Process

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I work from live sittings and photographs. Although I am happy for you to come to my studio, I find travelling to your residence is more beneficial, as you will be more relaxed which enables a better end result.  If we can allow a couple of hours to chat informally about your portrait and explore different ideas, it will give me an opportunity to get to know your character better, which again will enable a better result.  Whilst I am there I will make sketches and take reference photographs to work from when I’m back in my studio.

 

It is possible to work from your photographs, but unfortunately I can’t accept low resolution, badly lit, under/over-exposed images.  I need a very clear, crisp photograph to work from in order to do a detailed portrait.  I understand this may not always be possible (particularly if it is a memorial portrait) so please contact me with the image beforehand so we can discuss whether or not it is possible to use your photograph.

 

Completion times

 

Depending on the detail, size and medium you have chosen for your portrait, on average it will take between 1-6 months to complete.  Please note that this is a rough timescale.  It is also important to note that oil paintings need around 3-6 months to cure before varnishing. Your painting can be delivered unvarnished and should you wish to receive the painting in an unvarnished state, you will later have the option of outsourcing the varnishing with a reputable restorers after 6 months.

 

Framing and delivery

 

My oil on canvas paintings are finished ready to hang unframed and my graphite portraits are delivered ready for mounting and framing.  I am happy to advise on a suitable frame for either your oil or graphite portrait.  I prefer to hand deliver your portrait to you, although this isn’t always possible (in cases where a delivery service is then used, all portraits will be delivered securely wrapped in reinforced packaging, fully insured and tracked).

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Prices

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The following does not include travel costs and should be treated as a rough guide only, as each individual portrait commission is different.  Factors such as size, amount of detail, background, etc will all be taken into account before a final price can be specified.  All prices quoted will be honoured for 1 month in the event of a price increase. All prices published on this website include 21% VAT.  For customers outside the European Union, divide the price by 1.21 to get the export price. Payment can be made via bank transfer or cash.

 

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