Drawing Smiles: Madi Hurst’s Portrait Business

For Madi Hurst, art has always been part of life.

The Yellville native, who operates the portrait business dooodledumpp, says she has loved art for as long as she can remember.

“From a young age, my favorite class at school was art. For my birthday and Christmas I would always ask for art kits so that I could draw whatever was around me.”

Her focus on portraiture developed gradually. While sitting in class during high school, Hurst found herself repeatedly sketching faces.

“Throughout high school when I would get bored in class, I would just doodle facial features,” she said. “I slowly started to build different faces from those features and realized that it’s what I liked to draw the most.”

She also drew inspiration from artists creating caricatures at fairs and community events.

“I wanted to do that but in my own style, and I wanted to make people feel pretty.”

Turning that idea into a business began with local markets. After seeing friends participate in and organize vendor events, Hurst decided to take a chance on her own booth.

“My first market I ever attended was the Lost and Found market,” she said. “It was at that event that I realized people liked my portraits and they even made them smile, which is something that always brings me joy.”

Like many artists, she was intimidated by the idea of selling her work. But the experience taught her that there is an audience for handmade art.

“I think it’s always difficult to get your foot in the door with selling your art. It can be scary and intimidating, but there is always someone out there who wants to buy your art and to support you as an artist.”

Today, the business provides a creative outlet alongside the demands of college and work. Hurst says the interactions with customers have become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

“As a full time college student who also juggles a part time job, life can become repetitive and exhausting. Having these markets to look forward to gives me so much happiness,” she said. “My favorite part is when I hand the drawing to the person and I can see the joy on their face.”

One customer interaction stands out in particular. At the Rouge Roundabout Vintage Market in Conway, her first customer of the day was a baby whose father commissioned a portrait.

“Once I got done and handed it to him, he had the biggest smile,” Hurst said. “I watched him walk away afterwards and show the rest of his family. They were all were smiling and showing the baby. It was super cute!”

The experience reinforced what she loves most about creating art: making people happy.

For young artists hoping to build a business of their own, Hurst encourages them to push past their fears.

“Just do it, even if you’re scared (and you probably will be)!” she said. “Once you see the impact you can have on people through art, all of your fears will go away.”