Fine art portraits

As we move through life, we all like something to remember those special moments with loved ones that warm the heart. Fine art portraits will not only make a great decoration to any room, but will not fade over time, preserving the memory of those happy days.

Imagine the look of delight on someone’s face when they open a present of an original artwork of their loved one. Maybe you would like to indulge yourself in something special as well (you know you deserve it).

Absolutely love the drawing of my two boys. Both personalities caught perfectly in the image and the details within the drawing are incredible. It’s nice to have a picture that isn’t digital to treasure forever and have on the wall to show off. Excellent work and a very happy customer I am.”

Working from photographs, my aim is to achieve a ‘painterly’ style with pastels, whilst taking the time to achieve the best likeness possible. If you live locally, I am happy to visit and take photos if necessary.

You can view previous dog portraits, cat portraits, horse portraits and family portraits in my portrait gallery here.

“……… The portrait is a carbon copy of the photo provided, showing excellent skillmanship. Chris is very professional and very pleasant to work with, nothing is too much trouble.…….

Whether you would like a portrait of your dog, portrait of your cat, portrait of a horse, family portrait or even a hamster portrait, I am sure that you will be delighted with the result.


What are pastels?

No, they are not chalk. Pastels are a popular medium and are made up of pure pigment, (soft pastels can even be used with water). The level of binder used to keep this pigment together defines the hardness of the pastel. From hard Conte sticks and Faber Castell pencils to the superior soft Sennelier and Schmincke pastel sticks. I use all of these as they are very light fast and will not fade over time.

Next, the paper is important too, and I use Art Spectrums “Colourfix” range. This is a thick watercolour paper with a coating that gives a rough finish for the pastel to adhere to.

For sketches in charcoal or pastel pencil I use Ingres or Canson paper. and cartridge paper if a white background is required with the charcoal.

Finally, as I do not use fixative, i use a frame with glass to protect the completed picture. All the materials I use are light fast and acid free and so will retain their colours.