Stunning pastels portraits
with artist Ellie Sibiga
Hi friends! I’m super excited to introduce to you another local, small business! My goal in sharing other businesses is to one, introduce you to someone you may not know and two, help cheer on other ladies I admire in our community.
Word of mouth is one of the BEST ways to support local businesses! This is actually how I learned about Ellie. I was taking heirloom portraits of a friends’ child, we struck up a conversation and I mentioned wanted to connect with a local pastel artist.
The idea in partnering with a local pastel artist is that you can turn your Williamsburg Heirloom Portrait into a stunning piece of art!
Hi there! I’m Ellie, a pastel portrait artist from Richmond, Virginia and I love drawing kids! I’m a mom of two young boys and so – most of my inspiration comes from my kids and from my friends’ children.
I began my journey as an artist about twelve years ago. My first child was born extremely premature with a lot of medical needs. Art gave me the opportunity to work from home and be with my son, while my husband started a new career. I drew pen and ink renderings of residential properties for about ten years before painting children.
My portrait style:
I would describe my artistic style as “soft” realism. I love color, fine details, and warmth. Children are inherently themselves, and I love to highlight that. I differ from traditional portrait artists in that I don’t always paint children in a formal smock or outfit. I allow for soft smiles that show some teeth, and I incorporate play clothing. Classic portraits, with a casual approach.
My process:
I do not require formal sittings. I love working from life! (but I also know kids have a lot of wiggles and that sitting still for extended periods of time can be a challenge).
I work primarily from 1-2 quality reference photos. If you have additional photos for more information, that is very helpful.
In a reference photo, I’m looking for an image that captures your child’s personality and presence. A photo with more shadows and contrast will produce a more dimensional pastel portrait. A reference photo where the value range is closer together will produce a pastel portrait with less dimension but a softer “look.”
How do I get started?
Send me a few reference photos (that’s where Dreama comes in!) We will discuss the photos together and select the one that you feel represents your child, and I feel is workable from an artistic standpoint.
Once the reference photo is selected, I will check in with you a couple of times throughout the process to give you progress updates. When I’m finished, I will send you photos for final review and ask you whether you would like me to make any adjustments. For pastel clients, two rounds of adjustments are included, and any adjustments beyond that, I charge an additional fee.
How about framing?
I don’t frame, but I do work with two local frame shops who frame my work regularly. I am always glad to meet clients at the frame shop and help make recommendations for framing. I love interiors, so helping clients with select frames is the icing on the portrait cake!
What’s your availability?
I have a few slots remaining for 2024 and I would be thrilled to work with you. Here’s how we can connect:
Website: www.elliesibiga.com
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: www.instagram.com/elliesibigaart/
