Chapter i
Why a commission is a different kind of purchase
Buying a finished painting means judging what already exists. Commissioning one means judging an artist's ability to interpret a person, or an idea, they have not yet met on canvas, which asks for more trust and a clearer conversation from the very start. It also produces something no finished market piece ever could, a work made specifically for you, with your own choices built into it from the first sketch, from the pose and setting down to the smallest detail of how the light falls.
That trust runs in both directions. A good painter needs a sitter willing to be looked at closely and honestly, over more than one sitting, and a sitter benefits from choosing an artist whose existing work already feels true rather than flattering for its own sake.
Chapter ii
Finding the right artist
A gallery that already shows figurative work is a sensible first stop, since a dealer can usually point toward a painter who takes portrait commissions even if none currently hang on the walls. Degree shows and smaller open studio events are another route, often the best way to find a talented painter early, before demand for their time has made a commission harder to arrange. Word of mouth, a portrait seen and admired in someone else's home, remains one of the most reliable routes of all, since a satisfied sitter is usually happy to pass along a painter's details.
Look closely at an artist's existing portraits before committing to anything, paying particular attention to hands and eyes, the two details that separate a genuinely skilled portraitist from one who is merely competent at likeness. Ask, too, whether they generally work in oil, charcoal or watercolour, since most painters have a medium they return to naturally, and a commission tends to succeed best when it plays to that particular strength rather than requesting something outside it.
Chapter iii
The first meeting and the brief
A serious portrait begins with a proper conversation, not a quick email. Discuss size, medium and mood honestly, whether you picture something formal and traditional or looser and more contemporary, and bring reference material, previous portraits you admire, if it helps explain what you mean. A good painter asks as many questions as they answer at this stage, since the brief matters more to the final result than almost anything that follows it.
Chapter iv
Sittings and timeline
Most portraits in oil require several sittings, spaced across a number of weeks rather than completed in one long session, since a painter typically works in stages, building form before adding detail and finally the finer likeness in the face. Photography sometimes supplements the sittings for smaller details, though most serious painters insist on at least some direct time with the sitter, since a photograph flattens exactly the qualities a portrait is meant to capture. A charcoal or pencil portrait generally moves faster than oil, sometimes finished in a single long sitting, while watercolour sits somewhere between the two, quick to lay in but slow to build up in its finer layers.
Wear something close to what you intend to be painted in for at least the early sittings, since a painter often works out how light falls across fabric long before the face itself is fully resolved. Bringing an entirely different outfit halfway through can genuinely unsettle a composition already under way.
Chapter v
A sitter who holds a room with ease
Several women in the collection aged 30 and over make particularly good sitters, since a long session rewards genuine composure rather than a fixed, forced expression. Margo is a fine example of it, practising piano most evenings and understanding the discipline of holding a considered position without losing the life in it, an instinct that transfers directly to sitting for a painter. An evening after a sitting suits a dinner date well, easy conversation carrying naturally from the studio to the table.
Chapter vi
Framing and the finished work
A finished portrait deserves a frame chosen as carefully as the painting itself, and many portrait painters can recommend a framer they already trust with their own work. Hang the finished piece somewhere with even, indirect light, away from a radiator or direct sun, and consider a formal valuation once the work is complete, useful for insurance and for your own records in the years ahead. A simple frame in a neutral tone usually suits a contemporary portrait better than an ornate one borrowed from an older tradition it was never painted to match.
Photograph the finished portrait yourself before it is framed and hung, in good even daylight, purely as a record. It is a small habit that costs nothing and proves useful more often than most people expect.
Chapter vii
Arranging the process
Studios suited to portrait sittings sit throughout the older parts of the city, including the artist studios long associated with the Jordaan. Write to the coordinator once your own sittings are scheduled, and a companion can be arranged for the day or the evening that follows. Browse the collection while you consider who might suit the sittings best, and see the rates for how a longer day is structured.
Before You Write
Questions, answered.
Does the sitter need any artistic experience?
No. A painter guides the sitting entirely, and genuine stillness and comfort matter far more than any experience of being painted before.
How long does a commissioned portrait usually take?
Several weeks is typical from the first sitting to a finished, framed work, though it varies considerably by artist and medium.
Can a portrait be commissioned as a gift for someone else?
Yes, though the subject will still need to sit for the artist directly in most cases, so the surprise usually lies in the finished result rather than the process itself.
What happens if a sitter cannot make every planned sitting?
A good painter builds some flexibility into the schedule from the start. A missed sitting simply moves the timeline back rather than undoing the work already completed.
