How to Commission a Horse Portrait From an Equine Artist

Commissioning a portrait of your favourite horse is a wonderful way of honouring your equine partner and of gaining a beautiful piece of original artwork at the same time. Equestrian art has been shown to hold its value, so if you choose your equine artist carefully your portrait will also be an investment, not that you'll ever want to part with it of course!

The first step is to choose your equine artist. There are a wide range of styles and media out there. Some artists favour a very natural almost photographic style, while others interpret moods and feelings with a freer style. Look at several portfolios before deciding, and go with your gut feel and what you like.

Commissioning a portrait of a specific horse is different from just buying an equestrian painting. First of all you want to know that the artist you're thinking of is experienced in portraiture. A good portrait will capture those little details that make your horse unique: the expression in the eye, the prick of the ears, the arch of the neck.

Ideally your artist should be able to meet your horse before starting the painting. While a good photograph can also be an effective starting point, there is nothing to beat spending some time with a horse, observing his or her individual characteristics and seeing him from all angles, perhaps taking a series of photographs to work with. So if at all possible choose an artist from your area, so that you don't have to add huge travel costs to the commission.

A portrait can be done without meeting the horse if circumstances dictate. Perhaps this portrait is to be a memorial of a dear friend that is no longer with you. In this case look out the best photos you have. Provide the artist with pictures taken from several different angles, in motion and still, close up and full length. The more detail you can provide, the better chance the artist has of creating a life-like portrait.

Discuss all aspects of the painting with the artist and get a price quoted on that. Prices will depend on the size of the canvas, the medium used (oil paint, acrylics, mixed media, watercolour and so on), the framing requirements and the complexity of the subject. Do you want a head and shoulders portrait or a full length portrait of your horse in motion? Do you want a realistic background of the stables or a familiar landscape, or a creative swirl of colour and mood? Some of these things will depend on the signature style of the equestrian artist that you've chosen.

Once all has been discussed and agreed, leave the rest up to your chosen equine artist and then enjoy the completed portrait on your walls ever after.

Kit Heathcock, freelance writer, is writing for Rachel Dubber, a well-known equine artist and photographer, with a lifelong passion for horses. She creates a wide range of stunning horse art, photography and sculpture. Currently based in Cape Town, South Africa she portrays the individuality of each equestrian subject, both for portrait commissions and for her own art.

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My Thoughts on Portraiture and Portrait Paintings

Portraiture has been around for many centuries. It is one of the things that are taught in school as a part of various art classes. Everyone knows that there are many art schools that teach people to paint portraits, so there must be a great number of gifted portrait artists around us. Portrait is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear "art". However, when a young family feels the need to get it (that usually happens when babies are born and people naturally want to get something that will remind them of such joyful moments), they turn to a regular photo studios around the corner. Somehow no one, or at least not too many people, even thinks about finding a real portrait artist and commissioning a portrait.

I was wondering why that is... And I really can not come up with an answer. I understand why everyone seems to think that getting a hand full of photos from a portrait studio is the way to go, it is easy, fast and not too expensive. And in many cases photographers create real art using their cameras. But why not commission a portrait?

There are many advantages that paintings have over the photos. Your photo is just a reflection of you. A portrait painter has an opportunity to add his/her own personality into the painting. Every painter has his/her own style and way of doing things. All that goes into a painting making it truly unique. What better gift could you find?

Some good photographers play with the setting, clothes and backgrounds to create a unique portrait, but they are still limited to what is there. I mean they can not create something completely fictional, at least not with the camera. Portrait artists on the other hand, are free to use their imagination. If you want, they can create a fantasy portrait which will have totally fictional setting. Just imagine all the possibilities.

In my humble opinion, a traditional painting is a great gift that you can give to yourself. You can easily find a good portrait artist and commission a portrait for a very reasonable price nowadays. You can get a nice watercolor portrait for about $200 - $400 dollars. A pencil drawing could cost you about the same. Oil portraits, however, can be more expensive in certain cases, mainly because the price of the materials is higher. In any case, if you manage to find a great artist, you will not regret the money spent. If the portraiture has existed for so many centuries, there must be something to it.

Here is where you can get some creative family portrait ideas. You will see that there are many gifted portrait artists around us, the only problem is to find the right one.

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How to Find an Artist to Paint a Family Portrait

Portrait painting makes a great gift for a special family occasion such as anniversary, graduation, birthday, wedding or Christmas. What makes a portrait an extraordinary gift? Why is this gift so special? Maybe because it is personal, it shows that the person giving the gift really cares about us. Everyone likes to receive gifts that have been made especially for them. And portrait fits perfectly.

So, you decided to commission a portrait. Where do you start looking for a portrait artist to create a portrait for you? You will have to spend some time finding the best artist for the job.

First, don't forget to ask your friends and relatives. They may have commissioned a portrait before. The best thing about your friends and relatives is that they are not trying to sell you anything. They will honestly share their opinions and experiences. They may be able to give you some advice and refer you to a portrait artist they already know. Some of your friends may even be artists themselves. Just remember that not all artists actually can draw or paint people, you need to find a professional artist specializing in portraiture. Portrait artist has the unique ability to capture likeness and character of a person.

Many artists today have their own websites. You can view the examples of their work, read artist statements, biographies and find some other useful information. You can also get a pricing information, although some artists don't put it on the website, so you will have to contact the artist via e-mail or directly through the site. Many artists have their individual art blogs, so that they can connect with other artists and share their ideas. Artists like to show their works-in-progress on their blogs. Which is a great opportunity for you to find out more about them. It is always a good sign when artists share their artistic processes openly. That shows that artists care about their work and actively try to improve their skills. It is also a sign of being open minded, and being open minded is a prerequisite for being creative.

Another way of finding a portrait artist is to visit an online portrait artists directory. There are websites featuring regional, national and international portrait artists. You can browse artists' portfolios and select artists whose style you like the most. Often directories include the pricing information as well, it allows you to compare various artists by price and helps you to stay within your budget. Any good directory will also provide links to artists' websites, so that you can contact them for more information and request a quote.

One of those portrait artists directories is Portraity. You can find great portrait artists and find creative family portrait ideas there.

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Portrait Painting Techniques - How to Paint Hair

Painting Hair

Painting portraits is a great hobby that gives both the artist and the model much pleasure. It is better for both however if the texture, color and flow of the hair closely matches the model. Follow these steps to obtain more realistic colors in your next portrait.

Before painting hair, you should always have the rest of the face finished first. The flesh color extend into the hairline. This is so that the flesh color shows through and the hair does not look unnatural. Remember that hair is much more than one layer, therefore, you need to paint it in layers. There are also hundreds of shades of hair color. To keep it as simple as possible try to base each portrait with, blonde, brown (this includes red), black or gray.

Under paint the entire hair area with a very light mixture of one of these colors. These are called undertones. This under painting will actually be the highlights because as you work you will not cover all of this. Notice where the dark or shadowed areas are and paint them in. Now use a darker color and start stroking in hair strands. Black is the opposite. Start with the darkest as the undertones, then add lighter layers. Continue until you are satisfied with the results. It is very easy to overdo hair. Know when to stop!

Here are the colors you will use for any hair tone. Remember to apply the undertones first

Blonde (Reds) Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Medium, (Alizarin Crimson)

Use Burnt Umber to darken blonde and red hair

Brown Titanium White, Burnt Umber

Use Cadmium Red or Ivory Black for red or blackish tones

Black Ivory Black Undertones

Warm Black - Ivory Black & touch of Brown

Cool Black - Ivory Black & touch of Blue

Gray Titanium White, Ivory Black for a Gray Undertone

Warm Gray - Ivory Black & touch of Brown

Cool Gray - Ivory Black & touch of Blue

Start the first layer, or undertones with a very watery mixture of paint. Use a medium to large brush because you are not painting details. Don't try to paint in individual hair strands at this stage. Start adding more paint color to your brush and add some more layers. Pull the brush in the direction of the flow of hair. Use a liner brush to add some indications of individual strands. Add any deep pockets of color to really give the portrait depth. I added some deep shadow on the side of the neck.

Congratulations! You should be well on your way to being your own master portrait painter. As always, don't forget to sign your painting.

If you want to see exactly how to paint people and landscapes in step-by-step lessons, follow the link here. Painting People and landscapes with oil, acrylic or watercolor paint. The best way to begin painting is to follow prescribed instruction and get your feet wet. With a little practice, you will be well on your way to a rewarding hobby of painting. Let http://www.iampainting.org/ show you how!

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Pet Portrait Pointers - Learn The Subtle Tricks Of Oil Painting

I have learned, when doing my pet portraits, that oil paintings have a luster and glow that cannot be matched by other works of art. Place an oil painting next to, for instance, a painting done with something like acrylics, and this will become plain to see. Here are some things you should remember when using oil in paintings.

When creating an oil painting one should increase the amount of oil for each overlapping layer of paint. This is important because the lower layers of paint tend to 'suck' at the high layers of oil. Proper layering will decrease the chances of the oil cracking on the top layers of paint.

The drying time of oil is can be highly variable from one color to another color. Using a color like ivory black, for instance, will result in that particular oil drying slower than other colors. As silly as it sounds, one needs to actually 'watch the paint dry' to get an idea for this.

Linseed oil is a very valuable material if you want your painting to dry evenly. It is especially useful in the underlying layers of oil in your painting. Linseed oil has a tendency to to dry at the same, even rate.

You should know, however, that linseed oil is not good for all colors. It can cause certain lighter types of colors to 'yellow.' So you should avoid the use of linseed oil whenever you are using lighter colors.

You can hurry up the dry time of your creation by mixing in the proper 'ingredients.' Paints having such elements as lead, cobalt and manganese, for instance, will speed up drying time considerably. You can also mix these pigments with other types of colors if you need a particular oil to dry faster.

And here's a funny one that won't occur to many people, if you dry your painting in the dark, a thin sheen of oil may rise to the surface. This will cause your painting to take on a yellowish tint. So you must leave the lights on when the oil in your painting is drying.

There are other things you should be careful of when working with oil, so the beginning artist must do is 9or her) research before starting work. Is your painting wrinkly, yellowed, sticky after a week, or even two, or (horrors) even three? Simply do a little research, and then, like I do with my pet portraits, start work on another painting.

Want to know more about Oil? Want to have your pet portrait done? Head over on over to http://conniescustompetportraits.com/conniescustompetportraits.com.

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