Commissions

Of course I would be delighted to take on your commission Please read on for more information and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Materials

Graphite portraits are relatively quick and affordable and give a very stylish result. Graphite portraits are drawn on paper. Oil or Pastel portraits will take longer to create and are accordingly more expensive, but you will truly have an heirloom in the family! Pastel portraits are painted on pastel paper or card. For more info on pastels see the page About Pastel. Oil portraits are usually painted on canvas. Do contact me for more info.

Procedure

After receiving your photos, and understanding your taste and wishes, I will generally create some painting 'set-ups' for you to choose from. I will then start painting from the set-up that you choose. When the painting is finished I will send an image of it by email for you to see. If you are not totally happy, I can still make some minor changes at that point in order to perfect the portrait. After you are happy with the finished portrait, payment will be required. If, for some reason, you are not satisfied with the finished painting and I cannot make amendments to fix the problems, you are under no obligation to buy. Thankfully all clients have been very pleased with their commissioned portrait so far! Once payment has been received I will send you the painting, safely wrapped. Postage is not included in the prices and will be discussed during the process. Framing can be arranged as well. Just ask for details in order to receive your art work ready to hang!

Photos

I am happy to work from existing photos that you can provide. Perhaps you have that favourite snapshot lying around that you would like to see immortalised? Or you love the expression on the face on one particular photograph but do not want to see the other faces or the background? Even if you do not have a favourite shot, I would prefer to work with numerous photos of the sitter, so I can 'get to know' the sitter and his/her face in various angles and lighting. Try to choose photos where there is no flash light as photos with natural light generally make nicer portraits. Make sure that the photos that you provide are LARGE and sharp. I will not be able to work from photos where the face to be painted appears smaller than, say, 2 inches long. Please note that the background, atmosphere, clothing, accessories etc can all be changed in the portrait. Of course slight facial imperfections can also be tactfully softened or enhanced, if you so wish. Photos can be sent by email (large files welcome) or by post, in which case you will receive them back in perfect condition with the finished portrait.

Payment