Remembered in Oils

Your photo to an oil-on-canvas painting - the process in detail

Just follow these simple steps:

  1. Decide on the size of canvas you want
  2. Send us your photo
  3. Tell us if you want to make any changes to the composition
  4. We can then quote a firm price
  5. You approve the painting
  6. Sit back and wait for your painting to arrive!

How big do you want your painting to be?

There are several things to consider when deciding what size of canvas to choose. In particular you must remember that the sizes we paint are the sizes for the canvas alone so it is important to spend some time thinking about the way in which you will present your painting when it is finished.

The great majority of oil paintings are framed although it can be fashionable for some to be merely stretched and displayed without a frame.

The choice of framing will depend upon the subject and its surroundings but of course personal choice will be the single biggest factor in choosing the frame. Remember that the frame can add significantly to the overall dimensions of the painting and this will be much more a factor with a smaller canvas than with a larger one.

It would not be unusual for a 10" x 8" canvas to be almost half as big again once framed!

Price is the other key factor to bear in mind.

Larger canvases require much more work for the artist and this is reflected in the prices we have to charge.

Send us your photo

We can accept your photos in one of three ways:

If you have the choice then we would much prefer to receive photos by email. This is a much quicker process and will save many days in the preparation of your painting.

If you have to send the printed photographs through the post then this is fine. They will be scanned by computer here in our York office and then transmitted by email to the artist. Your photos will be returned to you within 48 hours of receipt. (Please note that we cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage in transit.)

If you are thinking of taking photographs specifically for the purpose of creating an oil painting, then do remember that you can have them produced on to a CD by most film developers at a marginal cost whether or not these photographs were taken by a digital camera or not.

The address to send the photos to can be found on our contact page.

Just a final word, the better the quality of the photo or photos, the better the quality of the oil painting.

What changes (if any) do you want us to make?

In the great majority of cases the photo that we are asked to paint is something very special to you and you want it to be reproduced exactly as it is - but not always!

Sometimes you might want us to make some small changes; a minor change in skin colour perhaps or the removal of the person in the background who was never intended to be in the original photograph.

Or perhaps you might want us to add something that was not in the original or even combine 2 or more photographs into 1 painting?

Tell us the changes you want and it is quite likely that we can accommodate your wishes.

We can then quote you a firm price

Once we have your images, know the size of canvas you require and have discussed and agreed any changes in composition with you, we will be able to quote a firm price for your painting. Once this is agreed we guarantee that this price will not change at a later date.

The order will then be confirmed to you in writing and payment will be requested. Once we have received your final instructions your painting will be commissioned with the artist.

You approve the painting

When your canvas is almost complete the artist will email a photograph of it to us for approval. Minor changes or adjustments are still possible at this stage but any such changes must be made promptly.

Once final approval has been given, the artist will complete your painting and prepare it for shipment.

Sit back and wait for your painting to arrive!

Your finished painting will be carefully packaged and shipped by global courier directly to your home address, or to any other address anywhere in the world that you have requested.

Each package has its own unique shipping reference number so that its progress can be tracked in detail throughout its journey and you should allow approximately 5 days from the date of shipment to the date of arrival.

On average, the whole process from start to finish will take between 4 weeks and 6 weeks.