Pencil and charcoal portraits from your photos
Monochrome portraits with deep shadows and fine texture.
Without colour, everything rests on the drawing: the light on a cheek, the weight of an eyelid, each strand of hair. That's why black and white can feel more intimate than any painting.
Your portrait is drawn by hand on heavy archival paper. Pencil gives fine, exact detail, and charcoal gives deeper, softer shadows. We'll suggest the one that suits your photo.
This is our quickest medium, ready to dispatch in about 9 days, and it's the most affordable way to commission a portrait. It works particularly well from old black-and-white photographs.
From the collection
Quiet and timeless
Framed with a mount and glass, a pencil or charcoal portrait suits a study or a bedroom wall.
The room is computer-generated, shown at about true scale. The portrait is a real painting from our studio.
See every size on the wallHow it works
- Send your photosTell us the story behind them. We suggest the medium, size and composition, and confirm your quote.
- Approve the sketchPay 50% to begin. Your artist sends a composition sketch in two or three days. Ask for changes within your brief.
- Approve the portraitSee progress photos and a final preview, with unlimited revisions within your brief. Pay the balance after you approve it.
- Receive it, insuredWe inspect, pack and ship it, signed by your artist, with a certificate of authenticity.
Good to know
Should I choose pencil or charcoal?
Pencil is finer and more exact. Charcoal is darker and more dramatic. Send us your photo and we'll advise you.
Can it be framed?
Yes, in India you can add a frame with mount and glass. Abroad it travels rolled in a tube.
How should I look after it?
Pencil and charcoal can mark if they're rubbed, so keep your drawing behind glass and out of direct sun.