Individual Portraits, Hand-Painted From Your Photograph

A portrait of one person is the oldest kind of painting there is, and it depends on the photograph more than any other: one face, nothing to distract from it. The best reference is taken at eye level in soft, directional light — a window to one side — with the head turned slightly rather than square to the camera. That light shows the planes of the face, which is what a painter needs; a passport-style flat light hides them.

Head study or half-length

A head-and-shoulders study on an 11 × 14 in or 16 × 20 in canvas is the most-ordered individual portrait. A half-length portrait — to the waist, with the hands — suits a study, an office or a formal presentation piece and is usually painted at 20 × 24 in or larger in oil. Tell us where it will hang and we recommend a size.

Likeness

The likeness is drawn at the sketch stage and refined at the proof: the distance between the eyes, the length of the nose, the set of the mouth are measured from the photo, and skin is painted in thin, warm layers with cool halftones so the face reads as flesh. The proof is where you — or the person who knows the sitter best — tell us what to adjust.

Mediums and occasions

Oil on canvas is the classic and the most durable. Charcoal or graphite on paper makes a quiet, drawn portrait that suits a study or a gift and ships flat; watercolour suits a light, informal photo. Individual portraits are commissioned for retirements, milestone birthdays, presentations and memorials, and by people who simply want a painting of themselves — which is a perfectly good reason.