25th and 50th wedding anniversary gift ideas

What do you get a couple to help celebrate their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary?

Not everybody can afford to send their parents or grandparents on a cruise for their golden anniversary, but you want something special. A custom pencil portrait is a great idea for their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary gift.

I've drawn pencil portraits of couples how they look now, I've drawn portraits of how the couple looked back when they were dating or engaged.

I've drawn portraits that combine both these ideas. One 25th anniversary gift portrait I did showed the couple at the beginning of their marriage on the left, and how they looked at the time of their anniversary on the right. In the center, I drew the couple's hands and some flowers from some of their wedding photos. Their wedding song was "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters, so I hand-lettered that in script across the top. It was a really nice idea, to show 'then' and 'now' in one portrait, and bringing their wedding song into the portrait had extra sentimental meaning for the couple.

I've drawn couples from separate photos, if you don't have photos of the couple together at the beginning of their courtship, that can be recreated by having them drawn so they look like were together all along in the anniversary portrait.

Art Award of Sorts

One of my portraits made it into the "Top Ten Club" of all the 422,733 images on Artwanted.com yesterday. I think they get into the top ten by the number of views and comments (or maybe it's just the number of comments, I'm not sure)

It is really exciting to see an artwork rank on there...after all, there are more than 21,000 artists showing their artwork on that site. Here's the drawing. I would love it if you would comment, because maybe it will rank again!

What's shown isn't how the portrait looked like in the end. I added sort of a ruffled edge to the young lady's shirt. It was amazing how just one small thing like that really improved it. I added the ruffle at my client's house after we discussed it, so that's why I didn't get a new scan of the art.
I don't go to all of my client's homes, but if they are within about 20 miles I try to do that.

How long will my graphite pencil portraits last?

Well, the first drawings were done in the 1400's.
Drawings that Rembrandt, Durer, and other artists created
in the 1500's survive today.

That is a very long time, but when you take into account
that they did not have the quality of materials that are available today, that is a VERY long time!

When you go about ordering a pencil portrait, the quality of materials the artist uses should be taken into strong consideration. It's not just about price when you are considering something that is important to you and your family history.

I use acid free Strathmore 500 professional grade drawing paper.
I special-order the pencils I use. They are Japanese animation pencils, because I find they have a greater amount of graphite in them. They also have a very smooth quality that I love. I put my pencil portraits in archival art sleeves that I also special order.

So how long will my pencil portraits last?
Considering the better quality materials, if you keep your portrait out of direct light - (light is okay, just don't let strong light hit it continuously)...

A pencil portrait I create for you should last at least 500 years with proper care. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a family member's pencil portrait from so many years ago, handed down in the family? You can start that tradition, today.

See my art portfolio online at http://www.pencil-portrait-drawing-artist.com

All portraits are unconditionally guaranteed.

Darla