Help With Sketching Business

[entreator]

Can anyone help me too. I am student of engg. but i do very good sketching. i make live sketches for my friends which are look-a-like . i was thinking about making use of it online.I can make sketches for people even by seeing there photographs. Can someone help with giving me some details about where i can find work related to this.

[Fergal]

Have you tried to make money from this, in your local area?

I've seen lots of street traders doing very well by providing this type of service, especially in areas that get lots of tourist visitors.

[Kay]

Good idea, Fergal! That's true, I'd have paid for one myself once on a trip to Greece but the queue was so long of people waiting for them I passed instead.

Entreator, I'd suggest you search under the words "pencil portrait" and add 'buy" or "gift". Look for companies that offer that or individuals asking where to find an artist. Since you can do it from photos, you could work anywhere in the world - all they'd need do is send the picture to you.

I knew I'd seen that offered before in personalized gift stores online so did a wee bit of detective work for you. You might want to look at this particular page. The company's stopped taking on more work because the artist they use is very busy right now. It'll give you an idea of what they look for when you see the samples.

Pencil Portrait from Photo (http://www.giftsprings.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=pencil-portrait-photo)

I have a suggestion too. Why not get in touch with them and offer to send a sample of what you can do? I'd get a random picture and send the photo plus the portrait version, like the example they have on the page. Or ask them to send you one you can draw so they know you're really drawing it and not someone else.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I think it's a good time with Christmas coming up to at least enquire if they'd be interested in you doing some of their commissions for them.

Be sure and scroll right down so you see all the sample's prices, by the way. They charge $260, yes two hundred and sixty US dollars, for one that's 16x20.

Good luck with it all whatever you choose to do. :)


P.S. I don't mean to sound pushy, sorry if it comes across like that! I was just excited when I saw they had too much work on their plate as it is. You'll need to research what kind of pay rates are to be expected for that kind of work of course and check out the company itself too best you can.

[Nazreen]

You might want to try and ask your local authorities first if you're planning on setting up shop in the streets. It might not be advisable to go and start sketching and in the end, end up being arrested by the police. Might be good to get a business license first.

By the way, do you charge any of your friends that you made a sketch on? If you do, then you can also ask them if they have any other friends or relatives that wants a self portrait so they can give your card or recommend you.

[Fergal]

Entreator, you've got some excellent advice from Kay and Nazreen. Please post back to update us and let us know how you are getting on, so that we can give you more suggestions.

Nazreen, you're absolutely right about the permits, I should have mentioned that in my post, thanks.

[entreator]

I am very thankful to kay and nazreen for there valuable advice.i am just going through the site that kay had suggested.Would tell you the details after i get some reply.
nazreen , I don't take money from my friends i give there portraits to them as gifts and as i told you that i am doing graduation and my college is on a hill station,but still i wouldn't want to sell my art on streets as i was not in need of money.I just wanted to earn it as pocket money.But seriously i am astonished to see how much money they are taking for these sketches.i make sketches like these for free.
would seriously like to thank kay for showing me this site.

[Fergal]

Just a word of caution, when you have a business or you are providing a service, it sometimes helps to charge your friends. Although, it is good to give them a big discount, that you wouldn't give to others.

If you don't charge your friends, they may not come back to you for repeat business. Many people have been astonished to find that friends (whom they have given free products / services to) going to their competitors. The reason for this, is that people often feel guilty about accepting a service for free and would prefer to pay someone other than their friends for it.

Saying all that, I do appreciate that your circumstances are different and you are just starting out, which is great.

[pendelton]

You can also have them give you referrals in lieu of payment, the word of mouth advertising is great, and it allows them to feel they are working off the payment to you without funds exchanging hands.

Coming up on the holiday season you can get a quick site up and tell the people to send you their pics. You can do the pics and change the backgrounds to fit for the holiday season.

[entreator]

If you don't charge your friends, they may not come back to you for repeat business. Many people have been astonished to find that friends (whom they have given free products / services to) going to their competitors. The reason for this, is that people often feel guilty about accepting a service for free and would prefer to pay someone other than their friends for it.

What fergal said is right,it does happens.I dont regret giving those sketches for free,as i give them as gifts and cant charge for a gift.
I have started feeling what you said is very true and i need to charge for the sketches from now on.

[Fergal]

To echo Pendelton's excellent suggestion, you might consider asking your friends if they liked their sketches, then explain to them that you are setting up a business doing this kind of work and ask them if they could kindly recommend you to their friends and family.

Most people are delighted to help a new business starting out, especially so if you have done some free sketches for them in the past.

[entreator]

Nice suggestion fergal and pendelton........but i m still planning how to start my business........and what pendelton said"to change the background to the respective season"
how can i change the background of a sketch........can you tell me how to do that??
would be looking forward to you experience guys to give me guidance in starting something of my own........

[pendelton]

entreator,
Take this image for example.
http://abs06.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/blog-happy-mom-happy-baby.jpg

You would sketch the mom and baby, then, make the background look like snow, fall leaves, or something like that. You could change the image on their shirts to something more in line with the background, snowmen, a Christmas tree, or something Halloween like.

The beauty of what you do, to be, is the artistic ability to change what was to what could have been.

In the below image you can change a lot in the background, making them in Paris with the Eiffel Tower behind them, the Taj Mahal, Mount Everest, the Mackinaw Bridge, what ever.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1387/589440964_5dee585fe6.jpg

[Kay]

I am very thankful to kay and nazreen for there valuable advice.i am just going through the site that kay had suggested.Would tell you the details after i get some reply.
...But seriously i am astonished to see how much money they are taking for these sketches.i make sketches like these for free....
would seriously like to thank kay for showing me this site.

You're very welcome, entreator. I'm so glad you decided to get in touch with them! I couldn't believe the prices either. It was just luck that I came across it when I was looking but then I believe there are no coincidences so who knows what might happen. :)



Just a word of caution, when you have a business or you are providing a service, it sometimes helps to charge your friends. Although, it is good to give them a big discount, that you wouldn't give to others.

If you don't charge your friends, they may not come back to you for repeat business. Many people have been astonished to find that friends (whom they have given free products / services to) going to their competitors. The reason for this, is that people often feel guilty about accepting a service for free and would prefer to pay someone other than their friends for it.

Saying all that, I do appreciate that your circumstances are different and you are just starting out, which is great.

There is so much truth in that! In fact I've been in those shoes before where a friend did some work for me and wouldn't take anything for it. I'd have gladly paid him because I'd be paying someone anyway and just wanted to put the business his way, not expecting at all he'd do it for free. I did feel a bit awkward about it but in the same breath if the roles had been reversed I'd probably have done the same.

I wouldn't have thought about going for a middle ground like deep discounts. Good thinking, Fergal! And you're right, I wouldn't have asked him again in case he thought I was trying to take advantage even when I was genuinely willing to pay him. That was a very astute observation. :)


You can also have them give you referrals in lieu of payment, the word of mouth advertising is great, and it allows them to feel they are working off the payment to you without funds exchanging hands.

Coming up on the holiday season you can get a quick site up and tell the people to send you their pics. You can do the pics and change the backgrounds to fit for the holiday season.

That's a brilliant idea, pendleton. :) There's always something just round the corner when you think about the major holidays - Halloween, Valentines, New Year etc.

There's a lot of stock image sites too that you could get ideas from for backgrounds, entreator. I like stock.exchg. (http://www.sxc.hu/index.html) It's free and the majority of photos have no restrictions on their usage. Some have partial ones which are usually small things like letting them see what you did with the picture out of curiosity. Most are happy if you simply leave a nice comment and give it a good rating.

Some are vector graphics but most are photos. Every picture has its usage options listed on the right of its page. You can use the advanced search to filter the restrictions you're interested in. I use this site all the time to find pics to use in articles and think it's excellent.

You just register, login and download any you like, simple as that. You even have a lightbox (or lightboxes) to store your favorites. So far I have three with 60 in each. I just keep adding ones that catch my eye so I don't need to hunt them down again. :)

[Kay]

Any update, entreator? I saw one of those pictures today and thought about you. Did the company get back to you at all?

[pendelton]

I am awaiting a reply to a PM I sent........

[entreator]

No KAY,they haven't replied...........but i m thinking about talking to some indian site owner's who have gift sites..........maybe it can work ........or i was evening thinking about making my own site if this doesn't work out.............

i have replied to your PM pendelton........please go through it...........would love to work on that...........

[Kay]

I think it's a good idea to keep your options open, entreator. Sites and hosting aren't expensive these days at all. Even if you just set up a blog and added sample images to it with contact info it would be worthwhile and give you somewhere to direct them to to show samples.

There's a really nice new theme out for WordPress called Coda which is ideal for a portfolio, very slick and free to use. My husband and I built a demo site with it for an author's upcoming book along with another one. He chose a different theme in the end but I like this much better and was surprised he didn't choose it.

Click the tabs to see how it slides and don't miss the gallery. :) This is the official CODA demo site: http://wordpress.bustatheme.com/coda/

Anyway, just wanted to show you it needn't cost you money to have a great looking theme. I'm going to add some more template resources to the useful links thread very soon.

ETA I've added a stock image that's a great idea. I think it would be perfect for promoting yourself if you made something similar of your own hand for a site header or flier for example. Thought it might inspire you.:)


http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/5981/959605lx3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

source page (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/959605)


Here's a WordPress theme along the same lines: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/painters

Hope that helps!

[pendelton]

entreator's site and all the SEO work needed to get it moving as quickly as possible is standing by. Just awaiting the layout entreator is sketching for the site so I can splice it up in to the template.

For the site's first back link.... The empty domain is http://www.getsketched.net .

[Kay]

Fantastic news, pendelton! That was a nice surprise and just in time for the Christmas rush as well. :) I can't wait to see what you guys have done with it.

Good name too! Any clues as to when we can expect the grand unveiling? :)

[Fergal]

That's a great domain, looking forward to seeing the site once it's launched. Please post back to give us an update and I will see if I can help drive some traffic to it.

[Kay]

I'll help too any chance I get to give you a plug. :) I can think of a few people on my email list that might be interested in something like that.

entreator, what about turnaround time? How long do you think it would take to do one once you received the picture? Because I know I'll get asked that. :)

[pendelton]

That is something we are discussing. Due to his location shipping is going to be a killer to the US, Canada, and EU nations.

One method leads to a 4 to 6 week shipping time frame. This is so entreator can ship several sketches at once to a destination and then the person receiving them ships them to the individual customers. I can help in the US, but entreator needs a contact in the EU area that can do it too. South America is still in question, and entreator should be able to send to Asia and Oceania areas with no problems.
This method would have who ever forwards the sketches on being reimbursed by entreator .

Otherwise shipping on each to the US is almost $100.00, so being able to send several will help with shipping.

[chica]

Maybe start a website. Someone may have said it, but I didn't read through the second page. You could add a contact button and paypal button. Shipping would be bad if you live outside the united states. I think Kinkos will let you print stuff and ship it. So, you could scan it in to the computer. Send it through kinkos. If they don't mind having a copy. =D PM me if you need any help if you decide to start a website.

[pendelton]

Good idea..... ;)


entreator's site and all the SEO work needed to get it moving as quickly as possible is standing by. Just awaiting the layout entreator is sketching for the site so I can splice it up in to the template.

For the site's first back link.... The empty domain is http://www.getsketched.net .

[Kay]

That is something we are discussing. Due to his location shipping is going to be a killer to the US, Canada, and EU nations.

One method leads to a 4 to 6 week shipping time frame. This is so entreator can ship several sketches at once to a destination and then the person receiving them ships them to the individual customers. I can help in the US, but entreator needs a contact in the EU area that can do it too. South America is still in question, and entreator should be able to send to Asia and Oceania areas with no problems.
This method would have who ever forwards the sketches on being reimbursed by entreator .

Otherwise shipping on each to the US is almost $100.00, so being able to send several will help with shipping.

That's a challenge indeed. 4-6 weeks sounds perfectly reasonable to me though. Now that I think about it that's what most places quote that you see in print ads at least. Sounds like a good plan you've got there.

I can't remember where you're from, entreator, is it India? I'm wondering how ebay sellers in India do it when they send to Europe/US. I know ebay's got a site there.

Pity there wasn't some way you could do it where you could make the sketch, take a digital photo or scan of the finished sketch, then email the picture to your local contact.( maybe a small printing shop you could make an arrangement with?) They could make a high quality print of it, frame it if that's part of the order and distribute it from there to the customer.

But then the customer's not getting the original sketch of course...but could that be turned to an advantage as a selling point because the picture could be priced cheaper if they take the digital version? Maybe that could be offered as an alternative as a way to save on shipping costs. Perhaps have a two tier pricing guide - one for the original and one for the digital version.

If I was getting the sketch, as long as it was a good likeness, I'd be happy. It would be going in a frame anyway so what type of paper it was on wouldn't matter as long as it was high quality and the quality/clarity of the artwork wasn't compromised by the printing process.

Just thinking out loud - I'm sure there'll be a flaw in that idea somewhere. :)

[entreator]

Thanks everybody for supporting so much..........I am going to make the final layouts in a few days..........will tell all of you when the site is complete..........

[Fergal]

When I was in India it wasn't expensive to post items to Ireland, in the EU. What are the costs like now, for posting to the EU?