SsPortraits

For the time being, I'm not going to accept any new requests.

~~I am currently accepting all commissions. If the "finalized requests" queue fills up with three commissions, I'll stop accepting to allow myself to catch up.~~

~~I am currently accepting only quick portrait commissions.~~

Requesting a Portrait[]

If you would like to get in line for a portrait, fill out this form:

Type: Are you requesting a fully refined SsPortrait or a quick portrait?
Character: At least give me a name. Who am I working with, here? Is it a human? Have a wiki page?
Hair: Style and Color, especially if anything deviates from your avatar's costume.
Eyes: Color, anything remarkable about the irises or pupils, etc.
Distinguishing Features: Any unique markings or details about the face, like scars, pocks, freckles, tattoos, or piercings or miscellaneous jewelry. This is a good place to mention any make-up, too.
Model: I want a clear photo of a NON-CELEBRITY model's face who you think most closely resembles the features you imagined for your character. See the sections below for more information about this.
Skin Texture: Do you want me to use a skin texture brush on your portrait? This usually darkens the skin a shade and is a pinch more realistic, but can be strange on more painterly images. If no answer, I assume no.

Screenshots: I might need a screenshot or two of your character's head, or maybe a chathead. If you don't have any you can just give to me now, I may have to come get one before I start.
Price: Do you here acknowledge that you are purchasing this artwork and that it is not free? Also, would you prefer to pay by game code, bonds, or paypal?
Other: Anything else? For example, if you want the portrait done for for print, that would change the settings I work in. Or, just tell me anything else relevant at all.

NOTE: When commissions are "not open" as specified at the very top of this blog, I will ignore any submissions of this form even when they re-open. Such requests will need to be re-submit after re-opening so that those who ignore the closed status don't get the first-come advantage in the accepted queue.

Commissions[]

Finalized Requests[]

These are the people who have asked for (and not yet recieved) commissions. I'm only counting those who have given me most, if not all, of the information for the character's portrait. They're listed in first-come first-serve order, which should be close to the order in which I'll be doing them, depending on how timing works out for payment and in-game meet ups for screen shots.

Aaron Lansing
Quick - Advaar (unpaid)

Price[]

For full SsPortraits I will accept at minimum these options:

$25.00 USD by paypal

$25 value of gamecard codes
7 RuneScape bonds (worth same amount of membership)

For quick paintings, I will accept at minimum:

$5.00 USD by paypal
Any working gamecard code
1 RuneScape bond

Explanation[]

My portraits are not free. These SsPortraits usually take me a minimum of eight hours of work, usually closer to twelve. Please understand that this is a very generous price; at my current hourly wage working as a design assistant, it would cost my boss no less than $120, probably closer to $180. In a nutshell, I won't do the work for less than the posted price, but if I please or thrill you, you can thank me with a larger amount.

As for the quick paintings, an option I came up with for those of you who like my work but cringe at the thought of spending that much money on a picture, even they take me two, maybe two and a half hours to finish even if I push myself not to worry about making it perfect.

I'm happy to accept payment at any point before, during, or after I work on the painting, and payment isn't expected until a final, proofed portrait is delivered. Once I recieve payment, the ugly proof marks will be removed. If you pay me before I deliver, we can skip proofing altogether.

In the event that you see someone using a proof-marked portrait for regular display after it was delivered to them and edited, please give them the stink eye, because they stiffed me. I remove all proofs upon payment.

Process[]

So, I decided that, for all of your benefits, I would explain what the model's headshot is for. Here is my process:

All About Your Model[]

I ~~prefer~~ require that models not be recognizable celebrities on the principle that your character is not George Clooney or Megan Fox. The most outstanding issue with this is that, if people could recognize the celebrity you've modeled after, it would take away from the individuality of your own character and defeat the purpose of the portrait. I started creating these to help myself and my roleplaying peers effectively communicate the unique characteristics of their own creations in ways that couldn't otherwise be done. If you just want your character to look like Angelina Jolie or Ezio Auditore, don't waste your money. Just put up a picture of Angelina. I'm not going to help you pretend that's not what you're doing.

Who to Avoid[]

Avoid big-name stars like Will Smith, whose name you would expect people to recognize if you dropped them in casual conversation

Faces from cult media like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars/Trek, any video game ever, and similar characters who not everyone knows, but have a cult following of people who would know the face in a second. This also includes Lord of the Rings, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, X-men, Spiderman, etc.

The same goes for supermodels people probably know about, even if they couldn't spout off the name. For example, a lot of people know Miranda Kerr's face, because she is both a supermodel and Orlando Bloom's wife. She would not be a good selection. Spokespeople and spokesmodels also fall into this category (think Flo of Progressive insurance or Lars of the Aqua di Gio cologne).
Avoid celebrity musicians. I may not know what the lead singer of Panic! At the Disco looks like, but I bet someone in our community does know, and would recognize him.
Stay away from IMDB.com or any website of that nature where just about everyone shown has a professional career in television or film. You're doomed to find someone off-limits there.

What to Look For[]

These are pointers for selecting a good picture of a model once you know what you're looking for.

The ideal model is completely bald, because the shape, facial structure, and subtle shadows are easy to see. Beards in particular, but also long hair over the model's face, make this difficult. I can usually work around this inconvenience, but if you have a good option with less visible hair, that would be nice.
Remember that you're not looking for a model with the right hairdo and eye color or skin tone, all of these things can easily be changed in the drawing process. The most important part of your selection is that this model has the facial structure (girl, bone shape, size, features) that you imagined for your character.
I don't have much trouble making small "surgical" changes to a model's face. If you find a model who's absolutely perfect except you want, for example, a more boyish jawline or a more severe brow, that's something I can deliver without much extra trouble.
The facial expression in the photo is what you're going to get in the finished picture. If your character is known for being stoic and serious, that shot of your model grinning and giggling is probably not the best choice. I can attempt to slightly alter this, but it doesn't come with a guarantee that it will come out the way you expect.
If you have a celebrity in mind because you like his/her bone structure, but aren't allowed to use him, keep in mind that you're more than welcome to pick out a model who has similar features. Even lookalikes are acceptable, just not the original celebrity.
If at all possible, try to find a good-quality photo that is a close up of your model's face. The clearer an image I have of the model's facial structure, the easier it will be to properly reproduce. Normally, with mid-quality photos, I still don't have any trouble managing, but if I'm given a small photo of the model's entire body such that the face is severely pixilated when I zoom in, the assumptions I have to make about the structure may come out differently than you anticipated.

Help! I Can't Find A Model![]

This is your only warning: some of these sites accept artistic nudity in the model portfolios.

Don't Know Where to Start?[]

I also offer a certain service (for free, unless you're feeling philanthropic) for those of you who aren't really sure what you're looking for. I can help kick off your search by personally browsing for some models, picking out a few with varying facial features, and pointing out those features while explaining the different looks they lend themselves to. From there, you can pick out the features you feel best fit your character and will know what to look for going into your model search.

Contact[]

Commenting here works well
In-Game Username: SsVivid
E-mail: SsPortraits@ymail.com (Please tell me if you're going to e-mail this account, I don't check it otherwise.)
Skype: VividCamouflage (When adding contacts, specify it's about portraits. I usually don't accept contact invitations if I don't know who is trying to add me.)

Other[]

This section contains details that don't belong anywhere else but I may at some point bring up.

I can't promise that I'll be willing to paint a lore-breaking character (for the posted price). For example, a non-shapeshifted vampyre form who looks exactly like a human but with fangs is something I consider lorebreak. This also includes half-mahjarrat who dont have markings or discolored skin. Really, I won't do any character from a canon race that clearly defies that race's in-game features just because you think it's prettier. If you want me to break this rule, you'll have to pay my professional wage of $15/hr.
The same goes for painting celebrities; if you want me to make your character Angelina Jolie, I charge $15/hr.