portrait drawings are available in soft graphite pencil on heavyweight cartridge paper, sealed with a fixative spray so the pencil won't rub off on your hands, in black and white or sepia

 

click here to go straight to pencil portrait gallery 


 
 

ORIGINAL PHOTO AND FINISHED PENCIL PORTRAIT

I think the secret to a good portrait drawing is a very light touch. I try to keep the shading on the face as delicate as possible, allowing the blank paper to represent the lightest areas of skin tone.
 

Click the names below if you'd like to see some drawings close up
» ZOE  » LUCAS

commissioning a pencil portrait
Drawn portraits are more economical options as I can complete them faster than paintings. They make great gifts for Christmas, christenings, anniversaries and so on.

advice on framing a portrait drawing

Pencil portraits often look best when framed with a mount (called a 'mat' in the US), which is also helpful in conserving them. The glass in the frame should ideally never touch the drawing directly and the mount helps to separate the two, discouraging condensation from damaging the paper. I don't offer a framing service but a good framer should be able to advise you on a neutral-toned mount to complement your artwork. You can choose to have a fairly narrow mount, or a very wide one with quite a small drawing. Both can look very nice.
  There are several decorative options available when choosing your mount, such as v-groove bevelling, shaped openings such as ovals, single or double lines bordering the opening, painted edges or double edges created by using two thicknesses of mounting board. For instance, a customer recently wrote to me that she'd had her portraits framed in a 'pencil grey coloured frame with a white and silver mount', which I thought sounded lovely!
Framing examples
Mounts are sold as either ACID FREE or ACID NEUTRAL and ACID FREE is the option I'd recommend to conserve your drawing. Acid-free mounts have a white core and are known as 'conservation standard'. Acid-neutral mounts have a slightly cream core and are more likely to discolour.
 Mounting card

do's and don'ts of framing a portrait drawing

Do use a mount to separate the drawing from the glass. This is even more important for oil paintings if you are going to frame them using glass - see the oil portraits page for more advice.
Don't touch a drawing with your hands more than you need to as the oils in your skin can damage it.
Don't hang any portrait drawing (or painting) in direct, strong sunlight as it may fade, or start to warp from the heat of the sun.
Don't hang it over a source of heat like a radiator or fireplace as this will definitely damage it.
Don't hang a pencil portrait on a newly plastered wall, which will contain damp.