Since she was a child, Madison Ivory has thrived in the artistic world. Although she’s always had an attention to detail, it wasn’t until the middle of the pandemic that Ivory found her love for celebrity portraits. As she grows her business and gets the eyes of musical talents, like Brent Faiyaz, to notice her art, she has big dreams of pushing her craft even further. PATTERN sat down with Ivory to learn more about her unique talents and the future of her art business.
Destany Long: What piqued your initial interest in art?
Madison Ivory: I’ve always been a natural-born artist. I was a perfectionist all through elementary school. My art teacher would tell my mom, “Yeah, she’s working really hard, she’s not done yet.” I always took my time with everything I made, even if it was just a class project. I took that with me as I grew up. In middle school, art was always an elective. In high school, art was always an elective. Even in college, art is still an elective so it’s natural to me. It was a passion I couldn’t ignore. Now that I am twenty years old, fulfilling that inner child dream is what really drives me to keep going and doing what I do.
DL: Would you say that music has a big influence on your art?
MI: Yes! I am very musically inclined. I love music and hopefully, with the artist I draw, you can see how much I love them as well. I also tend to listen to music when I create. It’s their craft and I am replicating it in my own way. When I do athletes, like my Kobe drawing, it’s more so their drive to be the best. I just love music and inspiration figures!
DL: Describe your process for selecting the artist that you want to draw.
MI: It’s funny because there is never a set plan for it. I use Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter but pictures find me honestly. When I’m looking for a reference and I find a picture, I get a feeling and I just know I have to draw it.
DL: I saw that you do commissions. What all do you offer for your commissions?
MI: I categorize myself as a colored pencil portrait artist. I love drawing people so I only like to offer people that. With that being said, people don’t really come to me for anything else because they see that I specialize in portraits. I typically stick with portraits but I’ll draw anybody; literally anyone! I just love people!
DL: Which piece would you say you’re most proud of and what’s special about it?
MI: Honestly, all of my pieces are my favorite. They each have a story behind them. If I had to pick one to talk about, I would probably say Nipsey Hussle; Nipsey and Jhene started it. Jhene was a small piece and I liked how I did her braids, but when I did Nipsey, I upped the size and really went in with the detail. I realized that I could really do this. I went bigger, and after that, I went even larger. I feel like that piece started it all for me. I really went in on the detail and I amazed myself. I had never drawn braids that detailed, or someone with that many facial features. His mantra of “The Marathon Continues” and pushing to be the best you really motivated me.
DL: Have you faced any challenges since being a full-time artist? If so, what did you learn from it?
MI: Everyday! I kid you not, at the beginning of this year, I didn’t see any of this happening. I didn’t see any of these events falling through. Everything has been a challenge, but it’s been a good one. It’s all a part of the journey and I’m embracing it. I learned how to make prints, which was a challenge for me. I learned how to communicate with clients. I am not the biggest people person. I’m an introvert and I don’t always like to talk, but I have to when putting myself out there. I also learned that I have to be confident in my art! It’s prominent on both of my social media pages that I’m an artist! All of the challenges I’ve faced so far have helped me grow so I’m never ungrateful for it. I had to learn and God was like, “Yeah, I am going to challenge you so you can develop these skills and keep growing.”
DL: What’s next for Madison Ivory? Where would you like to see your art business?
MI: A big goal of mine, which many would assume, is getting the artists that I draw to notice me, and hopefully meet them, etc. I just recently got noticed by Brent Faiyaz on Twitter. I was very grateful for that. I want to keep upping my detail and possibly working bigger. I hope to start selling more prints. I also would love to see my art in galleries or businesses, I think that would be really cool too.
What artist do you want to see Ivory draw next? You can keep up with her portraits on Instagram!
