While on one of my many searches in print, I read an article about artists who will do “inexpensive” portraits, and I got all excited. When I read further, i was slack-jawed when I read the cheapest one was $500!! While in the art world I know that’s great deal, but for us thrifty narcissists, that’s a ridiculous price.

Well, I did a little research and found some wonderful ladies that will gladly do custom portraits for under $100! Be advised, these prices and estimations are for after the holidays – these girls are busy pumping out Christmas presents, too!

Name: Amber Alexander

Location: Vermont

Size of Portrait:Right now, she only does custom pet portraits in watercolors, but I know that there has been a time in every young pet owners’ thoughts they they were pondering how kick ass it would be to have a portrait of their pet. The nobles of Europe did it, why can’t you?! Her portraits start at 8″x10″.

Cost: $80 and up.

Time needed for completion: Takes about a week to complete, then ship.

Way to contact her and website info: Check out her Etsy site, or email her.

Extra Info: She works primarily from photos- good photos. Of course, being an artistic also allows her to take her poetic license with her on every painting she commits to paper.

Name: Fee Harding

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Size of Portrait: 8×10 ink and pen

Cost: Depends upon depth of portrait and time involved

Time needed for completion: 2-3 weeks

Way to contact her and website info: Through her Etsy site or email her.

Extra Info: Sweet and carefree artiste that she is, being a realist is not a high priority. Her free reign over her drawing board makes an ordinary portrait become a deeper, more intricate look inside the person, and the artist.

isn’t Fee the bees’ knees?!

 Name: Leigh

Location: Denver, Colorado

Size of Portrait: 9″x12″ and up.

Cost: $80 (for portrait prints) and up.

Time needed for completion: Custom orders take about a week to complete.

Way to contact her and website info: Contact her through her blog, or email her.

Extra Info: Being a makeup artist for almost a decade has helped Leigh hone her skills as an excellent observer of the human form. Her attention to movement, body language, and the subtleties of beauty is sure to turn heads to your wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, but most definitely not least, is the gal who designed my header, Ramsey Beyer. I started reading her zines, List #(Insert number here)  several years ago and fell in love with her fantastic lists of life and her quirky, effervescent and yet completely down-to-earth drawings. Writing her own website resume, I thought I would just let you read what she emailed me:

My name is Ramsey Beyer. I’m a 23-year old living in Chicago, IL. I drew pictures all my life, mostly concentrating on realistic rendering.

After going to art school in Baltimore, the Maryland Institute College of Art, I earned a degree in animation. I tossed aside my formal art training and fine art and started focusing on illustration and art created from my head, rather than from life.

I can create an original 8×10 portrait for under $100, but if you wanted a larger size, I could easily make a high quality digital print on photo paper up to poster size. However, I would keep the original drawing.Portraits of people would be whimsical comic illustrations. I can also do realistic pen and ink pet portraits. I normally work with ink outlines and hatching for shading. Though I would make a painting upon request.

  To work from, I would need a digital picture, preferably several so I can get a good understanding of what you’re looking for. Though you could choose the exact photo I would end up drawing from. A detailed description of what you’re looking for is also helpful. Realistic or Illustrative, background or no background, size, medium, color or black and white.

For inquiries, please email ramseybeyer@gmail.com. For examples, please visit my website at www.everydaypants.com

So, if any of you end up getting a portrait from these ladies, send a copy my way! i know I’m going to be sifting through some pics for the perfect shot to send to each one of these talented gals!!