How to Commission a Custom Orthodox Portrait: What to Expect

Most people who write to me have never commissioned an artwork before. That’s normal — a custom portrait of a saint isn’t something you buy every year. It’s usually tied to a moment: a baptism coming up in the fall, a wedding, an ordination, a parent’s name day, a first icon corner in a first home.

So here is the whole process, honestly, from first email to the drawing on your wall.

First: what a portrait is (and isn’t)

I draw fine-art charcoal portraits of the saints — realist drawings of holy men and women, built up in light and shadow on paper. A portrait is not a canonical icon. Icons are liturgical images written within a strict tradition, for veneration; my portraits are works of art for the home, meant to make a saint feel present — a person who lived, breathed, and looks back at you.

When I drew Hieromonk Seraphim Rose, my goal was to capture his likeness by depicting spiritual quietude in his expression, rather than a hyper-realistic resemblance or photocopy. That sentence is the heart of every commission I take.

Step one — write to me

Send an email to clareeliselucia@gmail.com (or a message on Instagram). Tell me:

Who you’d like drawn — a patron saint, an elder, a holy figure dear to your family.
The occasion, if there is one, and whether there’s a fixed date.
Anything you already have — a photograph you love, an icon, a story.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. “My daughter’s patron is St Lucia and her chrismation is in November” is a perfect first email.

Step two — references and composition

Some saints, like Seraphim Rose or Elder Ephraim, lived recently enough that photographs exist. Others come to us only through icons and written accounts. Part of my work is gathering those references and finding the image inside them — the expression, the tilt of the head, the light.

I’ll share my thinking with you before any charcoal touches paper, and we agree on the direction together. This is also where size is settled. My recent portraits are 11″ × 14″ — an intimate scale that suits a prayer corner or a study wall.

Step three — the drawing

Then I go to the easel. I work in compressed charcoal on paper, upright, drawing with the whole arm rather than the wrist — a way of working I came to after ten years of drawing small with a sharp pencil, and the reason the portraits feel gestural rather than fussy. A kneaded eraser pulls the light out of the dark; occasionally a small amount of white paint brings liveliness to the eyes.

I share progress photos at natural moments — enough that you’re never wondering, never so many that the finished piece loses its surprise.

Step four — delivery

The finished drawing is fixed (so the charcoal is stable for generations), packed flat or rolled professionally depending on destination, and shipped with tracking. I’ll include simple guidance for framing — charcoal wants glass and a mat, and any competent local framer can do it beautifully.

What does it cost?

Every portrait is priced by size and complexity, and I take on a small number of commissions at a time so each one gets the attention it deserves. When you write to me, I’ll send current pricing and the next available start date before you commit to anything.

How long does it take?

It depends on the queue, and I’d rather tell you the truth when you ask than publish a number here that goes stale. If your date is fixed — a baptism, a wedding — say so in your first email and I’ll tell you plainly whether it’s possible.

If you’re weighing a commission, the commissions page has the process at a glance, and the portfolio shows what the finished work looks like. And if you’re simply not sure yet — write anyway. The conversation costs nothing, and I read every message.