Commission information
If you have an idea you would like to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I welcome dynamic and unconventional projects, but am not currently taking commissions for portraits from photos. If I re-open for these, the process is described below:
“My end to end experience with Gail, for painting a portrait from a photo I’d provided, was fantastic! Gail was incredibly attentive with the illustration and kept an open dialogue throughout the process. This was super key as it ensured I was kept up to date with the progress but also got to see the different stages and make amendments, if required. The painting has now arrived and it looks even better when in hand. I’m very pleased with the attention to detail and level of care that has been put into this beautiful piece of art. I would highly recommend Gail, and without hesitation use her services again! Thank you”
Drawing or painting?
If you would like help choosing, feel free to contact me and discuss ideas and photos without obligation.
Oil Painting
This traditional medium allows a full expressive range of colour and brushstrokes.
Oil paintings are robust enduring heirlooms that can last for generations.
Framed without glass, the varnish forms a protective layer so you can see and touch the surface.
Graphite Pencil
Traditional graphite on pure white smooth heavyweight paper - neither the graphite, nor the appeal, ever fades!
Great for rich darks, fine detail and texture. These can be balanced by subtle faint areas of background.
I frame using premium glass to prevent UV damage and reflection.
Coloured pencil
Coloured pencils on tan paper are a wonderful contemporary way to capture the likeness and character of any subject. I leave expressive traces of the drawing process, and can adopt a more or less ‘sketchy’ style, according to your preference.
I frame using premium glass to prevent UV damage and reflection.
Giving a portrait
YOU can deal directly with me throughout, and give your loved one the finished portrait
OR you can give the commission experience
Photos and composition
Please note I am not taking commissions from photos, but have kept this information here for interest, in case it is useful.
You can tell me what you are looking for, share some photos, and I will give you an idea of what is possible, costs, timescales etc. Features from different photos can be combined, backgrounds and clothing can be changed.
5 Tips for great reference photos
Good sharp focus
Daylight is ideal for accurate colours
If the photo has been taken by someone else, check you have permission to use it.
Try to have the camera at the subject’s eye level. Either raise the subject safely up onto something, or kneel yourself down to their level.
Consider catching the subject doing an activity - playing with a favourite toy, eating an ice cream, chatting or even sleeping.
Food for thought from my archives…
Placing your order
Up to this point, my service is free and without obligation. It’s no problem if you decide not to take it any further - I won’t stalk you, charge you, or add you to a mailing list.
Can you comment on progress?
“Of course!”
I love to involve clients throughout the commission process. As work starts on your picture, I send a series of photos to allow you to see and comment on progress. The first one can be a very early ‘block-in’, and thereafter detail is added and features are refined. At all stages I actively seek your input and feedback. Customers usually find this an exciting insight into the development of their unique artwork. I am happy to take the lead, but am not sensitive about changes.
Once the artwork is complete, I send a photo of it, often loosely set in a mount or frame, for you to check. I have an innately expressive style, aiming to achieve both a great likeness, and a certain vitality. My work will always contain lively traces of the artistic process, such as visible brushstrokes, pencil lines, and other elements that distinguish it from a photograph or computer-generated portrait.
Sometimes very subtle adjustments can have a profound affect on expression or likeness - I offer unlimited revisions until you are 100% happy with your portrait. Please see terms and conditions
Framing
You can choose from my standard frames, or from a wide range of alternatives. I can show you mock-ups of alternatives. You can include framing in your order, or decide later.
Additional copies for friends & family
When you place a commission, the result is a hand made, original painting or drawing.
I can organise copies to be printed at any size on canvas or paper. Prints can be framed, and are almost identical to the original. Prints are a great way to share the cost and enjoyment of the original between friends and family. They can be framed to match the original, or in a different style, and each comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.
The process of scanning, proofing, and colour correction is a one-off cost, and can only be organised by me before the original is delivered. For copyright reasons, no reputable printer would reproduce an original without the artist’s express permission/licence.
You can then order copies, at the same (or a different) size to the original, these can be framed in the same (or a different style) frame. The reproduction will be on a substrate that matches the original, be it canvas (for oil paintings) or premium quality paper (for drawings).
Proofing and colour correction
“Hi Gail, I received my reproduction today, I absolutely love it! It looks so much like the original I would never be able to tell the difference. It was such a pleasure to work with you again.”
- Ksenia Martynova
Packaging & shipping
UK delivery is free. I package work myself, and arrange tracked postage in consultation with you.
My main packaging material is cardboard. Whenever I receive parcels containing bubble-wrap, I save it. So if necessary, I include some recycled bubble-wrap to protect your picture.
By appointment, you are welcome to visit my studio to collect in person, as long as you promise to stop for a coffee and chat!
