How it works

Portrait elements

Every portrait is a combination of elements. Like a recipe, you choose the elements in a way that you like best for the portrait.

Step 1

Decision on the subject:
1. Is it to be a child or an adult portrait?
2. A single, double or group portrait?

Step 2
is to look at the Portrait Gallery of this website. Pay attention to the different styles and mediums and think about which most appeal to you.

Size and scale

Step 3
is to decide the portrait size you would like. Two scales are typically used, a real size portrait (large size) 100% or half size portrait (small size) 50%.

Step 4

is to choose the length. Would you prefer a Head and Shoulder portrait, or a¾ Length portrait (head to knees)?

On special request I can also do a full length portrait (real size head to toes).

Medium & background

Step 5

What I mostly use today are Color Pastels.  I also frequently work with a combination of Terracotta and Charcoal, only in Terracotta or only in Charcoal, on a special kind of paper. Please choose one of these 4 Mediums.

Step 6

Do you wish to have a portrait with Background or no Background?

The creation of a portrait

I used to travel worldwide to do portraits in the comfortable surroundings of my clients’ own homes. Currently I live in the south of France, and I continue to create portraits across Europe and in the USA. Since 2020, and since the global pandemic, I have chosen not to travel abroad and instead to have a large choice of good quality photos of the person sent to me, from which I choose the best one for the portrait. From there on I work on the portrait in my studio. The most practical and common format is therefore “Head and Shoulder” in either Life Size or Small Size. To my surprise, I started to feel the personality of the child or adult, as if they were sitting in front of me. I was able to capture the essence of life and the individual radiance of the person and reflect it on the portrait, as I had always done before. I send photos from the portrait while in in progress, so the client can follow the process and is welcomed to give his or her comments.

 

At the end, people were very surprised with the liveliness and personality expression emanating from the portraits.

The portrait then gets well packed, in a provisional plexiglass frame and sent via DHL to the client. It can then be properly framed at a nearby framing shop.

This also reduces the cost of the portrait because we don’t have to add travel expenses, time invested and any hotel costs, which normally gets added to the cost of the portrait itself.

 

To begin with, I receive an email from the client describing their desire to have me do a portrait.

I then send a price list and a contract form that is filled out, signed and sent back to me.

You can also call me personally to discuss further details.

The client then sends me a whole selection of photos of the person to be portrayed. From this selection, I then choose the best that is most suitable for making the portrait.

We then continue to stay in touch by phone or e-mail until the portrait is ready and sent to the client.

FINAL WORD

It is my pleasure to create great portraits. As families are the cornerstones of our society, it is especially gratifying to capture families at their best. And that is often the goal: to capture people as they ideally wish to remember themselves. That these portraits are treasured for many years and generations is testament to their value. May these vibrant, classic portraits be the heirlooms for the next generation.

I look forward to creating a treasure for you and your family..

 

 

 

 

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