A genuinely bespoke
Portrait service

A truly personal experience and a remarkable journey to create a beautiful hand-painted oil portrait.

The Portrait Experience

A portrait transcends the boundaries of a mere photograph or painting; it's an immersive process and collaborative journey. Indeed, a portrait is an entire experience.

Commissioning a portrait from me yields more than a hand-painted oil painting that hangs on your walls. It’s a doorway to a profound journey of self-discovery and connection.

When you embark on this venture, you initiate an odyssey to fathom the depths of your subject’s essence. It’s an artistic adventure, an attempt to distill a multi-dimensional life into a two-dimensional symbol using light, form, shape, and color. Should you choose a self-portrait, it beckons introspection: “How do you perceive yourself?” “How do you wish to be seen by others?” “What legacy do you aspire to leave?” It’s a voyage of self-understanding, creating an artwork that resonates with your innermost truths, far beyond a decorative piece.

Conversely, when the subject is someone else, the portrait transcends gift-giving—it becomes an eloquent translation of your perception, a portrayal of your unique connection. It captures not just a face but a narrative that binds you both, an opportunity to voice what words alone cannot express.

A portrait isn’t just a painting; it’s a testament to your journey and your relationships—an expression of shared moments and profound meanings, meticulously painted stroke by stroke.

Types of portrait

Create a lasting tribute that celebrates the people, pets, and places that are most important to you.

Youth

A celebration of Innocence

Honours

A celebration of achievement

Union

A celebration of Love

Family

A celebration of Legacy

Pets

A celebration of Loyalty

Home

A celebration of Security

"This was such a wonderful experience. I’ve never had my portrait painted before and I was a bit nervous. But Robert made the whole experience so fun and immediately put me at ease. I’m thrilled with the result and so pleased that I have this momentous reminder of a really important time in my life. Plus he’s a thoroughly lovely man. I couldn’t recommend him enough"

-- Imogen Johnson-Gilbert

How It Works

01 Share your vision

You get in touch with me and we begin our conversation. This is where our collaboration begins. We find out the subject and the paintings intended impact.

02 Set Budget & timeline

You tell me your budget and when you would like your painting completed. I will provide a quote with options and we'll agree the best approach.

03 Studies & Design

I produce studies and designs either from life, photographic or digital mockups. We'll talk about them together before settling on one to take forward.

04 The Painting

I bury myself away for days/weeks/months to create a beautiful painting for you to take home for the rest of your life. For larger paintings, you are more than welcome to visit the studio to see your painting in progress.

time & energy

I will off 100% of my time, energy and attention to understand your wants, needs and more importantly hopes for you painting with 1-2-1 interaction.

Highest Quality Materials

I use top of the line oil paints for the brightest, most authentic colours on the market.

Traditional Methods

I want your painting to last a lifetime so I use tried and tested methods that have been developed over literally hundreds of years.

The Portrait Service

I take pride in overseeing every stage of my Bespoke Portrait Service: from the early consultation phase discussing the essence and character of the subject; the design and creative process;  to ensuring the safe and secure delivery of the final product. It is essential to marry the time, attention and care that is imbued in each painting with a first class end-to-end experience for every client.

Consultation

The beginning of a collaboration with you to create a painting imbued with sentiment and meaning.

Design

From life or In-Person, this is where your ideas start to take real form in two dimensions.

Support

Quality paintings from the support up, with handmade canvases and panels.

Painting

Harnessing light, form, colour and line, I spend hours crafting your painting with meticulous detail.

Framing

Simple and elegant handmade, hardwood frames to protect and elevate your priceless painting.

Delivery

I personally deliver all of my paintings to ensure delicate and safe handling of your precious new piece of Art.

Satisfied Customers

“I commissioned Robert to create a painting for my sister. It was so much fun, he involved me at every stage - it felt like a collaboration. I ended up with a gorgeous painting and it had the desired effect, my sister cried with joy. I can’t recommend him enough."
Dane Cross
“When Robert presented us with his painting of our eldest son, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Not only was it a wonderful painting, it carried with it so much weight knowing that so much time and attention had been invested into capturing my son’s energy. A perfect gift for a loved one."
Caitlin Birley-Brown
“Robert unveiled his portraits of my wife and I at our wedding. We hadn’t really considered how well an oil portrait would accompany such an occasion but it was an elegant addition to the event. They will take pride of place in our home.”
Sam Asbury

get a free quote for your portrait

Complete this simple form and I will reply with a personalised quote within 48 hours. Please provide as much detail as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to questions I’m asked about my services often.
If I missed anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. I’ll be happy to help

The cost of bespoke, hand-painted portrait depends on two things: material and time. Obviously, the larger the painting, the more time and material that goes into it. But a larger canvas doesn’t necessarily mean a more expensive painting. Things to take into account when coming up with an portrait idea are: the number of sitters in the painting, how much of the body is in the frame (i.e. shoulders up? or full body), how much detail is in the background, and of course, how large you would like the painting to be when completed.

For more information about the specifics of costing your project read here.

There are many factors that impact the answer to this question, for instance: source material (will I be working from a photo, from life or a combination of the two?); painting medium (I can use mediums in the oil paint to help speed up drying time); how complex the painting is. If there is a birthday or event that a painting is required for however, I would recommend a minimum of 3 months notice. Oil paint in it’s traditional state can take 6-12 months to dry, and should be dry for a year before varnishing. 

Yes I do.

There is no greater challenge than painting ‘from life’ in the realm of portraiture and the labour of which often bears the most fruit. However, it can be timely and expensive to work from life and not everyone has the resources to support it.

Where I can I will always push towards at least a staged photoshoot to collect as many references as possible. But I will absolutely facilitate your needs should there be a particular photo you wish to be replicated in oil.

For more information about the source material of your portrait read here.

I’ve created a whole blog post about the size of portraits with measurements and suggestions to help you make your decision. 

For more information about the sizes of portraits read here.

Framing is a separate art and skill in and of itself. I am building upon my knowledge and practice to be able to offer this to my patrons at no extra cost, however for the time being I am unable to do so and so you will need to arrange for your own framing.

I work with a specialist art courier service to package and deliver your painting safely. Delivery is a separate fee and will be estimated before the painting begins so that you have full knowledge before moving ahead. Where I can, I will personally deliver your painting, however this might not always be possible.

Not find what you're looking for?

For more information on pricing, sizing, framing, delivery and everything else relating to my portraiture service, please check out my resources for Patrons using the link below

More Info
Enjoying the content?

Become a patron of the arts today!

Find out how you can support Robert here ⟶

Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

Accessibility

© All Rights Reserved Robert Moutrey