What is the name painting online art business like?

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Written By Sam Davis Ph.D.

Sticker Crypt is the internet's premier source of free advice for artists and small business owners! 

Custom paintings of names are increasingly popular across many sites and the world. With a good title and great brand, name painting can be a whole business for you. It incorporates art painting with customization in a way that supports people through many periods in their lives, like births, weddings, and graduation celebrations.

Name paintings has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It all started with my mom teaching me how to paint when I was little. She would help me pick out the colors and then write my name in big letters on the top of the painting. From there, I started painting names for other people. While I don't do it often now, I've always wondered how successful the business is, and decided to do some research.

Wooden name tags arranged on table during wedding ceremony

Name painting art online: the time commitment

Many artists wonder how long it takes to complete a custom name art painting in today's world of digital art. The answer is usually just a few hours if you're creative and efficient. You can always reuse artwork from other created pieces. As you build up a library of “clip art” for yourself, you can draw from your other artworks and complete a picture in record time.

Why do people buy name paintings?

A name painting is a memorable gift for hallmark moments in people's lives. I've seen family and friends buy this type of art to celebrate the future, enjoy nature themes, or even incorporate landscape and fantasy into the image.

The last one I did was a last name mural for a customer who wanted to surprise her spouse. We incorporated scenery from the desert, creations around sports, and even a bunny with headphones. Her inspiration and the resulting artwork were a great project for me, and they left me really inspired.

Is name painting scalable?

Certainly, with a good title and SEO on Etsy or on your own site, you could probably scale this type of art painting up into a whole business. An artist would have to be really committed to the process to make name painting 100% their specialty. While it's a good idea in theory, I feel like the fun would wear off if I had thirty to do in a week. Even though I love hearing a person's story, I can see a lot going wrong with the custom painting life.

For example, what if your customer is unhappy? It's not like music – they're paying for your time as much as they are the end result. You may find that you'll need to refund the occasional purchase from a picky customer.

But if you're willing to be creative, you can paint fast, then the custom name art world is entirely yours. This type of artwork has endless customization potential, and you could even potentially focus on a single subject, like just a city scene or creations dealing with nature or metaphysical matter.

Final thoughts…

Talking about your business idea with your partner and friends is a great idea if you've never done name painting art before. The custom artist life isn't for everyone, and running a business can be tricky. Lucky for you – we're here to help! Even thought we're mainly focused on supporting sticker sellers, much of our advice applies to any artist and their small business. So go ahead and subscribe today! The advice is always free!

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