Ideas, suggestions or advice on starting a pet portrait business

[mysaygrace]

I have begun painting people’s pets and over the holidays I have been swamped, which is a good kind of busy!! I’m worried about keeping the work coming in after the new year. I’m hoping once the pet portrait gifts are given they’ll be shown to others and hopefully work will be generated from word of mouth. I’m putting business cards & postcards at vets offices, kennels, groomers, grain stores, grocery stores, tack shops, barns and pet stores. I’ve advertised on Craigslist and I’m looking into Etsy. I was wondering if I’m missing any place else that I could try?

This new journey has been very exciting yet scary, I lost my job and I’m hoping to be able to find a job where I can work part time and still paint part time, that would give me some income security yet allow me to still pursue my passion - painting! Painting people’s pets has been an unexpected blessing, I have met some very nice people through my art and it’s so much more rewarding than the job I had, not to mention very therapeutic. Sorry, I rambled on, just excited right now. If anyone else has any other ideas, suggestions or advice I would greatly appreciate hearing them.
Thank you for your time & help, Lisa

[BetterOffRed]

I can think of two ways:
Facebook
There is a local artist here in N.Texas that does some of the most amazing pet portraits. Dogs, cats, horses. She’s a horse person too- has horses, has kids that were into horses.

She is on Facebook and I think that is her primary website business. She’s gotten quite a niche business doing custom portraits on ornaments. She also does full size potraits as well as memorial stones.

She keeps her facebook page up with progress photos, finished work, albums of all of her ornaments and portraits.

Local Tack shops and Pet Boutiques
Provide some of your portraits at local tack shops and pet boutiques. People want to see samples of your work, before they commit to a commission.

Good luck with your new venture!

[mysaygrace]

Thank you BetterOffRed for the ideas!! Yes, I believe I know the artist you’re talking about on FB, Julie Lawther I think is her name, her work is absolutely breathtaking!! I love her work. I do post my stuff on FB after I’m done with it and have gotten some work that way, someone suggested a FB page just for my art like a business page, I need to check that out. I didn’t think of having actual samples of my work in places for people to really see, that’s a very good idea. I like hearing others feedback, it truly helps give me better insight what people want & are looking for, thank you!!!

[BetterOffRed]

I had another thought- you may want to consider a ‘groupon’ or ‘living social’ offer. I am not sure how the pricing works, but that may be another option for you.

[To_the_MAX]

If you look at my thread above, I posted a picture of the portrait I got for my sister. You may have PM’ed me actually, when I put the thread on Off Topic Day. But, I finally found the artist I was looking for who had done our two deceased goldens. Anyway, she got our painting done fast and managed to somehow capture my sister’s dog’s personality without ever meeting him. Priceless. Also, she was great about keeping in contact and got the painting done fast. Very professional. She also has an easy to navigate website. That always helps!