Commissioning a Portrait
If you would like to commission a portrait, I personally think there are three main elements that make a portrait unique and must be considered; the style, the sitter and the setting.
Style.
I would say the style of painting is normally the first thing a person looks for when commissioning a portrait, it reflects their overall taste and will normally complement their own style. All portrait painters will adopt their own unique style of painting; this style is unique to the artist and is their real signature, rather than the name written in the corner of the picture. If I had to define my own style I would say it is realistic, with care and detail being given to every part of the painting using traditional painting techniques. I feel this use of detail allows a person’s subtle individuality to be best depicted.
Sitter.
In the end I believe it is the commissioner who decides how the sitter should present themselves but I personally always think it is a good idea to talk a bit about the intention of the portrait, who it’s for, where will it hang and generally get to know the sitter a little as well and from that make my suggestions as how to achieve the desired affect of the portrait. The sitter doesn’t always have to be a person, I can be an animal or even a treasured object, it up to the commissioner.
Setting.
While a setting may not seem important in a portrait, as the sitter is the main subject, I personally feel it can say a lot more about the sitter than the face alone. For many people their house, place of work or garden is an extension of their personality, the objects, books and artworks that they have collected around them express aspects of them that others can relate to. This is why if possible I like to have a setting for my portraits and I ask those commissioning a portrait to think about a possible place or room that would help express those other aspects which a face otherwise wouldn’t.
