Selling Drawings for Candy Money

My first experience selling artwork happened sometime around fifth or sixth grade.

I went to a small school in a small town, and the school had started selling snacks during lunch. One of my favorites was the giant Chewy SweetTarts roll.

The problem was that I didn't always have money for snacks.

So I started taking drawing requests from other students.

For about a dollar, sometimes a dollar fifty depending on my mood, I'd draw dragons, characters, and whatever else people wanted.

Looking back, I have no idea where those drawings ended up. They're probably long gone by now.

What I do remember is where the money went.

Not savings.

Not art supplies.

Candy.

Every dollar I made had a purpose, and that purpose was Chewy SweetTarts.

At the time, I didn't think of it as selling artwork. I was just a kid drawing pictures for classmates and funding my snack habit.

Looking back, though, it was probably the first time I realized that people were willing to exchange money for something I created.

The artwork has improved since then, and thankfully my business model has evolved beyond trading dragons for candy.

But technically speaking, those lunch-period commissions were the beginning.