Prices shown are for a coloured pencil, graphite or pastel portrait with a clear (white) background and include, as standard, mounting and wrapping of your portrait. There is a 25% surcharge for each additional subject and for backgrounds, depending on the type. Additional subjects are not suitable for the two smaller sizes. A 25% non-refundable booking fee is required to secure your booking, with the balance payable before starting your commission. A photo of the drawing will be sent to you to ensure you are happy with your portrait before postage. Postage will depend on size, all portraits will be sent via Royal mail recorded delivery and price will be confirmed at the start of the drawing process. If you are relatively local to Colchester, UK, you are more than welcome to collect your portrait in person at no charge; it will be lovely to meet you! Your portrait will not be framed. Please take this into consideration as the mounting around the portrait will be 2 inches. Therefore, please add a further 2 inches to the sizes listed below for the overall size. For custom sizes not listed below please contact me for a quote.

Good Examples: The below picture is a good example as the Labrador is outside in natural light and the light source is coming from one side to help create shadows and light areas which is good for drawing. This is also a very good example of how to take a photo of an animal with black or dark fur. As you can see from the picture there are lots of different colours even in black fur. If you cannot take a picture outside then inside next to a window or a door with lots of natural light is also a good place to take the photograph. The second picture below is a zoomed in picture of the black Labrador and as you can see, the picture is still clear and has not gone out of focus or 'pixelated'. This will allow me to capture all the finer details in the drawing to help bring your subject to life. TIP: A good tip for taking photos is to try and focus on the eyes or at least the face. This will ensure that the face of the subject remains in focus and, when zoomed in, the details required for a good portrait will be present. The below examples are still good examples. The first picture was taken using a smart phone inside but next to a natural light source (patio doors). You do not need an expensive camera to take good photographs, as long as when you zoom in you can still see the clarity in the subjects face, it will make a good reference picture for a drawing. The second image was taken outside but not in bright sunlight, however the lion cub's fur patterns and colours make it a good reference picture for a drawing. The third image is a picture that was taken inside of a black and white cat, there is some natural light to pick up some different colours in the black fur.

The below images are not great examples for a reference picture. The first image is using a flash in dark light, this is not a good image for a portrait as it whitens out the colours in the fur and does not give the subject a natural colouring. The second and third image is to show that distance from the camera does not make a good portrait picture. Although zoomed in you can still see the lions fighting but, if it was zoomed in any further, it would lose the detail in the fur.

The above are examples which I hope will assist you. If you have any queries in relation to any photographs you have, please get in contact with me. I usually request approximately 3 photographs of the same subject, so I can review to see which photograph would make the best portrait. The best way to send me your photographs will be via email as a .jpeg image. However, if the image you want drawn is from a film roll, it would best assist me if it can be scanned and sent via email as this will still allow me to zoom into the picture to pick out the finer details.

Yes, I am based in Colchester, Essex, UK. Community is very important and it would be lovely to meet you if you are local to me. If you do not have any decent photographs of the subject you wish to be drawn I will be happy to provide a photoshoot for local customers within a 10 mile radius from my location. If you live further than 10 miles then mileage costs will be added to the overall cost of the commission. I am more than happy to offer a photoshoot if you would like to travel to me or meet at a public location, i.e a park, within the 10 mile radius. You will be provided with 2-3 watermarked photographs for you to pick from for your commission. A £30 payment will be required if you require a photoshoot which will go towards the overall cost of the commission if you decide to proceed. Please contact me if you wish to receive any further details on what is on offer.