Portrait of Abby - another commission

A few weeks ago I received my second commission for a child portrait.

My new client was referred to me by Kristen, who had asked me to make a portrait of her daughter Bee a while ago. Apparently the portrait was a hit and a friend of hers wanted to have one made of his daughter Abby.

It was a very pleasant surprise, but also a bit of a daunting task. It is one thing to make a drawing for someone you know, quite another to make one for a complete stranger.

The reference photo I received was just adorable and not the type of photo I would usually use, so it was an added challenge.

I decided to add Tentacle Kitty on Abby's shirt, as her father told me it was one of her favourite toys. I had never heard of Tentacle Kitty before, but I think it's super cute.

I'm glad to say that my clients were satisfied with the result, which in turn makes me very happy.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to scan the portrait properly before sending it, so the colours are slightly off on this image, but it gives a pretty good idea of the final result.

A Bee commission

A while ago, I was challenged to post 3 of my drawings every day during 5 days on Facebook.

On one of these occasions, I posted a selection of my portraits and a contact of mine, Kristen, asked me if I took commissions. She wanted me to make a portrait of her little daughter, Bee.

To be honest, I never seriously considered earning any money with my drawings, even if, of course, it is a bit of a dream of mine, so I was hesitant at first.

Not so much to make a portrait on demand, but more about getting paid for it. I'm no professional, so it seemed a bit preposterous and I had no idea how much money to ask for it anyway.

However, I overcame these qualms and took on the challenge and made a comprimise with Kristen (and with myself): I would make the portrait (it was good practice anyway) and she would take it only if she liked it.

There were many cute and cheeky pictures to choose from, so that was a bit of a challenge in itself, and I settled on one that I found both a bit complicated and showing a bit of the girl's personality.

Kristen and Bee liked the portrait and it has now arrived safely to Switzerland. It is now part of a collection of Bee portraits, of which I am pretty proud.

It has certainly been a growing experience for me and I am grateful to Kristen for nudging me in this direction.

We are a long way from opening a business from this, but I am now a tiny bit less daunted about selling my work.