Commissioned art for xmas

October 5, 2020 4:36 PM

I'd like to commission an artist to do an illustrated family portrait for Christmas presents. Looking for artists who are queer, people of color, women, non-binary, trans and/or otherwise under-represented in the art world who do beautiful, playful, interesting, commission work. Thinking of a cartoony-style, but open to more fine art style too. Who should I check out?
posted by anonymous to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Li Chen of Extraordinary Comics does portraits on commission. They're verrry cute.
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:00 PM on October 5, 2020

I've been following Jess Minckley for a while. She does a wide range from cartoon-y illustrations to closer to digital photography.

Here's a really cute family cartoon!
posted by hydra77 at 5:08 PM on October 5, 2020

I actually have a portrait of my family drawn by Li Chen and it is a total delight. I’m not sure if it the style you are looking for, and you might be too late for Christmas, but we had a really good experience. (Happy to share the picture by DM, but it’s very much in her comic style.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:26 PM on October 5, 2020

This recent Ask may have a buried lead:

How much should I expect to pay an artist to draw me as a cartoon?
posted by tinker at 6:41 PM on October 5, 2020

Noah Grigni! I love this artist's work.

There is a contact form on their about page for inquiries about non book work.

Noah Grigni is a freelance artist and trans activist living in Boston. Their professional work ranges from vibrant children’s book illustrations, to meticulous anatomical drawings, to promotional art for non-profits. Influenced by queer futurism, magical realism, dreams, and the subconscious, Noah’s art imagines a radically inclusive future through a surrealist lens.

posted by bilabial at 8:57 PM on October 5, 2020

I am a huge fan of Frollein Motte - Berlin-based graphical recorder and illustrator. The comissions for family portraits are very affordable and her style is fun yet modern and decorative.
posted by Fallbala at 11:18 PM on October 5, 2020

My partner's friend Nicole has a small illustration/art/craft/design studio, and does a lot of family portraits - her style is really bold and graphic and colourful, but she always captures the essence of the people so well. This is us/cats/baby.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:41 AM on October 6, 2020

Emily Griffiin does portraits quite a bit and is delightful to work with.
posted by dame at 2:24 AM on October 6, 2020

I like the art of Brittany Castle of 58creativity. She is a Deaf, female artist and designer.

Some examples here, here and here.
posted by Toddles at 7:03 AM on October 6, 2020

This is not a cartoony style, but Tashina Suzuki takes commissions for portraits. She did a painting of my cat that I really love.
posted by JenMarie at 1:07 PM on October 6, 2020

I commissioned a portrait of our new family after our baby was born from Jamie Squire. Wonderful service and very reasonable pricing. We absolutely love our portrait.

I don’t know how she identifies exactly but most of her personal work is around themes of bodily autonomy, dealing with depression and anxiety and self acceptance. She often depicts POC, non binary and queer couples in her art and portrait portfolio.
posted by Concordia at 2:35 PM on October 6, 2020