Photo to painting - What's Involved in the Process?

Throughout the 20th century artists have been doing paintings from photos of world leaders, and other high-class people. In the last few decades it has become a common practice for the middle-class to commission portraits from photos of children, beloved ones, whole families, pets, or even houses.

Going from photo to painting is a multi-step process, which involves the following:

1) The photo. It all starts with an image, which can be any kind of photo. Photos can be presented as hard copy or digital images.
Although digital photos make the best choice for a photo, companies who do photo to painting understand that many clients have photos from the past that were taken when digital technology wasn't available, so it is still possible to do so using old photos.

2) Painting size. Once you have selected the photo you would like turned into an oil painting, you will need to select the painting size.
Most companies who do photo to painting offer different painting sizes. The most common sizes are:
12"x16", 16"x20", 20"x24", 24"x36", 30"x40", 36"x48", 48"x72".

Although almost any size can be selected for any given photo, here is our own recommendation for the smallest size which should be selected for any given number of subjects:
12"x16":
1 or 2 subjects, head shot or full body shot
3 subjects, only head shot

16"x20":
1 - 3 subjects, head shot or full body shot
4 subjects, only head shot

20"x24":
1 - 4 subjects, head shot or full body shot
5 subjects, only head shot

24"x36":
1-6 subjects, head shot or full body shot
6-8 subjects, only head shot

30"x40", 36"x48", 48"x72"
8 or more subjects

3) Customize your oil painting. One of the many benefits of turning a photo to a painting is the possibility to do a custom oil painting. This means that the artist can make any types of modification to your painting. Here is a list of things which can be customized

i) The background - If you do not like the background of the photo you have selected, or would like a plain studio background, then you can request the artist to paint it
ii) The clothes - If the photo consists of multiple subjects, and has them looking perfect for an oil painting, maybe their clothes color or style do not match for a single oil painting. You can request from the artist to change their clothes so that they match in style and color
iii) Combining photos - Let's say you would like to have a family portrait done. However, you do not have a single photo of all the family
members together. You could round up the best photo of each family member, and ask the artist to combine all the photos into one custom oil painting

4) Finally, choosing the right photo to painting company.

Here are things you should look for, before selecting a company
to transform your photo into an oil painting:

Uniqueness: When you are transforming your photos to paintings, you want something that is inimitable. Find a studio that will apply a stylized, individual approach to recreating your special image. Above all else, you don't want an assembly-line approach.

Experience: Going from photo to painting is a sought-after gift. Hence, studios can get fairly busy, especially around holidays (e.g. Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc.).

Most studios use freelance artists. You want to be sure that the artist working on your project has the necessary skill and professional background. Oil painting is different from watercolors is different from chalk, etc. Although many artists work in various mediums, if you commission an oil painting, you want to ensure that the artists are proficient in this medium.

photo to painting
painting4ever - photo to painting service