A portrait can capture someone's character and personality in a way no other medium can. Few other gifts can become treasured family heirlooms in the way a portrait can. The process of commissioning a portrait can seem quite frightening to someone who has never had their portrait created before, but it is really quite straightforward if you take the time to prepare and create a good creative relationship with the portrait artist of your choice.
Lead time can vary enormously. You can get a very nice pastel portrait done in less than an hour or wait a decade for a work in oils by a famous artist. There will also be a dramatic difference in price. The best way to start is just search on 'portrait artist' on Google and look through the portrait artists' portfolios that appear to get an idea of the media and style of portrait that you most like. Typically, graphite pencil or pastels will be at the bottom of the price spectrum and oils at the top.
A good artist will normally put their prerequisites on their website, including the source material they need and whether they need you to attend sittings. The artist may well live on another continent, in which case they will reasonably expect travel and accommodation expenses reimbursed. You may need to travel to their studio for the sitting. Sittings rule out the portrait itself being a surprise for a loved one, but you can instead give the entire process as a gift to someone you know will enjoy it. Many artists, however will create fine art from photographs.
It is vital to create a relationship of mutual respect with the portraitist of your choice from the beginning. One of the best ways to establish a great relationship is to put both of your expectations into a written contract. The artist will almost certainly request a deposit of 10-50% of the purchase price of the portrait. The deposit is to safeguard the artist as your portrait will not be saleable to anyone else should you default. In the case of larger, more involved works, the artist may request stage payments. Most artists will expect to retain the copyright of the image, but this can be negotiated. One alternative is for the artist to sell you high quality giclee prints of the original image which you can give to friends or relatives.
If photographs are to be referred to, these must be of the highest quality. The services of a professional photographer may be essential. The artist will wish to involve you at each stage of the creative process to be certain that you are happy with each stage before you sign off on it. This is because it can be very difficult or, with some media, even impossible to make changes to later in the process. If alterations are possible, their cost will need to be taken into consideration too. These difficulties can be prevented by good communication and mutual consideration. Furthermore, a good relationship between artist and client can last a lifetime and result in many more treasured possessions and heirlooms.
You also need to consider how the finished work will be transported and framed and where in the subject's home it is intended to hang. A big, multi-subject portrait obviously needs a suitably large and prominent position to be displayed. A small portrait will give the recipient a lot more options. Great progress has been made in lightfast pigments, but it is never a good idea to hang a portrait in direct sunlight.
If you build the relationship with your artist and follow the process step-by-step, the result will be a unique gift and a possession that will be loved for generations.
Lead time can vary enormously. You can get a very nice pastel portrait done in less than an hour or wait a decade for a work in oils by a famous artist. There will also be a dramatic difference in price. The best way to start is just search on 'portrait artist' on Google and look through the portrait artists' portfolios that appear to get an idea of the media and style of portrait that you most like. Typically, graphite pencil or pastels will be at the bottom of the price spectrum and oils at the top.
A good artist will normally put their prerequisites on their website, including the source material they need and whether they need you to attend sittings. The artist may well live on another continent, in which case they will reasonably expect travel and accommodation expenses reimbursed. You may need to travel to their studio for the sitting. Sittings rule out the portrait itself being a surprise for a loved one, but you can instead give the entire process as a gift to someone you know will enjoy it. Many artists, however will create fine art from photographs.
It is vital to create a relationship of mutual respect with the portraitist of your choice from the beginning. One of the best ways to establish a great relationship is to put both of your expectations into a written contract. The artist will almost certainly request a deposit of 10-50% of the purchase price of the portrait. The deposit is to safeguard the artist as your portrait will not be saleable to anyone else should you default. In the case of larger, more involved works, the artist may request stage payments. Most artists will expect to retain the copyright of the image, but this can be negotiated. One alternative is for the artist to sell you high quality giclee prints of the original image which you can give to friends or relatives.
If photographs are to be referred to, these must be of the highest quality. The services of a professional photographer may be essential. The artist will wish to involve you at each stage of the creative process to be certain that you are happy with each stage before you sign off on it. This is because it can be very difficult or, with some media, even impossible to make changes to later in the process. If alterations are possible, their cost will need to be taken into consideration too. These difficulties can be prevented by good communication and mutual consideration. Furthermore, a good relationship between artist and client can last a lifetime and result in many more treasured possessions and heirlooms.
You also need to consider how the finished work will be transported and framed and where in the subject's home it is intended to hang. A big, multi-subject portrait obviously needs a suitably large and prominent position to be displayed. A small portrait will give the recipient a lot more options. Great progress has been made in lightfast pigments, but it is never a good idea to hang a portrait in direct sunlight.
If you build the relationship with your artist and follow the process step-by-step, the result will be a unique gift and a possession that will be loved for generations.
About the Author:
Johanna Pieterman is a portrait artist with a World-wide following and over 30 years experience creating fine art portraits. Visit her website which will take you through the process and enable you to commission a portrait from any artist with confidence.
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