Since I cannot post any photos of the commission I have been working on, I thought I’d share this letter to my client with you all. I think it gives a pretty good picture of my painting process as well as a glimpse into what it’s like to work on commission.
Dear ______,
The work is going well here and I think the colors will be very pleasing to you as I am using the sort of buttery yellow you showed me as well as the pink you liked in happiness. (Crazy artist note: Alizarin crimson may be the best color in the world!) Once the sketch was completed Robin came in the studio and said hey, that really does look like ______ and ___. I am balancing between capturing your likeness and reflecting the childlike sense of wonder of the happiness piece. It is cartoon-y, to borrow a term from you, but also seeks to be quite recognizable.
So far, the background is painted and I am in the process of underpainting the facial features. I expect to move from there to the hand and then paint the clothing, which will be as in the photos you provided. I’m not sure how much detail to go into with you, so I will strive to give you a sense of the work I am doing while being careful not to get so specific that you are forming visual expectations of the piece completed. Of course, you are always welcome to ask questions or come take a peek, but we are a long way from finished.
I suspect that I will be working on this painting quite a bit now that it is well underway. I typically take my time with the design and sketching, moving away from the piece long enough to approach it with a fresh perspective. Then I begin the background and layer my colors there until it is close to complete, when I move into a value study of the central elements, in this case the figures. I then complete the background. This brings me to the most intensive painting time, when I tend to work late into the night or wee hours of the morning, as I work to create the main message of the piece. Toward the end of the painting, I take some time away from it, so that I can approach it with fresh eyes as I make any adjustments. It is always amazing to me how much one tiny line or dot can affect an entire piece.
That’s enough writing about my process for now, I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to ask questions along the way. I should mention that I appreciate having the photos I took of you to look at. I was particularly interested in the shape of your eyes when I took them, but have found them to be very communicative of your joy and thirst for life. I look at them every now and again, but not when I am working on the piece, and they always make me smile with recognition. I think that’s a great indicator of your connection with the happiness painting and the work I am doing for you now. Back to the studio for me. Warm wishes, Kathryn
Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll be happy to answer them. I would like to improve my ability to talk about my art and work and any dialogue is very useful to me right now.
Post a Comment