It's really easy to commission your portrait from The Horse Artist.

Step 1.
Firstly get in touch with me with your ideas for the ultimate animal portrait. I can help you decide on a suitable composition, size and medium, but I am equally happy to be led by you if you have a specific idea on the artwork you would like produced.
Visit my PRICE LIST here.

Step 2.
Get in touch with me using the contact form above to check that I can work from your photographs, and to let me know if you have a special date that you need your artwork completed by.

Step 3.
Sit back and wait while I produce your dream horse, dog or animal portrait!

This all depends on the artwork medium, size and complexity. On average a pastel portrait will 2 weeks to completed and an oil painting from 2 months.
Allow a further (minimum of) 2 weeks for framing if this is something you have requested.
** I can arrange framing before the portrait is completed in extreme cases, in order to meet a deadline!

I only use the highest quality professional artists products.
My chosen brands are:
Claire Fontaine PastelMat.
Pan Pastel.
Caran D'ache Pastel.
Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils.
Winsor & Newton Artisan Oil Paint.
Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour.
Schmincke Horadam Aquarell Artists Watercolour.

For mixed media I use a whole range of materials including dilute tea or coffee!

If you would like to see how your portrait is developing then I would be happy to email you progress images occassionally.
If you prefer you can wait until I deem the portrait finished. You will then be able to view a proof for your final approval.

Yes, all my bespoke animal portraits are drawn and painted from photographs that have been supplied to me as a reference for artwork.

Ideally one clear detailed photograph, but I can work from a collection to obtain the perfect pose with a realistic colouring and lifelike representation.

I can, but in order to get the most realistic representation of your animal, I would need a good quality and clear photograph. I am happy to use a poor quality photo with your understanding that I can only draw what I can see, anything else will be created by using 'artistic licence'.

In most photographs I am happy to remove headcollars or bridles providing that they are not distorting the features of the horse. For instance, a ridden photo may show contact on the bit and thus the mouth may be pulled at the corners of the lips. In this case, I will have to leave the bridle on in the finished portrait.

I am happy to represent the background image should you wish. There is a further charge for this, which can be discussed and is based on the complexity of the background reference image.

In order for me to start work on your portrait I ask that you pay 50% of the overall portrait fee with the remainder due on completion and once you have seen and signed off the final image.