Giclée prints are sometimes known is archival pigment prints or fine art prints.

The name giclée comes from the French verb gicler which means "to squirt or spray” and was originally used by printmaker Jack Duganne in 1991. Giclée printing is a fine art digital printing method using specialist archival pigment inks and acid free papers to create museum quality inkjet prints with crystal clear accurate colour, longevity and stability. Giclée prints are lightfast and can last as long (or longer!) than the original artwork. Studies have shown that a giclée print can last up to 200 years.

The print process involves spraying microscopic dots of pigment ink onto high-quality fine art or photographic papers using sophisticated high end inkjet printers with exceptional accuracy, wide tonal range and colour gamut (the colour spectum visible to the human eye).





 

The image you provide is a very important part of the process of commissioning your house portrait. Let’s look at some guidelines for making sure your artwork is exactly what you as you want it.

Poor photo:​ Deep shadow obscuring details  ❎           Good photo: Clear front view of house  ✅

​Take a photo of your house during daylight.
Use a smartphone or high quality camera.
Large shadows can add drama to a portrait but generally I would advise to avoid them.
Don't use filters.
Close garage doors.
Remove cars from the front of the house.
Remove rubbish bins.
Take your photo from the same angle as you would like your portrait to be painted.
If you are not able to take a photo of the house yourself I can also use Google Street View (Google Maps).
​​If you only have older photos because you have moved and are not able to take photos I can work around moving, adding and deleting bins, trees etc. Click here for details.

​When people commission me to paint their home I am often asked if I can include extra touches to my house portraits to make them that little bit more personal. I am always delighted to do this as it makes the portrait so much more than just a faithful copy of a building. Your home is a part of you and your family, and all the memories made there, and also your aspirations!

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Sometimes the customer wants him or herself included in the portrait along with family members and pets. This painting was intended to be used as a very personal Christmas card for family and friends.

​Many customers ask to have their family pets included the examples below are examples of cat, dogs and even chickens!

​This customer wanted a porch added that hasn’t been built yet!

​And this one had only just moved in during the winter but wanted the house to be portrayed in all its summer glory so artistic licence was employed to miraculously grow the garden!

​I hope this gives you some idea of what is possible to make a house portrait extra special and unique, whether it is for you or for a special gift.

For a guide to photographing your house click here.