Commissioning a portrait is usually a new experience for most customers. You are not alone if you find it a little daunting! To help you through the process, I have put together some useful information here which will hopefully answer your questions. If you prefer to discuss your ideas please leave me a message on the Contact page, I am happy to have a chat with absolutely no obligation.
Decide the style
I mainly offer two types of portrait services:
Traditional portraits are painted in a head and shoulder pose, with highly realistic details and a neutral background. Contemporary portraits can be cropped around the face for a modern, ‘zoomed-in’ composition, painted more loosely with bold, expressive colours and brushstrokes.
Photo requirement
Several photos from different angles are idea so I can choose one to work from. Photos should be clear and close up, preferably under natural day light and without any over exposure or shadow on the face. I normally exclude background objects and focus on the subject, but I am open to request. For pets with dark hair please make sure all facial features are clearly shown, and avoid taking photos with the light source behind the subject.
Sizes and materials
I work from 8×8 inches, or 20x20cm up to 60×60 inches, or 150×150 cm, available in square or rectangle. I recommend the small sizes for close-up head portraits for one subject only. This will allow me enough space to capture the likeness. For anything more than head and shoulder, or more than one subjects, I would recommend 20″ upwards.
My work is available on paper, art board, wooden panel or stretched canvas. Although I don’t provide framing service, I will be glad to provide information on how to order a custom frame for your painting, which is fairly easy to do online. For a fee I can also organise framing for you. Stretched canvas are ready to hang on the wall. My canvas paintings are finished in gallery-wrap style, which means the painting doesn’t stop at the edges but is wrapped all the way around the back.
I mostly use acrylic, which takes shorter time to dry and allows me to complete the work reasonably quickly. If you prefer oil please contact me directly, as the turnaround time is longer.
Prices
The prices below are for standard rectangular stretched canvas which are ready to hang.
| 8×10 inches 20.32 x 25.4 cms | 11×14 inches 27.94 x 35.56 cms | 16×20 inches 40.64 x 50.8 cms | 18×24 inches 45.72 x 60.96 cms | 24×30 inches 60.96 x 76.2 cms | |
| Single subject Head and shoulder | £160 | £220 | £290 | £390 | £490 |
| Single subject whole body | £200 | £260 | £360 | £460 | £560 |
| Two subjects Head and shoulder | £280 | £360 | £430 | £530 | £630 |
| Two subjects whole body | n/a | £450 | £520 | £620 | £720 |
| Group Head and shoulder | n/a | n/a | Contact for details | Contact for details | Contact for details |
Progress
After we have talked through the above options and decided to go ahead with the commission, a deposit of 20% of the total cost is required, with the rest paid in two stages. I am more than happy to send you up to 3 progress updates, make adjustments accordingly and I will only ship your painting when you are completely happy with the final look. I sometimes post progress photos on my social media, so please let me know if you do not want your painting to be shown to the public.
Custom portraits and original paintings 