Disappointment

I had a bit of a wake-up call last week. The family portrait that I finished was not liked by the customer, and was returned to me for additional work. This was especially disappointing to me because the things that she didn't like about it were the parts I was least happy with before I finished. If I had spent more time on them before completion, it would have probably been acceptable.

Now I have to try to correct my mistakes, as well as complete my next commission by Friday.

Side Project - Flowers

As a side project to help me practice different techniques, my wife requested a pastel drawing based on a photograph she took of some flowers at the Sacramento Zoo. This is the result. The original is on a 5x7 pastel board. Prints are available through the following link:

http://ajhines.imagekind.com/

Commission - And Comparison

My second commission is now complete. This is Oscar, an old Boxer, and friend of another of my wife's coworkers. This is 10x10 on pastel board.

I originally had started this one before the triptych, but hit a roadblock when I just couldn't get him to look right on paper. I was trying to get a fur texture, but the paper didn't have enough grain to support more than a couple of layers, making him look like he was drawn in crayon.

Below is the unfinished paper version for comparison. I really love these boards!

Commission Completed

I've completed my first commissioned piece, just in time for Christmas. It was a request from one of my wife's coworkers as a gift for her son. In the center is a fairly recent portrait of him, while on each side are alternate future versions of him as either a biker gang member or an executive. Got lucky and found the awesome frame for the three of them as well, though since I did these on Pastelbord, they're too thick to fit with glass in front. Going to have to be careful with it and maybe get some thin plexiglass to cover them.

Etsy Page is Up - Buy your Commissioned Portraits Now

I now have an Etsy account to sell commissioned portraits. I'm starting off with 8x10s for $100 each, plus $15 for shipping. Check it out!

Hines Designs - http://hinesdesigns.etsy.com

Johnny Depp - Complete

Finally, I finished the Johnny Depp portrait I've been working on forever! Here's the completed product...I didn't realize how horribly yellow my previous photo was, so this one has much better lighting.

All in all I'm very happy with how this turned out. Comments are always welcome.

Now my easel is free for commissions! Anyone? :)

Here's a work-in-progress shot of the portrait I've been working on. It's 16x20 in pastels on Canson Mi-Teintes paper. Hopefully it's recognizable as Johnny Depp. I'm working from top to bottom to minimize the chance of smudging.

My lighting is not ideal, so it looks a bit darker than it really is.