Tag Archives: commissioned pencil drawing

A Commissioned Cabin Drawing in Wilsonia

Park Street (or is it Road?) is completed. There are a number of cabins all in a row, and I had to work very deliberately to not make the chapter full of things that looked alike.

On one cabin I chose their unique entry way door.

Here is an aside: while I was drawing this, I listened to an audio book by Dan Erickson called “A Train Called Forgiveness”. It was a very moving story, and I remember how it made me feel every time I look at this drawing.

The owners of the cabin asked me to draw the entire cabin for them. (That’s called a “commission” – in short, it is custom work for hire.)

In spite of having the pages already finished and no room for additional drawings, I said yes to their request. (Got these habits of needing to eat, put gas in my car, keep Perkins fed and buy yarn.)

We discussed the possibility of putting the flag in color, something I’ve wished I could do throughout the book but it will be cost prohibitive, both for me and for you.

They needed to see sketches in order to decide.

In addition to putting color in the flag, I added a tree to the left foreground. They chose B, and I began drawing.

Alta Through Laurel, Finished!

As I draw this book alphabetically street by street, I feel a sense of progress.

Duh.

This cabin looked boxy from the front. After I passed by it about the one thousandth time, I began noticing interesting details. Have you ever seen a cabin this shape before?

It is part of the book because I want both the typical and the atypical. Bet you can tell which category this drawing fits into.

This is #111.

Part of the fun of drawing a self-designed and self-published book is that I get to draw whatever strikes my fancy. NO ONE would ever commission me to draw this view of his cabin!! When people commission this California artist to draw their cabins, they choose the front. Always. No exceptions. Amen.

Being a California artist, nay, a California pencil artist, a cabin artist, Cabinart herself, sometimes I like to choose the offbeat, the unusual, the most interesting view, the unique. This pencil drawing qualifies for all of the aforementioned.

Phew! Another drawing off the table!

Not bad, eh? This one was a bugger! If I can’t see it, I can’t draw it very well. It takes longer when I refer to multiple photos from different angles in different lights. Not whinin’, just sayin’.

And thus we conclude our little explanation of drawing a Wilsonia cabin in pencil when our photos are not providing all the information. Now, I might need to go lie down for a bit. Someone, administer dark chocolate and bring me my knitting!

What is “Commission”?

A commissions is “an order for something, especially a work of art, to be produced”. For many years, I have been accepting commissions to draw people’s homes and cabins in pencil, drawing to the customer’s specifications.

This pencil drawing was made according to the cabin owner’s request, using his photos.

As I work on The Cabins of Wilsonia, I am drawing the cabins and views that suit my tastes and the (ever evolving) design of the book. Those views are chosen to represent both the typical and the atypical aspects of cabins. My choices also are made for the most visual variety on each full page spread of the book.

If a cabin owner asks me to draw his cabin, I say yes.

Saying yes doesn’t guarantee that the commissioned drawing will be in the book. It means the cabin owner has asked for a particular drawing, and they pay me to do it the way that they want.

There are some gray areas. For example, some folks have offered use of a photo that they really like, and given me permission to draw it that way for the book.

Is that a commission?

No. But, they have first dibs on buying the original, when I’m ready to let them out of my studio.

I NEVER want to be pushy or pesky or sales-y. So, I probably have missed opportunities to make money. Making money is part of being in business – without that part, I would only have a hobby. Businesses have customers; hobbies don’t.

So, if you would like to commission me to draw your cabin, I am available. The common sizes are 8×10 – $175, and 11×14 – $250.

The Second Wilsonia Cabin I Drew

Okay, if you start counting with the Gordon’s A-frame, then the Coll-Inn Too is #2 and this is actually #3. But since I can’t remember drawing the Gordon’s cabin, I still think of this as #2.

My friend Sara called to see if the Wilsonia folks could auction or raffle a certificate for a drawing of a cabin at one of the annual meetings. Since I am CABINART (that is the name of my studio because originally all I did was draw cabins), I said yes. She bought a certificate for an 8×10 drawing, and it raised some money for the community.

Jack and Alitta were the recipients, and they were both delighted and delightful!