| What I Can Offer that Other Portrait Artists Usually Don't! |
First and foremost, most portrait artists do not offer to paint human subjects. They paint pets and animals
only. A lot of artists shy away from painting people because the human face is one of the most challenging
subjects to paint or draw. Humans are one of my specialties. I enjoy the challenge of capturing the very
essence and unique personality of each human subject as I do with pets and animals.
Second, most artist shy away from using oil paint to paint with, which is one of the most difficult mediums
to master. I have years of experience in both figure drawing and with oil paint. Other mediums such as
acrylic, water-color, chalk pastels, and colored pencil just can't produce the same look of realism as oil
can. Don't get me wrong, these mediums are all good to work in and are used by artists all the time,
including myself. It's just that when it comes to portrait art, oil has proven to be the preferred choice of
many.
Third, there are a number of artists who don't actually hand-paint the portraits their clients order. What
they do is use computer technology to merely scan in your photo, have it printed onto canvas, and then
digitally give the impression of an authentic hand-painted portrait. They do this to save themselves more
time and effort, and claim that this method saves you money. From the price comparisons I've made, the
price is basically the same. In some cases much more.
Forth, I can quote you a fair price. I may not be the cheapest painter on the market, but I don't charge an
arm and a leg either. Those who can quote you a cheaper price will often produce cheap work. Their
work often appears flat and rushed. I have devoted a great deal of time and attention in creating a fair and
competitive price that is more affordable than those who charge way too much, while maintaining quality,
and those who charge too little, producing poor quality work.
Some portrait sites hire a multitude of artists, from 3rd world countries and who work far below minimum
wage! But the owners' profits remain unaffected. Be cautious of these type of sites! The portraits they
create are mass produced and will not hold the same level of quality. I focus on one portrait at a time, and
work with each client one-on-one.
Last but not least, I stretch my own canvases by hand. Store-bought canvases can at times lack quality.
Stretching canvases by hand helps to insure your canvas will not have warped or cracked stretcher-bars.
only. A lot of artists shy away from painting people because the human face is one of the most challenging
subjects to paint or draw. Humans are one of my specialties. I enjoy the challenge of capturing the very
essence and unique personality of each human subject as I do with pets and animals.
Second, most artist shy away from using oil paint to paint with, which is one of the most difficult mediums
to master. I have years of experience in both figure drawing and with oil paint. Other mediums such as
acrylic, water-color, chalk pastels, and colored pencil just can't produce the same look of realism as oil
can. Don't get me wrong, these mediums are all good to work in and are used by artists all the time,
including myself. It's just that when it comes to portrait art, oil has proven to be the preferred choice of
many.
Third, there are a number of artists who don't actually hand-paint the portraits their clients order. What
they do is use computer technology to merely scan in your photo, have it printed onto canvas, and then
digitally give the impression of an authentic hand-painted portrait. They do this to save themselves more
time and effort, and claim that this method saves you money. From the price comparisons I've made, the
price is basically the same. In some cases much more.
Forth, I can quote you a fair price. I may not be the cheapest painter on the market, but I don't charge an
arm and a leg either. Those who can quote you a cheaper price will often produce cheap work. Their
work often appears flat and rushed. I have devoted a great deal of time and attention in creating a fair and
competitive price that is more affordable than those who charge way too much, while maintaining quality,
and those who charge too little, producing poor quality work.
Some portrait sites hire a multitude of artists, from 3rd world countries and who work far below minimum
wage! But the owners' profits remain unaffected. Be cautious of these type of sites! The portraits they
create are mass produced and will not hold the same level of quality. I focus on one portrait at a time, and
work with each client one-on-one.
Last but not least, I stretch my own canvases by hand. Store-bought canvases can at times lack quality.
Stretching canvases by hand helps to insure your canvas will not have warped or cracked stretcher-bars.
| Why Oil Paint? |
If you are looking for vibrant, rich colors, longevity, and the look of a professional and prestigious painting,
then a painting in oil is the way to go. Oil's versatile characteristics give artists the ability to vary surface
texture and to achieve far greater detail. Oils allow the blending of color more uniformly since it can be
worked while wet, whereas other painting mediums dry too soon upon application. These gradual transitions
between colors help to enhance the subtle differences between light and shadow and gives the look of
realistic three dimensional space, depth, and continuity.
In terms of portrait art, oil paintings are usually considered to be more valuable! Oil paint is long lasting and
has been the choice of almost all the known masters. Beginning with the Renaissance era, artists like Jan van
Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name a popular few, helped to popularize the use
of oil. Oil was also used during the Baroque period, which reflected the characteristics of nobility and
magnificence through ornateness and realism, by artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob van Ruisdael, and
Rembrandt, who is particularly famous for portrait art. Oil paint continued to be widely used by artists
through the Enlightenment period, and through the Age of Industry. Other well known artists such as Vincent
Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Degas, Seurat, Cezanne, and the father of Impressionism Claude Monet, all have
used oil, along with countless modern day contemporary artists. Thankfully, oil paint is here to stay. It's a
great medium to work in and look at!
then a painting in oil is the way to go. Oil's versatile characteristics give artists the ability to vary surface
texture and to achieve far greater detail. Oils allow the blending of color more uniformly since it can be
worked while wet, whereas other painting mediums dry too soon upon application. These gradual transitions
between colors help to enhance the subtle differences between light and shadow and gives the look of
realistic three dimensional space, depth, and continuity.
In terms of portrait art, oil paintings are usually considered to be more valuable! Oil paint is long lasting and
has been the choice of almost all the known masters. Beginning with the Renaissance era, artists like Jan van
Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name a popular few, helped to popularize the use
of oil. Oil was also used during the Baroque period, which reflected the characteristics of nobility and
magnificence through ornateness and realism, by artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob van Ruisdael, and
Rembrandt, who is particularly famous for portrait art. Oil paint continued to be widely used by artists
through the Enlightenment period, and through the Age of Industry. Other well known artists such as Vincent
Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Degas, Seurat, Cezanne, and the father of Impressionism Claude Monet, all have
used oil, along with countless modern day contemporary artists. Thankfully, oil paint is here to stay. It's a
great medium to work in and look at!
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| By Artist & Illustrator Guy Swanson |
My email: Swanson.Art@aol.com
