Custom paintings from photos

In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci utilized the pastel medium for paintings and thereafter it has always enjoyed a high-society status.  During the 18th-century, noted painters Maurice Quentin de La Tour and Rosalba Carriera perfected pastel portrait techniques.  The bourgeois appreciated their pastel portraits and it soon became a fashionable rage.  They also used gouache to produce mixed-media portraits.  French painter Edgar Degas extensively used pastels during the 19th-century.  France's Légion d'honneur award winner and friend of Edgar Degas, American painter Mary Cassatt introduced the impressionists and pastel painting to the USA.  The French term "pastel" was first used in 1675, and is derived from the Italian term "pastello" which means "little bread roll".  Pastel colored sticks are made from color pigments grounded into a paste along with water and a fixative like a gum binder.  Thereafter they are pressed or rolled into sticks like small rolls of bread.  Pastels can be used on canvas, paper, or any other suitable surface.

We undertake orders for pastel portraits.  You can have the portrait painted by sending us a photo of your choice.  Few of the exceptional qualities of your portrait as done by us are detailed below:

• Our artists are most accomplished and in their hands, your portrait will come alive as if it would just speak.  Your portrait will show your refined taste and reflect your high-society status.


• Your portrait can be of any standard size or of any custom size as per your specifications.  This ensures that your portrait fits in the décor of your room where it shall be displayed.


• Any drawing surface, like canvas or paper, as per your choice can be selected for the portrait.  We use the highest grade of canvas, and the most expensive art papers including grey or beige velour paper for your paintings.


• The subject of the portrait can be as per your choice.  It can be your self, your family, your friends, or pets like a dog, cat, horse, etc.  You can fuse subjects from different photos and can change the background as per your liking.


• You can give colored photos or black and white photos.  We can also make colored portraits from black and white photos.


• An as anniversary gift, it is an excellent choice.  It shows your cultural refinement and your immense love for your beloved.


• We use both oil pastels and water-soluble pastels.  Both are equally powerful mediums.  You can specify your painting to be made in any one of these mediums or simply leave the choice to our expert painters.  We use soft pastels for brighter colors and smooth blending; hard pastels for subdued colors, adding accents, and drawing outlines; and pastel pencils for painting fine details.  Some of our acclaimed artists themselves make pastel sticks at their homes, so that they can have a wider selection of shades that are difficult to buy in the market.  This ensures that your portrait will be painted in all its original colors.  It also assures that the layer of colors will not crack or fade with time.


• We give immense importance to archival considerations.  Your portrait is done on acid free archival quality surface.  You can hang the portrait without a glass or with a glass covering the front of it.  If you would like to hang it without a glass, then we spray the highest quality of fixatives on the painting, which do not darken or dull the colors, while protecting it.  If you would like to frame it with a glass, we recommend proper mounting of the artwork and framing in such a manner that the glass does not touch the painting.  This eliminates potential problems like smudging, condensation, humidity and other environmental hazards.  For transportation and storing of the painting, glassine paper is recommended to protect the artwork.  Since the best procedures and raw materials are utilized, the longevity of your portrait is guaranteed.  Generations to come will be able to see the portrait.  They shall be pleased and will remember you in glowing terms.


• The portrait will look simply stunning and will have a royal aura.  Yet, it is not expensively priced and is most affordable

We have highly talented artists who work full-time exclusively for us, so that they can give complete concentration towards the successful execution of your portrait.  For more information about the different mediums that can be used for a portrait, please click the links below to make an informed choice.