Pet Portraits & Family Portraits in oils on linen, pastel paintings and pencil drawings

Looking after Oil Portraits

Our oil portraits can either be hung directly on the wall when you receive them, or if you haven't purchased a frame from us, they can be framed by your local framer or by purchasing a ready made frame. All of our sizes are standard sizes.

When you are ready to hang your oil painting on the wall its often best not to hang it in direct sunlight and perhaps choose a place which isn't directly over a hot radiator. If you have an open fire or a wood burning stove and would like to hang the painting in the same room its best to hang it on a wall near to, but not directly over it. Obviously this all depends on the heat of the room and the fireplace. We have a wood burning stove and a large walk-in inglenook fireplace and we have our own oil paintings hanging around the room and it has not caused any problems at all.

If you are aware that your open fire causes lots of dust and are worried about the painting you can always have the painting varnished 6 months after purchasing, so that it can be "cleaned" at a later date. The alternative solution is to frame your oil painting under glass in either plain or non reflective.

Looking after Pastel Portraits
Special care needs to be taken with our pastel on velour portraits. Pastels are quite delicate so be careful not to touch the surface of the paper and preferably keep the protective transparent covering intact until the painting has been framed. Once framed, pastel paintings are completely protected and safe to hang on the wall.

Hanging your Portraits

Placing pictures on a wall can be a difficult proposition. You need to place the pictures in the right place so it can be viewed at a comfortable eye level by most of the people who will be in the room. To make sure you know exactly where to hang a picture on a wall, I have collated a few tips below to help you.

Start by determining the height you want the picture to be, stand about four feet away from the wall with the frame held so your eyes look at the middle of the picture. Gently walk toward the wall and rest against the wall with the frame and picture. This is the right height for standing pictures. For most pictures, the rule of thumb is to hang them so that the centre of the picture is at eye height to someone standing in front of it.

It is helpful for two people to do this job so that one person can hold the frame against the wall while the other stands back to make sure it is the right position in the room to place it. You may want to hold the painting up in a few areas of your house to find the perfect spot.

Hold the picture up and make a small pencil mark on the wall where the top edge of the frame will be.

Holding the picture's wire / framing string taut, measure from the wire / framing string to the frame's top edge. Measure down that distance from the pencil mark you made on the wall and mark that spot - that's where the hook will go.

Choose an appropriate hook. Nail the picture hook into the wall where you've just made a mark. Hang the picture and adjust it so it's straight.

Don't forget the larger the portrait is the heavier it will be. It may be an idea for you to use two picture hooks either side rather than one in the centre. You can do this by using two hooks spaced about a third of the way in from each side. Use a level to make sure that the two hooks are correctly aligned.

Once you have hung your painting - stand back and admire your handy work!