After contacting the studio, here are some procedures to expect when commissioning an oil portrait from Katrina Willis Studio. Since environmental information is key to understanding the content that needs to be included in the finished portrait, the artist likes to travel to meet her clients in their location to gather all of the necessary information needed to complete a strong picture. This visit typically lasts one or two days, and during this time, she likes to have three sessions with the subject(s). These include:

1. Getting to Know You Session: Katrina would like to sit and hear your story or the story of the person (or people) she will be painting. This session usually lasts an hour.

2. Composition and Detail Workshop: This meeting usually lasts two hours and involves discussion of the size, setting, pose, and clothing for the portrait. Around this time, the artist will take digital photos of the subject(s) in the discussed setting and clothing. She prefers to have this meeting in the morning (not long after the sunrise) or in the late afternoon / early evening (to sunset). These times are not a hard requirement, just a recommendation for the highest quality picture.

3. Oil Study from Life: (optional) While this is not a recommendation, the artist would like to paint a head study of the subject(s) from life. This lends a unique energy and strength to the final portrait. This session usually lasts no more than two hours per subject.

After the visit, she will return to her Chicago-based studios and complete an initial gesture drawing of the pose, composition and color palette. The artist will then send the sketch to the client for approval. Please note that this initial gesture sketch focuses on composition, it is a draft and may not contain a likeness of the client. Upon approval, she will begin painting the final picture. At the end of the process, the subject is strongly encouraged to come to the Chicago studios, so she can put the final touches on the portrait. In some cases, the artist will be available to send digital photos of the completed portrait to the client.

Fees

Contact the studio to schedule your specific project!  We’d be delighted to work with you.