The birth of the art company Sketchus, with all its pitfalls
Every beginning is difficult
After our small company established itself and stabilized in Vietnam, more and more criticism came from customers.
In the fall of 2015, after we had completed our bachelor's degree, the situation came to a head. I remember very clearly how I had painted ten paintings in a week, but had eight returned without receiving any compensation. I had the feeling that I couldn't convince my customers and that my knowledge and experience weren't enough to continue working as a portrait artist.
Criticism of art by different customer groups
When we come back to the eight images we got back, I can divide them into two groups:
Group 1: The picture should be exactly like the original - a copy, like a simple copy.
Group 2: The image should correspond to reality and not be like the original.
In the first group, customers complained that their images were not identical, even though we drew with 95 percent accuracy. They asked us to take a 100% live photo like the photo template. At first I thought you could just print it out and bring it as a gift, but that was just a stupid thought.
For the second group, I also drew with 95 percent accuracy as the template indicated, but the customers wanted something different. They said the pictures they sent us weren't good. They expected us to make the picture bring out the real character more. So we should “correct” the images.
That's why we decided to learn more about art and do a master's degree in Germany!
Our trip and stay in Germany
In life you need new ideas and adventures, so we really wanted to learn more about design and art and develop ourselves personally. Likewise, learn from new cultures and places, as life offers great diversity. We decided to start a new chapter in Germany.
My wife and I went to Germany together to study abroad. We were very confident that we would be able to overcome all upcoming difficulties together.
A big surprise came our way when my wife told me she was pregnant. Reality quickly caught up with us as we now had to prioritize our spending differently to counteract our increased costs. In order to continue to stay and live in Germany, we had two options:
- Continue our studies and work various jobs on the side to keep ourselves afloat.
- Work full-time to obtain the necessary visa.
What was our plan?
Sketchus was created in Germany. It helped us through some of our difficulties and also gave us the opportunity to draw you beautiful portraits.
When we look back, the question arises again as to how the wishes of the two previously mentioned groups should be addressed. What do you think the solution is?
If you ask for my opinion, I am always ready to address the problems of Group 1 and Group 2. My solution would be for us to develop a concept together and thus create the almost perfect portrait according to your wishes.