Family Tree Art with Wedding portrait

(Best Anniversary Gift for parents)

Personalized Family Tree Art is a very popular gift when it comes to wedding anniversaries. It’s a gift that visually summarizes a couple’s life together. So it’s no wonder that family tree paintings are so popular with people looking for unique anniversary gifts for their parents.  While I offer a number of custom family tree painting options, most of my clients tend to go for what I refer to as “Then and Now” style.  It’s a family tree painting with a couple portrait at the base of the tree and their wedding photo above them.

I always try to offer several size options for each one of my family tree styles to fit every budget. This style is no different. While each illustration I create is completely unique, size constraints do play a role in how a painting is styled. Please keep in mind that each family tree illustration is created specifically for the couple. When I use the term ‘styled’ it doesn’t imply that all family trees in the same size look the same.  Regardless of the painting’s size I always try to fit as many personal details into each painting as I can. However, the size of the painting dictates how many details could be added to the artwork.

Please take a look at family tree painting examples below to gain better understanding of the difference between the painting sizes.

18″X24″ Family Tree with Custom Couple Portrait + wedding photo

Larger family tree illustrations can fit a lot of intricate details. For example, in the artwork below, (commissioned as a 50th Wedding anniversary gift for parents), there was enough space for me to add a lot of complex details. Because I painted this family tree in a large (18″X24″) size I could get really creative with customized details. One of my favorite ‘touches’ was adding fabric patterns to the leaves. I also added stitches to the tree, the clouds and the houses in the background to imitate a quilt. I chose to make the family tree itself to look like a quilt because my client informed me that quilting is one of her mother’s hobbies.

If you click to enlarge the painting you’ll be able to see that the names on leaves are also made up of stitches. Due to the large size of this family tree painting I was also able to add little details to the circular saw on the floor next to my client’s dad and the antique record player next to her mom.

Hand-painted family tree art with background made to look like a quilt.

16″X20″ Family Tree illustration with Parents Portrait and their wedding photo

Family tree illustration example below is slightly smaller than the previous one, but it also fits a lot of intricate details. This painting’s size (16″X20″) was still large enough for me to write on the spines of books on the table. I was also able to make scratch off lottery cards look realistic. If you zoom into the family tree you’ll even be able to read the lettering on the police patch on my client’s dad’s shirt!

With 16″X20″ paintings I have quite a lot of surface area to work with, so I’m able to make them quite detailed.  On this one family tree I added tiny flowers to the floral pattern on my client’s mom’s shirt. While this amount of small detail is possible on larger paintings unfortunately it’s not something I can do on the smaller family tree illustrations.

Customized family tree painting commissioned as a unique gift for parents’ 50th wedding anniversary

“Standard size” (11″X14″) Custom Family Tree painting

Along with 16″X20″ family tree illustrations, the 11″X14″ is the most popular size my clients get for their parents’ 50th anniversaries. All the same components that go into larger family tree paintings fit into an 11″X14″ size. There are several reasons why this size artwork makes it a great option for golden anniversary gifts:

• While fully personalized for the couple, it’s still very affordable
• It’s a standard picture size with a wide variety of 16″X20″ frames (matted for 11″X14″) available both in stores and online. FYI: A family tree in this size looks really nice and impressive with a light mat.
• Small enough to be shipped to your parents (in case you can’t see them in person) without blowing your budget on shipping

Please note that while all the same elements you get in a larger family tree are still in the 11″X14″ artwork, the tree itself is smaller.  Due to the space constraints it’s not possible for me to keep the same tree proportions as in larger illustrations.

Hand-painted family tree illustration as a unique gift for parents’ 50th wedding anniversary

Mini (8″X10″) Personalized Family Tree art

A mini (8″X10″) family tree is a great personalized anniversary gift that’s also budget friendly. A lot of my clients go for this option as a unique gift for their parents’ 25th or 30th wedding anniversary. It’s also becoming popular for people looking a special gift for their friends’ or aunt and uncle’s anniversaries. Mini family tree is hand-painted in watercolor and can fit anywhere from 10 to 20 names on leaves. You can also add a custom banner with the couple’s names and their wedding date. Alternatively, the wedding date could go on the tree itself or could be added to the illustration in some other creative way. For example, in the family tree below it went on the heart the couple holds in the painting.

Miniature family tree illustration personalized for couple’s anniversary

To purchase your own family tree please visit the Shop page. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions.

I look forward to working with you!

Natasha