COLLECTOR’S GUIDE
COMMISSIONED PORTRAITS AND ARTWORKS
This guide accompanies every portrait commissioned from Lysa Karell, painter and portrait artist, and every work created at La Bottega Del Vento. From choosing the reference photograph to preserving the artwork, it brings together framing advice, the specific care of pastel and oil painting, and the habits that allow a portrait to endure for generations.
THE REFERENCE PHOTOGRAPH
WHERE EVERY PORTRAIT BEGINS
A faithful portrait begins with the right image. For a person as for an animal, the photograph guides the proportions, the expression and the light of the work. Every detail visible in the image becomes valuable information when the time comes to draw or paint.
Always send the original file, in full resolution and without filters. A screenshot or an image sent through a messaging app is automatically compressed: fine hairs, the texture of the skin and the nuances of the iris vanish into a blur that goes unnoticed on a phone, but becomes obvious at the scale of an artwork. Filters, for their part, alter the true colours and flatten the relief of the face.
For a person, avoid photos taken at arm’s length. A phone lens held so close enlarges the nose and shrinks the ears, distorting the proportions of the face. Step back a few paces and bring the image closer with the zoom: the features regain their natural balance. Sunglasses and the shadow of a hat hide the gaze, yet it is the gaze that carries the likeness.
The profile, less common, lends the portrait an almost sculptural nobility. It reveals the line of the forehead, nose and chin with a purity no other pose offers.
For an animal, a treat or a familiar sound held just above the camera draws its gaze in the right direction at the moment the photo is taken.
Old photographs also have their place. What matters above all is the structure of the face: the shape of the eyes, the curve of the mouth, the architecture of the features. A family portrait faded by time can thus become a lasting work, provided the face remains legible. Eye or hair colour can be specified with the request when the image no longer shows it.
CHIAROSCURO
SHADOW AS AN ARTISTIC CHOICE
Soft light remains the safest reference, but it is not the only path. Chiaroscuro, brought to its height by Caravaggio and Rembrandt, sets light boldly against shadow. This contrast sculpts the volumes, isolates what matters and gives the subject an almost theatrical presence.
In such a portrait, shadow becomes part of the work. On the Labrador, one eye fades into the darkness while the other catches the light, and the gaze only grows more intense. In the photographer’s self-portrait, every line is carved by the raking light, and character is read in the relief. What might seem a flaw becomes a deliberate choice, rich in mystery and depth.
This approach is especially suited to black chalk, graphite and oil painting, which can render velvety blacks and very subtle transitions toward the light. A chiaroscuro work stands out in a room. It draws the eye and holds it.
Such a photograph takes a little patience, but it remains within everyone’s reach. In a dark room, place the subject near a single light source coming from the side, such as a window with the curtains half open or a lamp, and turn off all other lights. A dark background, such as a blanket or a deep-toned wall, heightens the effect. Take several images while moving the subject slightly: the light changes with every step. For an even more refined result, a photographer can also conduct the session. The portrait then faithfully follows the light of the chosen image.
COMPOSITION
ONE PHOTOGRAPH, SEVERAL PORTRAITS
A single well-chosen photograph often offers several possible works. In this image, Daividh and Luna can be brought together in one portrait, or each become the subject of a separate work through cropping. One reference can thus yield a family portrait and two individual pieces.
Framing profoundly changes the character of a work. Tight on the head, it creates intimacy and places all attention on the gaze. Opened onto the bust, it adds the posture and bearing of the subject. Shown in full, it tells of attitude, silhouette and the subject’s place in space, and then calls for a more generous format.
To keep all these possibilities open, leave some space around the subject when taking the photograph: ears, a tail or shoulders cut off by the edge of the image cannot be recreated. The photograph must also be sharp and detailed enough to withstand enlargement, since cropping means working from a smaller portion of the image.
The framing is decided together at the time of the quote request, according to the format of the work and the place where it will hang: vertical, square or round.
TWO SUBJECTS, ONE WORK
BRINGING TOGETHER THOSE WHO BELONG TOGETHER
A person and their companion, two dogs of the same family, a parent and child: bringing two subjects together in one work means preserving a bond. This choice calls for particular care from the moment the photograph is selected.
When the subjects touch in the image, they form a whole. A muzzle resting against a cheek, a mother seated in front of her young: the part hidden by the other simply does not exist in the photograph. Inventing it would betray the likeness. The work therefore reproduces the scene as it was captured, and that is often where its strength lies: in the tenderness of a real moment of closeness.
When the subjects were photographed separately, bringing them together depends on the consistency of the images. The light must come from the same side, the angle of view must be similar and the distance comparable. Otherwise the shadows contradict each other, the proportions no longer match, and the eye immediately senses that the subjects never shared the same moment. Photographs taken on the same day, in the same place, give the most harmonious results.
Two subjects also need more room to breathe. A larger format gives each one its full presence, without one overpowering the other.
PRESENTATION
THE ART OF FRAMING
Custom framing extends the beauty of a work. Well chosen, it offers a presentation worthy of its quality and protection suited to its medium. Entrusted to a professional framer, it becomes a natural extension of the work rather than a simple border.
THE MAT
The mat surrounds the work with a margin that gives it breathing room and guides the eye toward the subject. For a pastel, it also keeps the glass away from the surface. A double mat or a spacer ensures this gap, and a slight opening at the base allows fine pigment particles to fall behind the mat rather than settle on it.
CONSERVATION MATERIALS
Everything that touches the work should be acid-free and of museum quality. Ordinary boards yellow over the years and eventually stain the paper, irreversibly.
THE GLASS
Anti-reflective glass lets the work be admired without glare, and museum-quality glass filters out most ultraviolet rays, which cause pigments to fade. For pastel and charcoal, glass is preferable to acrylic, whose static charge can draw unfixed pigments toward the glazing.
PAINTINGS ON CANVAS
An oil painting is presented without glass. A floating frame, which leaves a fine gap between the canvas and the moulding, enhances its texture and gives it a gallery presence.
HANGING
A work is best contemplated at eye level: its centre ideally sits about 150 cm (60 in) from the floor. Above a piece of furniture, a space of 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) between the furniture and the frame creates a harmonious whole. Two hooks rather than one keep the work perfectly level, and hardware suited to the weight of the frame ensures its safety.