Portrait Commissions in Oils
Portrait commissions are a wonderful thing for me to be able to create and are a timeless piece of artwork for you to own.
As a Scottish portrait artist my clients regularly approach me to commission a portrait for themselves having seen my work either in a commercial gallery, on this website, or through a personal referral. I am a highly accomplished portrait painter with many years of experience whose favourite subject matter for my own personal series of paintings is the human figure. I have had my work shortlisted for the prestigious BP Portrait Prize.
My clients come to from a very wide range of backgrounds and interests and not only commission portraits of themselves but also often their family members, especially children, friends and other acquaintances (and sometimes dogs too, which is fine because I just love them). Some clients request just a simple picture of their head and shoulders and others prefer a full-length pose, a painting from behind or a nude.
People ask me to paint portraits for all sorts of different reasons. Some wish to simply have a record of themselves or their family members, and others commission a personal portrait as a form of rekindling a love of themselves and their ever-changing body. Whatever your reason for wanting a portrait painting, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be very happy to help you.
How can I commission a portrait?
I offer a very discreet and private service and images of the sitter, and the finished painting itself, will never be discussed or shared unless permitted by the client. I cannot stress highly enough that your privacy is of the utmost importance for me. The images shown below are but a tiny fraction of the work I have painted and many of the other pieces are too private to be shown.
How will you create the portrait?
Having painted portraits for many years now I truly believe that the best likeness will come from a physical portrait sitting, rather than simply copying a photograph supplied by the client. I will begin the portrait painting process by sketching and photographing you in real life, either in my studio or at your house. This process usually takes most of a day. I then return to my studio with all of the sketches and source material, without the client, to complete the painting.
My original photographs and preliminary sketches, made from a live sitting, are perfect for creating the finished portrait. I have complete control over the lighting and posing this way and I can be sure that you will love the finished painting. Working from a photograph supplied by the clients is, sadly, rarely as successful as it would be if I made my own reference images.
What are the next steps towards having my portrait painted?
The first and perhaps most important stage in the process is to have a look through my figurative work portfolio, and the small selection of my past portrait commissions below, and decide whether my style of painting is the type of thing you are looking for. If it is then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a few details of what sort of thing you are looking for and I shall be delighted to discuss your ideas with you and suggest the best size for your finished artwork.
