Saturday delivery
 

This commission is being delivered Saturday morning. It was a toughie. After the suggestions made by Mischa and Steven I did take off the hair with a kneaded erasure and started over! Thank you for your help, it was enlightening. Frankly, I am relieved she is done and am pretty happy with it considering the photo ref I had to go on.

Next up, a scheduled appointment with a gentleman and his daughter for a photo shoot of his little girl.This commission is a result of one of the two auctions I participated in. I am looking forward to working off of my own photographs again, but a bit nervous as this will be the first time a "stranger" will come to my studio for a photo shoot. :bewildere

Thank you for looking

Patty

Patricia, I this you did a fantastic job with this one. It has such a light, delicate and sensitive feel about it. Very graceful. Congratulations!

David

Thank you , David. It is encouraging to hear that you find it light and delicate. The pic I used was of her on the railing of a boat with people all around her, a very crowded snapshot!

Oh Pat, this turned out beautifully. I love the little hand -- so soft, very well done!

Good luck with your photo session. (It helps to pre-set as many of your camera settings to where you'll want them ahead of time :) ) Good Luck!

Thank you, Terri. Yes, I am going to use my daughter-in-law and new granddaughter this weekend, take bunches of pictures to decide a couple of good setups. I think the greatest challenge will be engaging the five year old, hoping that she responds to my grandmotherliness (is that a word??!) I don't have the greatest camera, but I am going to borrow my sister's and use both of them so that I can take a couple hundred shots!!! I've reread every thread on the forum about photo references which is such a great aid.

Nicely done.

When the client is there try to breathe slowly. Also move and talk more slowly than you normally would. Rushing around and talking fast gives away a lack of confidence.

Thank you, Sharon. I will do just that, I would not have thought about it. Interestingly, I have held that Cleveland, Ohio is a poor city for portraiture. When I spoke to the gentleman yesterday he said his wife can't understand why he would even want a portrait done! He had no idea what the procedure is (even though I attached a description of the process of creating a portrait) and actually sounded nervous talking to me. This actually boosts my confidence a bit. He may have an image of me wearing a beret and white smock with really puffy sleeves!!

And as far as his wife is concerned, I reassured him that she would understand his desire for a portrait of their precious daughter when she sees the finished product. And I told him, "this will be fun"! I sure hope so...

Do wear the beret and smock and add a Daliesque moustache. That'll convince him.

I bet you look cute in a beret Pat ;)

A little trick that I sometimes use with the kids is to play 'mirror' with them-- asking them to move/hold their head the same way that I move mine, like a mirror, then tilt angle my head different ways and make different expressions. . . it can help if they're stiff (they're thinking about what you're doing rather than getting their picture taken). . . and for a little while, anyway, they seem to think that's fun. . . it helps to get some variety in angles/poses, too. Another trick is to get them settled, tell them to relax that you're just adjusting some camera settings, and talk to them while you 'pretend' to futz with the camera (really you're taking pictures) -- sometimes you can get some really nice relaxed shots this way. . . anyhow, just some things to keep in your back pocket. . . It sounds like you're gonna be ready for them.

Pat, this looks great. You are going to turn Cleveland around and bring it into the forefront of the portrait world singlehandedly!

Sharon,
Do you think I could find a red mustache?? What a hoot!

Terri,
No, I look terrible in hats. Once went to an actual milliner with a friend, who of course looks beautiful in hats. They insisted on trying to find one for me and....the saleswoman shook her head after about fifteen hats and exclaimed, "I never met anyone who wore hats so, so, poorly" I could only laugh (I have a really narrow forhead)
Thank you, though for all your GREAT ideas. I will do just that with the mirror, then I thought to have coloring books and crayons at the table, and I am going to fill my easel with huge paper and magic markers. I like the idea of telling her to relax while I fuss with the camera...would never have thought to do that. I will let you know how it goes in the photo critique section in a couple weeks. I'm excited.

Alexandra you are so kind. Cleveland is a tough city to change, people are so set in their ways, but come on, who could resist a darling portrait of their little one...

Hi Pat,

Nicely done! I especially love the way the arm has turned out- great modeling. I am happy to hear you are picking up commissions. It's nice to see when hard work finally pays off. Good for you ;)

Thanks Enzie,
I hope all is going well for you too. I really loved seeing your portfolio in July, we did have fun, didn't we?!
Take care,

Reporting back,
This is the first portrait of a stranger I have had to deliver myself (the others were out of town so I was not there to see the customer's reaction). My customer owns a small Greek restaurant so I arrived before her customers began to trickle in. She said, "Oooooh, my BABY!!!" She folded her arms around herself and tears welled in her eyes. Then she picked it up and oohed and aahed some more. She commented on her eyes ("you captured her personality EXACTLY!) and she loved her arm and hand, "Oh my baby's round hands are so cute!!!" Then as I ate my breakfast and people started to trickle in, she had to bring the portrait to every one of her customers. I ran out of business cards!!!

I've been floating all weekend! Once again, I am reminded of why I love doing portraits so much, what could be more rewarding than to hear from your customer that you have captured the essence/spirit of their loved one!

Pat--

Nice job...Let us know how everything turns out.

Best--TE

Follow-up,
I took everyone's advice, except to get a mustache and wear a beret? Before the client arrived I cleaned up my studio, put a screen between studio and my living area, boiled water for tea, put on a pot of coffee, set out cookies. Set my portfolio on my table, made sure all my portraits were hanging in clear view, laid out contract and pen, set up the photo shoot corner with toys so that little Claire could see what it would look like when she came back on a Sunday afternoon, and I S L O W E D down my breathing and pretended to be a true professional artist (if you don't feel it fake it - learned that years ago when I owned my own business).

Well, the client came with his little girl and his wife (who was not sold on the idea) By the time they were ready to leave they had asked many questions about doing portraits of their two boys also! :) And little Claire is BEAUTIFUL and did not want to leave!! They are scheduled for the photo shoot in two Sundays, pray for bright sky in my northern windows...

...thanks for your moral support, I depended on it last night!

Patricia,

Hot diggedy dawg!

Pat, nice to hear that its all working out for you. Yes!
I had a chance to look around your website today. You truly have some beautiful drawings! I do enjoy reeding your posts as well and am glad that you find time to share your experiences. Please continue and share. Did you say you have the Bargue book?

Sincere regards,
mischa

Congratulations Pat! This is all wonderful news.

Sharon - Yeah!!! It was really fun!
Mischa - thank you. I was happy to stumble upon the free website and it has come into use a few times! Thanks for the compliment.
Yes, I do have the Bargue Book and enjoy it immensely. Attached are two plates I completely enjoyed drawing.

Kim - thanks! May I be as prolific and expressive as you some day (one can dream!)

Oh Pat, congrats! This is wonderful, as they say, "fake it till you make it"!

Jean