Little birds un petit secret oil painting by fine artist Sara Richardson

The little birds painting ‘Petit Secret’ (shown above) is probably one of the cutest oil paintings I have created to date. This piece is a commission work and was wonderful to create for the collectors. Commission works can be tricky but they don’t have to be and can be enjoyable for both artist and collector.

How a commission work begins

After initial information gathering about what the collector is looking for and an agreement in place, I usually begin by making several rounds of sketches for review. I will continue to refine the drawings until the client approves a final sketch. I then create a ‘rough in’ with paint on the specified canvas size and check in with the collector before the next stages begin. This back and forth show and tell is how the work begins to take shape and ultimately become finished.

Do you have questions about commissioning a painting from the Small Creatures Series or are you interested in purchasing work from the studio? Please send a message to studio@shockandslaw.