Hand Painted Portrait As Illustration: 18

Celebrate your special loved one with a unique fantasy portrait! Let me employ photos of your loved one(s) and create a stunning piece of story and art which will adorn your walls and serve as a treasured heirloom for future generations! PLEASE NOTE: You will be receiving an original hand painted portrait, not a print of a digitally produced image. "Natalie: Shelter From The Storm": This 18" x 24" fantasy portrait includes the full body, painted with a whimsical background. All portraits will be painted in acrylic, typically on canvas or gesso board. If you have something else you would like your portrait painted on, please talk to me! Most likely I can do it for you! All paintings receive a protective finish. The beauty of having a portrait painted from a photo is two fold: 1. No travel is necessary, other than over the intranet or through mail. 2. You have the wonderful option of creating a totally unique, never to be forgotten, surprise gift for some special recipient! I work from one primary photo with one primary pose. Additional photos are very welcome as they can offer wonderful clues in bringing your portrait to life but only one photo will become the subject of the painting. Tweaks are very possible to make to the pose, but may increase the price of the painting. Different angles of the face cannot be guessed at. Faces will be painted exactly as the photo, although wrinkles may be softened and blemishes can disappear!. The quality of the photos supplied to me is of primary importance. Photos should allow me close ups with clear details of face and clothing. They should be of high resolution. They must be in focus and have contrast, with areas of shadow and light. Small blurry or out of focus images will greatly limit the quality of detail rendered in the final painting. *Please note: Prices are meant to be ballpark figures only, within the size shown. Difficulty of composition and detail rendered will be taken into consideration. Prices may vary at the discretion of the artist. Each figure added will be added at an additional cost of not less than $200.00. *Shipping and handling are not included in the price of the portrait. I will ship out of the U.S. at a price to be determined. Additional Shipping and handling prices will be added to the final payment. Steps: 1) If having a painting done interests you, please talk to me! Together we will work out your expectations and price paid for the piece. 2.) I will request photo(s) with a digital resolution of at least 200 pixels per inch to be sent to me via email. Images must be clear at an 8" by 10" size. If this is not an option for you, you will need to mail to me excellent copies of your photos or a copy of the photos on a disk. Any original photos will be scanned upon receipt and immediately be returned to you. In addition to the basic photos, any extra images you can send of desired props, backgrounds, etc. in your painting will help me personally tailor the painting to your liking. It is not unusual for me to spend additional time researching visual references, which aid in the painting. 3) I will request an initial fee of no less than half price of the total painting, $150.00 of which is absolutely non- refundable, under any circumstances. Once the initial fee is paid, and I possess the photos to be used, I will begin a rough sketch for your approval. Sketches will be made based upon previous conversations and the photos you have supplied. Only minimal changes will be allowed to the sketch, without incurring an additional, non-refundable fee, which will be added into the final cost/payment of the painting. At this point, if the customer decides to withdraw from the contract, the $150.00 non-refundable fee as well as any other fees taken from the total will be added together and the sum of all subtracted from the total payment made thus far. The remaining value will then be returned to the customer. 4.) Upon your approval of the sample, the hand painting of your original portrait begins in earnest! Please note: Paintings will be done in the order of initial deposits received. At this point in time, the full sum total of the initial deposit will be no longer refundable. 5) When I've completed the painting to my satisfaction, I will send you a digital image for your approval. At this point, only very minimal changes will be allowed without the incurring of additional fees. 6) Upon your final approval, you may send the remaining balance, plus shipping and handling charges. 7) Once the final payment is received, your painting will be shipped! 8) You will now be the proud owner of an original "Kathi Dugan" painting, beautifully portraying the subject of your choice! Enjoy! ABOUT YOUR PAINTING: Please note: All art is copyrighted. Although you will own the original painting and you may do with the original, as you like, the image of the painting belongs to the artist, by law. Permission must be received in order to reproduce the image, in any fashion. If you would like copies of the painting, for any purpose, please speak to me! The artist retains the right to use the image as she sees fit. Thank you! I look forward to working with you! ABOUT THIS PAINTING: "Natalie: Shelter From The Storm: 18" x 24" Acrylic on Gesso Board MODEL: Natalie Hessler The bride's final preparations for her wedding were taking place in a lovely but old hotel in the Washington D.C. area. The plug to the hairdresser's blow dryer would not stay snug in the outdated wall socket; it continually fell loose. Finishing the bride's and bridesmaid's hair on time was beginning to become an arduous task! The assignment of holding the plug firmly in the wall was quickly given to the youngest bridesmaid, who sat dutifully and patiently in the corner, doing the necessary job, for 20 minutes at a time. A spontaneous snapshot of "Natalie doing her job" instantly inspired this new painting. PLEASE NOTE: If a professional photographer has taken the image you would like reproduced as a portrait, permission needs to be received from that photographer, if possible! Thanks!