Commissions

Hi everyone! I am working on two commissions so I might be online here only sporadically for a while. However, I would like to ask a couple questions. As portrait artists (I'm including you, too, suzy!), commissions are part of our life as artists. As to the rest of the members here, do you accept commissions and, if you do, do you like or hate commissions? Are commissions an exciting challenge to you or something you do just because it is a way to make money?

Hi suzy!

Forgive me for being slow in replying here. Since most of the photos I was supplied had rather flat lighting, I just went with it. I already had too much "cutting and pasting" to do to worry about adding dramatic lighting. Financially, it was good money as I charged extra for it being a rush job in addition to the difficulty of piecing everything together. But, I would never do anything like that again...no matter what amount of money I was offered. I executed it in acrylics so that it would dry in time to be presented at the general's retirement dinner. I wasn't given enough time to do it in oils. I actually painted 36 hours straight in order to have it completed by the deadline. It was good I was much younger then. :) Unfortunately, I have no photographic record of it now. Many of my photos were lost when in the possession of a family member from whom I am now estranged. Such is life and relationships.

I am working steadily on the commissions. I will try to get some wip photos on here over the weekend. My planned move to France is March of 2017. However, it could be earlier depending upon the sale of my house. I am already selling off and giving away the huge amount of detritus one accumulates over the decades. lol

Sounds like a nightmare Debra,did you manage to tie in the lighting? Hope it was worthwhile financially.

Look forward to seeing what you're working on at present.When are you thinking of coming to France?

I can relate quite well as to being provided poor photographs from which to work. You can be given 6 different photos and the colors of the skin tones, hair, etc. look different in each one. The commission that gave me the biggest headache was that of a retiring general. Some of his men wanted to give him an oil painting in which he would be presented in uniform, leaning on a desk, with a cavalry hat on the desk beside him. Unfortunately, they did not have a photo of him in that pose. They also didn't have a photo of him in the uniform they wanted him to be wearing. Nor did they have a cavalry hat with a general's insignia on it. I created the painting from an assortment of photos and images cut from uniform catalogues. I guessed the color of his eyes and the shade of gray for his hair. It was a chore, to say the least, but I was told that his wife cried when she saw it and pronounced it perfect. So, I guess I did well enough. lol

Hi Debra, lucky you having a couple of commissions. I accept them as for me they're few and far between.I always end up being tighter than usual,which I don't like,especially if there are 2 or 3 heads,as I have to get a likeness and can't risk screwing up. The difficult part is getting a decent photo from the client,some seem to think if they give me a few different angles I can 'make up' how the face would look from the front!! And bad lighting,usually flat,or a photo has good memories,a group shot,where the head is no bigger than my thumbnail. I'm used to working on demand so that side doesn't bother me. And then,of course they might not like the painting...thats only happened once. I must say if I wasn't happy with the painting I wouldnt sell it,I could not sell a mediocre painting. Voila!