
As last month’s blog provided an idea of how you can commission your own art, I thought I’d share a Valentine’s Story with you to demonstrate this in practice...
My client contacted me with a request to create a bespoke Valentine’s card for their husband.
They described themselves as a “not very romantic couple” but said they would love to capture their wedding venue on the front of the card.
I was provided with the photos below for inspiration and guidance and they described the decorations on the day as "minimal and simple".
To my eye, the elegance of their chosen decor complemented the fantastic venue perfectly.
This amazing place is Pyynikin Panimo and it looks absolutely stunning!
I wanted to faithfully encapsulate the beautiful venue while trying to express the romantic and magical memories of their wedding day.
Using the photographs of the room overview as a starting point I began to form the design.
I focused on the magnificent copper brewing still and the fantastic lighting in the room that caused wonderful reflections in the metal as well as adding to the ambience.
Some details were kept, such as the artwork and the textures of the walls and floor, while I removed any aspects that didn’t contribute to the magical feeling I was attempting to recreate. Air conditioning vents may be vital and functional to a venue, but they weren’t adding anything to this particular project!
I sketched up two designs for us to start the journey of creating their perfect Valentine’s card.
Choice made!
My client, very quickly, chose the first design shown for their card.
They decided that they didn't want any text on the front, this way they could frame the artwork at a later stage. So, I sent over an example with the writing removed (picture below).
After removing the text, they also preferred the final design without the pine cone decorations surrounding their name sign.
The sketch shown to the right above is the final design that we decided to go ahead with!
I used delicate watercolours for the copper still and romantic mood lighting. A tiny brush was needed for the fine painting of the tiny tap from the still.
The lettering details on the sign were picked out using a micron pen for definition.
I made sure to keep my source material close by for reference as I painted!

Shimmering iridescent watercolour was used to add some sparkle to those lights!
The edges of the frame were finished off by adding dry brush marks with gold acrylic paint to complete the final "dreamy memory" vibe.
All that was required was the assembly of the final card.

I mounted the painting onto double sided pearlised card in a complementary "bisque" colour. Perhaps in another life I'll look for a job naming all the pretty card colours!
I then added an insert with the requested sentiment "Happy Valentine's" printed on to hammered effect white paper.

I've since heard that the recipient of the card loved it! They will be framing it and displaying it in their home.
This card is also one of the last I’ll be making as a commission as I'm moving my focus towards creating larger pieces of art. This Valentine's Story has been a lovely way for me to mark this moment in my own story as well.
I love working with my clients to create something special and a little piece of me goes into everything I make. My hope is that the finished pieces allow the recipient to escape reality while they take it all in and be transported somewhere else.
Feel free to contact me if you'd like something unique made just for you.
You can take a look at some of my previous creations in the Gallery.
More information on Commissions can also be found in my FAQs.
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