If you are looking to commission a portrait, you came to the right place. The dominant culture that we coegsist with stands for instant selfie ideas whereas portrait stands in opposition to that concept . Portrait will endure the tests of time, lasting significantly longer than a photograph. Commissioning the portrait is a very intimate process, and the work will stay with the sitter for many generations.
The things to consider when ordering a portrait are:
- Subject
- Size
- Completion date
There are three main topics of portraits:
- Family portrait
- Commemoration
- Representation of a person
There are also different styles of portraits, and only the imagination is the limit. You might want your portrait to be:
- Realistic / Abstract
- Simple in form / conceptual
- UV or Gilded
Sittings
Although it is possible to order a portrait without a sitting based on a photograph only – the final pice will always differ from the one when the artist could have met with the subject in real life. The portrait is not just about likeness but it is of a person’s representation. On a good portrait we can see almost 3D movement whereas photograph will always stay a 2D object.
How long will this sitting take?
You don’t have to spend many days with the artist. You can of course if your schedule allows you to do so, what is important is to meet, even one time only – in person, so that the artist can study the movements of the face. Even if you do not have a time to come for a longer sitting to the atelier, the quick coffee in downtown will have a tremendous effect on the quality of the work.
But I wanted to surprise someone with this pice.
If you want to surprise someone it is better to choose a painting of a persons favorite subject or scene. If we want to surprise someone with a balloon flight, we usually give them a voucher instead of taking them straight to the landing site, and what is better than buying an experience instead of an item.
But what if the meeting is not possible?
It might happen that the meeting is not an option. It is possible of course to paint a portrait from a photograph. To make sure it is as good as possible please provide the artist with different photos, recordings – if possible. The basic photo that the artist is going to be working on has to have good quality, lighting (and composition – in case of portraits of multiple people). The colors on the painting can be different from the photograph, if you say so.
Before ordering
Before ordering the work it is good to go through different stages of decision-making. You are ordering a pice of art that will be created specially for you and will last for generations. Give yourself time for the decision and do not make it in haste. It is good to “sleep on” your ideas for couple of days so you can be sure that is what you want.
- Decide on the subject
You might want just classical representation of person or people, but maybe there is something peculiar that the sitter likes, a colour, a painting, an object – why not incorporating it to your idea?
- Decide on a style
Style of painting should correspond to the sitter’s character. If you are ordering a portrait it is for someone special to you, and you will know the best what that person is like.
- Technique
All portraits are acrylic. Acrylic paint allows for shortening the process lasting for months with oil paints – to weeks, and is equally permanent. But there are different techniques you can add to make your work special like gilding (with gold or metal leaf) and UV pains (giving your painting different face in UV light)
How much will it cost?
The final price of a portrait differs on all the factors listed above. Please give as as specific a description you can come up with and we will come back to you with a price proposal.
