Watercolour Portraits — Hand-Painted on Paper From Your Photo

Watercolour is transparent: the white of the paper shines through every wash, which gives the medium its light and its informality. A watercolour portrait has soft edges, a background that is often a single wash, and colour that glows rather than sits. It suits bright, outdoor photographs and subjects with light or mid-toned coats and skin.

What it does well — and not

A golden retriever in a garden, a child on a beach, a couple in daylight, a grey horse in a field: watercolour is at home with all of these. It is not the medium for a black dog in a dark room or a memorial portrait that needs every hair — deep shadow and fine detail are oil’s and acrylic’s territory. Faces are fully resolved; edges and backgrounds stay loose on purpose.

Paper, framing and shipping

Painted on 300 gsm cotton paper with lightfast colours, unvarnished, and shipped flat between rigid boards. Frame it behind glass, out of direct sun, and it will last for generations.

Price and trade

Priced by size, number of subjects and medium at a single level of finish, between charcoal and oil. Gift shops and Etsy sellers order watercolour pet portraits from one piece at trade pricing — they ship flat and frame cheaply.