Grandparent and Grandchild Portraits, Painted From Your Photos

Grandparent-and-grandchild portraits connect two people who often have very little time together, and sometimes none at all. The most common commission on this page is a grandparent who has passed, painted from an older photograph, with a grandchild painted from a recent one — two photos, one painting, a family made whole on the wall.

Working from old photographs

The grandparent’s reference is often a print from decades ago: faded, creased, small. We scan or photograph it, use it for the likeness and the expression, and take colour and lighting cues from any other photo of them you have. You choose the age they are painted at — usually the age the family remembers them best — and the digital proof is where you tell us whether we have caught them. We adjust until you say yes; the family is the only judge of a likeness like this.

Bringing the two together

The grandchild’s photo is chosen for sharp eyes and soft light. In the sketch we place the two at a consistent scale and light, decide whether they look at each other or at the viewer, and propose the gesture — a hand on a shoulder, a child on a lap — that makes the relationship read. You approve the sketch before painting begins.

Where both are living and have been photographed together, the painting is simpler: one photo, one likeness for each face, the same care.

Medium, size and gift timing

Acrylic on canvas is the default. Charcoal or pencil on paper suits a quieter, more drawn piece and is often chosen when the reference is a black-and-white photograph. Typical sizes run from 16 × 20 in for two people to 24 × 36 in for a grandparent with several grandchildren. These pieces are commissioned for milestone birthdays, anniversaries and memorials more than any other occasion; if there is a date, tell us when you ask for a quote.