Occasions · Christmas portraits
A Hand-Painted Portrait for Christmas — How to Order in Time
A painted portrait is the Christmas gift that is still on the wall in fifty years, and the one that cannot be ordered at the last minute — ask us for this year's cut-off date for your region, and we tell you plainly whether your deadline is realistic.
- Order by
- Ask for this year's cut-off — it is set each autumn by region and detail level
- Fastest medium
- Acrylic (dries in hours) or charcoal / pencil on paper
- Fastest format
- Rolled or flat — skips framing and crating
- If it will be late
- Give the digital proof, or a gift certificate
- Most-ordered
- Pet head studies at 11 × 14 in and 16 × 20 in
A hand-painted portrait is the best Christmas gift on this site and the one with the least forgiving calendar. Painting, drying, proofing, varnishing, packing, transit and customs all take real time, and the weeks before Christmas are the slowest on every shipping route in the world. So: order early, choose the medium and format that suit the date, and ask us for this year’s cut-off rather than guessing.
What to order
The most-ordered Christmas piece is a pet head study at 11 × 14 in or 16 × 20 in — the dog for the parents, the cat for a partner — followed by a grandparents-and-grandchildren group and a couple portrait from the wedding. A portrait of a pet who has passed is a gift people remember for the rest of their lives; there is a memorial page for it.
Meeting the date
- Medium. Acrylic dries in hours instead of weeks and is proofed and shipped sooner than oil. Charcoal and pencil on paper are quicker still and ship flat.
- Format. Rolled canvas or flat paper skips framing and crating; a local framer finishes it in the new year.
- Detail level. Painterly and Refined are faster than Hyperreal, and both are finished paintings.
- Photo. Send the best photo you have today. Waiting for a better one costs more days than it gains.
If it will be late
Give the digital proof — the finished painting photographed under even and raking light — on the day, with the painting following in January. Or give a gift certificate and let the recipient send their own photo and choose the size; many people prefer this anyway. The full reasoning is in how far ahead to order for Christmas.
For shops and galleries
Publish your own Christmas cut-off early and conservatively, based on the range we give you plus your handling time. Trade buyers order from one piece at trade pricing, and the busiest weeks are the ones to place orders before.
Proof of hand
Real paint, real brushstrokes
Every piece is completed by one painter from start to finish — no assembly line. Below: a close-up crop of a finished painting, and a painter at work. Every image on this site is a photograph of real hand-painted work.
Christmas portraits FAQ
What is your Christmas cut-off date?
We publish it each autumn for each region and detail level and confirm it per order. It moves with the year's carrier capacity, so we do not print a fixed date on the site.
Which medium is quickest?
Acrylic on canvas dries in hours instead of weeks and can be proofed and shipped sooner than oil; charcoal and pencil on paper are quicker still and ship flat. All are painted by the same painters.
What if it will not arrive in time?
Give the digital proof — the finished painting photographed under even and raking light — on the day, with the painting following; or give a gift certificate and let the recipient choose the photo and size.
Can I order a single piece at trade pricing for a client?
Yes. Trade pricing starts from a single piece, and a project — a series for one interior, or a standing monthly order — is quoted the same way. Request the trade price list from the trade page.
Ask about a christmas portraits portrait
Send a photo and a few details. We reply with a quote and tell you honestly whether the photo will work.
Thank you — we have your inquiry.
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