Artist’s Official2013 Portfolio

&Commission

Guide

Lisa Binion - Artist Portfolio & Commission Guide©2013 Lisa Binion

All rights reserved including images, logos, text and layout.No part of this publication can be reproduced in any media without written permission from the artist.

Featured PortraitsA.J. 14Aurelia 6Brooke and Cole 5Brooke on Halloween 17Catey 19Charlotte with an Apple 16Clara with Nutcracker 21Cricket 22Erin 15Feathers 22Marleigh 18Porterfield Children 11Poseidon 22Rico 22The Brody Family 12The Reese Perry Gals 9Worf 23

ContentsArtist Statement 3Commission Process 3Formal Portraits 5Illustrative Portraits 15Figurative Fine Art 21Pet Portraits 23Price List - 2013 23

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From the moment I held a crayon I was in love. In love with the feel of wax, graphite, ink, or paint gliding across paper, canvas, walls, or whatever was available. In love with making my mark in this world. In love with creating. In 1999 I started doing serious portraiture. I still do a great deal of graphic design and illustration but my heart and soul lives in the challenges and rewards that portraiture provides. There is nothing greater than creating an image of a child that has that “something special” that makes it greater than a photograph. That is my goal with every project. Find the “something special” and give the portrait soul. Over the years I’ve dabbled in several mediums and found colored pencils to be a favorite. For more than a decade I went back and forth from computer graphics/design to colored pencil portraits. In 2008 I acquired a high end wacom graphics tablet and once again felt the same sort of thrill of instant love. Computer design and graphics became my full time passion and the pencils lay dormant. But the lure of portraiture was too strong and I quickly wanted to draw people again but this time in a new way. On the computer. With my graphics tablet.

The learning curve was steep. But being a primarily self-taught artist, I knew the routine. Experiment and practice for dozens of hours. Incorporate what you can from 20 plus years of experience as a professional artist in other mediums. Finally, share, get feedback, hone new skills and get back to work. This portfolio is the best of my recent work. Most of it is commissioned. Other pieces are things I was inspired to do upon seeing a photo or being called to a challenge from a friend. I love a challenge and there are few things more challenging than creating art. It is not art for me until I am proud of what I have created and the client is happy.

Artist Statement

Commission Process

“The Artist at Work”Christmas Morning 1970photo by Mommy

I work primarily using photographs for reference material. Whenever possible I take these photos myself but when that is not practical I use patron supplied photos. I am very picky about the source material because it is essential to have a large clear imagine in order to produce a good “likeness” of the sitter. I collect a 25% nonrefundable deposit to begin the work. This is to protect us both and insures your place in queue. Once the deal is negotiated and the reference materials are selected, I complete the portrait on my desktop computer with wacom pen in hand using Adobe Creative Suite software. I spend several days working on each portrait painting layers and layers of pixels simulating the same processes as the old masters. The difference is my pigments are virtual until they are printed out. Some patrons like to see the work in progress as it is being produced. Others prefer to see only the finished work. Works in progress are posted online when appropriate. When I feel the portrait is finished, I will send a small resolution proof by e-mail for your approval. Sometimes there may need to be small adjustments at this time and I am glad to do them. The balance of payment is due. I accept cash, checks, or PayPal. At this time I do not have a high end giclee printer to produce the final project. It is part of my long term business goals. In the meantime I will deliver to you through e-mail or file server the high resolution digital file so that you can hire a local printer of your choice to produce your print. Clients have been thrilled to have had processionally made prints of my paintings done on high quality watercolor paper or art canvas. Upon request I can set your portrait up at FineArtAmerica.com where you can order online your print matted and framed to your specifications. Formatting for greeting cards can also be arranged. To make up for the hassle of having patrons deal with their own printing, I am allowing them to print additional copies of their portraits for other family members and friends. Like all fine art, the copyright of commissioned work remains with the artist so you may not resell the image without consent or licensed arrangement.

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Formal Portraits

Brooke and ColeDigital Painting11” X 14” at 300 DPI

facing pageportrait shown full print size (cropped)

belowpatron supplied reference photos

Digital art has a long way to go before it is accepted as a “legitimate” art form according to some people and I understand that. I went through the same thing doing 15 years of colored pencil work. There are always going to be those who feel that only oil paintings can be “fine art”. I have experimented with nearly every medium out there and could master any of them with enough practice. I can paint with oils but to me it has never been worth the mess, the smell, the toxins, the drying time and other minor aggravations I personally encountered while working with them. Indeed, artists have created brilliant works in oil for hundreds of years and for “grand manor” portraiture I would agree that would be the way to go. But I have grabbed onto this new digital medium and that is the direction I choose to take my career.

The painting on the left breaks just about every rule out there. The lighting is absolutely wrong. I threw years of color theory study out the window. Yet I open the section of portraits I call “formal” with this one. Why? I am not sure. Probably I am making a point or two but I can’t find the words to phrase them. Artist anarchy maybe?

When I approach a commissioned project I concern myself with the following in this approximate order...

• personal integrity• patron’s satisfaction• capturing something of the personality• capturing the likeness• establishing a mood or feel• exhibiting a style (my own first and then any I have

been inspired by or requested to portray)• traditional technical accuracies such as lighting, color,

perspective

Some people put in a great deal of thought when planning a formal portrait. Where will it hang? What size will it be? Canvas or a framed work on paper? What should the sitter be wearing? Other people just give me a bunch of photos and say, “create something from this.” I can work either way.

High quality reference photos are essential to my work. I cannot create a good likeness without them. Whenever practical, I like to meet the sitter in person and take notes about skin tone, eye color, and other subtleties that are often missed or distorted by the camera.

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AureliaDigital Painting

11” X 14” at 300 DPI

facing pageportrait shown full print size (cropped)

belowenlarged to show detail

For nearly twenty years, Lisa Binion has done the most beautiful portraits of my children. And each time she captures the essence of the subject in ways that make my heart ache. She is an absolutely phenomenal artist and I hope she never tires of drawing my peeps.Heather P.Huntington, WV

My good friend, Heather, contacted me one day and asked if I could do a painting of her daughter similar to her

favorite Bessie Pease Gutmann print. After studying the style of this iconic illustrator and sifting through dozens of snapshots of Aurelia this composition sort of just fell together. It was a joy to paint and stretched me stylistically. There is a daunting feeling I have while thinking of one of my prints hanging on a wall with a Gutmann. Humbled and proud.

Winged Aureole byBessie Pease Gutmann

Above - a few of the patron supplied reference photos used.6

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The Reese Perry GalsDigital Painting

11” X 14” at 300 DPI

abovepatron supplied reference photos

facing pageportrait shown full print size (cropped)

These beautiful girls are wearing fantastic, colorful, fun dresses in the reference photos. I could have chosen to render them as they were and adjusted to background to have a more modern looking piece of art. In the end we decided to go with a more traditional formal painting. I have always loved the portrait work of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough and I took inspiration from them. The color in the dresses reflect the girl’s favorite colors at the time.

The two portraits that Lisa Binion has done of our children are things we’ll treasure for a very long time. I know as the girls get older they’ll love having this portrait, and because it was painted electronically, they can each have a copy. We’ve gotten so many compliments on the pictures. It’s easy to think that photographs are close enough, but they aren’t. There is really something special about the paintings, and Lisa did an amazing job capturing the faces and personalities of each girl.RM ReeseMadison, Wisconsin 9

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Porterfield ChildrenDigital Painting

14” X 11” at 300 DPI

(cropped and resized to fit page)

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The Brody FamilyDigital Painting20” X 16” at 300 DPI

(cropped and resized to fit page)

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A.J.Digital Painting

8” X 10” at 300 DPI

(cropped and resized to fit page)

I was given the portrait of AJ as a Christmas gift last year. I cried, the things you can do with a picture and your computer are nothing short of AMAZING. As long as you are able continue to show the world your amazing gift. Thank you.NaTasha P.Springfield, OH

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Illustrative Portraits

ErinDigital Painting9” X 12” at 300 DPI

(resized to fit space)

There is something to the old saying, “a picture’s worth a thousand words.” I like to think that some of those words are fact and some of those words are fiction. Portraits historically have always been a blend of both. My formal portraits are my non-fiction biographies. Some with a little embellishment here and there. My illustrative portraits are my short stories with a wide variety of levels of truth. Generally, the perfection of the likeness takes a back seat to the interest of the story. There is often a prop or object that says something about sitter or the setting. The style may be slightly looser and I may be less picky about the reference material. In fact many of the illustrative portraits I have included in this portfolio came about because the patron had a lower resolution snapshot that they just loved and wanted rendered but it was not possible to recreated the picture more clearly.

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Charlotte with an AppleDigital Painting

9” X 12” at 300 DPI

(cropped and shownfull print size)

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Brooke on HalloweenDigital Painting

9” X 12” at 300 DPI

(cropped and shownfull print size)

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MarleighDigital Painting

9” X 12” at 300 DPI

(cropped and shownfull print size)

Holy Crap- it looks great! You’ve actually managed to make her look......harmless.Page P.Durham, NC

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CateyDigital Painting

9” X 12” at 300 DPI

(cropped and shownfull print size)

I love the drawing of our catey bug and plan on getting it put on canvas and framed to hang in her room. Every drawing you do just gets better. Your talent is amazing!Debbie J.Charleston, WV

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Sometimes an illustrative portrait becomes more than just that, showing something with a more universal appeal and I get request for prints from people unaffiliated with the subject. I personally understand the appeal of people in paintings since the majority of my favorite artists painted figures often as traditional portraiture. Landscapes and still life never caught my fancy as much as the human form.

Fine art printing has come a long way in the past decade. Museum quality giclee prints are available and are created with pigment inks. I hope to acquire one of the high end printers so that I can proof them and produce prints in my studio. Until then I am contracting the work out to print on demand outlets. At this time I am using FineArtAmerica.com to handle my fine art prints.

Figurative Fine Art

Digital Painting11” X 14” at 300 DPI

facing page - portrait shown full print size (cropped)left - enlarged to show detail

Clara with Nutcracker

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Poseidon Feathers

CricketRico22

Price List - 2013Pet Portraits

The thumbnails above are snapshots of a digital painting in progress from rough sketch to completed portrait. This head and shoulders portrait took approximately 12 hours to complete and is part of a series of fan art I do from time to time for fun and to showcase my ability to capture a likeness.

Commissions are quoted on a case by case basis and costs can vary dramatically. The chart to the right is a basic guideline for a simple head and shoulders portrait on a plain background. 8X10 is for head and shoulder portraits of a single person only. 11X14 is the smallest I will add an additional person or pet to the painting. Additional people and pets cost 75% for each addition. Groups of more than 3 should be done at 16X20. Detailed background, intricate clothing, stuffed animals, or other special objects are additional - usually 50%. Please remember at this time printing is handled separately by the client. Keep this in mind when planning your budget. Clients who commission more than one portrait at the same time will be given a discount. For example if Ms. Smith wanted 3 8x10 head and shoulder paintings of her children with the exact same background, the first would be full price and the next two would be 25% off.

Once in a while when time permits I will see a photo posted online from a friend or family member and will do a painting from it. I gladly give these images but most people want to pay me for the work if they can. It is not a requirement but I am always thankful when someone offers. My bills get paid and I know that they value the work or are supportive of the arts in general. Discounts are offered when my queue is light. Prices are subject to change at any time. Bartering and negotiations are welcome.

Starting $ for300 DPIDigital File 8X10 -1509X12 -17511X14 -20016X20 -300

I adore painting our beloved pets. Animal fur is a particularly interesting challenge. It may shock people at first to read that I charge the same amount of money for pets as I do for people. But I spend as much time and probably more brush strokes creating my pet portraits as I do on humans. I do, however, turn down more offers for pet commissions because it is much more difficult to find an acceptable photo reference.

WorfDigital Painting

8” X 10” at 300 DPI(cropped and resized to fit page) 23