Handmade gifts are wonderful. There’s just something extra special about giving a great gift you’ve created, and definitely something warm and fuzzy about receiving such a gift, as well.
Say you want to create a brilliant piece of art for someone you love, or even just as a special treat for yourself. The problem? You’re not much of an artist.
You don’t know how to draw or paint. Maybe you’ve even tried it and the results have been less than spectacular. You’ve got a great idea for a piece of art based on a photo, you can have a professional artist tackle the project, bringing your creativity into play without ever touching a paintbrush.
You heard that right. You can have someone else, someone infinitely more skilled and experienced at creating art, execute your idea. The ideas, the creativity, and all the love behind the art piece are still all you but painted by a professional.
This might be a perfect opportunity if you’ve had a vision in your head that you’ve been unable to get out in a way that really expresses the idea you were hoping to get across.
Is It Cheating?
If you’re wondering if it’s cheating somehow, or whether it makes the finished product any less special because someone else painted your ideas instead of you, you’re not alone. Is commissioning a portrait really as special as if you’d created a piece of art with your own two hands?
The answer is a resounding, “No way!” Having a custom portrait that you’ve designed done for someone is an infinitely thoughtful gesture. There’s a reason that commissioning a portrait has been one of the ultimate romantic gestures, a way that you show the people you love just how much you love them, throughout the ages.
Especially in today’s modern world, having a custom portrait commissioned is quite a grand gesture. Even if you didn’t hand-craft the finished product, your actions, ideas, and creativity brought it to fruition.
How to Find an Artist
Once upon a time, finding a great artist to turn your dream into a reality was kind of a far-fetched notion for the average person. Even if you knew where to find an artist who took commissions, the cost of such an endeavor was likely out of reach for most households.
Today, that’s not the case. At Paint Your Life, you can get connected with a real-life professional artist. We have several artists you can choose from.
You can look through portfolios of their past work to get an idea of their style and skill. Hiring an artist on Paint Your Life is very simple. You simply hover over a painting on the website that you like and a little menu will pop up at the bottom. Just click the ‘I want this artist to paint my photo!’ button and you’re off and running.
Wondering if Paint Your Life is right for you? Check out this review at Photo Workout so you can see what they thought of our services.
Decisions You’ll Have to Make About Your Art Piece
There are several decisions you’ll have to make in order to have your custom painting painted by a Paint Your Life artist, and many of these decisions are the keys to your creative license. While the artist actually paints the portrait, these decisions make the finished product uniquely you.
First, you’ll have to pick a photo or photos for your portrait to be based on. This could really be a photo of anything. You could choose a person or people, a place, or even an animal. You can combine photos, use just one subject in a photo that depicts many, and you can make any special requests that come to mind.
For instance, say you want a photo commissioned of your parents dressed up for their wedding day, but their wedding photos were ruined when the basement flooded. You’ve got a picture of the two of them together from their college yearbook, though. You’ve also got the actual clothes they wore for their wedding.
Take a good quality photograph of the clothes, send the picture of the two of them, and then ask the artist if they can paint the clothes onto them. Voila!
You can request anything from a different background to a tiny detail or hidden secret within the painting.
Next, you’ll want to pick a medium. If you’re having trouble deciding, you can check out the various Paint Your Life Galleries to help you choose the look you’re going for. A custom oil portrait is the most popular option, but there are so many others to choose from.
Once your portrait has been painted, the artist will send you a digital proof so you can make sure everything turned out as you were expecting.
