Thomas Mark
Runs Paintings From Photo, and publishes its guides and journal for people deciding whether to turn a photograph into a hand-painted oil portrait.
Thomas runs Paintings From Photo, a small UK business that turns photographs into hand-painted oil portraits. He reads every photograph that comes in, writes the brief the partner studio paints from, and checks the finished painting with the customer before anything ships.
He doesn't paint the portraits himself — trained portrait painters do, by hand, in oil on canvas. What he covers here is everything around the painting: which photographs paint well, what size suits a wall, what a commission costs, and what to expect before you order. How an order works.
Questions about a guide, a post or an order go to hello@paintingsfromphoto.com, and he answers them himself.
Guides
- Renaissance portraits: what defines the style, and having one painted from a photo
What defines a Renaissance portrait — the three-quarter turn, the even light, the hands, the costume — and how the style is painted from your own photograph.
- Pet portrait prices in the UK: from a £15 digital file to hand-painted oil
Pet portrait cost in the UK, rung by rung: a £15 digital file, a £60 print, a £220 to £549 hand-painted oil — and what physically arrives at each price.
- How to Commission a Painting: The Whole Process, Explained
What actually happens when you commission a painting from a photograph — the routes open to you, the process step by step, and the questions to ask before you pay.
- Oil Painting Commission Prices UK (2026): What a Custom Painting From a Photo Costs, by Subject and Size
Oil painting commission prices in the UK, size by size: £220 to £549, plus from £35 per extra person or pet. Pet, family, wedding and memorial costs compared.
- What Photo to Send for a Portrait Painting: The Checklist We Use
What photo to send for a portrait painting: the exact checks our painters run before quoting — resolution, light, angle, eyes and crop, with the fix for each.
- Portrait Painting Styles: Which One to Choose for Your Commission
Portrait painting styles compared: classical realism, Sargent, Renoir, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Klimt and Renaissance. Which one suits your photo and your room.
- Oil Painting Sizes Explained: The Size Ladder, What Each Looks Like on a Wall, and Which Subject Needs Which
Oil painting sizes from 12 × 16in to 36 × 48in, compared against A-sizes and real furniture, with the size a single face, a family of five or a horse needs.
- Renaissance Dog Portraits: Your Dog as a Duke, Admiral or General
How a Renaissance dog painting is made from a phone photograph: which costume suits which breed, the photo detail that matters, sizes and prices from £220.
- Hand-Painted Oil Painting Reproductions vs Giclée vs Canvas Prints: What You Are Paying For
A canvas print of a Monet costs about £30; hand-painted oil painting reproductions start at £129. What each is made of, how long it lasts, how to tell them apart.
Latest from the journal
- How to Clean an Oil Painting Without Ruining It
How to clean an oil painting safely at home: what a dry brush can do, what water and household cleaners wreck, and when a UK conservator is worth the money.
- How to Photograph an Old Dog, Before You Need To
A gentle, practical guide to photographing old dogs — light, angles, phone settings and the seven shots people wish they had taken while there was still time.
- How to Frame an Oil Painting in the UK (and What It Costs)
How to frame an oil painting on canvas in the UK: floater versus traditional frames, whether you need glass, what a framer charges, and how to hang it safely.
- Oil Portrait Styles Explained: Classical to Impressionist
Oil portrait styles explained: classical, Renaissance, photorealist and impressionist, what each does to a face, and which suits your photo and your room.
- What to Do With Old Family Photos (Besides a Shoebox)
What to do with old family photos: how to sort a box without losing a weekend, what's worth scanning, how to store the rest, and what to make from the best.
- A Family Portrait With the Dog In It (Even If the Dog Never Sat Still)
Family portraits with dogs: how to get one photo where everyone including the dog is looking, what to do when that never happens, and how a painting fixes it.
- Giving a Painting as a Gift When You Don't Have the Photo Yet
How a painting gift voucher works when you don't have the photograph yet: what to write on the card, what it costs, how long it takes and when to wait instead.
- Photo to Painting Artists and Services in the UK, Compared
Choosing a photo to painting artist in the UK: filter apps, canvas prints, digital artists, hand-painted studios and local painters compared on cost and time.