8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. For this custom family portrait, Adam had to decide which vintage Fisher-Price Little People best represent his family. So that’s Adam’s oldest son, Dean, in the front with the baseball cap, and his strawberry-blonde son, Jon, on the right. But Adam figured that his wife, Jen, most resembled a little freckle-faced girl Little Person he’d seen in a photo I’d sent him. “I’m informed that’s a kid,” he wrote me, “so perhaps you could put freckles on a brown-haired woman?” I love a modification challenge! The classic “mom” features and the cheery freckles combined nicely. And for Adam himself? “Non-descript dude (classic green-bodied ‘dad’) works for me!” The portrait will be a Christmas gift from Adam to Jen.
Tag: acrylic
Woobie
8″x10″ acrylic, 2013. A couple of years ago, I painted a white stuffed tiger for Jen’s then-two-year-old daughter Samantha. Now that Samantha’s baby brother Jack is old enough to have made his allegiance clear to a particular beloved toy, Jen commissioned a portrait of Jack’s monkey blanket-head “Woobie!” Jen asked me to be sure to include the worn white tag attached to the blanket, which, as you might be aware, is the most important part of the toy. When he is falling asleep, Jack rubs the tag against his face (or has one of his parents perform this soothing ritual.) As I’ve mentioned in many other posts, the phenomenon of baby tag obsession is quite familiar to everyone in our household!
Hobbes
8″x10″ acrylic, 2013. I last saw Rayne, the recipient of this portrait, with my own eyes in 1996 when he was a sweet, chubby, tow-headed baby. He’s the son of my college friend Amy, and he’s now ten feet tall and about to enter Cornell University! …. Okay I fainted for a minute, but I’m back. A long-time fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Rayne collects the books and has always identified with the equally blonde Calvin. So it’s only natural that his favorite toy would be a stuffed tiger! Amy’s family has a lovely tradition of giving each other gifts at random occasions throughout the year rather than all at once at Christmas, so this will be given to Rayne perhaps as a symbol of transition from childhood into the world of college and beyond. Congratulations Rayne!
Pet Portrait: Lonnie
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. A couple of years ago, two of my favorite people got married. As a gift I painted a their dog Jack, but it was really a portrait of the huge braided rug that dominates their living room. Matthew is a Swiss Army knife of musical talent and Erin is a gifted and prolific knitter of beautiful things. They both adore animals and have quite the menagerie of pets! Last month Erin and Matthew commissioned this painting of Erin’s family’s Muppet-y labradoodle Lonnie as a Christmas gift for Erin’s mother.
Spotted Dog
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. Matt’s wife loves art, personalization, and this stuffed dog, so could there be a more appropriate gift for her than a custom portrait of her favorite toy? She has had this dog, known simply as “Dog,” ever since she was a toddler, and it has lived with her in Texas, Chicago, and Washington D.C. While planning the painting, Matt and I pondered a question I encounter quite often in my line of work: Just what color is this toy? Matt figures that it is more light grey than beige, although it might have been beige at one time, and he pointed out Dog’s faded black spots and chocolate brown ears. I always love to paint an incidental pillow, and that bolster behind Dog has a great texture. Matt will give this portrait to his wife as a Christmas gift.
Pet Portrait: Teddy
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012
According to the Chinese calendar, this 2012 has been the year of the phoenix — but over her at Your Toy Portrait, it is most definitely the year of the pet dog! I have painted nearly as many dogs as toys this holiday season. This cute schnauzer, Teddy, belongs to Heathir’s mother-in-law and will be a gift to her this Christmas. Heathir previously commissioned a portrait of her beloved childhood Cabbage Patch Doll, which I now realize I never posted on this website. So watch for the story of that classic toy over the next few days!
Bumblebee Doll
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. What a treat this project was! Not only did I get to paint an adorable hand-made doll, but I was able to have a “live model” pose in my studio!
Jessica, who lives in British Columbia, sews these beautiful dolls by hand to sell in her etsy shop. Having commissioned two portraits from me earlier this year, she decided to have one painted of a toy of her own design. She was kind enough to send me this wonderful doll as a model, and then wrote to tell me that it was for my daughter Sonja’s to keep! Sonja understands that, normally, toys that come into our house to be painted are not for her and will not be staying for long. She has always been very respectful of this arrangement, even when she deeply covets a toy. She had admired this doll since its arrival and is thrilled to hold it in her arms and have it for her own!
Jessica uses fantastic vintage and Japanese fabrics for her creations, which were a delight to paint. She also sells the fabrics, and currently her shop features cute pet collars made from them. Earlier this year I painted Ernie and Bert Little People for Jessica’s son and a Hot Wheels GTO for her husband.
Pet Portrait: Baxter
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012.
Sarah, who found me on etsy, commissioned this painting of Baxter as a Christmas gift for her husband. Their sweet, snaggle-toothed Lhasa Apso is 6 years old and is a champion of both tennis and frisbee. Don’t be fooled by his placid, almost stoic expression… Baxter is quite the comedian! This has certainly been the year of the real live pet over here at Your Toy Portrait. I’ve painted just about as many pets as toys so this holiday portrait painting season so far — Such a pleasure for me!
Mr. Bear
8″x10″ acrylic, 2012. This portrait is traveling all the way to Spain for the 18th birthday of Cristina’s brother Pablo! “Mr. Bear” has been at Pablo’s side since birth, and can still be found perched on his bed whenever Cristina travels from New Jersey to visit her family! Cristina was 13 when Pablo was born, and their grandmother helped her buy a toy to give him at the hospital. She laid this bear in his crib and from then on he slept with it every night. The family moved to the U.S. a few years later, and when Cristina entered college they moved back to Spain. On one of her visits, Cristina noticed the bear on Pablo’s bed and said “I can’t believe you still have that old bear!” To which Pablo replied, “That’s MR. BEAR, Cris.” Cristina tells me that she knew she had to find a “special and strange” way to immortalize Mr. Bear for this momentous birthday. “Special and strange” — that’s a perfect way to describe a custom toy portrait!
Jolene’s Little People Family Portrait
20″x24″ acrylic, 2012. You read that right — this painting of tiny little toys is quite huge! In fact, their scale is enlarged about 500%, according to my math-inclined husband. I’ve been taking some liberties with colors and style within the general design of the classic Little People to more closely represent the members of the family members in these custom vintage Fisher-Price family portraits . In this case, Jolene, who found me on Etsy, has been given a brownish head of hair that (as far as I can find) was not actually made in combination with a red dress. Jolene is planning her nursery decor for her baby twin girls, who will be born in December. Initially, she wanted to order a large print of my classic Little People trio painting, but loved the idea of having a piece specifically representing her family (and their dog, Rex!) I absolutely love the tension in scale of this painting — I never would have thought to paint such small figures so large, and the effect is amazing! Great idea, Jolene!