THE PROCEDURE IS EASY & FAST
The portrait from life can be completed in as little as 25 minutes for a pencil sketch and a few hours for a charcoal or oil painting. These portraits are done with the subject posing for approximately 20-25 minutes, then taking a break for 4-5 minutes. After the break the sitter returns to the same pose and the portrait continues. A pencil portrait drawing is done in one 25 minute pose. The charcoal drawing and oil painted portraits take several 20 minute sessions to complete. In every case the portrait from life is usually completed in one day, unless something more ambitious is desired.
This is a Pencil Portrait Drawing that was done in 25 minutes on a piece of paper that is 8.5” x 11”. The cost of this type of portrait is $200.
A PORTRAIT FROM LIFE IS RARE
Whether it is a drawing or a painting the experience of having your portrait painted without the use of a camera is a rare experience today and one that will the sitter will remember fondly for the rest of their life.
THE SUBJECT IS SPECIAL IN A WAY NOT USUALLY FELT TODAY
With a work of art done by hand from life, the subject has a level of profound significance far longer than we are used to in the modern world. The resulting work of art is an accumulation of many decisions over the course of the portrait sitting and the subject is truly important. But it is also a record of the commitment the artist has put into the development of their skill over their life and the belief that representing other people is worth doing. As a work of art, it’s something very different than what the mathematical, journalistic accuracy of the machine offers.
This Charcoal Portrait Drawing was done from life in a couple of hours while the subject mother watched. The experience for the sitter and for her is something that they remember fondly and talk about years later.
It is not my intention that the above is a dismissive denigration of photography, but rather to state that it is a different form of expression entirely.
THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD DO IT
The artist makes choices. Every mark in the making of the portrait, is in relationship to an affirmation of life. The portrait done from life says this was worth spending time to create. When the person sits for their portrait, another thing that makes it so special is that, this experience is one where the subject is the most important person in the room for a long time.
Our technology reminds us on a daily basis that our most profound efforts, thoughts and celebrations, exist right next to ads, kitten videos and other random, post modern non sequiturs having nothing to do with the fact that we are miraculous individuals.
A portrait from life honors that truth. It reminds us that our lives matter and that skill, unmediated by the machine, is how we celebrate life.
This Oil Painted Portrait Sketch was completed in a few hours from life.
This Oil Painted Portrait was done in a couple of sessions. In general, the process takes a single sitting but we decided to finish the portrait a little more.
THE COST
I believe in these ideas so strongly and want people to have this experience that I offer a substantial discount and a variety of portrait options to make it accessible to as many people as possible.
To schedule this special experience for yourself or someone that you love please contact me at: Dorian.Vallejo@gmail.com or (267) 274-0034