An illustrated personal portrait is a gift to give to those you love at any significant event.
The Diary of an Artist - blog 0009 by Marina Manukian - Illustrated personal portrait
When I photograph people, I feel like I'm stealing their moment. A moment they prepare for, with the thoughts that go through their heads: how to stand? What to do with hands? Where to look? Smile? When I draw the people according to the picture they sent, the moment has already passed. And now it remains only to observe, enjoy and remember.
The Diary of an Artist - Marina Manukian's blog 0009 - Illustrated personal portrait
A gift for every significant occasion
The personal paintings I design are a special souvenir to give as a gift. The illustrated portrait is suitable to give as a gift to a colleague who leaves the workplace. It can be a gift for a grandmother celebrating a birthday. The personal portrait is a special gift to a mother who has remarried, or to a father who is moving apartment and to a grandfather who already has everything. I had orders for personal portraits for nephews who had graduated or had been discharged from military service. If you're looking for a gift for a friend that will preserve your sweet memory, choose an illustrated portrait.
How does it work?
My creative process begins with choosing the right image for your drawing. Give me as many photos as possible! Not pixelated! One megabyte size is enough. I will usually choose the one with the smile. In my opinion, the illustrated portraits with a smile are the best.
If you don't have a good photo, you should take one by following these guidelines:
Take a picture, better not in the evening. There is not enough lighting and the flash flattens the photo.
Don't take pictures indoors. At the house doesn't have enough lighting to capture the details. If you do decide to photograph indoors, then do so during the day by the window, with the photographer standing with his back to the window. In this way, the light coming from the window will illuminate the person being photographed or photographed. The common mistake is to film by the window and the figure comes out in a dark silhouette in the photo.
Film multiple times, at multiple angles. It is better for the person to look a little to the side rather than directly to the camera. By moving the face a little to the left, we add depth to the character.
There is a possibility that a professional photographer will come to you to take pictures for the painting. I will be happy to send you recommendations or alternatively invite me to your home for the photography in preparation for the painting at an additional cost.
In addition to the photos, add a short sentence to the invitation, to whom you are giving the illustrated portrait and what event are you celebrating. Knowing more details connects me better to creating the portraits.
During the work on the piece, I will send sketches to get an impression of the creative process. At the end of the process, I create a short video from the creative process and send it to the invitees for free sharing.
The paintings are black and white
Well, the grayscale painting started as an exercise in learning software designed for professional illustrators from Adobe Illustrator. There are 10 ranges in this color palette, which starts from 0% black and continues to 100% black in 10 increments. Every graphic illustrator begins to draw in the basic shades with an emphasis on the colorful tones.
I was very attached to this style of painting, and the shades of gray colors I choose to place intuitively. I look at the color photography and translate it into shades of gray. This is how the painting goes through my interpretation of the illustrated portrait. I may stop painting personal portraits in black and white, I may not. Time will tell.
Accentuate the drawing with a colored background
Black and white portraits are more noticeable when you add color on the back. Of course, there is an option to have the final drawing without a background. This way you will get an elegant and minimalist painting. And if you want to get a pop art painting, I recommend adding a background color to the painting.
What background color should I choose for an illustrated portrait?
Well, it depends on who the painting is intended for and where it will be placed.
If the painting is intended as a gift for Mom, ask her what color she prefers. Think about where she can put the painting or hang it at home. The popular size is size A4 (21x30 cm). The painting of this size can be hung in a bedroom or living room. To place the drawing on the desk in the office, it is recommended to print it in postcard size 10x15 cm or wider size, 13x18 cm.
If the painting is intended as a gift to Grandma, it is worth seeing which rooms have a place to hang the painting. It is best to hang in a bedroom. I painted my family and printed each portrait separately. We hung the paintings in my grandmother's bedroom. She says that her every morning shines brighter after she sees the colorful wall with family portraits.
Printing on canvas or paper?
It depends on your budget. Printing on canvas is the more expensive option. The advantages of printing on canvas are: long-term preservation of the work, the texture of the canvas adds an additional artistic effect to the painting, it is possible to stretch the canvas on wood or add additional colors by a special frame. There are varied and colorful combinations according to personal taste. I can send you simulations of the combinations to choose from or alternatively you will receive the drawing rolled up in the shipment and the combinations will be done according to your personal taste.
In the case of printing on paper, the maximum size is 80x80 cm, while canvas has no limit.
How soon will the drawing be ready?
The creative process can take between 3 and 5 business days, sometimes longer, depending on the number of figures in the family portrait. For printing the drawings on paper, you will add another 3 days, and 5 days for printing on canvas. If you choose home delivery, you need to add an additional 3 days.
My recommendation
Don't book the surprise illustrated portrait. If the painting is intended as a gift for Mom, share your choice with her. The style of my paintings is graphic rather than realistic. I don't draw all the details, for example teeth. In my first exhibition "Colleagues, Friends, Family" I presented 20 portraits of people I know. One of the guests at the exhibition asked me why there were no teeth in the portraits. Until that moment, I hadn't noticed that the teeth were missing. In the following portraits I tried to add, and felt that they were unnecessary. Our eye, for most of us, fills in the blanks and makes the figure complete. My paintings are intended to capture the figure drawn in general outlines, and not to show reality as it is. That's what we have photographs for.
For more details about the illustrated personal portrait click here