Working as a portrait artist, I run into a strange cross section of people. I used to make my living doing portrait sketches for next to nothing on street corners. With a little bit of showmanship, you can make a fair bit of money, but it is still a great way to feel underappreciated. Each portrait sketch goes for only a couple dollars, and no one seems to appreciate that, however simple and cute, they are still getting an original work of art done by a university educated artist. It is sad when you think about how portrait sketching used to be regarded. Portrait people were some of the most valued artists in Europe at one time. Every king, in fact, had a portrait artist or two in his court. These artists would be paid extremely well and treated like honored guests, provided they could create works that flattered their patrons. Times really have changed!