Our Top 5 Tips for Commissioning Portraits:

1) Capturing Likeness and Personality

Artists are skilled at capturing personalities as much as likeness in portraits and often have a ‘style’ for painting people. Be clear when commissioning an artist on whether you are expecting a mirror image or for artistic licence to be exercised. Choose an artist whose style you admire and ensure you have seen examples of previous portraits painted by the artist.

2) Think about the Setting

What with the setting be for your portrait? What do you want in the background? Are there particular objects that represent you or mean something to you that you would like to have incorporated? Special jewellery, books, or clothing can be carefully curated to help build up your portrait.

3) The Preparation

Will you be able to commit to sittings with the artist or will you supply a photograph for them to work from? Often artists ask to take their own photographs so that they have a set to work from. You can always send the artist further material though to help them build up the ‘picture’ of the subject.

4) Documenting the Journey

Often you will be able to agree to purchase sketches or preliminary work the artist undertakes as part of your portrait. Keeping a record of correspondence you have between yourself and the artist and gallery help build up the provenance of the work. Often clients choose to create a small book to depict the process they went through in creating the portrait to accompany it and allow others to enjoy and understand the process.

5) Displaying Your Portrait

Portraiture acts to capture and immortalise the sitter or sitters and thinking about how you will display the piece is important. Talk to the artist and gallery about framing and display that will finish off your masterpiece.

For a no obligation discussion about your portrait query, please do not hesitate to contact Gallery Director Isobel Beauchamp +44 (0) 07708 251 687 / Isobel@DegreeArt.com

What to read next:
- How to Commission a Portrait