Julia contacted me a couple of months ago about a custom commissioned portrait for her mother. This gift was to be a very special memory of her uncle Greg, her mother’s brother. A photo of him hung framed in her mother’s kitchen. Over the years, her mother often said she would love to get it drawn or painted and replace the photograph with a piece of portrait art. Therefore, as her mother’s graduation approached, Julia decided to contact me and commission an artwork based on the photo. She wasn’t sure would the photo be of good enough quality for a hand-painted portrait, so she emailed me some more photos in case it wasn’t.
I created a few portraits as graduation gifts in the past. They really make for such great memories for the students and their families.
The reference photos
I knew how important that particular photo was for her mother, so I suggested to use it as the main reference for a pencil drawing. I was then able to base the detail on the other more recent and higher resolution photos of Greg.
About the main character in the portrait
From the photos and from my client’s descriptions, Greg seemed like such a lovely man. I wanted to capture the smile and his personality as it is in all the photos of him. He is so sadly missed by his family and I knew how much his portrait would mean to his sister. Julia’s idea of giving this portrait to her mother as a graduation present was so meaningful and I wanted to make sure to create something unique and special.
The portrait commission process
The main photograph was taken in the evening. Therefore there were a lot of dark shadows. This is why I suggested a pencil drawing even though my client was not fully sure what would work best. I suggested keeping the background as is, only softening the bright street light directly above Greg’s head. The graphite and charcoal pencils I use would be able to capture the contrast so well and the happy man’s features could just pop in the portrait.
Julia was very happy to go ahead with my suggestions. She decided to commission a 30 x 25 cm pencil drawing of her uncle smiling. This size worked really well with the photo and it was perfect to capture the necessary detail to achieve a good likeness and atmosphere of the night time scene.
Portrait testimonial
I emailed her when I started working on the portrait. When finished, I got in touch with her again with the scanned image of the drawing. She was very happy with the result and sent me a lovely response:
Hi Ivana!
It is absolutely beautiful. It is even better than I ever imagined! I’m so delighted with it, you are so talented.
It’s actually a present for my mums graduation on Friday, but we weren’t sure whether we would give it to her on the day or not. Seeing it now I can’t wait to give it to her!
Julia upon receiving a scanned image of the finished pencil portrait of her uncle, Dublin, April 2026
How I created the portrait
I drew the portrait in my usual stages, starting with a light pencil sketch. I made sure to capture the scene in good detail and to capture Greg’s likeness. Only when this initial stage of the process was finished did I move to shading. I moved around the page to complete the drawing in harmony, working with some pretty soft pencils for the darkest areas. My range of pencils incorporate a HB for sketching and for shading a 2B to 8B. I use Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black for the main character and Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt for the background.
I took a quick video of me signing the drawing when I was finished. I usually sign below the drawing’s edge with my full name. This is covered by the mount in which the drawing will sit. I then add my initials (IL) to the bottom right hand corner of a portait which is visible on the portraits.
Then, it is just fingers crossed my clients are happy with the scanned portrait. I email this to my clients and if any amendments are needed, I am more than happy to make them at this stage. Although, I must say this has not happened in a long time.
A unique and emotional graduation gift
I was really delighted when Julia, my client, contacted me after she had given the portrait to her mother at her graduation. She took some photos of her and the portrait, including her mother’s sister, so all the siblings were together. She was very emotional and Julia sent me a lovely message and photos on Instagram about the day:
Hi Ivana, just want to say thank you so much again for drawing Greg. It meant so much to my mum, she was very emotional! It was the perfect present and allowed him to be there in some way for her special day! The second picture of her and her sister…
Julia when messaging me with the photos from her mother’s graduation day, Trinity College, Dublin, April 2026
The finished drawing was collected from my studio by Julia just a day before the big day. Julia was very kind to get back to me to let me know how her mother received the portrait of her brother. What an emotional moment it was and I am so honoured to be part of her celebration, in a way all the siblings were celebrating together.
The drawing of Greg was in a mount, which I use to keep it safe and smudge free. I also spray drawings with a fixative to keep away dust particles and dirt. The fixative is great to revive the darks too and keep the drawing looking fresh. The great thing about graphite is, it doesn’t fade as it is a mineral, hence I love to use it.
I am accepting commissions for any types of pencil portraits or landscapes, so if you have one in mind, don’t forget to contact me to discuss your options. I can be emailed at info@trueimage
