Jill is the star of this beautiful commissioned pastel portrait.
A portrait filled with love
Jill radiates joy and love. She is of course a beautiful woman, but it is more than that. This is a moment of happiness, with a bright playfulness in her expression.
My client, Jill’s husband shared a wonderful selection of photographs of Jill from over the years. These have me a good sense of her personality and her open nature. The photograph that her family liked the most, as it captured who she was, was one of her at a party, playing a game. She was relaxed, having fun, and in the company of people she loved. And it shows.
From those who knew Jill best
‘Thank you Tamsin, it’s so lovely to see Mum so vivid and smiling. Thanks so much for all the energy and heart that I can see you have put into it.’
‘Wow…that’s beautiful. Thank you for capturing Mum so completely.’
‘I think it’s a beautiful portrait of Mum, thank you.’
Planning the portrait
Before starting this commission, I needed to decide on the paper to use. I knew it was to be drawn in pastel as the soft creaminess was the perfect match for Jill. I always draw my pastel studies on Pastelmat paper, but this is available in a wide range of colours so the client and I had a choice to make. And I wanted the subject to sit comfortably on the page as it was to be a study with no background.
These swatches of pastel pencil are on three different Pastelmat pieces. The pink swatch is to represent the subject’s blouse, the mixed dark and grey to represent her hair, and the skin tone to represent her face.
I decided on the sandy colour eventually as it is the warmest. Jill has a radiance about her so it felt fitting.
Capturing the person on the page
The greatest challenge in portraiture is finding what makes the subject them, and getting a sense of that in your art. Just yesterday I was having a conversation about this in class with my art students. It is an almost magical thing, the essence of a person, and I don’t think that finding it can be taught.
There is something that occurs as the technicality of drawing a likeness develops. Beyond accuracy, whether in a quick sketch or a more laborious study, there is something else, something I consider to be down to a connection we can feel.
Considering a commission? Let’s have a chat
Portrait commissions are always welcomed from both UK based and international clients. On my Commissions page there is an overview of the process, and for a more in depth look at commissioning a fine art portrait, please read this guide.
For any questions you may have, or advice you may need, you can contact me here or call or WhatsApp on 07967 416072
And if you would like more inspiration, these pastel portraits are all commissioned pieces which celebrate people in all their individual beauty. Sasha from Australia, Matthew and Rusty from Cornwall and Thinle from the Himalayas.
