Dale Arndell

 The Process

The first thing to establish is what you want and who the subject is. Once I have an idea of the job I can offer you a price. Once the price is agreed the next stage is to arrange a photoshoot with the subject or subjects. I live in Greater London so provided the subect is in London it is not a problem for me to travel to the subject's home for the shoot. I use daylight as much as possible so the shoot is best in the morning or early afternoon. The photoshoot gives me control of lighting, different poses and angles of the subject and best possible reference photograph for the portrait. I can work from a photo you have taken but it needs to be of exceptionally good quality for me to use. Often people use a flash when taking photographs - this tends to flatten the features of the subject and lose the three dimensional  feel so important in rendering a subject in a life-like way. I prefer to work from my own photos but if you have photos you can email them to me and I will let you know whether I can use them.

Once the shoot is finished I can begin the portrait. An oil painting takes around a month to complete, this is due to the lengthy drying time between layers of paint. Once the painting is finished it needs between 4 and 8 weeks to dry properly and be ready for varnishing. A further week is needed for getting the painting framed. So, the total time from the photoshoot to the painting hanging on your wall is around 3 months. 

A pastel portrait is much quicker to do and from the time of the photoshoot to finished artwork including framing would be 2 - 3 weeks.

In addition to the painting I will also provide you with a digital copy that you can use on Social network sites or e-mailing to friends and family. This is included in the price.