Commissions

My work is my passion and greatest motivation. It is the reason I do what I do every day.
My work challenges me with each new project to become better and achieve more.

Request

How great that you are interested in my services. To help you the best I can I need some things from you. We will brainstorm together about the image, message, target audience, color and form. At the end of the meeting I will set up a summary (debrief) of the conversation and then present it to you. If you already have reference material of your own that would be helpful.

What I won't make:
Sexual topics, violence, political statements, discriminatory/racist and/or offensive images.

Duration of the project

Normally, creating for character design takes 2-4 days, assuming 4-8 hours per day. This also depends on the complexity of the work. Making a realistic portrait I take a max of 5 days, assuming 4-8 hours per day. Again, this depends on the complexity of the work.

I let you know at all times when there is a deviation from the calculated hours.

Use of reference material

I often use reference, this is a very important part of any creative process! I collect reference material for most of my artwork. I use it as inspiration and guidance for adding complex details that I can't quite get on my own. Therefore, I will NEVER make direct copies.

I look for references of a specific subject I want to convey, or if I am struggling with anatomy. Stock photos are often used or I take my own photos. I go to websites such as Google, Pinterest and Shutterstock, those are often used by me. Using reference for illustrations is pretty essential; you can notice things that wouldn't otherwise occur to you. And if you only used your imagination it wouldn't look believable. But for my own process, I prefer to use references as a starting point or guide.

How often do I draw?

I draw fairly regularly because art is part of my source of income, so it is a requirement of my job to draw regularly. However, I find it incredibly important to take breaks and limit drawing hours to avoid overwork and creative burnout. I draw an average of 25 hours each week. And try not to draw on weekends unless I have a lot of energy and motivation to do so. Every artist has their own limits and ways of working: some can draw every day, others cannot. I can draw regularly but I don't go beyond my limits.

Try to figure out what works best for you, but don't force yourself to draw every day if it doesn't feel right. Drawing daily is not a requirement to improve your skills or be an artist!

Size of images & tools

If you draw digitally, it is important to start with a large resolution and reduce it later on for viewing on the Internet. Images on the Internet are often 72 dpi, print work is at 300 dpi.
This is essential to produce high-quality prints of digital work and also ensures that brush strokes do not look grainy. I often start with a canvas of at least an A3 size (300DPI) or larger, which is about 3500 x 5000 pixels. My suggestion to digital artists is to work with the maximum possible size your computer can handle without slowing down.

Used hardware: