A Commission will take you on a journey and as with any journey, you want to be prepared. Not to take the adventure out of it, but to avoid unnecessary anxiety and stress as you get further down the road.
I suggest that you ask your client to check out your website or facebook page, to view your work so they can see the type of paintings you paint. The fact that they have commissioned you to do a painting for them means that they like what you do, but I still feel it is important to gain clarity from them about colour, size and more or less what they expect from you. Clear direction is imperative as they may have a picture in their head about what they would like and you may have a completely different picture in yours and this could be a disaster.
Once I have a clear idea of what they would like, I prepare my canvas and do a quick sketch before getting into the painting, and I put some paint out to do the underpainting. This is a time, where I can be very loose and do virtually anything that makes me feel good. It really does not matter at this point as nothing will stay the same. This stage is wonderful and free.
As the journey continues, I hit blocks every now and then. At various stages one may feel that an area of the painting is so lovely that you are terrified to lose what you have got, nevertheless, the show must go on and so must you. We have to push through those times where we have no idea what to do and just keep putting paint onto the canvas. (Perseverance is the key) Until you reach a stage that you are feeling utterly despondent, then you put the painting aside and have a cup of tea, go for a walk, take a break and put the brushes down.
I do take a photograph and send the Client an image at this point, just to get some feedback from him, as to whether he is happy with it so far. I explained that there were still additions ie a cottage to be added. He responded positively to the colouring and the general feeling of the work, which gave me the confidence to continue, knowing that I was on the right track. This was an intuitive thing to do.
When I went back to it, it was with fresh eyes. Sometimes I even go and paint on another painting, or start a small painting, just to take me away completely from what I am doing. which is wonderful.
This last Commission I did something I have never tried before. I did some abstracts when I put it aside. This was an interesting experience for me. It gave me complete freedom. I did not even have to think about what went where and whether it looked like something in particular. I put squiggles and made any marks that took my fancy and I enjoyed it and had so much fun. When I finally went back to the Commission, somehow that freedom came with me and I was able to complete it effortlessly.......
The Client was delighted and so was I...
I suggest that you ask your client to check out your website or facebook page, to view your work so they can see the type of paintings you paint. The fact that they have commissioned you to do a painting for them means that they like what you do, but I still feel it is important to gain clarity from them about colour, size and more or less what they expect from you. Clear direction is imperative as they may have a picture in their head about what they would like and you may have a completely different picture in yours and this could be a disaster.
Once I have a clear idea of what they would like, I prepare my canvas and do a quick sketch before getting into the painting, and I put some paint out to do the underpainting. This is a time, where I can be very loose and do virtually anything that makes me feel good. It really does not matter at this point as nothing will stay the same. This stage is wonderful and free.
As the journey continues, I hit blocks every now and then. At various stages one may feel that an area of the painting is so lovely that you are terrified to lose what you have got, nevertheless, the show must go on and so must you. We have to push through those times where we have no idea what to do and just keep putting paint onto the canvas. (Perseverance is the key) Until you reach a stage that you are feeling utterly despondent, then you put the painting aside and have a cup of tea, go for a walk, take a break and put the brushes down.
I do take a photograph and send the Client an image at this point, just to get some feedback from him, as to whether he is happy with it so far. I explained that there were still additions ie a cottage to be added. He responded positively to the colouring and the general feeling of the work, which gave me the confidence to continue, knowing that I was on the right track. This was an intuitive thing to do.
When I went back to it, it was with fresh eyes. Sometimes I even go and paint on another painting, or start a small painting, just to take me away completely from what I am doing. which is wonderful.
This last Commission I did something I have never tried before. I did some abstracts when I put it aside. This was an interesting experience for me. It gave me complete freedom. I did not even have to think about what went where and whether it looked like something in particular. I put squiggles and made any marks that took my fancy and I enjoyed it and had so much fun. When I finally went back to the Commission, somehow that freedom came with me and I was able to complete it effortlessly.......
The Client was delighted and so was I...
"RADIANCE' - Oil on Canvas Stretcher
"Art is not necessarily what you see, but what you make others see"
