After purchasing a commission spot, please send photos to photos [at] shannonquinnart [dot] com. While I’ll base your portrait off of one specific photograph, I recommend sending 4-6 photographs to choose from, which will allow me to see the subject’s face from different angles, in different lighting, etc. This can help me to get a better sense of your child or pet’s appearance, as well as their personality! If you have one particular photo that you'd like me to work from, please note the file name in your email.
Commission works purchased through this website will be head/shoulders up. For paintings, I will strip out any background details and paint only a plain colored background. The background color is chosen during the course of my work and is informed by the overall tones used in your painting; most will be neutral, though sometimes I feel that a painting calls for a stronger or darker background color. If you have preferences about background color, please note that at the time you send your photographs. Pen drawings will have a blank background.
Tips for choosing a photograph
No black and white photos for oil paintings please (unless you’d like a black and white painting). Black and white photos are acceptable for pen drawing commissions.
Clear and focused, no blurry photos please! The higher the resolution the better.
Well lit, without strong shadows but with enough lighting variation to show the planes of the face. Portraits will be most successful when I can see eye reflections and hair/fur detail in the source photo(s)
If you are taking new photos, I recommend natural light, ideally from one side (next to a window works well!) Please, no flash.
Photographs with no, or only a slight smile will look most natural, but I'm happy to review smiling photos as well to let you know if they will work.
If the photograph was taken by a professional photographer, please provide a written release that allows me to create a derivative work based on their photograph.