Custom Oil Portraits: Completed Teen portrait varnished and ready to deliver

The last of three young adults graduated high school and has taken on some incredible volunteer work on a year off between classrooms. Here is the portrait I completed which captures some varied aspects of his character: his humor, intelligence and forward-thinking manner. A wonderful young adult launched into the world!

Luxury Gifts: Best Anniversary Gift, being thankful for ones Loved Ones

While we are all enjoying the winter holidays, some will be looking ahead to special anniversaries next year in 2016. Sometimes the best anniversary gift that art lovers can buy from my site are custom oil portraits for their loved ones. These can be gift certificates for a certain type of painting, for example a 3/4 figure oil portrait that would include hands in a seated or standing figure painting of their spouse.

Another option is to have one's children painted for a spouse. This is a very popular gift and can be done with new photos I take (and some quick sketches done at that time) or from existing photographs. Sometimes there is a treasured photo in the home that works into a lovely custom commissioned portrait. In that case I get approval from the photographer to paint the image.

To learn more about commissioning a portrait, please click here.

Cutom Portraits: the next family portrait in the works

I had a wonderful visit today with a family for a sitting for a new custom portrait and I'm now ready to paint their 4 year old son. It does not seem like a year and a half since painting their oldest daughter, who was in kindergarten during my visit, so I did not get to see her. Here is her painting hanging in their home. To see this painting more clearly than this quick iPhone photo, please go to: http://www.soniahale.com/#!Maisie/zoom/c22q3/image17rv

Commission a Portrait: New Commissioned Portrait Paintings recently added to my website

Commission a Portrait: Indoors or Outdoors Setting

This question tends to take a bit more thought. For example, one recent client originally was thinking outdoors, but chose indoors so the focal point would be on her children. Another one wanted the classic outdoor painting for their child outdoor with a pet.

One possibility is to start both as options and see which you prefer. I work from photographs, so if there is any consideration of both options, I take photographs both indoors and outdoors (whether permitting). This allows for the parent to see the difference and for me to discuss how the photos will translate to a painting.



Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Commission a Portrait, getting Ready for the Commission: Choosing Between Oil and Pastel Portraits

When beginning the commission process, there are a number of decisions the art buyer must consider. One of the first is the medium. Sometimes a family will have the tradition of pastel children's portraits, having themselves been painted in pastel and their parents as well, and wonder whether to switch to oil. It feels like a big decision and they are uncertain. Sometimes they really cannot discern the difference between the mediums. Here are my thoughts, after having been working with families for over 15 years.

Key points to consider:

1. Care: If you are meticulous about taking care of things, a pastel will be a good choice. Pastels really need to be kept away from humidity. They also need to be kept from bright light or they made fade. In addition they are more fragile, as they are framed in glass and are created on paper.

Having said that, Mary Cassatt's (1844-1926) pastels are legendary and have survived a hundred years. When I visited the Louvre I saw amazing pastels by Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) and the Jean Chardin.(1699-1779) There is something in the fragile nature of pastels that is extremely compelling as well! They are endearing and treasured—— but must be cared for as well.

2. Style of portrait: pastels are generally a vignette and slightly more sketchy in appearance. You'll see in oil portrait below, how I was able to recreate the "vignette" feel by painting on a toned canvas. I did this to match the look of pastels of family members from prior generations.

3. Cost: Generally framing will be higher for a pastel, so the price will be about the same for a framed pastel vs a framed oil.

Here are a few samples of my work in these mediums below. You can click the links below the images to go to my website for more samples of these types of works.


Oil Portrait: Maisie



www.soniahale.com


Pastel Portrait: Bonnie




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Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Commission a Portrait...Full Length Girl's Oil Portrait unveiled for family in the South

Katie Blair
28" x 40"
oil on linen

It was a joy to work on this painting of this little Southern Beauty. Capturing her charm in her dear gesture was my goal. Her parents were extremely pleased and I was very happy to be entrusted to paint their daughter. Photo supplied by the ever-talented Elizabeth Dondis of New Orleans.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Commission a Portrait, Children's portraiture: Sketch for latest triple portrait

Here is a quick sketch I did for a new client for an custom oil portrait I'm working on: it shows the relationships between the children and the composition and facial expressions. My sketches are usually quick so that I can give my oil paintings the gift of genuine feeling rather than a robotic repetition/coloring of a sketch—something can get lost if an image has been sketched over and over again sometimes.

Custom oil portraits: children's portrait paintings: William

Dudley
oil on linen
28" x 22"
private collection

To go to my children's portrait commissions gallery

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

"Catherine" hanging at the Art Guild

My full-length children's portrait won Finalist recognition in the National Juried Portrait Competition and Exhibition at the Art Guild in Manhasset, New York.


www.soniahale.com

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com.