Portrait Art

None of the Art in this section is for sale.  It has all been done as commissions, gifts or even just because I felt like it.

Over the years many people have told me how much they love my work but aren’t comfortable with hanging erotic art in their house.  I am an artist.  Not just an erotic artist.

Please take a look at the portraits and if you are interested in having a portrait of a yourself or someone special to you done please feel free to contact me. I have also included some other still life art as sometimes special items can become great pieces of art too.

How I create Portraits?

It is really very simple, I work from photos. In a perfect work one might expect to sit for the artist and pose for them until the drawing is done but that doesn’t work for me and in the end it works better to have that non-moving photograph to work from.

After I see the photo or photos for a group portrait, you have in mind, I will give recommendations on what will be the best size and media to use to make the best portrait. Some compositions just must be done in color, while others will be way better in the contrast of black and white. It just all depends on the subject. The final size also depends greatly on the photo too. A drawing of a person from head to toe will not work in the very small format of 5 X 7. There would just be no detail at all nor would you hardly see anything that would make it special. Yet, a head and shoulders view of a person works very nicely in that small format.

Payments for Portraits—

Once we have come to the agreement on size and color or black and white, there is only one thing left to do before the drawing starts. I require that half the drawing be paid for upfront and the other half will be due before I will ship the final piece to you. Along with price of the drawing, you will be paying for shipping, sent priority and insured. I can accept PayPal, Visa and MasterCard of course money orders and checks are okay as well but keep in mind that checks will have to clear before shipment will be made of the final product.

How long will the portrait take?

In some cases that can be as quick as a week or as long a months. There is no easy answer for that…because for some weird art reason some people are easy to draw while others are a fight to make come to life. But it give me a “need it by” date I can promise you will have it by then. Also larger drawings take way more time to get done, it is all about the size. Color takes longer than black and white. No matter what the case is though you won’t be waiting years for it to happen…it will be quick process in the end from beginning to end.

I already have photo’s…why should I get a portrait done?

Photos are very nice and well done photos in there own right can be priceless in their art and style but a portrait is a different animal and the reasons for getting one are much more sentimental.

You won’t have a portrait of your kid opening a Christmas gift…that is what a snap shot is…still from that moment to keep for years to come. To tell the stories of the happy moments of your life but a portrait is more to tell the story of the person as a whole, their inner self as much as the outer. It isn’t about just the moment…it is the whole life that has passed with this person, the energy they give off. And as much as I draw in a photo realistic style, I am not looking to reproduce the photo as much as I am looking to get the feeling behind it.

Let me give you an example of two portraits that I know are now family heirlooms and will be treasured by the families forever. One is a portrait I have in my home and the other lives in the home of my Husband’s Aunt Ellie. Both these portraits were done from love and a need to find beauty in tragedy. You see both portraits are of people we lost. One is my daughter Sarah, only 2 when she passed from this life and the other Stacy a young woman who left her life all too soon for those that loved her. When I did the portrait of Sarah it was for myself, I used a photo I had of her with an impish grin on her face and wrapped her in angel wings. I did that drawing in one day…amazing for color 16 x 20 drawing but it was like a woman on a mission. When Ellie asked me to do the drawing of Stacy, it was a different matter. I didn’t ever know her but I talked to Ellie about her and could see the love she felt, along with the pain of her loss. I spent a month almost everyday working on the drawing of Stacy. I studied the picture in great detail, I looked into her eyes to find what was behind them. I put a hint soft angel wing behind her and the day Ellie came to get the drawing I was nervous wreck hoping I had captured this girl she loved so much. Ellie was thrilled with the results and knew I had it right on the money. She felt the same joy I did when I looked at the drawing of Sarah. Something of them had come back to life for us, and it would be with us always.

That is what a portrait is, a piece of a person that will be there always. It doesn’t matter if it the grandkids together for the Christmas gift to Grandma and Grandpa. It doesn’t matter if it is long passed favorite Grandma, or a picture of your wedding day. We all have people and moments that are so much more than just what a photo can give. They have more magic and power than that and because of that, they deserve to be more by giving them a life as a piece of art.

I have photos that I love but they are far from perfect. Is that still okay?
Yes it is, fear not about the weird shadow, or a darn pimple that showed up that day, red eye or a bad hair day. None of these things need be part of the drawing. In fact I will just leave them out or correct them as the case may be. What you need to do when choosing your photo is look for one that really gives the best energy of the person, who they really are? Perfection isn’t the point, heart and soul are.

I am going to take the photo now to use. What should I keep in mind?
As I said before a portrait is the soul of the person, so think about poses that really give you an inside view into them. One thing to keep in mind, skip having the person look directly into the camera, it tends to flatten the face and create more problems, it really isn’t the best pose for artwork. Make sure you have good light but some shadow is important too, as that is what gives the contrast of the drawing. Try not to get that mug shot view of your subject. Relax, laugh make it an easy event, and the pictures you get out of it will be way better. If you live in the phoenix area, I will be glad to come and take the photo for you.

Types of photo’s and file sizes for sending the photo…

I can deal with either digital or print photo, scanned and e-mailed or snail mailed to me. The most important thing is file size. I can accept any file size via e-mail as I have no limits, so a good quality image is key. The point is that I actually need to see the subject. A small resolution digital photo from across the room probably will don’t be good enough, but sometimes sending extra photos sent with it can give me enough of the details to cover what is lost in the low resolution. If you are scanning a photo you have to email to me, just scan it at 300 DPI and email it. Don’t correct it or do anything else to it, it is easier for me to do that myself. If you are snail mailing it, the photos will be returned to you when the drawing is done or sooner if you need them back quickly. If you have a very small photo print to use, talk to me first before you scan it so I can consult with you about how best to get a large enough image.

Fear Not!

As intensive as the effort sounds to get a portrait done, it really isn’t that much work. You can take care of everything in short order and then leave it to me to make it all beautiful in the end. And certainly, I am always available to answer any questions you might have, just click on the contact link on the left and you will have lots of options for getting in touch with me.