Insight to March

PORTRAITS
Taking Advantage of an in-house model during lockdown 

A friend of mine asked me if I had ever thought of using my artists skills to paint portraits. I nearly died, didn't she know that portraiture work is a tricky tricky subject. One that could leave me having sleepless nights worrying about how the painting would turn out, and compared to the Old Masters, it seemed like an overwhelming challenge.  But as my artist skills improve with the hours at the easel, I find myself coming back to portrait work time and time again.

I am currently painting my daughter, a willing model, stuck at home during lockdown. I started by sketching using pencil for an hour once a week and after a month of sketches, I felt comfortable to explore painting her. I felt I knew her face inside out. I knew where the skin changed colour and the shadows fell across her neck, I thought I knew where the light reflected light back off her skin but nothing prepared me for actually painting this portrait. When painting there is always a stage in the process when the painting looks ugly, and this is where I am currently in my portrait of my daughter,  I keep reminding myself this is the journey of the painting and not what my daughter looks like.  
In the age of over-documentation, when every wedding features a full film crew and couples give screenings of their honeymoon pictures; when no mantelpiece is safe from the triptych photo card, be it for Christmas, birth or engagement; when instant self-reflective gratification is all that we know, why are we not indulging ourselves in portraiture?
Here are things that make me smile related to portraiture.
Portrait Firenze
Royal Society of Portrait Painters

How much does it costs to commission a portrait?
Prices are based on size and complexity, but as a rough guide, a 40x50cm portrait painting is between between £1,500 - 3,500.  It take time to paint a really good process and really should not be rushed.
A head portrait take around 4 weeks and a full figure portrait up to 6 weeks.
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