Getting Commercial!

August-23-2020

 

In this blog post you will read some background of my first commissioned works.

 

If you are thinking of commissioning a painting, feel free to contact me via email info@docblot.de .

 

I will then discuss the details with you, if possible – personally.

In detail ...

Reading time about 3 Minutes

My first commission really hit me out of the blue.

A workmate at the clinic asked for a little painting as a gift for Christmas.

 

What it should be like? - "Typically Berlin" – but no tourist motive like the common landmarks.

Everything else was up to me.

Next thing was taking dozens of photographs on location to record the multiple light tempers.

 

I found, that the best light for my painting would be a 15 minute period very early in the morning.

 

Unfortunately the same time, the local florist unloads his car in the middle of the motive. So there was about one minute left.

I actually searched for the right theme quite a long time.

 

Eventually it became a Berlin corner tavern (old concept), serving hipster brew (new concept).

Matching the future ambiance, I wanted to keep the palette in strong blue and yellow shades.

 

Additionally these would create a night feeling and a warm and inviting athmosphere inbetween a colder environment.

 

To highlight the contrasts, the contours are later lined in red.

 

Here you can see some of the water color sketches I did for color and composition.

The actual painting of course had to be finished until Christmas, including the drying time!

 

That can be also liberating, as I have to make decisions much faster during the painting process.

 

I personally feel I am benefiting from this, as I tend to overthink my free conceptional work for too long time.

In the end everything worked pretty well.

 

The client was very happy with the result – and so

am I!

 

Finally she loved the painting so much, she decided not to give it away, but make it a present to herself.

 

What a lovely compliment!

For medium I choosed linen mounted on cardboard. Such a small sized painting, stretched on wood frame, might have stuck out too much from the wall.

a conclusion

Free choice? Ok, not quite as that simple as that. Some questions have to be answered before:

 

What format, which materials, what budget?

In which context will the picture be exhibited, what does the room look like?

Which colors and activities dominate there?

What style fits the future owners taste?

As I am working in oils, please note that when ordering works to a certain date (i. e. Christmas gifts), even small paintings are taking about 3 months.

 

Prices start at 100 €. Big size paintings are around 1.000 €/ square meter.