If you are considering commissioning a portrait, this page will help you get started.
As a professional portrait artist with many years of experience, I found these to be the most common questions at the beginning of the portrait commission process:
Painting from life sittings or painting from photographs?
Discussing your portrait commission project will begin with this question: I, being a traditionally trained artist, prefer to paint from life sittings.
Ultimately, the decision depends on the time you can invest in the project. There is a slight difference in the visual style too. The portraits I created from life have a more traditional or impressionistic look, whereas those from photographs look more contemporary. It is for you to decide which aesthetics you prefer.
Painting Portrait from Life
We will work in sessions, each session lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. You don’t have to be completely still for hours on end. I’d like you to be as natural and at ease as possible. While I paint you, we’ll talk and laugh, and occasionally I’ll ask you to be still for a while. It’s a fun, engaging process you’ll enjoy.
We begin with sketching. It allows me to understand your unique features and mannerisms. At the end of sketching, we’ll discuss the details – the dimensions, the medium of the painting, and the sitting schedule. The number of these sessions will depend on the size and detail of the picture. The commission portrait price guide will be of help here. I will have everything ready for our next session to start painting. We will have the finished portrait by the end of the last scheduled session.
Getting to know my sitters through our conversations during the portrait sittings is invaluable for painting an emotionally engaging portrait. The feedback from my clients about the experience has been very positive.
Painting Portrait from Photos
Often life sittings are not possible for various reasons. Time constraints, long distances, or coordinating schedules of the sitters for a group portrait, to name a few. That’s where paintings from photos come in, and they have their own advantages. With this method, I can develop the painting to a very high finish and detail without imposing on your time. This approach works particularly well for portraits of children or official-style portraits. And if you are preparing a surprise portrait gift for someone, working from photos is the only way!
The process of painting from photos differs from that of painting from life. We will begin by talking about the portrait commission and the best approach. Ideally, I’d like to take the photographs myself, and we’d set a date for the shoot. If that is not possible, we will browse the pictures you have and choose the best ones for the project. After that, I’ll email you the proposed ideas. In the case of a group portrait, this stage can take a few weeks of email communication and fine-tuning. I can start on the canvas once we are all happy with the composition. Depending on the size and complexity, you can expect a finished painting in 3 to 8 months.
How much does a portrait painting cost?
The price depends mainly on the medium, size and detail. Please see my current price guide for more information.
What medium?
I paint in oils, acrylics, watercolour and tempera. My drawing portraits are usually made in pencil on paper, with occasional charcoal or sanguine pieces and even quick ink sketches. Sometimes, I use monotype printmaking to create colourful portraits in the pop art style. My gallery of past portrait commissions offers some ideas.
What size?
Everything is possible, from an A4 sheet of paper to a wall-sized canvas. I think it might be helpful to know where you’d display the picture so you can determine the portrait’s size. Remember to allow for the frame’s size!
