As you may already know, I am always open to being commissioned to paint anything, be it a vacation house, landscape, seascape, or a portrait. The holidays are always an interesting time for such an endeavor, since most clients aren’t really thinking about getting a painting until late November. This year, my entire holiday painting schedule was filled this year when I received a triple commission!
Several years ago I was commissioned to paint 2 kids from photos their mother took at the beach. The Mom seemed pleased with the result when the art was delivered, but I found out a few weeks ago just how pleased she actually was. My client contacted me in November, explaining that she now has 3 children, and wanted a new painting of all 3 of them, as well as 2 more original paintings of the kids for their grandparents! A triple-commission!
Luckily, she contacted me early enough to get them all finished in time. The first was sent out as an anniversary gift, about 10 days before Christmas. I completed the other 2 paintings and sent them to their intended destinations, both arriving a few days before Christmas.
The Process:
I started with 8-10 high-def photos from my client. They were all wonderful, and could have easily been framed for display themselves. All the pictures she provided were similar, all taken in the same location (the beach), at the same time of day. This allowed me to see all their faces in good quality light, with delightfully different expressions in each photo.
I studied the photos and picked the ones I thought were best suited to be painted. I used photo editing software to play with composition, and printed out large photos of the subjects faces to study as I painted. One at a time, I drew the faces on 400 lb watercolor paper, and began to paint them in the evenings after work.
When they were complete, I packaged them and sent them on their way!
It was certainly a challenge, but a very exciting one. Do you have a special person or location you would like painted? A special event to commemorate? Contact me any time!
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