Karen Sperling’s Art, Photography and Prose
Karen Sperling
Signature Commissioned Masterworks
Hand-Embellished Portraits, Pets & Landscapes by the Author of
the Original Corel Painter Manuals
Photographs capture the special moments in our lives.
While professional photography is the ideal way to get heirloom images, we often freeze frame important events with our cell phones.
What if there were a way to take these photographic milestones of our lives and make them more permanent?
Karen Sperling can transform either your professional photographs or cell phone pictures into fine art to both enjoy on display in your home and to pass down through the generations.
Photographs record people, pets and landscapes, but Karen Sperling’s paintings portray the painterly soul of your subjects. By turning a beloved photo into a textured, hand-embellished painting, she creates a one-of-a-kind treasure that a camera alone can’t produce.
On this page you’ll find information about commissioned keepsake legacy paintings that you will cherish forever!
The Signature Process: Artistic Interpretation of
Your Most Cherished Photos
Source photo by Don Ling (l.) and digital painting by Karen Sperling (r.).
Embellished fine art giclée print by Karen Sperling.
A look at embellishing the giclée print with oils.
If you like paintings that enhance the subject without changing it, then you’ll love embellished giclée fine art commissioned paintings.
The painting begins as digital artwork in Corel Painter, the gold standard used today by top photography studios for paintings based on their photos. And Karen Sperling is a top Painter expert and has been painting commissioned Corel Painter paintings since she wrote the original Painter manuals decades ago.
Next, the painting is printed to fine art giclée canvas and then Karen Sperling embellishes the canvas print by hand with oils. The oils add not just texture, but also a rich luminous quality to the underlying digital painting, elevating the flat canvas to a unique, one-of-a-kind, work of art.
Karen Sperling has been embellishing her commissioned paintings and teaching in-person classes about how to do it for decades and has displayed her fine art created with this process in New York and during Art Basel Miami Beach.
It’s interesting to note that many artists today offer embellished fine art giclée prints as a prestigious part of their ateliers.
TESTIMONIALS
I am so happy with the painterly finish that Karen applied to my family photo! She is extremely talented and easy to work with, she pays attention to detail and exactly what I wanted in my painting. I would not hesitate to hire her again and cannot wait to proudly display my photo! Thank you Karen!
Erica Keys Land
I’ve known Karen Sperling for a very long time and I have always been in awe of her amazing talents. She can take any kind of photograph and turn it magically into an unbelievable work of art.
I love seeing what she does to portrait photos that I have taken. They are often so breathtaking that I can’t believe she is capable of making such one-of-a-kind pieces of art.
Karen is definitely one of a kind.
Scott Stulberg
The Signature Collections
Karen Sperling offers commissioned paintings of people, pets and special places. Click the thumbnails below to explore galleries showing the alternatives for each subject.
Portraits — People
Portraits — Pets
Landscapes/Special Places
The Commission Process
The information below should answer many of your questions about commissioning a painting based on a photo by Karen Sperling. Please click here to email Karen Sperling with additional questions.
Investment & Sizes
• Paintings based on your photos range from 8" x 10" to 30" x 40"+. Paintings start at $350 for an 8" x 10" with one subject. Typical investments are around $1,500 to $4,000 for larger paintings.
• Additional Subjects: Add 30% for each additional subject, including pets.
• Photos as candidates for paintings: High resolution, clear photos work best. Paintings based on old photos are cool, too. Add $75 per hour to restore faded or damaged photos for painting.
• Edits: Requested edits of the painting are included at no charge for the first 3 hours of editing time. After that, a $75 fee per hour will be charged for edits.
• Deposit: A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to begin.
• Balance: The remaining 50% is due upon your approval of the final painting, prior to shipping.
• Shipping: Insured shipping is quoted separately based on size and location.
• Timeline: Please allow 5 weeks for the creation of your painting, not including shipping time.
• Gift Certificates: Available in any amount—a perfect way to give a legacy gift while allowing the recipient to choose their favorite photo.
Getting Started
• Submit your photo you’d like as a painting using the form below.
• Fill in the “Give us more details” section with a few details about the person, pet, or place, or any other requests, like desired color scheme.
• We’ll discuss the ideal size, style, and any specific artistic goals for your painting.
• You’ll receive a quote for your commissioned painting. If you agree, you’ll send a 50% deposit.
Final Steps
• Artist's Proof: You will receive a low-resolution digital file of the final painting.
• You may request changes at no charge for up to 3 hours of editing time. After that, there will be a fee of $75 per hour for changes.
• After you approve a final low resolution file of your painting, you will submit the second, 50% payment of the commissioned painting fee, editing fees you may have added and shipping charges that will be determined when the painting is ready to be sent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is this AI?
Q. How do I know if my photograph will work as a painting?
Q. I have a photo from a photo session with a professional photographer that I would like to turn into a painting.
A. It depends. Karen Sperling’s paintings are painted by hand based on photographs. If you’d like a specific look or scene with AI, she might be able to do it for you. If, on the other hand, you are completely opposed to AI, then no problem, the painting can be painted by hand without it. In any case, the final painting is a hand-painted giclée canvas print embellished with oils, which make even AI source paintings unique, one-of-a-kind artwork.
A. Clear, high-resolution photos with good lighting work best. However, as an expert in photo restoration, Karen Sperling might be able to work with faded or old heirloom photos to bring them back to life as a vibrant painting, depending on the photo.
Professional photographs work great as painting sources, but photographers own their photos’ copyrights. Just make sure you have the permission of the photographer who owns the copyright to have a painting done based on the photo.
Q. Will I see progress pictures during the creation of the painting?
A. You’ll see a file of the final digital painting for approval before it goes to the fine art giclée printer. And you will also see the final embellished giclée print before making the final payment. We will have a lot of discussion before the painting begins about what style and colors you like, and what you hope to see in the painting, so that the final painting will reflect your choices. You can also request 3 hours of changes after you see the final at no extra charge. Changes after 3 hours will be charged at $75 per hour.
Q. How long does a painting take?
A. 5 weeks, not including shipping.
Q. What if I need a painting sooner than 5 weeks?
A. A 50% rush charge is added to the total cost to complete the painting in 4 weeks. A 100% rush charge is added to the total cost to complete the painting in 3 weeks. The painting can’t be completed in less than 3 weeks because it needs drying time
Q. Is the artwork framed or unframed?
A. Your painting is delivered as a gallery-grade archival canvas, which is standard-sized and ready for any professional frame of your choice.
Q. Who owns the rights to the final image?
A. You own the physical painting and may display it privately. I retain the copyright. You may not use the painting for any other purpose without permission.
Q. Is the painting safe during shipping?
A. Yes. The painting is professionally wrapped and insured to make sure it arrives at your door in pristine condition.
Two More Things...
• Response Time: You will hear back within 24 hours after submitting the form. Please write to Karen Sperling with questions.
• Want to learn to paint yourself? If you are interested in learning to turn photos into paintings, visit the Artistry Academy of Painting for Photographers and the Artistry Print to Paint Masterclass.