Commissioned Portraits: Custom Oil Sibling Portraits

I have completed the sibling of these two young woman (as they are today). I painted each sibling at the time of their high school graduation which was quite a joy.

It should be noted that while the family resemblance happens to be marginal in these three young adults, they are equal in wonderful traits, such as charm and intelligence!

I will post the new painting tomorrow. Then it will be varnished and delivered. There was some discussion that the adorable family dog may be next as there are no more children to paint!

Luxury Gifts, Luxury Gifts Online—Last Minute Shopping with Great Thought

For anyone who might be looking for a spectacular Christmas gift(or other occasion), but simply have not been able to get out and shop, I'd like to suggest a portrait of your loved one (or of your children) in 2016. What a lovely way to show your love and have something fun to look forward to. . . the unveiling!

I can email you a gift certificate, which can be wrapped.

Gift certificates are available for "head and shoulders", "3/4 figure" (which includes hands, but not feet in the painting) or full length portraits.

These also make memorable gifts for Anniversaries and Birthday gifts for those who may be ahead of many of the pack who are still finalizing Christmas gifts!

These gifts are enduring and will never be lost or forgotten. Please see my testimonials page to learn how moved family members are about these portrait gifts!

To enquire about gift certificate or a commission, please email me at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Luxury Christmas: Luxury Gifts for Men who have Everything!

So you have been thinking for weeks of what would be a unique gift for the man in your life who has everything! (Anniversary, Christmas, Birthday...)

He has all the finest clothes he can wear, first rate sporting goods, all the lovely luxuries in life and more. What else would be special? I would like to suggest that a wonderful, memorable gift for such a person is a portrait. This can be painted from existing photographs or we can plan a time for me to visit to make a quick sketch and take photographs. It could be a portrait of him or of your child(ren).

The beauty of this gift is it will never need batteries or gather dust in a corner!

To learn more about how to commission a portrait for your loved one, please click here.

Posthumous portrait: On the easel

I am currently working on a posthumous portrait for a lovely young woman. She lost her Mom so early in her life and therefore I am honored to paint this commission of her mother. It will be on the smaller side and I started it at 8 x 10, but now just this morning decided the painting will look better at 9 x 12 and I know she'll be pleased that the painting will be larger. This is a design decision, based upon my years of graphic design and 17 years of painting commissioned portraits. I am most decidedly not a factory, but hopefully at the end of the day, a place with an intersection of thoughtfulness, care, art and joy.

I am eager to complete a few paintings in my studio before Christmas and I'm working hard on the weekends and doing my holiday shopping during the week.

To commission a painting, please email me at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Hand-painted Portraits: A gift for Generations

Custom portraits enrich a home like no other artwork. Capturing your children in youth is an amazing thing to be able to do.

Here are some considerations in commissioning a portrait:

1. If you have more than one child are you going to have all your children painted at the same time or individually at at certain age?

2. Would you like an indoor or outdoor portrait(s)?

3. What will they wear? Do you want a more formal portrait or casual portrait?

4. What is your ideal timeline for completion of the painting(s)? Are the paintings a gift?

5. Do you have a budget for the painting(s)?

6. Would you prefer an oil or pastel portrait?

Getting started on portraits is as simple as sending an email to explore these topics. We can talk about your timeline and pricing.

I'd love to talk to you about your commissioned portraits. Send me an email and we can get started on your heirloom portraits. To send me an email, please click here soniahale1@gmail.com.

Luxury Gifts for the Man who has Everything: a painting of your Children, Pets or Vacation home view

Choosing the gift for the man who has everything takes some thought. If they truly have all their personal needs taken care of, thinking outside of the box can be fun in gift-giving. A Dad will be very moved by having a portrait commissioned of his children. Since it is just a few weeks before Christmas, a gift certificate can be wrapped and presented.

For more information, please click here: soniahale1@gmail.com.

Choosing the Best of Portrait artists for your Commission: Portrait Artist for hire

Before hiring a portrait artist you need to consider a few things:

1. Before you hire an artist you should ask yourself, do you love the artist's style? Portraits are emotional pieces and a labor of love by the artist, as well as the gift of love by the buyer. These pieces will endure for decades and become a testament of your family's strength.

2. Are you comfortable with the artist——do you trust them to paint your commissioned portraits on time and in the manner you envision? Will they make any changes you request without it becoming a battle? Commissioned portraiture requires a special temperament on behalf of the artist. Where this is not "fine art" to be completed and sold as such, the artist should be very willing to hear your response to the painting(s) and make adjustments if you so desire.

3. What is the artist's background: how many years of study have they taken on? Do they have a proven track record and testimonials which back their abilities?

I have found the vast majority of my paintings are accepted without any adjustments, many with small adjustments done in a half hour or less and a very small percentage have had any more adjustments than that. This was due to the family members having opposing ideas of how they wanted the portrait subject to be portrayed. I work closely with families to be sure they are happy with the finished painting(s).

A comfortable feeling with the artist in all communications is important: that you feel your wishes are being heard.

To discuss a portrait commission please click here: soniahale1@gmail.com. You can rest assured that you will receive your painting on time and to your satisfaction, as I have been painting commissioned portraits for over 15 years. I have a full page of testimonials on my website: www.soniahale.com

Luxury Gifts: Best Luxury Gifts for Her

With consideration of some possibilities for Christmas, Anniversary Gifts or Birthday Gifts, a commissioned painting is a lovely idea for the woman who has everything. What could be more exciting than to have a portrait painted of oneself to have for forever?

There are some things to consider: would you like to have a gift certificate to wrap? Or is there a photo (ideally professional or high resolution) which would translate well to a painting?

Do you want to commission a head and shoulders painting or a 3/4 figure to include hands? A full length is available as well.

If you'd like to see more samples of my work, please click here.

To send me an email to discuss a portrait commission, please click here: soniahale1@gmail.com.

Luxury Christmas: Luxury Gifts, luxury gift

Christmas is coming in about 2 1/2 weeks. If you would like to consider a unique gift, a painted portrait of your spouse or significant other, your child/ children can make spectacular gifts. A gift certificate can be wrapped up for the fun of getting this in motion in 2016.

Send me an email at soniahale1@gmail.com to discuss details.

Oil portraits of Children: Children's portrait paintings

Painting children has been my passion since about 1998, about 15+ years ago. I started off by painting pastel portraits and took several workshops, included some with Connie Pratt a master pastel artist who taught me some of her secrets. Once I was comfortable with pastels and my own children were slightly older, I began oil portraits of children in earnest and I sought out the nation's leading, famous portrait artists to further understand how to paint portraits. I traveled nationwide to workshops and conferences, entered my paintings of children into competitions on a national basis and began accepting commissions. I was mentored by a famous portrait artist who is now in his late 80's.

Some of my first commissions were group portraits of moms and children and 5 cousins, which gave me a lot to work on.

I have been fortunate to paint some wonderful children from as nearby as my hometown and as far away as New Orleans.

I love depicting children's skin tones, eyes—their external and their character. Capturing a child on canvas is a joyous thing and these portraits can make lovely gifts.

To check in with me to discuss a commission, please click here: soniahale1@gmail.com.

Art Reproductions: oil painting reproductions

While I almost always work on original works, on occasion I will make an art reproduction to learn the techniques of the master art of the past. These studies have been vastly educational to me over the years and it is a pleasure to feel like one is walking in the shoes of a great painter of the past.

This is a copy of John Singer Sargent's Lady Agnew. A head and shoulders version of the painting.

To commission oil painting reproductions of existing paintings, please click here: soniahale1@gmail.com.

Posthumous portrait: Commission a portrait

The posthumous portrait is one of the most rewarding portraits that I paint for families. Remembering those who have passed on is very emotional. Sometimes I photograph family members who resemble the deceased portrait subject for more understanding of bone structure and coloring.

The best way the family can get ready for this type of portrait commission is to gather all the best photographs that are available at the highest resolution possible. We will review them and make a plan.

To discuss a portrait commission or posthumous portrait, please click here.

Commission a portrait: the Posthumous portrait

The posthumous portrait is about family bonds and so with the respect for my client these photos are small. The emotion of acceptance of a posthumous portrait is rewarding to me. Tears and "It's lovely," make all the hours of work meaningful to me.

This doctor's portrait will hang in India and I was very honored to be chosen to paint this posthumous portrait for this dear family.

To discuss a commission, please click here.

Luxury Christmas: for the Lucky Family Member who has everything

Choosing a gift for those who have everything can be a real challenge. They have all the clothes and material things that they could want, and you simply are stumped!
Well, a lovely and memorable gift can be a gift certificate to be painted in 2016! Can you imagine how exciting and flattered you'd be to receive such a gift?

I have painted children for parents and portraits of spouses.

If you have a suitable photograph you prefer to use over setting up a photo session with me, please include this in your email.

To learn more about this, please click here.

I'll look forward to making this gift a truly memorable and lovely gift for you and your family.

Portraits from photos: photo to portrait painting

It is very exciting to see the development of a painting from an ordinary photograph. The artist brings many tools to the commission, which is the result of cumulative years of study. Understanding of how to interpret a photo after spending years drawing and painting from life, understanding of how form works to make surfaces turn, understanding of composition, tone and color.

With all these gifts of understanding the portrait is painted. Without the years of dedication the painting will be a slavish lifeless copy, so when choosing an artist review their work carefully to be sure they are a good match for your custom portrait paintings.

To commission a portrait, please click here.

Commission a Portrait: Choosing between Oil and Pastel Portraits

Choosing between pastel or oil portraits can take some time and thought. One's family may have the tradition of having pastel portraits commissioned over a period of generations and yet, feel a pull towards oil. Or one may feel the seduction of the pastel strokes, which are a kind of magic in skin tones. Their is a purity in pastel, yet oil portraits are by nature more enduring as they are painted on more permanent materials. Yet, pastels hang in the Louvre which were created many hundreds of years ago. So, how does one choose. . .?

If you are truly torn, I'd consider whether you are able to expect your home to be fairly secure in terms of moisture and humidity. Moisture is damaging in particular to pastels as mold can grow. Your home may well be in wonderful control with climate control and this may not be a factor at all.

Other considerations are how you feel about the piece being framed with glass and the reflective nature of the glass. I personally find that charming.

Cost-wise pastels are traditionally priced at about 75% of an oil painting, for reasons which concern drying of paint and the seemingly more quickly achieved effort of a pastel. I have found that having the colors already in my box, it can be somewhat faster, though one has to find that perfect color—and once one is a very seasoned oil painter, mixing is very quick too.

Most artists today feel that pastels and oils should be priced at the same price point, but honor the age-old tradition of pricing them slightly less.

Framing costs can be higher due to the glass and double matt required for pastel framing, which is labor intensive.

Above are two samples, the top is an oil and the bottom a pastel.

To discuss a commission, please click here.

Family portrait artists: Commissioned Portraits of Children

I am currently painting several paintings for families who enjoy the portrait tradition and when each child is a certain age I once again am capturing them on linen. Painted portraits of children are the gift of a lifetime and I am always honored to be chosen to do these paintings.

To learn more about oil portraits of children and pastel portraits of children, please click here.