Process & Prices

 How to Commission a Portrait
Planning & Creating Your Portrait

 Use Your Own Photos -- 

 If you already have photos you wish to use for the Portrait send them ahead for evaluation.  We can work from a favorite photo (or combination of photos) if there is enough clarity to see sufficient detail.  

Please send us a copy of the photos (by post or e-mail) & we'll discuss them with you & give our recommendations. Once the details are decided upon & the deposit (50%) is received, we begin working on the composition.  Before shipping the finished artwork, we first send you photos of it for your comments & make any additional changes requested.  When you are happy with the finished work, we ship it to you with our receipt of the balance. All of your photos will be returned to you.

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PROCESS & PRICES
  We can work from a favorite photo (or combination of photos) if there is enough information to work with.  We have had great success doing portraits and paintings this way, especially with Charcoal and Sepia drawings, and smaller sized pastels and oils, which are easily shipped.  

Send a copy of the photos, or email them to us to look at -- we'll call you with our recommendations. When the portrait is completed, we send you a photo of the work for your comments and make any additional changes before shipping it. All of your photos will be returned to you.

 

Genevieve - 30 x 24
 

  
We Photograph You --

A photography session is the ideal way for the us to get acquainted with the subjects.                        

Mick's experience as a professional photographer (over 30 years) gives him an intuitive edge for capturing the expression as it occurs, especially with children. As a portrait artist, he also has in mind at all times what would make a good portrait. 

The camera is used to record a variety of poses & expressions to choose from, & other details for the portrait.  We prefer natural light (no flash) in a setting where the subjects are comfortable & can be themselves -- children are most at ease in a familiar environment.  We can come to your home, or if you are  vacationing near Blue Ridge, GA, we can photograph you here at one of the many scenic locations.

The photo session usually lasts an hour or more, taking breaks as needed.  We review the photos with you to help choose the best pose, expression, & other details of the portrait.

 

 

 
Photography Fee --
$295  **
 
 
Additional Subjects-- $45 each  
** With Purchase of a Portrait;
     Fees May Be Subject to change
 
You receive a copy of your photos, & later will receive a CD of the negatives when the portrait is finished, with our permission to reprint them. We have enjoyed seeing these photos appear in Christmas cards, family albums, & yearbooks; framed up on walls & desktops, under refrigerator magnets, & even printed on mouse pads! 
This fee also includes the cost of reprints & enlargements & time spent reviewing & cataloguing the photos. 
There may be travel fees for distances over 100 miles, or if hotel & airfare are required. 

 



16 x 12

   Process --

After the details of the portrait are decided upon, Michael creates a composite (in the studio) of the photos incorporating the pose, expression, and other aspects of the painting, scaled correctly.  This provides a complete visualization of the portrait for you to preview.  Any changes and additions to the composition can be made at this time.  When you approve the composition, a delivery date is estimated, and work on the painting can begin.

Most of the portrait is painted at the studio without the subject, working from the photos, sketches and color studies.  If possible, we like the subject to sit for finishing touches when the portrait is delivered.  This may be for only a few minutes, or longer if any changes or enhancements need to be made, taking breaks as needed.  Your comments and impressions are encouraged and considered at this time, to ensure your complete satisfaction with the portrait.

 
    PORTRAIT PRICES (2007)
 *Pricing is for one person
 Additional Subjects 20% Off Price of 1st Subject...call for additional subjects and pets
    CHARCOAL    
20 x 16  

a traditional Black & White drawing in charcoal and graphite on white illustration board. 
 

9 x 12 ~ $ 95
11 x 14 ~ $ 150
16 x 20 ~ $ 350
 

Larger Sizes Available for 3/4 and full length portraits
 (up to 30 inch x 40 inch)

    SEPIA    

Elizabeth & Mary Roth - 24 x 18

  

a classic drawing using sepia-tone pastel on white illustration board.  Blue or green may be added to indicate eye color.  

9 x 12 ~  $150
11 x 14 ~ $ 250
16 x 20 ~ $ 495
 

Larger Sizes Available for 3/4 and full length portraits
 (up to 30 inch x 40 inch)

 
    PASTEL ON PAPER    

  a full color pastel painting on textured, heavy-wt. art paper made especially for use with pastels. The background is simple and understated, with muted colors to enhance the portrait. 
 
11 x 14 ~ $ 450  
16 x 20 ~ $ 650 3/4 view $ 750 - $ 950
   
Larger Sizes Available for 3/4 and full length portraits

 
PASTEL ON ART PANEL...

Anna - 24 x 18

Justin 2003 - 24 x 20

    

A full color pastel painting on a custom-made hardboard panel. Michael Brown combines his skill as a portrait artist and impressionist painter  to portray the figure in a rich, environmental background.  The work is created  in several stages, beginning with a watercolor layout on a gessoed, marble dust surface, and worked into with soft pastels.  This layering process achieves a more varied range of detail and surface texture than is possible on the paper. The panel is highly archival and made especially for use with pastels, making it  possible to do crisp detail in the clothing or background, and also to blend the edges for a soft, painterly effect. 

These Paintings have Impressionistic or "Old Masters" style Backgrounds –

Highly detailed background scenery is an additional 20% (of price of first subject)


Bust 12 x 16~ $    750
16 x 20 ~ $ 1,200
¾ View 18 x 24 ~ $ 1,500
24 x 30 ~ $ 2,950
Full Length 24 x 36 ~ $ 3,500
30 x 40 ~ $ 4,500
  36 x 48 ~ $ 5,990
    ABOUT PASTELS

The Middleton Children - 40 x 30

 Pastel is among the most pure & permanent of all art mediums.  Its delicate appearance and versatility make it ideally suited for portraits.  Pastel consists of pure, finely ground pigment mixed with a binder and shaped into crayons.  It is applied directly to a textured surface which holds it in place.  The individual grains of pastel reflect the light, giving the paintings a luminous quality unique to this medium. They do not fade over time and should last hundreds of years!
ABOUT OILS

12 x 16

Oils have been favored traditionally as they allow the texture of the brush stroke to enhance form.  They take longer than pastels to do due to drying time and the process of layering. 

 

Starting at $1500

 
PAINTINGS 

We do commissioned artwork by special request-- of homes, cars, boats, informal paintings of the family relaxing or at play, beach scenes, still life, florals-- you name it! -- in Pastel, Oils, Acrylics, Watercolor, Charcoal. We also do paintings for fun and will occasionally offer them for sale on this site.  Prices Estimated.

Also Available
 Art Restoration, Murals, Sculpture-- clay or cold-cast bronze likenesses of people & animals-- bust and full body
Entertainment for
 
Parties or Conventions
Quick Sketch:
Caricatures/Silhouettes
Mardi-Gras Face Painting