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well, holiday sales have already started! i wouldn't say i really prepared except for stocking up on shipping and printing supplies! as for the economy, i quit my day job during the recession and have only seen my business grow through this year. i think during tough times people still want that perfect piece of art hanging on their wall, so I'm very lucky to have those people as my customers.
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cats i suppose. i have 2 and they are low maintenance. but i do love dogs and want to have one someday.
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Yes! Check out my Etsy site for info on custom portraits. http://nanlawson.etsy.com
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Wow, first of all I can't believe I've gotten to the point in my career where I am offering advice to aspiring artists.
Just a little over a year ago I was laid off from a job (which I didn't enjoy much anyway) and basically I opened an Etsy shop for fun. I honestly didn't aspire to make much money for it. I thought it was a great way to just get me drawing again. I've been drawing my entire life, but when I went to college I became focused on photography and filmmaking.
Right off the bat I began having steady weekly sales. Eventually it became 3 sales a week, then multiple sales a day. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that I really focused on defining my personal style. It's a simple style, but it's a style I responded to and knew that others would too. Meanwhile I started another day job because even though I made a little money off of Etsy it was not enough to pay the bills.
Haha right so advice, I would say first define your style and what kind of artist you want to be. And just keep creating and producing new works. Let people know when you have something new to show them, whether it's via facebook, twitter, or a blog. I believe having an online presence helped get to to where I am today.
Having said that there is always a little luck involved. I got to quit my day job because a blogger stumbled upon my custom portrait work and feature it on their hugely popular blog. I got so many commissions from that - that I could not stay at my job and keep up with all of the requests (which I still continue to get). I was certainly looking to quit my job as soon as I could, and this just helped give the confidence that I could make enough money to survive off of just commissioned work alone.
Now I am so excited to have the time to not only take care of all of my customers, but produce some new work and to experiment with different techniques.
Phew... sorry for the long response! I hope that helped? -
I always draw from photographs. Gosh it would be too much pressure to have someone actually pose for me! No what's fun about my style is that I just need a few simple details to get the idea of what someone looks like. You'd be surprised how much someones haircut and favorite accessory or piece of clothing defines what they look like.
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I have gotten so many lately because of recent blog coverage, I do really feel bad that it has taken me so long to get to all of them. But now that I do not have a day job anymore I should be able to get through the waiting list much quicker. Thanks for your support!
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I have been drawing my entire life. I went to art school but I majored in film so most of the drawing I did was storyboarding. I also took a couple of drawing classes as electives while at university.
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you mean like a "the art of nan lawson" book? maybe some day when i have enough work to justify a book, but i think it may be a tad early for that. people have suggested i look in to writing and illustrating a children's book, and i definitely would love to work on a project like that someday. i just need a great story to tell.
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i love it! i missed having short hair so much. it gives me a whole new look and attitude. my boyfriend told me i looked like bob dylan - and yes i took that as a compliment -but i hope it is maybe more of a cate blanchett as bob dylan.
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nan lawson’s Bio
illustrator, photographer
