This is a hobby I only started fairly recently, however. After I graduated from school, I didn't pursue any artistic endeavor for nearly eleven years. But then I decided to buy a graphic tablet on a whim and was hooked.
Since then I've practiced creating all sorts of digital paintings. From time to time my enthusiasm waned temporarily and I was distracted by other matters. But I always returned to practicing more, and as my experience grew, my enthusiasm grew with it. Eventually, I decided I needed to improve my ability to paint people, and asked on various internet forums whether anyone would be willing to give me reference pictures of themselves for my practice.
The resonance was larger than I thought, and I ended up painting a large number of portraits. Eventually my collection of portraits grew so large that I decided that a dedicated website for displaying them would be useful for showcasing them - hence this site.
But I indend this site to be more than just as a place for displaying my artwork - or else I could simply have dumped everything on DeviantArt and left it at that. Instead, I also want to use it to advertise this "service". After all, while my art has improved significantly, there is still lots of room for improvement (as should be obvious) - and to be able to improve, I need lots of reference material.
So you can send me a picture of yourself and get a free portrait in return. And I get more drawing practice. Everybody wins.
Now let's answer some possible questions in detail...
How do I request a portrait?
All you have to do is send an email to me at jhubert@gmx.de. This email should either contain a link to your reference picture or include it as an attachment. Once I read your request, it will be added to the queue of future portraits.
What kinds of reference pictures are acceptable?
First of all, it should be a picture of yourself. If it isn't, you should have the explicit agreement of the person displayed that I may use it as a reference for a portrait which will be publically displayed on the internet.
Furthermore, it should not fall under any common definition of "obscene". After all, I want to put the resulting on a public website. Use common sense - if you wouldn't show this picture to small children, then it's probably not appropriate here.
Finally, the quality of the picture should be high enough for me to actually use it as a good reference. You don't need to send me a high-resolution image from a digital camera (in fact, I prefer it if you don't - there's a limit to the size of a mailbox), but the details should be more visible than in a small "thumbnail" image.
When will my portrait be finished?
Since I'm doing this in my limited free time, I cannot tell you that for certain. It depends on how much time I have at the moment, as well as how many people have requested portraits before you which I haven't completed yet. I will contact you once your portrait is finished, but I won't any promises about when that will happen. Just be patient. ;)
Is this really for free?
Yes. Like I said, I am doing this first and foremost to improve my painting skills. If I can make some other people happy because they get a free portrait out of it, so much the better - but that's not my primary goal.
However, if you like the portrait you have received and want to express your appreciation in some monetary way, I wouldn't say no to a PayPal donation:
Will you mention my name and/or link to my home page next to my portrait?
Not unless you explicitly ask for it - the default assumption is that the "models" stay anonymous. I can add short notes to the respective portrait, although you shouldn't overdo it - full-fledged banner ads are certainly not appropriate. ;)
I reserve the right to refuse any message I deem excessive or irrelevant.
Will you draw me a second (or third) portrait?
In general, yes. However, my first priority is to paint portraits for those who haven't received any portraits yet, and I will only start with new portraits once the "primary queue" is empty.
Furthermore, I will only accept requests for additional portraits once I have finished your first one.
Will you draw landscapes/animals/buildings/etc.?
Not at the moment - presently, all my energies are focused on improving my ability to draw people. This might change in the future, so watch this space.
Will you draw people based on descriptions?
No, I don't feel confident in my abilities enough to do that.
Will you do fanart?
No.
What tools do you use to create your portraits?
I use a Wacom Volito2 graphic tablet (which allows much better fine control than attempting to draw anything with a mouse - and the pressure sensitivity of the tablet is invaluable for creating all sorts of effects). I use GIMP as the graphic software, which is a very nice and freely available Open Source program with versions for multiple platforms. It can do most things the much more expensive Photoshop can do, and I am quite happy with it.