These portraits were done in a variety of media and in different sizes with prices ranging from $75.00 for a one person pencil drawing to $350.00 for an oil with two persons or more. For commission rates and more information, just call or e-mail @ wmdillardwriter@yahoo.com or art4keeps1@yahoo.com or 832-794-1894.
1 Alani's portrait was done on 18x24" canvas in oil
2 Beaches was my niece Alisha. I took a picture of her in a Ford Bronco and transported her out onto the beach. Since I basically created a painting within a painting, of course the cost of the portrait would naturally be more with the additional work. This was done in prismacolor pencils and acrylic on a 14x17 Bristol illustration board.
3 Christmas cover was a 24x36 pastel on velour of my daughter Martha done for the USO in Germany. Since it is hard to find materials stateside, I do work in pastels but the papers have a different texture and the effect is somewhat different.
4 Colorado commission was an 18x24 prismacolor pencil on watercolor paper. It is a waxed pencil that can create a whimsical effect and works well on portraits of children.
5 This portrait of my son and daughter, Ryan and Martha was rendered in pencil on a 14x17 Bristol illustration board. I added the image of the bird because I felt it indicated a delicateness that is reflected in the tenderness of children of that age.
6 This portrait of my children was done on a large scale to hang over a sofa. I rendered it with prismacolor pencils on a 30x40" teal matboard. The result was a very life-like, yet not-too-detailed work that reaches out across a room to knock your socks off. Very dramatic.
7 The Rumgay commission was done of a dear friend for his father after we lost him tragically. It was done in prismacolor and acrylics, mixed media on 18x24 Bristol paper. Always such a live spirit, his personality was captured right down to the mischievous Irish impishness that couldn't be hidden away in his grown-man's body. I have been fortunate to paint many "memorial" portaits over the years. These continue to be the ones which stay close to my heart.
8 The Dot commission is representative of many portraits that I do in that the original portrait was only a newspaper clipping. Many times relatives want a portrait done as gifts for their elders, or of their ancestors, but the photos are either damaged or in a format that can't be framed (too small or in too delicate a condition to frame and display.) I did a simple 11x14 pencil on Bristol paper. I can do a color painting from a black and white or vice-versa. These older photos work well done in a Sepia (brown color) that looks old when done on a parchment paper also.
9 Seema's portrait is a good example of having a portrait that you like, but want to change small or major details on. In this one, I changed the background color, the shirt that her husband was wearing, his glasses, and since he had gained some weight, she wanted me to "downplay" his double chin. It was like "tweeking" something to get it just right for her. This portrait was done in prismacolor on 18x24 Bristol paper.
10 The Dillard family portrait was taken from two seperate badly deteriorated pictures of my aunt Maggie and my grandmother. I added the floral background to give it the flavor of the time period. This pencil drawing was done on 14x17 Britolboard.
Each portrait commission is priced based on media requested, the amount of time going into it, and of course, how many persons will be on the portrait. The size of the portrait usually doesn't affect the price unless it is going to be larger than 18x24 in size.
