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
- Photo Restoration in the UK: What It Costs and What Can Be Fixed
What photo restoration costs in the UK, what tears, stains and fading can be repaired, what can't be saved, how long it takes and how to send an old print.
- A Family Portrait With Someone Who Has Died In It
Portrait of family with deceased relatives: how two photographs become one painting, which photos work, what it costs in the UK, and when it is the wrong idea.
- Choosing a Dog Memorial Gift for a Friend
Choosing a dog memorial gift for a friend: what actually helps, when to give it, what to spend and what to avoid — with UK prices, lead times and wording.
- Cat Memorial Ideas for a Cat That Mattered
Cat memorial ideas that hold up years later: what UK cremation costs, what to do with the ashes, what to plant, and the keepsakes people regret buying.
- Rabbit Memorial Ideas, Because It Was Not Just a Rabbit
Rabbit memorial ideas that hold up: what to keep on the first day, UK cremation and burial costs, the bonded partner left behind, and a painted portrait.
- Memorial Photo Gifts: What One Photograph Can Become
Memorial photo gifts, from a properly framed print to a hand-painted portrait: what each costs in the UK, how long it takes, and how to choose the photo.
- Memorial Gift Ideas for the Loss of a Father
Memorial gift for loss of father: what to give a friend, partner, sibling or your mum, when to give it, UK costs, and how a portrait from his photo works.
- In Loving Memory Gifts That Aren't a Plaque
In loving memory gift ideas that carry the person rather than a verse: what to give, when to give it, UK costs, and how a painted portrait from a photo works.