Portrait FAQ's
So, you’re thinking about a portrait? I LOVE THAT! Welcome!!
I’ve listed out some of the usual concerns of the portraiture process below. If you read through and still have questions, I’m happy to answer any and all of them!! Just drop me an email here and I’ll answer!
1: “Why commission
a portrait when a photograph is more accurate?”
Odd as it is, this question might be my favorite. You may not know this unless you’ve followed me since 2016, but I did a quick stint of photography. I had so much fun documenting kids and colorful moments with a camera and I completely understand that it’s the go-to for capturing that beautiful moment of your kids/family growing, your wedding etc.
The recent(ish) burst of photographers on the scene allows a beautiful, professional documenting of life accessible for so many where in past years it really hasn’t been.. do you see where I’m going with this?
I want to make portraits more accessible too! I feel like the stigma with portraiture art is that it’s reserved for the king of England because, like, who else can spend thousands of dollars on a gigantic portrait of themselves? Like, where would you even hang that if not in a castle?
I’m not going to say that art isn’t an investment, because it absolutely is, but investing in something that is important to you, something you’ll walk by and see on your wall everyday, that’s the art I want to create. The personality of a portrait with artistic interpretation is what we’re going for here!
2: “Are my photos
a good example of portrait references?”
When you commission a portrait, you’ll receive a confirmation email for your purchase and shortly after I’ll follow up with another email asking for your reference photos. I would like one main photo and two to three supporting reference photos. I ask for the additional photos because sometimes a flat photograph of someone doesn’t necessarily look just like them and having a couple more images of them will help me understand their features better.
1 main photo + 2-3 supporting photos
Now let’s talk about the quality of the photos. If you have that absolute favorite photo on your iphone of that insane smile - so in the moment and wonderful, but it’s an iphone photo, SEND IT! These colorful moments sometimes live on our phones and never see the light of day, but they perfectly capture the dimples or (like Caroline) the “crazy eyes.” The reference photos do not need to be professional photographer quality.
Do not download a photo from Facebook to use as a reference photo. The process Facebook uses to size down photos does not give enough detail.
If you zoom into your photo and the features of the face are too blurry to tell eye color, this is where the supporting photos are going to be a necessity.
3: “What kind of
timeline does a portrait commission have?”
I aim to complete commissions within one to two weeks from the start date, which may vary depending on the number of bookings I have. I plan to maintain an updated calendar below (with the grey squares indicating booked slots) to offer an overview of my availability for commissions.
4: “What will my
finished piece be like?”
Chalk Pastel Portrait
The medium chalk pastel is a dry, dusty medium. Because of this, the finished piece is sprayed with a fixative that helps to keep it in place if accidentally bumped, but it’s not completely sealed. I highly recommend professionally framing the chalk pastel piece to ensure it’s framed properly without damage. (See below for framing recommendations)
Painted Portrait
The painted portraits are completed on canvases of the selected size during purchase and the edges are painted so each piece can be hung on its own or framed.
