Hello, Judith! Thanks for bringing your question to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
While there are
silhouette and portrait artists scattered throughout
Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks and
hotels, I have recently noticed two exceptionally phenomenal portrait artists at
Disney’s Contemporary Resort and at
Magic Kingdom Park.
My daughter had her caricature made by an artist outside
Bayview Gifts at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in June. Prior to our asking for the caricature, the artist was working on an incredible portrait based on a photograph. The level of detail and skill he exhibited in that portrait made me certain that he would do an amazing job drawing our daughter (and I was definitely not disappointed). He (like most artists I’ve seen at Walt Disney World Resort) also had a notebook with samples of his work. Viewing these samples will allow you to get a feel for the artist’s style before committing to a portrait.
The other artist who recently blew me away with his talent was working next to
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom Park. We always have our daughter’s silhouette made for her birthday each year, and while the silhouette artist was working with her I was watching one of the portrait artists create a portrait of a young woman in charcoal. He was simply using a photo on an iPhone as a reference! It was an absolutely breathtaking portrait.
I would encourage you to seek out any of the locations where caricatures are made and ask the artist if they would have time to create a portrait instead. While caricatures can often be created in less than 10 minutes, a portrait will obviously take more time. Depending on how busy the artist’s area is, they may be able to accommodate your request. I know for certain, though, that the Liberty Square location creates these types of portraits regularly.
Best wishes, Judith! Please let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.
Amy