Oil on Canvas or Linen

Oil is the traditional medium for portraiture because more than any other medium, it is capable of being used to create beautiful skintones. Oil paint allows the use of rich colour in the finished portrait. Oil paintings on canvas are very durable, and portraits created using this traditional medium will become family heirlooms, cherished for generations.

Works on Paper

Drawing media—such as graphite, charcoal, and chalk—are sometimes overlooked. For me, working with a single piece of chalk or graphite focuses the artistic process and emphasizes the fundamentals of communicating through the use of line and tone. Working with a limited set of tools—such as a single pencil, or one stick of chalk— has an immediacy and a sense of connection that is reflected in the final work.

Watch the slideshow below to see portrait paintings and portrait studies in oil, as well as samples of portraits drawn in chalk, graphite, or charcoal.