If several of these questions make you hesitate, you may not be ready yet. That is exactly why I created this workshop.
A Special 4 Weeks Online Live Workshop
PORTRAIT COMMISSION WORKSHOP
with Dirk Dzimirsky
The complete process. From the first client inquiry to a finished portrait they will treasure for a lifetime.
For the first time, I will be teaching the complete portrait commission process I have developed throughout more than three decades of professional work.
More Than Drawing
A Successful Commission Is More Than A Good Drawing
Most artists believe that becoming a commission artist is mainly about drawing better.
But drawing skill is only one part of the process.
Every successful commission is shaped by hundreds of decisions—how you understand the client, assess and improve the reference, plan the portrait, choose the right materials and format, communicate expectations, handle payment, and deliver the finished work professionally.
In this workshop, you will learn how to make those decisions with confidence and build a commission process that both you and your clients can trust.
The Complete Commission Process
- The Client - understand what the client actually wants
- The Reference - recognise which photos can become strong portraits and which will cause problems
- The Design - decide what to keep, remove, improve or reinterpret from the reference
- The Preparation - edit the photographs, prepare the working references and plan the portrait before drawing
- The drawing - create a commission quality portrait with structure, likeness, and professional refinements
- Business - handle pricing, deposits. expectations, revisions and deadlines.
- The Delivery - present, frame, pack and ship the finished artwork professionally
- Your Reputation - build the trust and recognisable style that makes clients choose you
Are You Ready for Portrait Commissions?
Can you confidently:
- Evaluate a client’s reference photographs?
- Price your work appropriately?
- Estimate a realistic completion date?
- Package artwork safely?
- Explain your process clearly?
- Prepare and improve a difficult photograph?
- Manage revisions professionally?
- Deliver consistently and on time?
Curriculum
Over four live sessions you'll work on sample portrait commissions while learning every step of the professional workflow—from communicating with a client and preparing the reference to delivering the finished artwork and finding your next commission.
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
| Preparing a Successful Commission |
Building the Artwork |
Building Your Business |
Launching Your Commission |
| Understanding your client |
Feedback on your assignment |
Feedback on your assignment |
Feedback on your assignment |
| Developing the right mindset |
Advanced reference photo editing |
Finding your own artistic style |
Packing & shipping artwork |
| Editing and improving reference photos |
Choosing the best materials and format |
Branding yourself as an artist |
Framing recommendations |
| Planning the drawing before you begin |
Working on your commission |
Presenting your work professionally |
Contracts, payment & legal essentials |
| Assignment 1 |
Assignment 2 |
Assignment 3 |
Your personal 6–12 month action plan |
More Than Three Decades of Commission Experience
I have been creating portrait commissions since childhood. Over the past three decades, I have completed hundreds of portraits for private clients around the world.
Successful commission work depends on far more than drawing skill. It requires judgment, preparation, communication and professionalism.
This workshop brings together the complete process I use to turn ordinary client photographs into portraits they will treasure.
Choose Your Workshop Experience
BTo keep the workshop personal and practical, participation is limited to 12 artists. This small-group format allows Dirk to work closely with each participant throughout the four weeks, both on their assignments and during the live critique sessions.
PORTRAIT COMMISSION WORKSHOP
850.00 €
✓ 4 sessions of live instruction & critiques
✓ Supporting recorded lessons
✓ Workshop resources & checklists
✓ Group critiques & QSA
✓ Access to session recordings for 1 year
JOIN THE WORKSHOP
✓ Supporting recorded lessons
✓ Workshop resources & checklists
✓ Group critiques & QSA
✓ Access to session recordings for 1 year
WORKSHOP + VIP
1350.00 €
Everything in the standard workshop, plus:
✓ Private one-to-one portfolio review
✓ Personal assessment of your readiness for portrait commissions
✓ Recommended development plan
✓ 3 additional private critiques after the workshop
JOIN THE EXPERIENCE
✓ Personal assessment of your readiness for portrait commissions
✓ Recommended development plan
✓ 3 additional private critiques after the workshop
PRIVATE MENTORSHIP
BY INVITATION ONLY
A few participants may be invited to continue working with Dirk privately for long-term guidance and in-depth support.
LEARN MORE
Some of the Clients
that Dirk worked for as a Hyperrealism artist
Reviews of a Previous Online Workshop
RAIN workshop Webinar - Realism secrets revealed
Andrew Wilkin
The webinar allowed artists from around the globe to participate in a single course. Being a leading artist in this field, Dirk broke down the realism mystery into manageable parts and through demonstration brought those individual tasks into a se...
Read MoreThe webinar allowed artists from around the globe to participate in a single course. Being a leading artist in this field, Dirk broke down the realism mystery into manageable parts and through demonstration brought those individual tasks into a seamless process to achieve beautiful form and tones. Dirk was patient, providing positive constructive criticism and extended our abilities to enable all participants to achieve their best work. We were extended each week to have particular areas completed for critique and feedback, this keep each artist moving forward with the Rain project. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and eager to applying this new knowledge to my work. I look forward to participating in upcoming courses. Thank you Dirk
Read LessHyperrealism at its finest!
Cristina Santos
I was looking for a course to teach me hyperrealism (specifically with graphite pencils) to elevate my skills and that offered the ability to ask questions- Dirk’s Rain course checked all the boxes. I am very happy I purchased the course; I learne...
Read MoreI was looking for a course to teach me hyperrealism (specifically with graphite pencils) to elevate my skills and that offered the ability to ask questions- Dirk’s Rain course checked all the boxes. I am very happy I purchased the course; I learned a lot and appreciated Dirk’s helpful critiques of our drawings. He is supportive of all his students and answered all our questions. Thank you to Dirk and the DRAMA team!
Read LessRain
Pamela Vossler
I loved everything about this course. It was very thorough in teaching the steps to the process of hyper realism. I really appreciate the live time with Dirk as the discussion of people’s work was very educational and seeing them all was an added ...
Read MoreI loved everything about this course. It was very thorough in teaching the steps to the process of hyper realism. I really appreciate the live time with Dirk as the discussion of people’s work was very educational and seeing them all was an added bonus. Being able to get questions answered in real time is truly a treat and the input and questions from the other students was so valuable as well. I am looking forward to hopefully having this opportunity again with another class or maybe a routine weekly or monthly event.
Read LessAwesome course
Dana VonDerMuehlen
The course was highly structured and guided me through the drawing process step by step. Each step was clearly demonstrated and explained. The regular feedback provided helped me identify and correct mistakes, enabling me to successfully complete ...
Read MoreThe course was highly structured and guided me through the drawing process step by step. Each step was clearly demonstrated and explained. The regular feedback provided helped me identify and correct mistakes, enabling me to successfully complete the drawing.
Read LessFrequently Asked Questions
If your question is not answered here, feel free to chat with us.
This workshop is designed for artists who already have some drawing experience and want to learn how to create professional portrait commissions. Whether you work in graphite or charcoal, you'll learn the complete process behind successful commissioned portraits.
No. You don't need to draw at Dirk Dzimirsky's level. However, you should already be comfortable with the basics of realistic drawing. The workshop focuses on the professional commission process rather than teaching fundamental drawing techniques.
If you missed a workshop session or you want to watch it again:. the replay will be available in the course shortly after the session. With your registration/purchase comes lifetime access.
The online workshop will take place on Zoom and will last for approximately 6 x 3 hours including Q&A sessions (these are approximate timings and may vary slightly).
During the workshop, you'll have the opportunity to submit your questions and chat with fellow attendees using the Q&A and 'chat' buttons at the bottom of your screen. There are also 2 dedicated sessions where you can post your drawing in progress to get feedback on it.
The workshop sessions will be recorded and will be made available to all registered attendees shortly after each live session.
Since this is a live event, refunds are excluded after registration. But please write to us at [email protected] and we will find a solution.
While the workshop covers everything you need to know about hyperrealistic graphite drawing, you can ask any additional question on the session replays pages, or write us an email.
Yes. The workshop takes place over four weeks and includes live sessions with Dirk. Recordings will be available so you can revisit the lessons afterwards.
You'll learn the complete portrait commission workflow—from working with clients and selecting suitable reference photos to preparing images in Photoshop, planning the portrait, creating the drawing, pricing your work, presenting it professionally and delivering the finished commission.
Yes. The principles apply equally to graphite and charcoal portrait commissions.
Yes, but a free account is absolutely fine. Some messages on Zoom might give you the impression that you need a paid account but that is not true.
Yes. Participants can ask questions throughout the workshop, and artwork will be reviewed during the live sessions. The VIP option includes additional personal feedback.
No. This is a standalone workshop focusing specifically on professional portrait commissions. It is separate from the structured curriculum of the DRAMA Academy.
Please know, that we always answer every email! Today’s email providers want to save you from SPAM but overdo it, so that quite often our emails do not reach you, even if we reply to your initial email, and sometimes we get blocked completely (although we will never SPAM you), making it impossible to reach you at all! If you do not hear from us, please try to use a different email address (if you have), or use one of our other channels such as Instagram or Facebook to get in contact with us.
Artworks
Examples of Dirk's Commercial Portrait Commissions
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