Not sure whether portrait is a joke or not

[CallMeAChopper]

My friend is a hobby artist and does portraits for £30 each. She’s good at what she does but a) admits that there are some people sfe just can’t draw and b) has a dark sense of humour and messes around sometimes

My daughter is 2 years old and when you ask her to smile she bares all teeth and looks angry, it’s very funny but as a result all of her photos look like she’s growling at the camera. I asked my friend if she would do a portrait of me and DD as a Christmas present to my mum. Obviously I’m paying her.

She kept sending me updates but only of “my” part, all the photos had DD either covered up or cut off the photo. Anyway she’s now sent me the finished full version and asked whether I’m happy with it. It’s bloody hideous! She’s done a spot on version of me but DD looks like the girl from the exorcist! I know she was doing her growl face on the photo but the drawing seems to have exaggerated it and made her look really grotesque - I mean it literally looks like the cover of a horror movie.

Problem is I don’t know whether she’s joking or not!! If I laugh and tell her “good joke” and she didn’t do it on purpose it’s going to really upset her! But I can’t accept it like it is. I literally gasped when I saw it and then burst out laughing.

How on earth do I find out whether she’s joking or not without upsetting her if she isn’t?

[shakehandswithdanger]

I think your message was tactful.

I can see it both ways, though. On one hand, she's kept your daughter's part of the portrait out of progress photos because she's been planning this as a joke. Or... She knows that she hasn't been successful with your daughter's portrait and has been putting off showing you.

If she's serious and doesn't offer to try to improve the portrait, I'd thank her and pay, but I wouldn't give it as a gift, or do so only as a joke, along with a request that your mum not display it, to save your daughter any embarrassment, now or in the future.

[ellyo]

If it turns out she's joking, you must share it with us!

[ThePlumVan]

Maybe you see DD with ‘mum eyes’ and the picture is more real life than you think

[MatildaTheCat]

You say she struggles with some faces and it sounds like when she’s in that situation she creates a caricature rather than a portrait as an exact likeness.

Some of my favourite portraits are very unphotographic in representation but convey the person absolutely. Perhaps this is the case here?

Just thank her and tuck it away somewhere. In the future you will laugh. It may even make it into your DD’s wedding speeches, DD the demon growler.

[ShuddaBeenMe]

I need to see it.

[Laiste]

30 Quid ?!?!?

It is just charcoal or pencil on basic paper OP?

All i can say is i'm cringing at the thought of playing tricks on people who have commissioned art from you. I used to make a living from selling my art and the private commissions were always so fraught with worry for me that the customer would be happy at the reveal i'd lose sleep the night before!

The idea of showing them a joke version and seeing their horror/disappointment makes me feel a bit ill tbh

[category12]

@Laiste

30 Quid ?!?!?

It is just charcoal or pencil on basic paper OP?

All i can say is i'm cringing at the thought of playing tricks on people who have commissioned art from you. I used to make a living from selling my art and the private commissions were always so fraught with worry for me that the customer would be happy at the reveal i'd lose sleep the night before!

The idea of showing them a joke version and seeing their horror/disappointment makes me feel a bit ill tbh

Yes, but I think it's pretty clear that OP's friend just does this for shits and giggles, not professionally. The £30 is obviously just towards materials.

[Laiste]

@category12

Lets hope so.

It's made me feel all weird just thinking about this!

i do not miss doing private commissions AT ALL

[EspressoDoubleShot]

So in fairness it’s technically accurate representation of your daughter
Just you don’t like it
however it’s pictorially representation of her habit to be bare her teeth

The artist is not wrong, she’s representing what she actually sees

You actually want a portrait of Boden catalogue child looking aesthetically charming. In which case yiu should have explicitly said so. Paint me a picture of my child looking cutesy not gummy

[category12]

Yes, and provide a source photo where the child isn't pulling exactly the kind of face you don't want to see .

[Clandestin]

But you haven't said if she is working from a photo you supplied? If she is, and you gave her a photo of your daughter baring her teeth, then she's just doing her job. Surely you have photos of your DD taken when she hasn't been told to smile, so she just looks normal, and not like Regan from The Exorcist?

[SentDeliveredRead]

just give it to your mum and get it out of your house asap , then never speak about it again

[jetadore]

Just be honest with her?

[Kittykat93]

You literally gave her a photo of her doing that face..and are now moaning that she's drawn it? Jesus

[randomthings]

@Kittykat93

You literally gave her a photo of her doing that face..and are now moaning that she's drawn it? Jesus

Yes, I commissioned a portrait of my first as a baby. I hated the picture - his face just looked weird - but when I compared it to the photo, it really was a good take of the photo, all those weirdnesses (eyes in different directions and so on) were actually there in the photo, so I paid up. Thing is, the pictures do bring out all the little details that you kinda don't notice in a photo of someone you are familiar with.

[steppemum]

@Looubylou

Yes, she is joking. Given the history with the dog portrait joke, she didn't uncover your daughter until the end. Your friend is a hoot, and knows fine well you are struggling with what to say. I'd ring up laughing, and say please get rid of the growling demon.

yes exactly.

I would reply with a very serious.

Thank you, I always knew dd looked like the exorcist. I think I'd better book a priest...

[Cam77]

My friend is a hobby artist and does portraits for £30 each. She’s good at what she does but a) admits that there are some people sfe just can’t draw

Your problem started when you gave £30 to someone who isn’t that great a portrait artist. But to be fair if she’s pulling a weird face, then the portrait will reflect that.

[IntermittentParps]

@Cam77

My friend is a hobby artist and does portraits for £30 each. She’s good at what she does but a) admits that there are some people sfe just can’t draw

Your problem started when you gave £30 to someone who isn’t that great a portrait artist. But to be fair if she’s pulling a weird face, then the portrait will reflect that.

Yes, £30 for a painting...

[Rogue1001]

Has the portrait started to age?

[Margotshypotheticaldog]

I'm just here for the BIG REVEAL 👹👹

[darklindor]

Just hide it away OP. It'd make a lovely surprise present at her 18th birthday bash.

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

OP, if you don't show us, we will all draw our own and post them. I mean it.

[RevolvingPivot]

I don't understand. Did you ask your friend to not to copy her face expression and to draw her smiling?

[Nanananani]

When you chose the pic to work from did you say something about the smile? Maybe she thought you’d be offended if she ‘improved’ your DDs face?

[NutellaEllaElla]

Has she replied?