The LeSauvage Family Portrait, How It Works and a Process Video

I had the pleasure of working on a portrait for the cuuuutest family! 

Now, I am totally biased because this was a project for one of my childhood friends.  Carrie was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and when she got married this Summer I knew I wanted to do something really special for her. 

Then she had Lily!  The most beautiful baby girl who I could NOT wait to paint.  Plus there is a cat, I mean, you know me (and if you don't I am a total cat lady).  

So this little illustration was super fun for me to work on!  I also took a process video of (most of) the painting work, but I can explain in photos a little about how it works:

1. Carrie sent me photos of each family member and the kitty, I put those below the painting so that you can have fun comparing.

2. I draw a sketch based on the photos, ask for new ones if I need to, and I share the sketch with my client to make sure everything looks good.  This includes details like: would you like a floral boarder? what colors would be best in the clothing? what colors are everyone's eyes (sometimes that is hard to see in the photos)? Any other details we should add for fun? Sometimes I add hand-lettered names or dates etc.

3. Then I paint 90% of the painting and share back with the client for any final minor changes, like maybe someone's hair color or eye color could be adjusted. See video

4. Once I have the final approval, I frame it up in a mat and a protective sleeve and send the painting to it's new home!

If you would like to see more examples of family or pet portraits explore here!