About This Style
Family photographs have a structural problem: somebody is always taking them. The Family Crest solves it by painting everyone, including the one who is usually behind the phone and the one who is usually asleep under the table.
The composition is a formal Renaissance group portrait, built the way they were actually built. Adults stand at the back, children are seated in front, the animal sits at the child's feet with one paw forward. Heads are arranged on a gentle arc so no face is hidden and nobody reads as an afterthought. Everyone wears rich period court dress in deep green, gold and oxblood; the animal wears nothing, because the moment you put a ruff on the dog the painting becomes a joke about the dog instead of a portrait of the family.
The treatment is full old master. Warm light from the upper left, a deep umber ground, a heavy curtain and the edge of a stone column behind, glazed skin and fur, canvas weave showing through. Painted properly, a group of four reads as a single object rather than four people standing near each other, and that is the difference between this and a collage.
It is the largest thing most people order from us, and it is almost always a Christmas or an anniversary purchase. It is also the one that gets inherited, which is worth thinking about when choosing the size.
It handles between three and four subjects, in any combination of people and animals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people and pets can be in it?
Three or four subjects in total, in any mix. Two adults and a dog, one adult and two children and a cat, three people and a dog: all of these work. Beyond four the faces get too small to be worth painting at this size.
Do we all need to be in one photo?
No, and separate photos are better. Send one clear photo per person and per pet. We build the composition, so a set of individual shots gives us far more to work with than one group photo where two people are squinting.
Is there an actual crest or coat of arms in the painting?
No lettering or heraldry is painted, because an invented family motto tends to look like a mistake. The name refers to what the portrait does rather than to a device in it. If you want a specific object included, note it in the order comments.
Can we be painted in modern clothes?
Yes. Note it in the order comments and we will keep the clothes from your reference photos. The lighting, background and composition stay old master, which still gives you the formal group portrait feel.