Almost  all of us have heard or used that famous line written in 1900 from the Wizard of Oz, “there’s no place like home”.  Over one hundred years later we still utter the phrase.  

Why is it that after more than a century this phrase still persists?

For most of us our home means more than beams and bricks.  Our home is almost like an extension of ourselves.  It’s where we spend our most valued time with family and friends.

It’s where we often feel most comfortable and fall back on to relax.  How many times have you gone on a nice vacation only to return with a sense of relaxation and satisfaction to be back home.

No wonder many of us wish to have a custom home portrait painting for nostalgia and sentimentality.  

Another reason many people are creating paintings from home photos is for creating memorable and personalized gifts for housewarmings. We often find that realtors and interior designers enjoy delighting and surprising clients with custom home paintings for the perfect home closing gift.

Here is how you can turn your home photo into a painting easily even if you don’t have a single artist bone in you.

Getting Your Photo Ready

You may think you need to be an expert photographer or that you need a professional photographer.  However because your home photo will be made into a painting, the artist will be able to greatly improve the results even if your photo is less than stellar.

If you want to surprise someone and perhaps cannot get to their location to snap their home,or if you are in a hurry, another option is to use something like google maps to find a photo of your home.  

That said using a dslr camera if available or dedicated camera will allow you to capture greater detail and results. Nevertheless here are a few great tips to consider when taking a photo of your home.

Prepare Your Home Exterior.  

To get a nice clean image remove obstructions, remove

distracting items from yard and view.  Consider parking your car in the garage or elsewhere.

However if time is limited you can always request to have the artist painting your house portrait to remove undesirable eyesores.

Seek optimal lighting conditions.  

Obviously you don’t want your home portrait painting to look ho hum and glum, so it is probably best to to take your photos on a nice sunny day rather

than a gloomy overcast one.  Night time or dusk time images can also work especially if the home has the lights on and accent lighting.

Positioning Your Camera.  

You will need to stand far back enough to capture the full view of your home, but not so far that it looks too small. If you have a tripod this will help reduce

blurriness and improve the quality but it is not mandatory, since the artist will be painting the home photo anyway.

Turning your Home Photograph to Painting.

Once you have selected a suitable image, it’s time to start turning your home photo into a painting.  

Choose Your Painting Size. 

Select a size that works best for your purpose.  If the home painting will be used as an accent a typical portrait size between 11x14 and 20x24 is

recommended.  If you have a large wall that you want to fill in then look at using 24x36 to 40x60.

Select Painting Style.  

If you are looking for accuracy and detail in the painting oil style is a popular choice.  Watercolor style is recommend if you are looking for a subtle or softer home

portrait painting that will not stand out.  Those are the two most common but don’t be afraid to be creative and go for an impressionistic painterly style, or modern pop art. Your home photo

can even be painted using artificial intelligence if desired.

Commissioning Your Home Portrait

Thanks to the internet it is convenient to turn your home to a painting online without having to waste time visiting a storefront.  Snappy Canvas allows you to upload your photo through your

phone, social media accounts, or storage solutions like dropbox. Before completing your order they also provide an option to inspect your painting proof in case in changes maybe needed.

With a very reasonable cost and small investment of your time you will have created a custom home portrait painting on canvas that will return great joy over a long period of time