A 19-year-old artist has seen their sales rocket up to 300% after launching their business just before lockdown hit.
Rowan Barton, from Norris Green, started their Etsy store just before the initial lockdown as they had always wanted to be an artist.
Rowan whose business is called 'Rowan Barton Art' produces mainly portrait pictures but through a variety of different methods including oil, digitally drawn on an iPad Pro and pencil drawn.
The former Knowsley Community College student said: "I always liked art and as a child I started painting and never stopped.
"In year 5 I had a drawing of a plant go up in the Anglican Cathedral and it gave me the confidence to try to pursue being an artist."
The teenager added: "Business has been on the up, I opened my Etsy page on New Years Day 2020.
"It was just before lockdown and in that time I got a handful of purchases, but since then I've seen an over 300% increase in sales.
"I think it's because people have more time now to use social media and read, a lot of my art is inspired by books."
Rowan has used social media to market their business, and the artist said TikTok has helped with advertising and sales.
The video app allows Rowan to post videos of their work, which then features on a 'For You' page and can be reached by a wide audience.
They said: "TikTok helped me to spread my art it has made it more accessible for people.
"Instagram is a bit harder because you use hashtags and after a few minutes the post can be lost in them."
The artist,who produces all of their designs at home, said: "The success of my small business during lockdown has allowed me to expand to other product types, and being in lockdown I have the time to do that."
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Not only have they sold more paintings through their Etsy page, Rowan has noticed a large increase in custom orders for gifts and has been able to branch out to work on logo designs and business cards for others.
Rowan said: "I've been getting more commissions, I think because people have more time to consider what to get people for gifts.
"I think the best thing when you buy from a small business is that you've made that person happy and you've made an impact in their life - you don't get that with big retailers."
Rowan's art can be found here.
