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Prices - Pets
Deciding a size
I work at either life-size or a little smaller. This is because my style is very detailed (I almost draw every hair), and it is not possible to do this on a much smaller scale. The sizes and prices below, have a rough guide to dimensions, and directly relates to the size of your pet. If you're uncertain, please contact me for advice. An equivalent squarer shape is often more suitable.
Most of these sizes and prices are for head and neck/shoulder portraits. For small animals, I can give you a quote for full body portraits.
The sizes allow "breathing space" around the drawing and enough clear paper for mounting.
If you would like to discuss any of these options, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Face only.
6" x 6" 15cm x 15cm £120
(only suitable for cat or very small dog)
Head, neck and shoulders only.
8" x 6" 20cm x 15cm £195
(suits cat/very small dog)
10" x 8" 25cm x 20cm £245
(suits larger cat/small dog)
12" x 10" 30cm x 25cm £295
(suits medium dog)
14" x 11" 35.5cm x 28cm £395
(suits larger dog)
16" x 12" 40cm x 30cm £495
(suits large dog)
14" x 20" 35.5 x 51cm £795
(suits horse, head and neck, front facing)
20" x 20" 51cmX51cm £895
(suits horse, head and neck, side facing)
Prices - People
Deciding a size
I recommend choosing a size that is slightly smaller or no bigger than in life. For a portrait of a child - head and shoulders, no background, the size which works best is 12" x 10" (30cm x 25cm). For an adult, I would suggest 14" x 11" (35.5cm x 28cm). Sometimes a square of comparable size works better. These measurements are for the paper. The image itself sits nicely, with sufficient clear paper to be mounted well.
Because my style is detailed and realistic, I don't work on a smaller scale than this for people portraits. For a double portrait, the size will be around 14" x 18" (35.5cm x 46cm). If you would like a portrait with three or more subjects, the sizing is more difficult to be accurate with, because of compositional variations. If you would like to discuss any of these options, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Head, neck and into shoulders only.
12" x 10" (30cm x 25cm) £325
(one subject, suits child)
14" x 11" (35.5cm x 28cm) £425
(One subject, suits adult)
14" x 18" (35.5cm x 46cm) £725
(Two subjects, approx)
Three subjects from £925
(shape/size variable, depending on composition)
Contact me for pricing and advice on any commissions with multiple subjects.
Prices for pets are a little higher than people because, being covered in fur/hair, they take more time to complete.
I specialise in head to shoulder portraits, but if you want the full body of your pet, please just let me know and I'll advise on a suitable size.
Deposit & Payment
To secure a slot in my work diary and waiting list you can pay a 50% deposit. When I've completed the work I'll send you a good quality photograph of your portrait, and at this stage the balance should be paid. I will not take ANY payment until we've agreed on a suitable quality reference image to work from and we're both happy to proceed. Get in touch to arrange monthly installments if that would suit you better.
Payment via Bacs (bank to bank) or cheque through the post.
Postage
Royal Mail Special Delivery (guaranteed by either 9am or 1pm). Fully insured.
Guaranteed by 1pm £20.
Guaranteed by 9am £40.
Saturday deliveries available for £45
Packing
I pack your portraits with great care, to ensure they arrive with you in perfect condition. Your portrait will be in an archive quality clear sleeve, with a stiff card insert, to prevent any chance of creasing. This will then be placed inside a slim box. Finally this is packed within an outer box, so even if the outer box were to sustain some damage, your portrait is safely protected inside the inner box.
Technical info
My work is extremely detailed and highly realistic, and I can only achieve this if the photo I'm drawing from has enough clear visual information.
Here are some guidelines on how to take a photo that is going to work. These guidelines apply to both people and pets.
1. Ideally you would use a digital camera, but a good phone camera is usually OK, and I have done several portraits from phone pictures. So if you follow the other advice, the photo might well be high enough resolution.
2. Old photos: I know from experience of looking through old photos of my own children and pets, that there are very few from which I can make a good drawing, usually as a result of either the poor lighting - because it was taken inside, or it's been taken from too far away for enough detail to be seen when zoomed up to single portrait size (either 25x30cm / 12”x10” or 35.5x25cm / 14"x11"). So, if you're thinking of using a favourite photo, share it with me - at full resolution, on a secure file sharing site (I'll send you a Dropbox link), email it to me if it's just one or two photos. For pre-digital printed photos contact me for my postal address, or scan and follow one of the digital transfer methods above (so that I can check whether it's high enough quality). I always say that in a perfect world I want to be able to see individual eyelashes in the source photo!
3. Taking photos for the portrait: If you decide to take a new photo specifically for the portrait, ideally it should be outside on a reasonably bright day (or indoors with lots of natural light), but not in direct sunlight so the person you're photographing doesn’t have to screw up their eyes - eyes are really crucial for a good image. Light coming slightly from a side, rather than directly in front or behind, makes the shape of the features clearer and the result more striking.
4. Although you may want a smiling portrait, don’t rule out a more thoughtful, non smiling expression where the subject is not looking into the lens, as that often captures a different quality to the thousands of photographs we have nowadays. Some of my favourite portraits have been like this.
5. Share your photos with me - at full resolution, on a secure file sharing site (I'll send you a Dropbox link). Take lots of photos, for choice and also it is helpful for me to see more examples of the subject, to understand their face properly. Don’t worry if I say the images aren’t quite right, I’ll be able to give you further tips and we can try again. It’s very important at this stage that both you and I are happy with the chosen image.
Example of a good reference photo and the finished portrait:
Giclee Prints Available
If you would like me to order you a Giclee print of your portrait (a high resolution pigment ink art print), I can do this using a high resolution scan of the finished piece. The charge for this will vary depending on the size of the image, and number of copies. My prices for this start at around £50 for one print. Larger numbers of prints makes each one significantly cheaper. Contact me for more information.
If you need any more advice or information, please contact me.