Realistic portrait painting is not a quick process, especially in watercolor. It can take days and days for me to create a piece in my usual realistic illustration technique. As much as I love the results, and my clients do as well, I always feel this inner struggle to get faster, more sketchy, loosen up.
In the Spring of 2023, I began to experiment with a quicker way to sketch portraits. They were whimsical with imperfect markings. The facial features were simplified. The clothing had more movement, looked more like fashion illustration. Most importantly, the process was SO much quicker. I could even finish several portraits in one sitting, a feat which I had never been able to accomplish in traditional realistic style.
One of the first "test" examples was this illustration of my 3 kids. Was it perfect? No. But I remember changing my social media profiles to feature this exact image and wow, the response was incredible! I had proposals to illustrate children's books (which hasn't happened yet, but it's on my bucket list!) and clients asking to order custom paintings in this "adorable" new style.
And thus was the beginning of my signature Storybook Style portraits. The style has evolved over the past year, so much so that it made it possible for me to expand my business into Live Event Guest Portraits. A year ago, I could've never imagined being able to finish a portrait in just a matter of a few minutes!
Most clients still order the very polished, very time consuming, traditional realistic style portraits. Still, I'm excited to see where else these silly cute sketches will lead.
Interested in hiring me to live paint guest portraits at your next event? Please fill out my event inquiry form.
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