May 16, 2025

Hi Laurel,

This is your webpage for your commission. I’ll use this to show you sketches for approval, progress photos, and the final artwork. It’s a great way to keep track of where we to make sure we’re on the same page.

This first image is your value sketch. It simplifies the dark/light shades that I’ll use in the painting into four values: dark, medium-dark, medium-light, and light. I created it in Procreate, a digital drawing app.

The value sketch is the foundation of a painting, and in my opinion, is the most important step. That’s because the arrangement of these simple value shapes will:

• Show how the painting reads from a distance

• Determine how your eye will move around the painting

• Use value to emphasize the subject (You and Zara), and to entertain the eye.

I included a skyline in the background in white to imply a city scene, and to give some rectilinear contrast to the organic shape of the palms. Let me know if that’s okay.

Below are all the images that I use for reference. Thanks again for your terrific photos of you and Zara!

Once I have your approval, we can start talking about colors. What colors do you like in the original painting and what would you like changed?

Please let me know what you think about the value sketch and the colors using this email link.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Best,

Linda