You should have some inherent artistic ability or interest to become a portrait artist. This does not imply that you must be born with exceptional artistic abilities, but it does imply that you should aspire to be a better artist. To become as good an artist as possible, you’ll almost certainly need to practice a lot, so having a desire to draw or paint makes that practice a lot easier. You can become a portrait artist creating a body of work, finding potential clients, painting portraits, and receiving adequate compensation for your work once you’ve practiced enough.
A portrait artist is someone who creates artistic renderings of a person’s image or portrait through drawing, painting, or other visual means. This type of artwork was once popular among royalty and the wealthy, as it allowed them to decorate their homes with images of themselves before the invention of photography. Though it may not be as popular as it once was, many people still want portraits made of their likeness, and you can provide that service once you become a portrait artist.
One of the first things you should do if you want to be a portrait artist is to practice and improve your artistic abilities. You might want to enroll in art classes, particularly those that focus on drawing or painting people. While life drawing classes, in which you draw live subjects, can be particularly beneficial for learning proportions of human bodies and how to capture a person’s shape and movement, you should look for classes in portraiture or related subjects. To help you become a portrait artist, you might consider getting a degree in fine art or a related field.
You’ll probably want to build a portfolio of your work once your skills have been refined enough and you feel ready to become a portrait artist and create artwork of live subjects. Because you want to demonstrate your abilities, you should only use your best work for this. Working at the sizes you plan to offer can be beneficial, and you might want to focus on standard sizes that are easier to matte and frame.
Then, based on the work in your portfolio, you should find potential clients who want to commission portraits from you. Try advertising your services in local newspapers or on the Internet, which may be difficult at first. You may need to be persistent in your efforts and charge a low price at first, but as your work improves and your portfolio grows, you will be able to pursue more opportunities. However, don’t undervalue yourself; you should still be confident in your abilities and know that you have the necessary talent to become a portrait artist.