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.

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.

Choosing between Pastel vs. Oil Portraits

Can you tell which is the oil and which is the pastel? The boy is in oil, and the girl pastel.

I am often asked about the pros and cons of pastel vs. oil portraiture. I studied under Constance Flavell Pratt for pastel portraiture, learning the nuances of handling of this lovely, ethereal medium. I have worked in both pastel and oil for portraiture for over ten years now, and have painted in oil for decades.

Both are timeless works of art, however pastels are intrinsically more delicate. A pastel is essentially chalk on paper; though archival, elite materials are used. Like a butterfly, a baby, a rainbow, I believe we love pastels for their delicacy; how they capture a tenderness of life, but like all delicate things you have to be more watchful not to incur damage.

What do I mean by damage?

—Water/mildew: Never, ever store a pastel (or any work of art for that matter) in a basement.

—Pastels must be hung out of direct sunlight to prevent the fading of color pigments.

—The unframed surface is easily marred since most artists do not spray-fix them as that alters the delicate colors. Until they are framed with glass do not let the cat check it out! As an artist I have heard stories of rambunctious children waltzing into rooms and ruining pieces in the works still in studios.

—Take extra care when hanging/transporting the framed piece as it is in glass. At an art exhibition the organizers were trying out new hanging apparatus and artwork was dropping to the floor. I pulled out my pastel early.

Of course these types of events are fairly rare, but I feel that the ideal owner of a pastel is be a careful person who will watch out for their art and remember they must take good care of it.

Oils are more resilient and framing costs can be less for the same size piece: sometimes that can mean that it is a better "buy" to purchase the oil, if you prefer oil, as the price will be about the same as a consumer, with the purchase of the painting and the frame in total. Framing a pastel is an elaborate process of a custom-cut double matt, glass and frame. However if you want a rainbow, sometimes you are willing to go the extra half-mile for it!

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.