The paintings are painted on 360gsm Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper, using the most beautiful, rich, vibrant pastel sticks and pencils. I only ever use the highest quality medium and support, ensuring that my work is fully archival. This means that the painting that I create for you will not fade, bleed or discolour with time. The pastel paintings are supplied with their own 'Certificate of Authenticity' with details including the title and when it was painted and a separate sheet on how to look after it.
About the paintings
Each painting is created on archival sanded pastel paper - mainly a brand called Pastelmat - which is specifically made for grabbing onto the small particles of pigment that make a pastel so luminous! The pastels are pure pigments made into sticks using a little water and a binder, nothing more - that is why pastel pictures are referred to as paintings. The main brand I use are Unison because of their soft, gorgeous quality and colour range. They are hand rolled in the UK and at the end of each painting, I normally end up with more on me than the paper!
These paintings are not framed, so it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you have the finished painting framed behind glass.
The pastel paintings are posted to you sealed between two foam boards to protect it from damage. They can be shipped to anywhere in the world - please request a price for delivery to your country if outside the UK when placing your order.
Time to complete
The estimated date of commencement is given at the time of placing the order (or email me for a guide) as this depends on how many commissions are already booked in my diary. Then please allow up to two weeks from commencement for your finished artwork to arrive.
Supplying your photo
The quality of the final pastel painting is a direct reflection of the reference images provided although under some circumstances, when only old hard copy photos are available, I will work hard with you to recreate your cherished memory of your beloved pet or place. All photos can be uploaded below, emailed to me or sent through social media.
I would recommend the following image sizes taken as close up
as possible for the best detail:
A4 size painting the photo should be approx - 3508 x 2480 pixels
A3 size painting the photo should be approx - 4961 x 3605 pixels
A2 size painting the photo should be approx - 7016 x 4961 pixels
1. Try to photograph in natural daylight - ideally outside or facing a window. Avoid direct sunlight if you can, as this casts shadows and bleaches out the details. Bright overcast days are great!
2. Get down on the animals level, try kneeling or laying on the floor. If the animal is very small, place them on a table (but watch they don't fall off!!). Being on their level is important as looking down on them can produce very unflattering portraits.
3. THE EYES HAVE IT!! Eyes are crucially important, so make sure the animal is looking somewhere close to the camera, ideally at you. Try holding a treat to get their attention or make a noise they like.
4. We all take pictures with our phones now and a lot of them are very good. If you do, try and use a higher resolution, but ideally a good camera will take a clearer picture and the better the photo, the better the finished painting. Its that simple.
5. For paintings required with more than one animal, you don't have to photograph them together. Just send me separate photos of each animal in similar poses if possible and equally lit and I will paint together (but don't forget there is an extra charge per head).
Top 5 tips for the perfect photo
You can upload your photo here if you are thinking of placing an order, I will let you know if it is okay to use.
