Portraiture - different types
Would you like to order a painting depicting a portrait? For example, with a subject such as a famous person, a human being or an animal. Here are some tips on how to create or order a portrait painting.
Painting with someone meaningful
Adorning your wall with a portrait or giving it as a gift is easier than ever. Depending on the type of portrait, the cost ranges from barely anything for a selfie to thousands of crowns for a high-end painting or photograph. Is it the craftsmanship that is important, for example a painting in a classical style, or can you imagine a poster of someone you don't know? The price picture will look very different.
Portraiture
Portraits that have already been painted or drawn by an artist are called portraiture. You'll find everything from oil portraits by famous artists like Rembrandt to pencil drawings by anyone using a face as a model. Portraiture can be for sale or not, it can also have a collector's value just like any other art. Different approaches are needed if you are going to acquire famous art or art from less established artists. In any case, it is good to know the rules for Copyright and related rights – as there are certain restrictions on what the buyer can do with a work after it is acquired.
Buying portraiture from an unestablished artist:
In Sweden, it is easy to buy a work of art from an artist. Authors who do not have their own company can sell the work as a hobby and can then legally recognise income without having a company as long as it does not exceed certain amounts. The transfer is made with or without compensation to the author and a receipt can be written to prove the transfer, although possession is sufficient proof in most cases.
Buying portraiture from an established artist:
There are many channels through which you can get in touch with artists selling already created portraits. You as a buyer may have your own preferences, but common criteria are that the subject is a famous person, that the portrait has collector's value or has an artistic quality that appeals to the buyer. Some common channels are:
- Websites or social medias where artists post their own work
- Galleries that exhibit the work of a single artist or a collection of works by several artists - so called group exhibitions.
- Websites that mediate works - for example konst.se
Second-hand market for portraiture:
This is what it's called when the creator is not the seller: there are countless ways you can come across portraits on the second-hand market. The vast majority of portraits created have low collector's value but can be valuable as ornamentation to the right buyer. Many portraits have a subjective value that is high because it depicts family. Here are examples of some channels for buying portraiture.
- Auction platforms - Physical auction houses or digital ones such as Tradera.
- Second-hand markets - Physical such as second-hand shops, flea market and antique dealers or digital such as Blocket and Marketplace.
- Investment platforms - The most famous works are often very expensive. With these works, it is both the physical work and the rights to reproduce copies of it that have a high value. For example, some platforms allow you to buy into art as a shareholder, similar to stock trading.
In some cases, portraiture can also be borrowed or hired. The client or buyer then receives some form of usage rights.
Order a drawn or painted portrait
Order photomontage portrait
Computer programmes can now generate images that combine a photo with a particular style or change various elements of the image. This can involve adding a face to a classic painting and making it look believable. The same can be done by an illustrator or photo retoucher. With the computer programmes of today, it is possible to create highly detailed images that resemble a painting or an original photo, where only a trained eye can tell the difference. Depending on the type of montage you are looking for, some companies will be more or less suitable. As some companies use automatically generated images, the images created can be very similar.
Buying fully or partially AI-generated portraiture
There are various companies that specialise in offering AI-generated art. Here you can use a computer programme to create your own portraits. Some platforms and websites/programmes charge a fee and some programmes allow you to generate your own portraits with a little knowledge of the programme. It is also possible to hire an AI artist to do the job for you - for example via ai-konst.se.
Create your own portrait
Creating your own portraits can be challenging but also very rewarding. At jnart.se you can find tips and tricks to create your own portraits using different techniques.
Buying portraits as photographs
Over the last century, most depictions of faces, i.e. portraits, have been created using cameras. The vast majority of photographs depicting people have low collector value for a wider audience. However, there are photos that have become famous and therefore have high value on the second-hand market. You can buy original prints and negatives, rights of use, or copies of photographs. There are usually established and professional photographers who can take portraits near where you live. Otherwise, you can find them through a simple online search. JNArt does offer portrait photos so if you live in Gothenburg and you are interested in it, you can read more here - JNArt portrait photographer.
Buying from photographers. Non-professional photographers
Anyone can take portraits and either give them away for free or ask for some form of compensation. As a hobby, you can charge and pay tax on the income without running a business. Just be aware that there are special rules for VAT and taking commissions.
Professional photographers
This means photographers who have a company or business and operate at a larger scale than hobbyists. Today, most photography is done with a digital camera. In this case, rights to use photographs can be regulated in a variety of ways. Here are a few:
- A customer can be given access to certain file formats, but the creator keeps the original copies or so-called raw formats (higher resolution formats containing more information).
- A customer can be given limited usage rights - for example, a photo can only appear on your website for a limited period.
- The customer may not be given access to the digital file, but only prints of the photo.
- However, in the case of older forms of photography or Polaroid photography, a physical copy or a negative can be sold separately in addition to the photocopies sold.
Buying original editions of photographs
Portrait photographs with collector's value can be acquired in different ways. In the case of older photographs, this may involve negatives or limited edition prints. It can also be the rights of use that allow a photograph to be printed.
Buying prints of portraits
Posters, art prints, giclée prints, lithographs, photocopies are all some form of copy of an original. Some copies are presented as more exclusive because they are only created in a limited edition or because the production is more exclusive in some way, e.g. it is a painted copy or extra fine paper is used. There are a variety of sites selling copies of portraits as paintings, drawings, photographs or other representations.
Printing or using images
It is legal to print out images, photographs or prints of art or digitally created images that have been made public and use them for private purposes, such as hanging them on your wall at home. So images you find on the internet can be used privately, for example as a desktop wallpaper for your computer. However, you cannot redistribute the image or post it on your social media or website without the permission of the copyright holder. Read more
I hope this list has given you some ideas on how to order or buy portraiture.
Some general advice is to ask yourself the questions:
- What is the purpose of the portrait?
- Where should it be displayed?
- What is the budget?
- Is the image what's most important or the craftsmanship, or both?
- Can it be innovative, or should it be traditional?
- When must the image be delivered?
- Do I want the painting to increase in value over time?
What suits each individual is of course a matter of taste.
Here you can find out more if you are interested in commissioning a portrait that is painted or drawn.
