CLASSICAL PORTRAIT SPECIAL
Hello! I’m Erin Nicole Henry, and I’m excited to offer a limited number of portrait commissions.
Each portrait is created using mixed media—graphite and chalk—on hand-toned watercolor paper. The finished size will be 16” x 20”, and each piece is priced at $750.
Please note: the size, materials, and pricing are fixed. To maintain the integrity and consistency of my artistic vision, customizations will not be available.
I rarely open my studio for commissions, and availability is extremely limited—so if you’re interested, I encourage you to reserve your spot soon!
How It Works:
Photo Submission: Please review the Photo Guide below for important tips and requirements to ensure your reference photo is portrait-ready.
Contact: Once you have a photo (or photos! Options are nice!), contact me at ehenry95@gmail.com
Approval & Deposit: Once your photo is approved, a 50% deposit will secure your place on my schedule—and then I’ll get to work!
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Your reference photo is important!
Check out this guide!
PHOTO GUIDE
YOU DO NOT NEED A FANCY CAMERA OR LIGHTING SETUP TO GET A GOOD PHOTO!
Erin's
Let's see how we can get your best reference using your phone and what lighting you have at home.
HAVE FUN!
Yes, I might be throwing a lot of information at you right now, but don't over think it! Relax and do what feels comfortable, it will portray nicely.
DO NOT CROP YOUR HEAD.
This is a must!
Please include your entire head, hair, and ideally, the top of your shoulders/chest. Including your neck and shoulders in your portrait insures that the piece doesn’t encounter “floating head syndrome”.
Find a friend, or a tripod.
Sorry, but no selfies allowed! Please have someone else or a self-timer setting to ensure a photo with the best framing .
NO FLASH! Just don't.
Instead we are looking for lighting from a single source, from above.
Avoid "flat light". While this is a nice photo, it won't translate as well for this portrait.
Adding shadow helps create form
Look for the Triangle!
("Butterfly" Lighting)
This lighting is from above and creates a small triangle shadow underneath your nose and below your neck.
It can be at an angle, but ideally, the shadow beneath your nose should not extend completely to the top of your lip.
We want to see
that Cupid's Bow!
("Rembrandt" Lighting)
Last but not least, make sure the highlights aren't blown! I am bringing special attention to this because the exposure controls on iPhones can easily leave photos overexposed and washed out, so I would recommend slightly underexposing your camera as you shoot.
