Do you love an artist's work but need a special painting for a certain wall in your home? This article will help you work with an artist to create the perfect piece that will make you happy every time you see it. Let's look at some of the specifics: Color Most artists can adapt their painting to the color theme of your choice. It is always best if the artist can see the space in person before he starts painting, getting a feel for the furniture and fabrics and general theme of the room. You can point out to the artist which elements of the room you would like to tie together within the painting. Alternatively, the artist can work with snapshots of the room or even fabric and wallpaper samples. If you are more flexible with the colors, you can always paint a wall to set off the colors of a painting (more on that later!) Size A painting can be created in any size you like.
What size of painting is best for your wall? Well, it really depends on the wall. In a perfect world, the painting would be beautifully equidistant from each adjacent wall, and its vertical center would be at the same height as the vertical center of all the other artwork in the room.
Also, it is good to take into the consideration what the painting will look like from different vantage points around the house. You want the painting to be as visible as possible from as many angles as possible. The best solution is to mock up a fake painting on your wall using masking tape. You can measure out a square with four lengths of masking tape placed directly the wall, and then walk around and look at it and make sure it is the correct size.
Lighting
If the artist is able to visit your home before he starts painting, he can take a look at the lighting in your house. Open, natural light always makes a painting look great, but after the sun goes down you will need artificial lighting. Some houses have warm incandescent lighting, others have cool LED lighting, and a painting will change color depending on the lighting around it. Unfortunately most ceiling lights are designed to only illuminate downwards, leaving the walls dark in the corners and near the tops of the walls. A painting will always look better if you can get a spotlight on it from above. These are surprisingly inexpensive to have installed by an electrician. Halogen spotlights will bring out the colors and texture in your painting and make it glow like it's in a museum!
Wall Color
You can use the color of your wall to change the look of a painting and draw attention to certain colors within the painting. This optical illusion trick also works with accents in your room, like a rug or throw pillows. Take a look how this same painting below changes when it is surrounded by different colors. Feel free to experiment with a digital image of your own painting on different colored walls, using Photoshop, before you paint!
Contract and Terms Many artists like to sign a contract with their client before starting a commissioned work. I personally like to arrange the agreement so that neither party has anything to loose, rather negating the need for a contract. I ask for a 50% deposit up front, with the remainder due when the client has the painting in their home and it is everything they hoped it would be. A photograph of the painting is emailed when the painting is completed, and the client can usually tell right away if they like it or not, although the final test is seeing the painting on the wall. If the client doesn't like the painting for any reason, I will give the commission another attempt, after understanding what they like or dislike about the first painting. However, with enough communication up front about your expectations, the painting should turn out right the first time. Price The price of the commission should depend more or less on the square footage of the painting, although artists may charge more or less than what they normally charge for paintings off the wall, depending on the project. Helpful Tip - Go through the artist's portfolio or website with the artist present, and point out which paintings you like or don't like, and what you like or don't like about each. Happy customer, happy artist!
Emil