It usually takes 2-3 business days to create your portrait.

You will get a wonderful mixed digital watercolor effect technique portrait created by your photo. 100% Digital Hand Painted artwork !

I like to work very closely with my clients and I am not happy until you are 100% satisfied with your unique portrait. I use photographs to draw from, and I ask my clients to provide a selection to generate a true likeness with the finished portrait.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS - My aim when producing your portrait is to create a drawing that you can treasure for many years to come. To do this, one of the most important things in commissioning your portrait is to ensure I can work from a good photograph. I cannot emphasis enough that 'the better the photo, the better the finished portrait'. I sadly have to turn away many photographs because of issues with quality, but don't worry - I am here to help you get the best photograph possible and give you as much advice as you need.

LEVELS - Take the photo at eye level with your pet. Photos looking down on your pet look unflattering and unnatural to the eye. The best angles are with your pet looking straight at you or with their head slightly tilted to one side looking past the camera.

QUALITY - The very first thing I look for in a photograph is the quality. As a highly detailed pencil artist I am attracted to detail like a bee to honey, so the more detail in a photo the better your portrait will be. This is especially important for your pet's key features such as their eyes and nose. It is highly important that the photo is sharp and in focus. Sadly, I am unable to work from blurry photos.

LIGHTING - Take your pet's photo in natural light, preferably outdoors. The best time is on a bright overcast day but not in direct sunlight as this can cast some unflattering images.
Turn Flash 'OFF' - Please NEVER use flash. Flash causes a number of problems and looks very unflattering. It often masks out a lot of detail, causes unnatural shadows and colors, and can often result in the dreaded red-eye or eye glowing effect.

As a professional artist it is important to use the highest quality art materials available so that my portraits can last through generations. For my coloured portraits I use a mixed selection of pants and pencils for the best colour pallette and use of light-fast materials; I use Winsor & Newton paints , Faber Castell Polychromos, Primsacolor Premiers, Caran D'Ache Luminance 6901, and Derwent Studio pencils. I also sometimes use Caran D'Ache Neocolor II as an underpainting for the start of a portrait. The pencils I use are archival, with the highest degrees of lightfastness. My graphite portraits are created using FaberCastell 9000 pencils and Derwent Graphic Pencils. The paper I use is french Arches Aquarelle and Italian Fabriano artistico/classico 260gsm hot pressed paper which is acid-free and archival museum rated.