Custom Portrait | Sorya's Sailing Family Love

I got a chance to share the happiness with Sorya, former senior director, Global Corporate PR and Social Media for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

She's celebrating her 20th Marriage Anniversary this year, by offering herself and her lovely family a special gift: an Haute-illustration (customized family portrait) since she loves the movement, the theatre and a bit of a surreal atmosphere in my fashion illustration works and would like to have them in hers.

Sorya's family portrait with their Custom Portrait Illustration, drawing by Ben Liu, Montreal Artist and fashion illustrator

The happy family with their framed custom illustration portrait

She shared her love story and lots of memorable elements of their marriage: their story began with a first 'date' at a Québec Nordiques/Montreal Canadiens hockey game, they both love the ocean, nature, and of course, the deep ocean creatures. In November 1994, at Sint Maarten, he received a Veuve Clicquot bottle, engraved "Will you marry me? 100% pure love" from her, since then, the love story continued. Exotic travel lovers, from Montreal to Toronto, with their son, the life voyage of three has come to a new page.

Ah, the life voyagers! I was inspired by Sorya's story and propose her with a draft: a special sailboat "made in Montreal Canadien", filled with their travel milestones, began with two, now as three including their young son, surrounded by their favorite animals: Frigate Bird with red pouch, Giant Sea Turtle, Sally Lightfoot Crab, Manta Rays... I also "dress them up" into sailors with stripe T-shirts, who take charge of their own destiny and directions of life, from past, till now, and towards the future. Voilà.

Artist atelier table view, making of custom portrait, illustration and draft for family portrait drawing, portrait with memorable elements, ocean animals including sea turtle, Manta Ray, Marriage anniversary, wedding proposal on Veuve Clicquot bottle, engraved Will you Marry Me

Custom illustration portrait process : from photos to draft, then to black and white linear version.

She was excited seeing the draft, and we discussed selecting the most important elements to "put into the boat". Then we went through the linear version (on the right) to the final color version.

I got a "customer thank-you-note / review" photo from her with their happy faces, I was quite pleased to see so, guess that happiness is contagious? :)

*Thank you again, Olivia !