What Shall I Make Next?- Part 4 How I capture a customer’s favorite place in a work of art

Customers come into my booth at an art festival and a familiar scene catches their eye. It’s a view of a popular lake or mountain, but it’s not THEIR PLACE.  It is impossible for me to make a print of every view of every lake and mountain in the Adirondacks. There’s a ton of them! 

In this situation, I offer to do a commission of  their location, based on a customer’s photo.  The customer then sends me photos and I do a sketch based on their instructions. Sometimes I need to take several views of the location and combine them to fit all the criteria. I email the customer a drawing of what I think they want. They can then give me input regarding edits, and I modify the drawing as needed. When the customer approves the drawing, I request a deposit and begin work. 

Here’s a sketch I did for a commission. It is actually a composite of several photos. The customer wanted the boat and deck with Blue Mountain in the background. Here are the photos I worked from:

It took me a few hours and a couple attempts, but I was able to create the sketch and get the customer’s approval.  Here is the finished linoleum block print.

I am always happy to take special requests for linocuts. In my next blog,  I will discuss working from a customer’s photos to create a linoleum block print of their favorite place. 

If you live near Gloversville, NY, be sure to check out my exhibit at the Micropolis Gallery  on Main Street. The show opened March 12th and runs through the end of April.  

If you would like to try creating your own three color linoleum block print, contact Kate Hartley at H’ART Gallery and Studio to sign up for my four hour hands-on workshop on April 17th. 

 Please  Subscribe to my newsletter to see all my blogs, and get updates on my shows.  To see my finished Linoleum Block Prints, featuring landscapes of upstate New York, dogs and their people,  and moonlight prints, visit my online store at  www.DCastleBabcockArt.com.