How a Commission works...
To build your very own cat into a unique digital painting I require a few things to get started:-
Very clear digital images of your cat or cats
- A rough idea of backgrounds that you like, trees, seasons etc.
- Some idea about the cat, his or her character and behaviours
- Maybe you would like to choose your own wings and things, or let me decide which butterfly goes best
- A name for the one off painting (only your painting is called this, public paintings are re-named)
How much it costs and how long does it take:-
- To have a commission done in a 9 x 7 print size costs £60.00 for the first cat and £10.00 for each cat (animal) after that. Postage is extra.
- It takes a few weeks to start your commission due to work load, so expect about a month. I can do them faster in emergencies, but please leave lots of time.
- Once the painting is done, I email you a proof copy and then you can either pay by Paypal (adding £3.00) or bank transfer or Cheque (which must clear).
- Your painting is then posted out via Royal Mail 'signed for' delivery.
Will my paining be unique?
1. Of course, each commission is unique to the owner. For example, there is the name 'you' call it and perhaps some special significance in the artwork. I can either add or take away elements in a painting and always re-name them to sell to the general public. Your painting is marked 1/1 and signed by Nicole SJ Rankin. It is a one off, never to be repeated again original!
2. My Paintings are always small. I like to try and add as much detail as I can in a small space. It's what makes my
paintings stand out from the norm. Using tiny brush strokes, I blend and paint as I go.
How is my Painting made?
1. All the paintings are created in a digital format, I find it easier to paint like this these days as getting out paints and canvas with small cats and kittens about is madness. Also, I often only have a short time each day to 'paint' so this medium works well and with no mess! It is still a painting, just like David Hockney's digital art!!!
2. I firstly look at all of the photographs if there are more than one and place them digitally into a montage to create an item.
3. Having a dark background I can use white and greys to sketch over the photographs, in some cases, to get the correct sizes and shapes of that specific item. This is very important if it is an animal.
4. Then, I look at the photographs again digitally and collect colours from the photos if they are good enough and place them into a palate area ready to paint.
5. With a brush set to a very fine setting, I add the colour in tiny sections. I know I do this in a very long winded way, but when I painted in acrylics, I used the same technique. I paint in tiny sections at a time and then use a blending tool to refine and add detail to the item, collecting the colours quickly as I go.
6. The palate and background are on separate layers, it is easy to remove these at a later stage and overlay onto a background or add to another item. If I am painting animals - I always leave the eyes until last.
Using photographs an outline is created in pencil and placed on a dark working background.
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A palate of colours that will be used to create the article is chosen and paint is laid on in blocks with a brush.
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Once the colour is chosen and laid over the pencil base, a smudge tool is used to refine and add further detail.
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Working from top to bottom and adding more and more colour in layers and smudge together using fine smudge tools.
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