What we wear and how we decorate our home is an extension of our self-expression. I’ve found that with custom merchandise, so many people show such a fun side of their personality. I’d like to share with you some of my commissions and the process!
PORTRAIT COMMISSIONS
HERE IS A RECENT COMMISSION
THEY HAD TWO REFERENCE PHOTOS, ONE BACKGROUND FROM THE SUNSET THEY WATCHED TOGETHER, THE OTHER WAS A SELFIE. WHILE CONFIRMING WHAT THE DESIRED DESIGN WAS, I QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER BOTH PHOTOS TO CONFIRM, AND IT FIT WHAT THEY WANTED. AS I UPDATED TO CONFIRM ALL WAS LOOKING GOOD, THEY HAD THE ADDITION OF THEIR FAVORITE ANGEL NUMBERS (SEEN BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE PAINTING). THIS WAS SUCH A PRECIOUS PROJECT - I LOVE SEEING LOVE SHOWN THROUGH ART! THIS IS SUCH A GREAT WAY TO HAVE A MOMENT LAST FOREVER.
The Matisse purse
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Concept of design
This is a repeat client of mine who came to me for a purse with one of Henri Matisse’s pieces on it. She wanted an alternative image on the other side for times when she didn’t want to show a naked lady in public on her accessories. She sent me the reference at the top left, and I used Procreate edit for the center image, pulling some of the background out to bleed into the purse a bit better.
On the back, I used the same arches and blending technique, but painted a vase similar to the Matisse style and same color palette. This was my first time having a first draft design approved, it was so exciting!
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Front side
Here is the front side of the finished purse!
I love how this design turned out. It was a learning curve to deal with the middle seam, but I worked through that pretty well. In the future, I think I’ll aim to create a composition that lets me put the more important features (like her face) to the side of the seam instead!
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Back view
I’ll be honest, I love the back!
This was a lot of fun to do, researching his previous still life’s and flower work to reference for this style. Overall this was a really enjoyable project because I tend to aim for perfection and cleanliness in my work, but to use Matisse’s style I had to let it be a bit messier, less structured.
As a side note, I think my favorite part of this project was the color matching for the original painting!
