How to commission a portrait painting from a photo

Almost every portrait we paint starts as a photograph — a wedding frame, a grandfather's army picture, a kid mid-laugh. The painting succeeds or fails on decisions made before the first brushstroke. Here's what matters.

Choose the photo like a painter

• Light beats resolution. A slightly soft photo with beautiful window light makes a better painting than a sharp flash photo. Flash flattens faces; paintings need shadow to build form.
• Crop tells the story. Decide what the painting is about — the face, the embrace, the moment. We can combine references (one person's smile from one photo, the pose from another), which is something a camera can never do.
• It doesn't have to be perfect. Part of the commission is editorial: backgrounds simplified, photobombers removed, the moment kept and the clutter dropped.

Pick the medium for the mood

Oil is the heirloom: deep color, rich skin tones, the painting your grandchildren argue over. Acrylic is vivid and contemporary, beautiful on large canvases. Pastel is soft and luminous — unbeatable for children and quiet portraits. Colored pencil and graphite render detail with intimacy that suits memorial pieces.

"The medium is the emotional register. Oil is a vow. Pastel is a whisper."

Size to the wall, not the photo

The most common regret in commissioned portraits is going too small. A 16×24 reads beautifully on a bookshelf or a bedroom wall; over a sofa or fireplace, start the conversation at 24×30. Tell us where it will hang and we'll recommend a size before quoting.

How the commission works

Send the photo (or a few candidates) through our commission form, by WhatsApp, or text. You'll get an honest read on which shot will paint best, a medium and size recommendation, and a quote. You approve the concept before paint or pigment is committed, and the finished piece is yours — gallery-ready.

Browse finished commissions on the portrait page — including the character and celebrity canvases — and when you've got the photo, you know where to find us.