Portraits
People portraits are a relatively new departure for me, so I spend some time on the preliminary sketches before even plotting out an oil painting. The watercolour sketches certainly helped in the structuring the oil painting. Sometimes clients want special requests - there is a Welsh dragon in the oil painting of the little girl with a blue balloon, if you can spot it.
Ideas change and develop in a significant piece like this, and seeing what works and what does not can be as interesting as the finished painting. A commission like this (18 by 24 inches) would be about £3,000 but I also include the preliminary sketches and studies as part of the “commission archive”.
My portraits of Emin Pasha, HM Stanley, Edmund Barttelot who were the key players in the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition of 1887 - 1890 can be found in the section of my website devoted to my writing and research.
I also show how a digital portrait developes. Click on the arrow for an action replay.