A Lesson Learned About Commissions

I was so pleased to get a portrait commission! It's been a long time since I did such and I wanted to get back in the swing of things. Along the way I learned and relearned a bunch of helpful stuff that I hope to incorporate into future paintings.

First and foremost: insist on a good picture at a decent size! Luckily, today's technology is a LOT better than it was when I first started doing portraits back right after college. Now I can scan a photo, take it into Photoshop, work with it a bit, and print it out at a large, viewable size. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to reinforce the importance of getting a clear shot to begin with.

Also, I need to make sure the client and I are on the same wavelength as to what they want. They're the one ordering the portrait. They're the one paying for it. And they and their descendants will be the ones looking at it for years to come.

So when I thought I'd completed this particular portrait (above), I congratulated myself on doing a good job. I'd changed some colors to make it more lively and so the figures would stand out more. I'd adjusted the composition so the figures could be larger. But when I sent a jpg to the client for approval, she said that she recalled the skirt not being red, etc.

One of my instructors once said that while the artist is interested in composition, color harmony, value, etc., the client just wants it to look like the subject. I'll take that a little farther: though the artist wants to make art, the client is more interested in preserving the memory. In a commissioned work, the client's wants are by far the most important thing. Without them, there is no commission.

So I've redone the portrait a bit, hoping that the client will prefer this version:


Live, learn, and keep those fingers crossed!

Slow but Steady

You wouldn't know it to look at me, my website, or my house, but things are finally starting to get done.

I've finally managed to put up the contest to WIN A FREE PAINTED PORTRAIT on my website! You can find it by typing in my brand-new url, www.RealPaintedPortraits.com and checking out the easy rules. (Just sign into my guestbook.)

Sure, the rest of the art website isn't up but it will be by the end of the week. It finally occurred to me that I didn't have to do the entire thing at one swoop, but could do it one page at a time. Lightbulb moment!

My wip is coming along. As soon as I get the art site done I can switch priorities back to it. Still hoping to have the first draft done by the end of the month.

Got the next installment of "Star-Spangled Panties" out the door.

Clearing out the house is proceeding at a slow but steady pace. Thanks, eBay! And Craigslist, too. (But I'm still waiting for someone to come get that 20x10' freestanding mural from my backyard.)

Taxes (gulp) took an unexpected chunk o' money from my New Patio Fund, but I'll get the final $$ somehow, and am determined not to dip into ye Emergency Savings... much.

Every now and then I have time to pet the kitties. It's been helpful that I've been able to give Obi his sub-cutaneous fluids myself. Well, pretty much of 'em. This means we don't have to spend 1+ hours ferrying him back and forth to the vets twice a week. Since he has a conniption every time he gets into his travel box, plus every time he has to face the vet, that saves wear and tear on his nervous/heart system as well.

Why, I might even begin to have a little time to devote to ME! Won't that be a hoot?

Anyway, I hope you'll come by and sign my guestbook to get on my mailing list, I mean, to enter the free portrait contest. No purchase necessary and all that!