Bespoke, unique, pop-art-inspired portraits for your family
ever wanted to be the star in an album cover?
Well I have, but we’ll get onto that in a bit. This project was initially inspired by a book I was given, here it is…
It got me thinking about which album covers I’d like to be in. It also got me considering my top 100 album covers, and how mine differed and concurred with the selection in the book. But mostly, it got me thinking how cool it would be to offer my clients the chance to star in their favourite album covers, so I did!
Here you see 8 year old Maya, rockin out in my studio in London. She oozes the kind of energy and passion depicted by The Clash in their version of this cover. But let’s not forget that the original kudos goes to The King himself!
This poses a question – is the album cover cool because of who’s in it? Definitely! But is it ONLY cool because of who’s in it? Absolutely not!
how about starring in your own movie poster?
Movie posters were the natural progression from album covers. Is there a movie cover you’d like to recreate, with you and your family as the stars?
It’s worth saying that this isn’t about producing a slavish copy of the original inspiration material. That would be really boring for me unless by emulation I gained some knowledge that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. It’s more about using the source material as inspiration and taking the actual portrait somewhere else, which is bound to happen given that each piece is going to be unique to the subjects. What I love about these portraits of Maya is that they perfectly capture her personality – her energy, her cheeky sense of humour and her zest.
so what would be your perfect pop art portraits?
What would fit for you and your family? The Let-It-Be-Inspired piece at the top of this article was commissioned for a client in London. Here’s what she had to say about it.
We have had our artwork up in the living room for 3 years now and I still smile whenever I look at it.
It is my favourite piece in the house.
I’m so glad we have this special memory.
katrin bain, Charlton
If all of this has got you inspired then get in touch and let me know your ideas. It would be great to chat!
I will do anything for art, but I won't do that!
Just in case your mind is running away with you, lets get a note of realism into this.
Here's the album cover i'd like to be in
So it’s graphic, rather than photographic. And it’s pretty steep, considering what I’ve said about dangerous shoots. But I’d like a shot of me wearing something floaty, and climbing that Stairway to Heaven to meet the hermit at the top. I’ve got a feeling it might have inspired countless other iconic scenes. Check this out from The Lord of the Rings…
OK, I've got an idea...
Great! I was hoping you’d say that. The next step is for you to let me know what it is. Just fill in your details in the contact form below, describe your idea and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. If there’s a fit, then we can make some iconic portraits of you and your family, and definitely have some fun in the process.
what's it going to cost?
Standard session fees of £49 for a studio-based session and £295 for a location session will apply in the first instance. There may be additional travelling and accommodation expenses depending on how grandiose your idea is. The cost of props or accessories that I’m buying specifically for your commission will also need to be considered, but will always be agreed with you in advance.
I’m hoping to develop a range of products specifically for this project. For example I think the album cover could be presented in a wall frame similar to how a gold disc would be presented. And if you decide to go for a movie poster it would be good to be able to offer you a framing option that suited the concept. Watch this space for more details as this project develops.
