Sorry… that title was MUCH longer than it should’ve been… 

So why isn’t everyone as obsessed with custom illustrated portraits as I am? Um, the short answer is that THEY SHOULD BE! Illustrated portraits are SO ADORABLE!! That’s why!

The first custom portrait I drew was for our family Christmas card a few years ago. We live in the south and everyone does yearly family portraits for their Christmas cards. It’s a thing we do down here - like sipping sweet tea out of a mason jar while swinging on our front porch swing and saying “Bless her heart” in any situation. It’s what we do. But this year we had 1 in middle school (yikes), 1 in high school (double-yikes), one out of the house who had a girlfriend we really loved (but didn’t want to jinx it by “officially” adding her to our Christmas card), and a dog and cat who wouldn’t cooperate (ur pets are such amateurs). In fact, there was SO MUCH going on in our lives that year that I decided to make our card kind-of a riff on “the family Christmas letter”. Quick note about family Christmas letters… I scoff at family Christmas letters! Dude, I follow you on Facebook and unless I specifically ask you for major deets on your personal life - let’s just assume I don’t need to know about Granny’s gout or Tommy passing his drivers test (I saw the pics on FB - I know it happened - let’s call it a day).  ANYWAY… I know you’re now DYING with anticipation, so here is the final card from that year. 

So what was the response when we didn’t send a card containing the official Southern Living style family portrait? People LOVED IT! It showed up on people’s Facebook feed and in their Instagram. And almost immediately I heard “I can’t wait to see what your card will look like next year!” So... I decided to do another one the next year (notice the girlfriend was official that year). 

People loved that one so much that they started asking for their own custom portraits. I’ve done several different styles of illustrated portraits. Multiple people, single people, full color, black and white, cartoon portraits, pet portraits, portraits meant for coloring… The list goes on. 

When starting a new illustration like this, I typically use the same workflow to define my style and the theme for the drawing. 

1. I ask the client to show me some illustrations they like - pinterest, instagram, etc.

2. I then ask the client to send me photos of everyone to be illustrated (preferably individual photos (not a big group of people)

3. I have them tell me specific things they want in the portrait (colors, “props”, his favorite sweater vest, etc.)

4. I start the process by sketching out some rough outlines and then I work on the face(s) and hair.

5. I usually hit pause at this point and send some rough sketches to the client. I want them to be a part of this process - just as if they were having a photograph taken. If Johnny always sits on Daddy’s lap instead of Mommy’s, then I need to know that! 

6. Once we are set on a style and layout, I go ahead and work on the outline.

7. The last step is my FAVORITE part. Unless the client specifically wanted a black/white drawing, I go ahead and add in the color and create some different illustrated frames/backgrounds for the portrait. And voila… your custom illustrated portrait. 

I know that most people do portraits for Christmas cards, but there are SO MANY MORE instances where an illustrated portrait is appropriate!

• Framed portrait on a family gallery wall

• Logo design

• Birth announcements or wedding save-the-date cards

• Kids birthday invitations

• Author photos in the back of a book

• and of course… Christmas cards

Always wondered about having your own picture illustrated? I am currently reserving spots for 2020 Christmas portraits. But I’m only taking a small number of custom illustration jobs this year, so get your name on the list FAST! Shoot me an email using the button below for more info on booking YOUR custom illustrated portrait.