I'm putting up this post so those visiting the site can see how I take my materials (photos of the subject, personal requests of client, etc) and use them to create the kind of painting they want.
Here are some pictures I used to create the finished product. This cute girl was so excited for me to paint her (aren't kids great that way?) she wanted to do her hair all by herself when she got her picture taken to be painted. The mother was not very happy with the hair, but didn't want to hurt her daughter's feelings. So her first request was that I change the hair to make it look better. She also wanted the painting to be very neutral, with no large distracting colors or objects so the face could be the main focus (I recommend this!) So taking these photos and the requests I had been given, I set out to paint the picture. This is the finished product.
This image is 11"x14." It is painted with oil paint on a masonite board (smooth wood surface). It is thin enough to frame easily. This painting would usually cost $150 dollars, but since she wants me to do all of her children for her I knocked down the price for her a bit. After the mother sees it we will discuss to make sure she gets a fair price.
So there you have it. Beginning photos to finished painting.
