We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mark Penta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mark below.

Mark, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new firm – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

I made my first money as an artist by drawing caricatures of people at a summer restaurant bar on Cape Cod. It was the summer I turned 21. I’d previously worked at there as a bus boy and a very bad waiter, but when I tried getting my summer job back I realized the ownership had changed during the winter and they’d already hired their summer staff. But the new manager was a great guy named Mike Donovan, and after I told him I was an art student and was considering setting up a stand to draw caricatures by the beach, Mike loved this and said “I have a great idea—you can draw here. We need entertainment. Charge what you want, keep what you make.” So I showed up the next day with my supplies, sat at the bar, and while Mike tended bar I sketched a couple of fisherman that he was serving. They laughed hard at my drawing. Mike said, “Pay the kid to draw a big one and we’ll hang it up..” The man handed me a $20 bill. It was my first sale that started my whole career. By the end of that summer, my drawings of locals and tourists wallpapered the restaurant. They loved it, I loved it. I realized I’d never have to be a bad waiter ever again.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After that fateful summer drawing at the bar, I finished art school with my BFA in Illustration, moved home, and began a freelance career. I spent half my time pursuing “serious” illustration assignments (drawing for magazines, newspapers, small businesses) and earning steady money as a caricaturist. I used to draw them in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. I drew thousands of people from all over the world there. It’s where I developed my speed and learned to deal with every imaginable personality type. I drew outdoors in all kinds of weather. It was like bootcamp. Soon people hired me to draw at their parties. Agencies booked me for corporate events. Meanwhile I pursued my dream of illustrating my own books. I was like two artists in one body—the caricature work fulfilled my social side and it paid my bills, while my book illustration and getting my own books published satisfied my “serious” artistic goals and abilities. I’m proud to have achieved my dream of seeing my books in Barnes & Noble, but equally satisfied to have drawn thousands of individuals at special occasions around the world. The ability to draw somebody’s likeness and make them smile and laugh is incredibly rewarding and addictive. My live event business has expanded over the years to the point where I get flown to draw at trade shows and conferences across the US. Those are my ideal clients nowadays, in addition to drawing at weddings and more local Boston-area events. I still do classic pen & ink drawings but also offer digital drawings at events, and even do roaming event illustrations of guests in a more elegant fashion-sketch style. My motto and mission in life is “Give away what you are” so by doing what comes naturally to me I help my clients make their occasions more fun, creative, and memorable. People rarely get drawn in their lifetime, so they love posing for me. There are a lot of live event artists out there, but I sensed early on that doing this is my life’s purpose and I feel that everyone who sits for me was sent to me in some divine way. Aside from that, I show up on time. ;)

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I like to think people book me for their events for a few reasons. The first is that they like my drawings—I’ve developed a friendly style that captures good likenesses fast and aims to amuse, not offend, which makes me a safe bet to anyone I represent. If someone—a company or individual—hires me to draw at their event, I represent them. What I do is a reflection on them and their brand. So I’m friendly with guests, I chat with everyone while drawing them, but within reason. I do my job—I’m providing a service. Some live artists lose track of the fundamentals: their personalities are distracting, they show up late, make off-color jokes,You can’t do that if you want to get called back!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

By far, corporate clients are my best most desirable clients. I’ve developed relationships with a few companies that participate in trade shows and conferences around the US, and because they like working with me, they fly me to their events and ask me to provide additional artists to assist me in whatever the city they’re in. So I vet the best artists around the country to join me at their events. Maybe it’s because of my early days drawing adults drinking cocktails, but they’re my favorite subject, so I love drawing at corporate functions and swanky cocktails parties. I also love helping companies “draw a crowd” to their tradeshow booth. It’s nice getting a gig where I’m asked to be somewhere for three days in a row.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://MarkPenta.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markpenta
• Linkedin: www.instagram.com/in/markpenta