Live Portrait Sketching on a sunny market morning

I really lucked out with the last couple times of working the Farmers Market at PSU- both times the weather was clear and the turnout was great!

I started doing live portrait drawing at the Portland Farmers Market last July, to bring in a little extra money and to advertise my services. I was pretty nervous because I was risking absolutely no one wanting a drawing. It’s a vulnerable thing to be a vendor in a space where people are walking right by you- whether that’s a market, expo, or an artist alley. But for all the people that pass you by, you just need one or two! Plus once someone does sit in your chair, it’s more likely that someone passing by will be interested.

The other day I had a TikTok on my account @artbytorih make the rounds in the Portland area, and I was so flattered that people who had seen the video came to the market looking for me in order to get a drawing.

One of the lovely things about doing this kind of work at markets is it makes it more accessible. Not everyone is needing to book an event or having a wedding where they want to hire an artist, much less afford one.

Sometimes I get busy enough to have a line, and that’s what happened this time. I am thinking of making the size of the paper a little smaller to encourage a slightly smaller drawing. Once I have those parameters and draw a little smaller, it’ll go faster. I tried drawing a little smaller with the couple featured below, and I reduced my drawing time by a few minutes (which I noticed because I was filming the act of drawing itself).

I’ve been too busy/occupied on the last couple of Saturdays, but I hope I can get out to a Farmers Market soon. I always try to update my instagram when I’m about to work a market, so make sure to check that out!