Sonny Andersson
Welcome to my website. I am a portrait artist. Based in Helsingborg Sweden, I take portraiture commissions from all over the World. I work entirely from digital photographs which customers send to me via email.
I can combine several photos into a portrait, paint a black and white photo in color and replace backgrounds for photos, etc.
The key to a successful portrait is good communication with my customers throughout the process. When you commission a portrait we’ll have a chat to find out exactly what you are looking for with your portrait, and I’ll help you to choose a photo for me to work from.
On this website I’ve put together a complete guide to commissioning a portrait. You’ll find advice on how to take suitable pictures for me to work from, and information on how the process works from start to finish.
When taking a new photo, take the photos in natural light if possible.
It is important that I can enlarge the image to be able to see details and eye colors to get the right likeness.
I can't work from pictures taken from far away or photographs that are blurry, no shadow, no details.
High-resolution images are preferred where you can see all the details of the object.
You can also scan or take a photo of a physical image, or you can send the image by regular mail protected by two sheets of cardboard in a padded letter. I'll scan it and send it back.
Contact me through Etsy message. Tell me about your ideas on how the portrait should look and what size you want, click the photo icon to share your photo or photos.
If I find the pictures are good enough to paint, we decide together how the painting should be designed. I will make a sketch of the future painting based on your wishes as soon as possible for your approval.
Before I start to work, I want 20 % in advance of the price we agreed on, this is to ensure you are a serious customer and to cover my material costs. As soon I see the money in my account, I start painting.
It can take between 3 to 6 weeks to complete a portrait depending on how many elements and people are to be included in the painting.
When the painting is almost finished, you will receive a picture of the painting for you to check and you can now ask me to make some changes.
Once you are completely satisfied with the painting, send the remaining amount and I will send you the painting rolled in a tube without frames.
Light and shadow
Regardless of the type of subject you are photographing, light is always a very important component. When photographing portraits, it is perhaps a little extra important, the light or the absence of light should highlight a person's face in a good way. Conscious and effective use of shadows in your images can help create natural contrast and depth, convey drama and emotion, and give you powerful compositional elements in your photography.
If it can be bent, bend it
"If it bends, bend it" is a well-known expression in portrait photography, and it means that all flexible and turnable body parts such as the neck, shoulders and legs should be bent and twisted.
It gives a significantly more relaxed posture than if the model stands straight up and down with the arms stiffly next to the body - and the images also get better when you get an idea of the body's natural proportions.
Observe the direction of the gaze
When you instruct your model, he should either look straight into the camera or in the same direction as the nose is pointing. So if the model's face is directed to the left, the gaze should also be directed to the left.
When we see a picture of a person, we automatically try to follow their gaze, and therefore we are pulled in two different directions if the model is looking in any direction other than straight ahead.
It can give a confusing impression and draws attention from the most important thing in the portrait: the face.
Avoid body parts in the foreground
Even if you're not using wide angle, elements in the foreground appear larger than they actually are. Therefore, avoid placing the model so that his hands, arms or legs are further forward than the face; then they are highlighted rather than the face.
You can, of course, break this rule if you're aiming for a specific effect.
Never prune at the joints
There are many different ways to crop the model when shooting, but it's important not to crop at the elbow or other joints, as this will give an 'amputated' impression.
For example, if you want to shoot a half-length portrait, it's better to crop higher up on the arm. Pruning at the neck is fine, but never cut off the chin or ears.
