Hi there, today I would like to talk to you about the basic ideas and knowledge you should have in your cranium before you start or think about taking portrait or art commission in general. Read till the end and I guarantee you'll learn a thing or two ;-)
It is important to know the type of portrait it is you are to draw. The way you portray the subject determines whether it is formal or informal.
In a formal portrait, the subject is portrayed in a way of subtle dominance in a very official position. The personality of the person is somewhat hidden. These are usually to be hung in a company.
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While informal portraits are loose. The subject is in a more life like position or situation. Often he interacts with the environment. Here we see the personality of the subject in a less tense atmosphere.
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It would save you the stress of having to present what I call proposals to the client only to get rejected. It won't take so long to ask the client how it is the subject should be portrayed.
I can't stress this enough. You don't want boring portraits of the subject, you want to get to the core, the centre of being of your subject. In the case where you can, you should! This would help you get a good shot of the subject's personality ready to be replicated on paper. You do this by chatting and getting to know your subject more. You could bring up random conversations, ask about their day, how it is they are doing and watch them loosen up. In fact not talking about the job helps considerably.
Get a good smile not a fake one.
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This is also your job to as an artist, it all goes into the pay cheque. The right pose for a particular subject is key. That was way I emphased the previous point by saying you should by all means get to know the subject when possible to get a bit of their personality into the pose and composition. The pose of the subject may change how it is he or she is to be regarded. Some pose could show the subject as a weak individual while others show dominance and power.
For example;
This shows a somewhat weak representation of the subject
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While this shows an authoritarian point of view. And could convey dominance which is bad in most cases. So be careful in choosing this.
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Isn't this the point of it all. Getting a good likeness of the subject is very satisfying and the entire reason for drawing the subject. This is getting the job done. I often say spending hours on a good line work to the resemblance of the subject is worth it. Rather than wasting time later trying to mask errors with fancy shading and technicality.
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When drawing, have this in mind that getting a general likeness and working to the specific likeness of the subject is the path to follow. This means first getting a general human form before detailing as of the subject being portrayed.
