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Ordering a portrait

 

Kerli's portrait art will be perfect for you if you just enjoy art and you would love to have a portrait of your family or of your beloved pets. Note that you can never go wrong with a piece of art as a gift whether it's for birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, wedding or anniversary. Doesn't matter what's the occasion - portrait drawing is a delightful and surprising gift which your loved ones will cherish forever. Portrait art is also a great way to remember the ones who have passed away. A drawing on the wall is an honorable way to keep the ones who no longer can be with as in our thoughts every day. 

Choosing the subject

Pets

Whether you have dogs, cats, horses, birds, rodents, reptiles or someone else - it doesn't matter. All of them are your family members and deserve to be cherished when they are with us and remembered if they are gone. Pet portrait is a wonderful tribute to your pet. It is perhaps the most fitting way to celebrate the influence that the special animal in your life has on everything you do. You may wish to have a pet portrait produced as an original piece of art for your home, or you may prefer to give a portrait as a gift with personal touch for an animal-lover.

People

We have moments in our lives that are so special that they deserve to be captured. The best and most special way to capture them is in portrait art. Life goes by so fast and portraiture is a great way to remember those precious stages of life and enjoy the memories every day. Whether we are parents, grandparents or children, seeing ourselves in the beautiful portraits on the walls of our homes reminds us daily how much we are loved! Portrait drawing is without a doubt a wonderful and unique gift to someone. Nothing would be more suprising than to see yourself or your family on paper in those delicate pencil strokes.

 

Other

Although I specialize in pet & people portraiture, I don't hesitate to accept different kind of commissions. Not only living beings can be meaningful for someone. It can be as simple as a childhood home, your first teddybear or some other toy, your first bike, favourite car, family heirlooms, favourite game character, favourite bird or an animal etc. This is what's so great about art. It doesn't matter what's the subject. If something means a lot to you, it can easily be put on paper to remember and enjoy looking at every day.

 

 

 

Choosing the photographs

 

Without a doubt, choosing reference photos is the most important part of the whole process. Since I draw from photographs, I am totally dependant of what I have to work from. Make sure you provide me with the best photos you have and send as many as possible so we can choose the perfect one.

 

The following guide will help you to get a great photo for your drawing. There are four requirements for a great photograph:

 

Quality

The better the quality, the better the drawing. In order to capture all those sweet details without missing a single one, I need to be able to see them from the photograph. The subject has to be really clear and sharp and definitely in focus, without any other subjects being in the way. Body parts (e.g. ears, tail, paws) shouldn't be out of the frame so I can draw them out just the way they have to be - I can't draw something I can't see.

 

Size

It is very important to have a large photograph so I can zoom in to view the details. Original size that comes from the camera with the highest resolution possible makes the best reference photo. If you had a session with a professional photographer, make sure you ask for original size photos.

Lighting

The best possible lighting is achieved outside in the daylight, by a window or of course in the studio with professional lighting equipment. If you are outside though, avoid direct midday sunlight as this will make a person or a pet squint and there will be really dark shadows and colors will not be completely true. It is better to make pictures in the shade to get a nice dynamic outcome with true colors.

 

Position

The bes way to take a picture is from the same level of your subject. For example you are taking photos of your small dog, make sure you are down at the same level - if you need to, crouch or lay down. This way the perspective will be ideal (although there are a few exceptions and sometimes other angles make great drawings too). The other important thing is to have the picture taken up close fillin the entire frame whether it's a portrait or full body photograph. This gives me the opportunity to zoom in closer and see details much better. Make sure your subject (especially pets) don't look fed up with posing. It's best that they look typical and their glance and appearance show their true personality.

 

Please note that these are requirements for an ideal photo for creating a drawing. It is perfectly understandable that often we don't have the opportunity to make that happen. Even though I prefer large, high quality digital photos to work from, you can always send me something else - old scanned photos, black and white photos or simply something that means a lot to you, although it didn't come out as well as you planned. I am sure we can work it out somehow.

 

 

 

Choosing the medium

 

There are three different mediums I currently offer, which are graphite pencil, colored pencil and pastel. Graphite is classic - this is what I first started with and it looks good whatever the subject. Colored pencil has amazing detail and looks awesome with whatever colorful - dogs, cats, parrots and also wildlife. Pastel is very painterly-looking, which makes it a very magical medium. Besides these mediums I am currently learning scratchboard, which I absolutely love already. I also want to try out pyrography in the future and who knows what else I will feel like trying! I try to keep my artwork versatile and offer my clients many options to choose from. If you are having trouble with choosing the medium, feel free to ask for advice. A lot depends on the reference photograph, so it is often best to first choose the photograph and then we can decide which medium works best.

 

Pencil

Pencil drawing is the most classic and traditional medium you can never go wrong with. It will look stunning no matter what's the subject. I specialize in pet and people portraits, but since it's a really versatile medium, I'll draw other kind of subjects such as vehicles, architecture, still-life or something else without hesitation. I use high quality materials to create dynamic, clean work. My drawings have high contrast and crisp details combined with a bit of softness and hint of depth of field, which will make the drawing really pop out. Larger format allows me to draw out even more details, but individual features and recognition will always come through no matter what's the size. The lack of colors allow me to express and accent the subject's features and characteristics without color getting in the way, making it an honorable and lasting piece of art you can proudly hang on the wall.

Colored pencil

Colored pencil art is rapidly experiencing a whole new level of appreciation in the art world. While colored pencils were once considered to be primarly for kids, throughout the years they have been steadily gaining respect among artists, galleries and collectors. There is a big difference between artist grade colored pencils and the colored pencils usually used by children. Professional artist-quality colored pencils contain a higher degree of pigment as well as they have a much wider selection of colors. These pencils allow for a really rich, deep and luminescent color. Finished drawings are smooth, pigmented and have extremely crisp details. While the pastel medium looks dreamy and painting-like, colored pencil drawings look like highly detailed studio photographs. 

Pastel

Pastel medium is an impressive way to bring out all the charm an object has. It is perfect for drawing pets who have great color on them and whose color has a certain individual importance. Colorful parrots, blue-eyed dogs or tricolor cats for example look best in color - it would be a shame to lose all those beautiful tones on a drawing. Pastel drawings glow with an intensively luminous color and rich velvety texture. It is a medium that straddles the line between painting and a drawing, because the finished piece can look just as luscious as a painting, yet the creating process resembles drawing. My pastel drawings are very detailed and they have a pleasant soft and smooth feel to them. Bokeh backgrounds look great in pastel, but it's possible to leave it blank if you prefer it that way.

 

Choosing the size

 

 

Normally I offer classic sizes from A5 - A2, but don't hesitate to ask if you are interested in untraditional format such as panorama or square piece. Larger format allows me to draw out even more details, but individual features and recognition will always come through no matter what's the size.

 

Placing your order

You can place your order safely through my Etsy shop. All you need to do is click "request custom order" and write me what you're interested in and make sure you add the reference photos for the drawing. I accept different payment methods including PayPal.

 

 

 

Drawing process

 


You can check out my instagram to get an update on what I'm working on right now. I also post some of the progress photos to my facebook page. Feel free to give suggestions on your drawing while I'm creating it! Once I've finished your portrait, I will make a high quality scan of the drawing and you can give it a look before I ship it to you. 

 

 

Canceling your order

 

 

In order to secure a spot in my order list I require at least a 50% deposit. If an order is canceled, the 50% deposit made during the initial transaction is non-refundable. No refunds then the drawing is already completely finished.

 

Shipping

 

I offer worldwide shipping, so where ever you are, you can have a portrait drawing of your own. I can supply an estimate on the shipping price once I know where you need your drawing to be shipped. Please note that shipping large distanges will take time, so keep that in mind when ordering drawings for such celebrations as birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Days or weddings. 

 

 

I am looking forward to our collaboration! :)

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