Local StoriesOctober 7, 2022

Meet Ryan Savopoulos of Northern

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Savopoulos.

Hi Ryan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I first realized I could draw when I was 15. I was taking an art class as a prerequisite for photography, and we were assigned a warm to draw our hands. So I just drew what I saw, and it came out well, to my surprise. I continued to challenge myself even more throughout high school and found that my passion was realism, so I stuck with that. I went from drawing hands to drawing eyes, to drawing faces, and then to full-on portraits; I went on to AP art, where I was challenged in many ways with my skills and grew so much as an artist. I started posting my work on social media, and after seeing what I could do, my grandma started requesting art from me. Eventually, she pushed me to start selling my art. I always looked at it as a hobby, and I never had enough confidence in my art to think anyone would pay for it. Around the age of 21, I started doing commissioned drawings for people through the Facebook marketplace and got many clients, especially around the holidays. Since then, I’ve done everything I can to get my name out there and promote my business.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
The amount of business I get at a time varies so much. I’ve had periods where my waiting list is 10 people long and then other periods where I’ll go months without doing any commissioned work. It can be a bit discouraging when I put my work out there and don’t receive anyone’s interest. Also, just trying to work with people who don’t understand art or how it works. I once had someone message me that my work was too expensive and implied that I wasn’t good enough to charge that much, but she still wanted to pay me to draw her a picture. So I guess I was good enough for her.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would say my specialty is realism portraiture. About 90% of my work is graphite, with a sprinkle of graphic design. Most of my clients will have me recreate a picture for them, and I find it so satisfying to compare them at the end. I’m known for my portraits, it’s the style I have practiced the most, and I love that you’re never quite finished with portraits. You can always go in and add a little more detail and make it just a bit better. I see it so much looking at the timeline of my art and seeing things in more recent pieces that I tried a little harder with, such as more detailed hair or more realistic reflections in the eyes. I am proud of two pieces I have done; both are Christmas presents for family members. The first is a picture of my childhood dog gifted to my mom a few years ago. The second would be a portrait of my cousin and his wife that his mom commissioned, my aunt. I just love the way they turned out.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
My family for sure has played a huge part. They are my biggest supporters, especially my mom and my grandma. My mom has always been so supportive of my art and my passions. And she’s always encouraging me to be my best. She’s been so helpful in getting me art jobs and helping me promote my business. I love how much she believes in me. My grandma has been my biggest fan when it comes to my artwork. She was the one that encouraged me to start selling my art, and she made me believe I was talented enough to do it. She’s always keeping me in line and ensuring I don’t give up on my art, even when it feels like I have done all I can with it. I remembered a few years ago. I posted one of my pieces on my Instagram story, and my brother, who is a fellow artist, replied, “stick with art.” While it was such a simple sentence, it meant the absolute world to me and has stuck with me throughout the years. Also, my high school art teacher, Mr. Demark, has seen my work at its absolute worst and never once made me feel discouraged. He was always pushing me to be a better artist and taught helpfully and encouragingly instead of nitpicking my pieces and telling me everything I did wrong, like some of my other art teachers, did. He always believed in me, and I’m not sure he’s even aware of the impact he made on me. He makes me want to be an art teacher one day, so I can be what he was for me for other young artists. He was one of those teachers that weren’t just a teacher, but I also saw him as a friend, and I’m so grateful to have had that. His art room was like a haven for me; whenever I was there, I felt at home.

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