Commissions

A commissioned oil painting of one of Ireland’s most iconic mountains, Errigal in County Donegal. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and is also the most southern, steepest and highest of the mountain chain, called the “Seven Sisters” by locals. Errigal is well known for the shimmering glow of its quartzite in the setting sun, as seen here during an Autumn sunset illuminating the mountain.

Over the past few weekends, I have been working on my latest commission – a painting of Mount Errigal, County Donegal, for my Uncle. While driving to and from his holiday home in Donegal, he enjoys the scenic views of the mountain and its surrounding landscape.

A commissioned portrait of a man called Denny with his three sons. The drawing was done for Denny’s wife, who I work for, as her gift to him for Christmas. I combined several photographs of Denny and the boys into one image to draw from. I used graphite pencils on bristol board paper to create a smooth, realistic drawing.

The three Christmas cards are commissions I’ve done for my uncle over the past few years. I photographed the religious scenes from stained glass windows in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, in Moy, and then recreated them using watercolour paints and graphite pencil. The first card (left) was completed in 2010, and it depicts ‘The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple’. The second card (middle) was completed in 2015, and it depicts ‘The Nativity’. The third card (right) was completed in 2016, and it depicts ‘The Flight into Egypt’.

A commissioned portrait of a man called Johnnie. The drawing was done for Johnnie’s granddaughter, who was in my primary school class for seven years. She chose an endearing photograph of Johnnie, which captures the personality that his family know him for. I used graphite pencils on bristol board paper to create a smooth, realistic drawing.

I had my first experience with real estate photography over the weekend. I was given the opportunity to explore and photograph a variety of beautiful houses, buildings and landscapes around my local area.

A commissioned portrait of a woman called Eva. The drawing was done for Eva’s daughter, who chose an old, beautiful black and white photograph of her mother for me to reproduce as a drawing. I used graphite pencils on bristol board paper to create a smooth, realistic drawing.

The second work in progress image of my latest commission, Eva. I have now completed the dark hair which contrasts nicely with the lighter tones of the face. After I finish the final section of the drawing, the dark dress at the bottom and the dark hair at the top will frame either side of the lighter, focal point of the drawing – her face – and will create a balance between the tones in the drawing. 

This is the first work in progress image of my latest commission, Eva. When I am drawing portraits, I tend to start with the facial features, in particular the eyes, which really make the portrait come to life. When I am satisfied with the face being rendered to an exact likeness of the photograph, I then work on the rest of the head and the upper body to make it all come together.