Interview with Darla Dixon, Pencil Portrait Artist

Portrait of a Portrait Artist

I met Darla Dixon in 2001, and knew immediately that I had to have a portrait done by her. I finally purchased two pieces a year or so ago, and could not be happier with my treasured art investment.

Here is my interview with Darla Dixon:

Q: Describe the business you run from your home.

A: I draw graphite pencil portraits based on the photographs my clients send me. I do portraits of babies, wedding/engagement portraits of couples, pencil portraits of pets, and all kinds of custom artworks. I can combine people from several separate photographs into one original artwork. I also am a published artist having illustrated for eight books and three magazines.

Q:How long have you run this business?

A: Since 2000

Q: How did you get started and why did you choose to do portraits?

A: I don't know if I completely chose this business or whether it chose me. I feel that God led me to it after I had tried some other work at home businesses that never 'clicked'.

After showing a portrait that I have drawn of my niece, someone asked me to draw a picture of his children and paid me. I realized I had found a way to make a little extra money so I could stay home with our kids.

Q: How do you handle the unique challenges of working from home with kids?

A: I do get frustrated when I am in the mood to draw, and I cannot get to it because of the children's needs. Then I remind myself that the kids are why I wanted so badly to work from home in the first place. I avoid the stress of this frustration by keeping in mind that I need to stay flexible. I have to work on prioritizing all the time. I keep a to-do list, so as soon as I get the kids down for a nap, I can jump right into work. I am extremely blessed to have clients who understand that I am a mom first.

Q: How many hours a day do you work?

A: I try to work on my art about 4 hours a day, but most of the time I am lucky if I get 3 hours of work done. My two youngest are only 3 years old and 14 months old. I am aware of how fast they are growing, and I will be able to work more later this year when my son enters preschool.

Q: How do you make time for yourself?