Giving gifts is a great way to show love to your family. When giving gifts to the people you’re closest to, it’s always a good idea to keep things personal.

If you’re not sure where to start when picking out a gift for your family, we’re here to help. At Paint Your Life, we love and cherish your family moments with you, and want to help you immortalize them. This is where the ultimate family gift idea comes in – why not turn your favorite family moment into a piece of art? 

This may sound like a daunting task. Fortunately, Paint Your Life’s artists are experts at capturing your family’s precious moments and making them into masterpieces. With Paint Your Life, your family’s memories are in good hands. 

Whether you’re giving a gift to your parents, grandparents, spouse, children or to your whole family, personalized art is a fantastic way to show love to the people you care for the most. 

You can use a family photo as the basis for a piece of art. However, there are several things to consider when choosing which photo to use. Below is a helpful guide to get you started on giving an unforgettable gift to your family.

A Quick-Start Guide 

When you’re getting ready to give a gift to your family, there’s a lot of things to consider. You want to capture the spirit of your family – everyone’s personalities blending together with all the quirks, silliness and lovability. Each family member has something special to bring to the table, and none of this should be missed in a portrait. 

A great way to capture the personalities of the members of your family for a portrait is to have a professional photographer take a family photo. This guarantees that your family photo is in great hands and will come back looking great and ready to be turned into art! 

When looking for professional photographers near you, the internet is your friend. You can Google “photographers near me” and find websites for pros in your area. Typically, photographers have a portfolio online so you can see what their work is like and if their style appeals to you. Once you find one you like, book a photo session with your whole family. If you can, get everyone together – kids, grandparents and even pets can be the stars of your family photo. The more the merrier! 

At Paint Your Life, we believe that family members who have passed on can still be honored in art. If your family has lost loved ones in recent years, they can still be in your family portrait! The artists at Paint Your Life can include all your loved ones in a piece of art, including those who are no longer with you. This is an incredible way to celebrate the memory of your family members and to hold onto everything you love about them.

If you want to include a family member who has passed away in your portrait, an artist can use their likeness from another photograph and include it in the completed piece of art. It will look just like they are posing with the rest of the family. This is sure to bring smiles and happy tears all around!

Pick a Pose, Any Pose 

Picking a pose for your family photo can be a group effort – get the whole family involved! Discuss with everyone what makes your family unique, and what your core values and traits are. These are the aspects of your family that will shine through in your family portrait. 

Once you and your family have picked a pose and found a photographer, the photographer can give you feedback on your photo idea. Because a professional photographer has lots of experience, getting their feedback can help you ensure that you have made the right decision – you don’t want to regret taking an unintentionally cheesy family photo! Get your photographer’s feedback and, if you’re not sure what to do for a pose, trust the photographer!

During the photoshoot, the photographer will work hard to keep everyone feeling confident and comfortable. If some family members are more camera-shy, they will be in good hands. Your family may even walk away with a newfound love of taking photos together – this might be just the first of many family photoshoots together!

Finding the Best Photo

After the session, the photographer will edit your photos and return them to you. A family photo session leaves you with many photos to choose from, but don’t get overwhelmed by the options you see. You and your family can look through the photos together and vote on a favorite. This makes the gift of a portrait a collaborative effort. If your aim is to surprise a specific family member with the gift of a photo turned into art, make sure the decision-making process is kept secret! You don’t want to spoil the surprise. 

Now that you have a session’s worth of family photos, you can use more than just the one you choose to be made into art. Other family photos from the session make great wall decoration. Hanging family photos on the wall personalizes your home, making it more inviting. A wall full of family photos shows your houseguests what you value most. If you want, you can even frame a photo from the session to give to each family member! 

 Picking Your Medium 

Once you’ve found a favorite photo, Paint Your Life has you covered! You just have to pick a style of art for your gift. Love paintings? You’re in luck – our artists can turn your family photo into a beautiful oil, watercolor or acrylic masterpiece. More of a drawing fan? Opt for color pencil, black pencil, or charcoal instead! 

Whatever medium of art you choose, you won’t be disappointed. When the art on your wall has special sentimental value, you’ll be even more proud to display it in your home. This is why at Paint Your Life, we believe in making art based on you and your family’s most precious moments – they make for great art!

Giving the Gift 

When it’s time to reveal the portrait to its recipients, feel free to make an event of it! Beautiful art deserves a celebration, so have your family over for an unveiling. If you want to get extra celebratory, have each family member share stories and memories about the family. This accompanies the revealing of the painting in a way that highlights each family member’s favorite aspects of being together. There’s nothing like reminiscing together and telling stories with your family. 

If you are giving the family portrait to your parents or grandparents, let them know how much you love and appreciate them by adding a handwritten note! You can even have every family member write something in a card and attach it to the painting. This adds even more to the personal significance of the gift.

Once the painting is unveiled, have a celebration with the whole family. It’s amazing what a piece of art can do to bring family members together and bring back fond memories of time spent with each other. You can take pride in your family’s unique spirit, and everything that makes them special to you. Every time you see the painting displayed on the wall it will serve as a reminder of how valuable family is!

Sources:

https://expertphotography.com/7-creative-family-portrait-ideas/

https://digital-photography-school.com/10-tips-for-creating-great-family-portraits/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/cnn-underscored/paint-your-life/index.html/