Choosing a Portrait Artist

Points to Consider When Choosing a Portrait Artist:

*     An artist rendered portrait is not a photo but should capture a likeness or spirit of the individual. This can vary from artist to artist based on ability, colour palette and even compostion.

*     Make sure you see plenty of work the artist has done in the past. Decide if you like their choices regarding colour, composition and overall style of the work in the artist's portfolio.

*      Don't be afraid to ask for examples of the original photo that the artist worked from in his/her portfolio pieces. There may be additions and/or omissions of details within the work. Make sure you have a clear understanding of this process as it relates to your portrait commission. If you really want some detail added or omitted make sure the artist is clear on this point. For example you may choose to change the background or colour of background.

*     Ask artist for their ideas or opinions and particularly related to compostion. A head and shoulder portrait is lovely, but a cropped and focused compostion can also be quite wonderful.

*     If you want to have updates during the process ask the artist. Some artists may not like to be constantly updating a client with photos but it is best to determine this prior to comissioning a portrait.

*    Be aware that colour on computer screens varies tremendously and will likely not represent actual work as calibration of screen to artwork and and visual on your computer is a long shot.

*    Above all make sure you like the majority of the artist's portfolio pieces. If you do admire the style in which they work it is likely you will love your finished portrait.



To view examples of photo comparisons from my portfolio see the following link to my website:



http://christinebeattieportfolio.weebly.com/portrait-comparison.html

" Exploring Cape Cod " - inspired by the work of Steve Hanks

" Exploring Cape Cod"

Watercolour on Curry"s 200 LB cp watercolour paper

I was inspired to paint this scene from a family photo after stumbling upon the work of american watercolour artist Steve Hanks whose realistic style of painting is beyond comprehension.

Take a look for yourself!

http://www.stevehanksartwork.com/

Terraskin Review

"So Worried" -Terraskin Review

"So Worried"

watercolour on terraskin

"So Worried" is the expression on this beautiful baby's face but it was also the expression on mine when I tried painting on Terraskin for the first time. For those of you who are unfamilar with terraskin it is a stable paper made from stone and non toxic resins. I was not sure if I would be wiping away paint with every new stroke of my paintbrush or not, hence the worried expression on my face. I was not sure if i would be able to get the ability to detail features with accuracy. Here is my first try at it and I would say it was quite a success. I actually loved it. This paper is stable and extremely forgiving and best of all very affordable.

This paper is water resistant, tear resistant, acid free, with no fiber. It is easy to cut accurately and although I have not tried it yet apparently you can emboss it or score it crisply and precisely. Terraskin is available in many different weights although I have only found one weight at the art store I go to, but now I am on the hunt for different weights.

The company advertises that it is good for oil painting, acrylic, charcoal, pen, pencil, inks, silverpoint, watercolour and paper cutouts. They also state that no trees, water or bleach is used in its production.

Here is the best part as a watercolour artist...You Don"t Need To Stretch It!!!!!!!!!!! This is a major plus for me as I seem to not be able to consistently get this right with traditional watercolour paper unless I use the really super heavy, expensive stuff.

There is some learning curve with this paper and I must admit there is some pickup of colour with brush strokes which is both a bad and GREAT thing. you can use a wet place to pick up or find highlights.

Oh yeah, there is another best thing about this paper and it is the colour you can achieve. It is vivid and luminous. I would say the pigmentation is very true on the paper and I think this fact increased the speed at which I finished this painting although I may have just got lucky...it happens although the moon, sun and stars have to be in proper alignment!...so I am guessing it was the paper affecting my ability to get the depth of colour I was looking for in my painting.

Thumbs up Terraskin!!!! I am a huge fan!