Thank you for your portrait order!
Make sure to read this page!
I’m so excited that I get to work with you on creating at least one magnificent painting!
Right now I’m prepping for Art Basel (one of the world’s largest art events) – it’s a huge opportunity, and everything I’ve been working towards for over a decade. So… my reply won’t be until after the first week of December.
Just wanted to write that, first, so you wouldn’t think that I’m forgetting about you, or anything like that! Since I’ll be working my butt off, and not be available until December 9th or 10th, that gives us an opportunity… An opportunity to prepare a bit, so you can have the best painting!
Some things to start thinking about and prepping for to have the best painting(s):
Photos (Reference material)
Regardless of what you want for your painting, I’m going to need reference photos.
About 20 to 30 will probably be best… Some full body (meaning from head to toe, not meaning naked- although, if that’s what you want, then prep photos accordingly), some showing different facial expressions, some with different backgrounds and different lighting (indoor / outdoor / different time of day)…. Pictures of you facing different directions (facing the camera, turning sideways, looking up / down/ etc).
These are not the same as “holding the pose for the picture you have in mind” (for example – punching upwards, if you plan on having a painting of you knocking out a kangaroo) — we are not at that stage, and ….it probably won’t be needed. So… just a variety of photos that let me get an understanding of you.
Having variety is very important, as I need to see how your skin looks in different lighting conditions, how you look in different moods, at different camera’s varying distortions, etc…. I had one person send me 25 pictures from the same 5 minute period, in the same background…. and that didn’t work too well. If you don’t have a bunch of existing photos,
Once I have that, I can paint you at any angle, doing anything, anywhere. Which brings us to the next thing….
The idea!
Who are you? What tells your story? What are you into? Do you just want a lovely portrait (which is totally fine), or do you want something very specific (example, you riding a Pegasus into the sunset, while you’re wearing pleather pants, and a fluffy pink jacket, with your hair in a mohawk)?
Whatever you can imagine, I can paint. And as I said, you’re not limited to one painting (although, if you only ordered one, and now this is starting to sound exciting, and you want additional portraits, you can go back and get more).
If you want, we can have a discussion, and figure it out together… I’m not trying to “knock out 100 paintings quickly”, rather, I’m working to create 100 masterpieces that will be cherished forever. Many of my paintings are already various peoples’ prized possessions- and that is my goal with your painting(s).
The style!
I’ve created literally thousands of paintings, so I can paint anything… but it’s not just the subject matter that’s important, but also how it looks.
For example- Freddy Kreuger is terrifying… but when he’s made in a Pixar style, or as a bobble head, he’s kind of cute. This clearly supports the feel of the story of the painting.
So… are you going for happy? Powerful? Calm? — These fall under mood, and will affect the way that I paint it- the look, the composition, and the colors.
Some people have a very specific place to hang their art…. And I can make the painting match the colors of your decor, should you need. For that, I would need some photos of the room and its furnishings.
Then there’s the technique, or aesthetic… Do you have a favorite artist or period from art history? For example, Picasso was known for his Cubist paintings, Salvador Dali was well known for his surrealist paintings… If you’ve got influences that you love, you can tell me about them, and I will have that influence the painting as well.
One thing that falls under “Fine Print” is that these portraits are of one person each. Adding additional people makes each painting take far more time, as not only do I have to get each person right, but I also have to get the dynamics between them correct (their correct size compared to each other, etc).
The TIMEFRAME:
Just a reminder, I’m going to have 100 of these to do (and my regular projects as well), so these are not going to be delivered immediately. I do move quickly! But do let me know if there’s a birthday or anniversary or something that makes a particular painting more urgent…. And I will try to accommodate that.
I will try to have all of them completed by March, 2023 – but if you have good reference images, and a clear idea of what you want, and don’t require too many revisions, you might get it as soon as early January.
The Size:
Some people claim that size doesn’t matter, but when it comes to art, it totally does.
There are two facets to size. The first is the aspect ratio. Most profile pictures for example are a square aspect ratio, or 1:1. High Def video (and thus most things on youtube, the aspect of most TVs, etc) is 16:9. And the vast majority of my paintings are 4:5 – this is to keep them at standard sizes, so that frames are easy to find (and so that Instagram won’t give you grief about an unsupported image size)
Is the painting landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical)? The above examples were given for landscape, but if the painting is to be portrait, then just switch the numbers around (e.g. 5:4 / 9:16 / 1:1 (that last one’s a joke- a square is the same from any orientation)).
Different aspect ratios work better for different situations… Whether that’s how much space you’d like your image to take, compared for example with your couch… or perhaps it’s for a particular composition to make a painting even more dynamic, or to fit in more detail.
The second facet is the physical size.
The larger the painting, the more detail and texture it has. One of my great joys was when people came over, and they would just stare at my large paintings for very long periods of time, getting lost in the detail and texture. The larger a painting, the more it commands attention, and can tie the room together better.
The larger it is, the more it tends to cost, as there are more material costs, and it takes longer to paint. Because of this, size also affects how long it takes to get your painting.
Wall space is an important determinant of size. A 48″x60″ painting may be the hit of a party, in a large enough room, but may completely overwhelm a room that does not have enough space. A 96″x60″ may not even fit into some rooms (I have to rent a van when delivering something of this size).
Prints:
In order to keep the portraits in this 100 portraits project affordable, so that anyone can get one, the size is kept to 8″ – 10.5″ (depends on if you get the branded or unbranded version) — but you can print it larger than that. Most people would not notice a huge difference if you go slightly larger, but if you try to get a 16″x20″ from an image that was painted as an 8″x10″, it will be less sharp… at 24″x30″, that 8″x10″ might even get blurry up close (but might look good from across the room).
If we’re talking pixels instead of inches, it will make more sense – If we go from a branded 4:5 aspect ratio – it is 1440×1800 pixels – where a 24×30 is 7,200×9,000 pixels… That’s a lot more.
I do realize that some people want a larger painting for their wall, so I am making those available as well, and still at an amazing price. But I do need to know the sizing up front to give you a better price on it.
If I create your painting, and then you decide you want it larger, I can accommodate that, but it will cost more, as there are extra steps (enlarging it, and then re-painting it to make sure that it is sharp all over, and will not be blurry at the new size).
The following prices are discounted from the usual commission prices, and do not cover every size possible (for speed’s sake, I only listed the 4:5 aspect ratios here- you may want square or HD aspect). Additional prints can be acquired at a discount as well, since the bulk of the price is the creation of the painting.
(shipping included within the USA)
16″x20″
on high-end photo paper – Just $100 more
on museum grade, gallery-stretched canvas (ready to hang, will last more than 100 years) – $350 more.
24″x30″
on high-end photo paper – Just $400 more
on museum grade, gallery-stretched canvas (ready to hang, will last more than 100 years) – $750 more.
42″x50″
On museum grade, gallery-stretched canvas: $3,500 more.
48″x60″
On museum grade, gallery-stretched canvas: $4,800 more.
96″x60″ on metal – very modern, will last a lifetime, scratchproof – $9,800 more.
In Summary:
I know that’s a lot of information! And… I most certainly hope that it isn’t overwhelming…. Like I said at the start of this page, I just wanted to give you stuff to think about while I’m at Art Basel, and you’re waiting to hear from me.
This is the same stuff that anyone that commissions me has to think about: Size, material, style, idea, and reference materials.
I truly am excited to work with you on creating a masterpiece that you can cherish.
Start thinking on what you’d like…. Take notes, ask friends, have fun with it! This should be something that you enjoy – both the creation, but also the displaying of your paintings. Remember, in brainstorming, there are no bad ideas…. Be as silly as you want… they’re just ideas…. see how they feel, and go with your favorite ideas.
I have been doing this stuff forever, and I can definitely help you choose between them, or even combine ideas into a single painting.
Talk soon!
— Ori!