Schilderen en tekenen | portretten in opdracht

Artona makes custom made paintings & 

drawings.

& subject of work, are up for discussion. Paintings can be painted with acryl paint, oil paint, aquarelle paint or be drawn with pencil, ink or dry pastel. Artona also uses mixed techniques and the subject of the artwork can be realistic or abstract. If requested by the client, Artona can also frame the work. Scroll down this page to read more about this option. In case you wish to order a portrait, don't hesitate to call or email.

The size as well as the technique

More than 'just a portrait'

Capturing the correct proportions isn't the only way to make a great portrait. Every artwork is unique, not only because it evokes the memory of a certain moment, but also because Alicja is interpreting the characters of the person or pet in her own way. Designing a portrait is very complex: it’s not just about a painting a realistic portrait, but also about bringing thoughts and emotion onto paper. Think of the composition, posture, use of color, anatomy, the glance in the eyes and the light and background of a portrait, all things that need to be thought of to create the best portrait.

Process

Portraits are painted from a photo. While sketching the first impressions and proportions, Alicja makes up the design: choosing a color palette which will enhance the mood, expresion and age of the portrayed person. It is important to realize that the portrait is not a blind copy of the photo, but a unique and thoughtful interpretation of the photo. The photo is used more as reference than as a basis for an exact copy. Alicja adds living colors, life and character to every portrait. Those vibrant features are often missing in photographs. As an option, Artona can also frame the portrait.

Frames

Aquarelle painting is a peculiar technique; thanks to the water, the paint can reach amazing effects. Transparency of the watercolour as well as the fact that it's painted on paper, asks for a particular way of framing. Framing doesn’t only have an aesthetic function but it also protects the painting. The frame consists of paper passé-partout ( single or double) the wooden (or aluminium) part of the frame and the glass (by bigger formats instead of glas is used a plexus). Framing by Artona is an option. As artist has Alicja extremely good feeling about the color use. In case she is framing your work you can prepare yourself for an amazing effect: the portrait its character will be underlined in an extraordinary way. Alicja is working with standard frames (a few colors available) and custom-made frames (full range of colors and materials). Click botton below for more information.

Color & monochrome

Alicja is specialized in aquarelle portraits. This watercolor paint is the most challenging paint, because of its defining main feature: transparency. While working in layers the color beneath will always shine through. That's why choosing and mixing colors to achieve vibrant tones, is extremely difficult. As an example, white color will not cover any other color because of its transparency. The light is created by saving empty places on paper. It takes a lot of knowledge and practice to achieve realistic results using this technique. This is the main reason to create two different types of portraits: made in one color (monochrome) or in full color (mix of 3-7 colors). The monochrome version doesn't have to be black-white. It can also be blue-white, brown-white, oker-white, rode-white and so on. Alicja will advise you which colors would be the best for the portrait. For the full color portraits, Alicja chooses a unique mixture of colors, providing a try-out pallet first. Creating full color painting requires much more thought and is a more complex process than painting in just one color. Therefore, the full color work is more expensive than the monochrome painting.

Prices

The price depends on the size of the work and the number of faces to be painted. There is also a difference in price between a monochrome painting and a full color painting. Prices (size 20x20cm) for monochrome work start at €140. Full color paintings prices start at €200. 

The price is excluding tax and the optional frame. Click on the button below to see the whole range of sizes and prices.