Charcoal portrait

Nobody can deny the romantic nature of charcoal portrait sketches. Distilling a face or figure into pure clean lines and presenting the play of light and shadow in shades of black, grey and white has had a universal appeal throughout the ages.

Almost every great romantic artist throughout history was trained at one time or another in the art of line sketching either as a preliminary to painting in oils or watercolor, or as an exercise in perfecting his skills in accurately portraying his subject. It is told of Leonardo da Vinci that he carried charcoal with him everywhere he went so he could quickly sketch any interesting face or figure he came across.

If you have a digital photograph of someone you love, or even a group photo in which your favorite person stands out because of an interesting expression or play of light, you can send it to Paint Your Life where one of our expert editors will isolate the image and optimize it and turn it over to one of our expert portrait artists who will then create a hand-made charcoal portrait in the size of your choice. All work is completely handmade - not digitally reproduced – so the finished portrait is as fresh as if the subject had posed in person.

Consider what a romantic surprise a charcoal portrait would be when you present it, ready to hang on the wall, to someone you love on his or her birthday, graduation day, anniversary or Valentine’s Day.
Charcoal portrait