, I need to figure out my pricing. I've been charging $400 for a pastel head/shoulders vignette in my previous town, and only had a few commissions. I don't have any commissions here, but then no-one in my area knows I exist yet.
_Melanie

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Linda,

I like your notebook idea. I tend to use spiral notebooks for everything, but I'm limited because I can't rearrange. The binder is a great idea because I could move things around, or mainly add. I did recently buy a 3 ring binder and I have it divided into sections, mostly they're regarding techniques, framing, etc. And so far the sections are almost 100% full of pages from this forum that I've printed out.

Melanie,

It sounds like you need to let people know you're there and a portrait artist! I've always had the idea (when I get good enough) to put up a portrait in the local little cafe frequented by moms, or in the local hair salon for kids. (It's walls are currently full of photographs and they're the same photographs that have been there for 10 years!)

There are a lot of posts about marketing ideas on this forum, I'm sure you've read them since you're searching for marketing ideas. Good luck! Let us know how your marketing strategies go.

Joan

[Stanka Kordic]

Hello Melanie,

Your work is stunning.

My suggestion (to add to all the great ones others have mentioned) is to perhaps steer away from the idea that children are cute. For me, I find them exceedingly more interesting than MOST adults because they are honest, they are wise, and much more authentic than adults give them credit for. I try to see them without the filter that parents like to color them with.

The flip side is that you won't appeal to MOST people this way. You will fit in a different kind of market that will present itself to you in time. Parents like to think of their children as adorable (and they are) instead of deep(which can come across as sad). But, I have found that sticking to my guns has brought me clients that believe in what I do, and do not second guess my vision. I'm so grateful for that!

What worked for me was the website, and charity auctions. Shows, awards did nothing and just stressed me out so now I avoid them at all costs.

Just my humble opinion. Best of luck

Regards,
Stanka

[Melanie Peter]

Hi Stanka
I visited your website the other day and thought WOW, this is about color, light and paint. You're right, children are very deep and you've got that in your paintings. I like your use of the term 'alternative,' and I'm glad to hear you have found clients because it gives me hope. Deep does come across as sad, and I can't count the times I've heard about how sad my portraits are. I can't tell you how many sittlers I've had that insist on smiling (usually forced) or parents who continue to urge their children to smile even though I hand out a essay on "why not a smile?" Nothing wrong with a smile, except that it's most often a posed or forced one, and rarely a 'deep' one from the heart.

I'm not sure about competitions. Probably most are a waste of time/money. The ones that get big publicity are good. I think potential clients lack confidence in their own judgement. They read my resume and feel safer that someone else thinks my work is good. I had a 5-page feature in Pastel Journal last year from winning their Pastel 100 competition. Showing them the magazine seems to help.

I talk as if I have gotten commissions with the resume and magazine. Nope, not yet. I'll be showing in two juried outdoor festivals next month. I'll let you know if the resume or magazine get me any commissions.
_Melanie

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Originally Posted by Melanie Peter

I think potential clients lack confidence in their own judgement.

Melanie,

With this statement, I think you have discovered what your problem may be. This is what I mean: Yes, I agree, most people lack the judgement, the 'artists's eye' or experience, or whatever you want to call it, to know when a portrait is very good. I think most people can tell what they like and all, but I think there is an element of uncertainty and as you put it so well, lack of confidence about choosing art. So, what do they use as a meausure of what is good and what is excellent? When they have no other way of measuring, they'll use price.

There is a pastel portrait artist here in Houston who starts her head and shoulders pastel portraits at . . . . hold on, I'll check her prices . . . . $3,200 for a 16"x20" pastel. That being said, even though I'm quoting you prices from a big metropolitan area, your prices just may be too low to attract the kind of clientele you're looking for. Your work is beautiful, BTW.

hope this helps,
Joan