While I do have the ability to learn how, people as a subject matter are not something I enjoy, so in short, no I do not paint or draw people!

While every commission is unique in the amount of time it takes me to complete, I like to estimate that once started, pastel pieces will take me 3 weeks to complete while oil paintings will take up 2 months or more depending on the amount of time the paint needs to dry for varnishing. How soon your portrait is started after booking a commission will depend on how many commissions were booked in front of you.

My general guidelines for reference pictures are to make sure they are well-light, clear images that show your animal in a way you feel best captures their personality. I prefer more than one image to make sure things such as eye color, coat color, etc are as accurate as possible no matter what the lighting shows. I do understand many commissions are memorial pieces and some people may not have many options for reference photos. If this is the case I am happy to look over the photos available and work with clients to make do.