Approach

Philosophy

When I paint, I am trying to capture a person as they are in that moment in time.

My love for portraiture has grown as I’ve got older, as I’ve discovered the meaning and importance of documenting those around me. Moving into my late twenties, the people around me were not only visibly changing, but also passing on, and even being born. These moments cemented my interest in documenting the people I know and admire.

The beauty of portrait painting, as opposed to other ways of documenting someone, is that it doesn’t only capture the subject. It also offers an insight into how I see them in that moment.

A portrait feels right to me when I have an “aha” moment: I step back and smile, because it feels like that person is with me again.

Process

How I work varies with what I have available to me. I am at an early stage in my career, and I still enjoy the learning and practice that comes from painting from other people’s reference photographs, often found through inspiration online.

I have moved beyond painting only from references, however. Now I seek out a subject, often a loved one, and ask them to model for me. As I work full time alongside my practice, long sittings aren’t possible, so I work with a camera (currently a Nikon D3000) and look for good light.

The photoshoot is a fun part of the process, as it’s a new experience for most people. With a close friend it comes naturally; with someone I know less well, it’s important to chat and play in the moment, so that I capture a natural image to work from.

From there, I make sketches to practise the colours, lighting and shapes, and sometimes a value study, before scaling up to a full-size painting.

Materials

Watercolour

I started my work in watercolour, and I love the medium for many reasons. The ability to build layer upon layer is a generous way to learn tone and value, especially when facing the challenge of painting a face. At the same time, watercolour can be unforgiving: mistakes are often irreversible, and colours can be difficult to mix.

Acrylic

When I wanted to scale up to canvas-sized portraits, I moved to acrylics. At the time I was living in house shares, with my painting space limited to my bedroom or the communal kitchen. Acrylics were far more practical, as clean-up only needs soap and water. I was curious about oils, but happy painting in acrylic.

Oil

In February 2023 I took a two-day introduction to oil painting at The Art Academy. It was short, but incredibly informative, teaching me the practicalities of oil painting: how mediums work and how to mix colour. I painted a still life and then a model from life.

It was the first time I had dedicated a large amount of time to painting in a studio, with a teacher and other students, and I loved it. Carving out that time to really think about what I was painting turned a hobby into a passion.

I continued painting in acrylics until February 2026, when I took a ten-week introduction to portrait painting at The Art Academy. I began the course in acrylics, but as everyone else was using oils, my teacher asked if I would switch. I really enjoyed it, and found myself envious of those who could practise with oils at home.

Since moving out of London, I now have a spare room to paint in, and have picked up oils again. I love their slow drying time, which suits my way of painting in shorter bursts around work.

Influences

My first fascination with portraiture came from seeing Rembrandt’s work at the National Gallery in London. His Portrait of an 83-year-old Woman completely captivated me, particularly his ability to capture a transparent veil in a medium such as oil paint. For a while, whenever I was at a loose end, I would journey to this painting like a salve.

Like many portrait painters, I am deeply inspired by Lucian Freud and his seminal contribution to contemporary painting. In 2024 I saw his work in the Drawing into Painting exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and his self-portrait Reflection took my breath away. It drove me not only to capture the figure, but to push likeness beyond the limits of what a photograph, or even the eye, can see.

More recently, I have been studying the work of Hope Gangloff. Her use of tone and colour has inspired me to leave behind conventional palettes, and to use colour and hue to explore mood in a way my work hasn’t quite done until now.

Commissions

I welcome enquiries for commissioned portraits of people and pets. Because every portrait I paint is rooted in connection, each commission begins with a conversation.

How it works

1. Get in touch. Tell me who you’d like painted and a little about them.
2. Photos and conversation. You share a few clear, well-lit photos, and we talk about the person and what you’d like the portrait to capture.
3. Choosing a medium and size. Together we decide on acrylic, oil, oil pastel or watercolour, and the size of the piece.
4. Painting. I’ll share progress photos along the way.
5. Delivery. The finished portrait is carefully packaged and posted, or can be collected.

Timing: Most commissions take around 4–8 weeks, depending on size and medium.

Pricing: Prices start from £100.

If you’d like to discuss a portrait, please email info@gemmaquinn.co.uk or visit the contact page.