I primed a cradled hardboard panel on the top and varnished the natural wood sides so it could hang without framing. This gave the piece a more contemporary look, and enabled me to leave it unframed. Priming was with Colorfix pastel primer in a skyblue color, this primer has marble dust in it so the resulting finish is that of a sanded surface. I chose the light blue since that was the color of the booth from the restaurant in his pictures and I had this also in stock.
I worked up a lay out of the entire piece as a sketch and emailed it off for approval. In order to get the glass ware reflections and shapes I set up my own still life with a similar white wine, glasses and a red flower (but not the same kind as he wanted used). I did this so I could see the reflections of A flower in the glasses, and tablecloth and also to have a live set up to work from. So I used about 5 of his photos and my own set up to come up with the sketch and resulting work. After completing the piece all in colored pencil I sprayed it with a UV Archival Varnish in 8 layers so it can hang without glass.
The fun in this project for me was creating a piece that would later be the documentation of their first date, and something they will look back on as their marriage grows. I was honored to have made for such a wonderful young man in love.
