Portrait of Eleni

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

What is an oil painting?

An oil painting is the result of painting with oil colors. The most common drying oils include linseed oil, poppy oil, coconut oil and cauliflower oil. The choice of oil gives a number of properties to the oil paint. For example, the amount of yellowing or drying time depends on them. The paint could be diluted with solvent. Some differences, depending on the oil, are also visible in the gloss of the colors. An artist can use many different oils in the same painting depending on the specific pigments and the desired effects. The colors themselves also develop a certain consistency depending on the medium. The oil can be boiled with a resin, such as pine resin or frankincense, to create an award-winning varnish for the body and its shine. The color itself can be formed in different textures from the plasticity it contains. Egg tempera was commonly used before oil painting was fully discovered. Tempera did not have the flexibility in the pigment provided by the oil paints.

Read more about oil painting

What Are the Advantages of Oil Paint?

The main advantages of oil paints are their flexibility and depth of colour. They can be applied in many different ways, from thin glazes diluted with turpentine to dense thick impasto. Because it is slow to dry, artists can continue working the paint for much longer than other types of paint. This provides greater opportunity for blending and layering. Oils also allow the artist to create greater richness of colour as well as a wide range of tonal transitions and shades. In fact oil colours do not change noticeably after drying, and it is possible to produce both opaque and transparent effects, as well as matt and gloss finishes. In the hands of Old Masters like Rubens or Rembrandt oils permitted stunning effects of light and colour as well as much greater realism.

When Was Oil Painting First Invented?

No one knows when oil paint was first invented. Oils had been added to paint mixtures long before the invention of oil paint as an independent medium. The earliest known example of oil painting is recorded as early as the 11th century, but the practice of easel-painting with oil colours grew out of 15th-century (quattrocento) tempera painting methods. It occurred largely as a result of improvements in the refining of linseed oil and the availability of new colour-pigments and volatile solvents after 1400, all of which coincided with a need for an alternative medium to pure egg-yolk tempera in order to meet the creative requirements of the Renaissance.

PORTRAIT PAINTING COMMISSION

Your Portrait Painting

Discover more artwork by George Zarkadas

Transform your favorite photo into a fine art portrait.

If you would like to commission a portrait of yourself or a loved one, George Zarkadas will guide you through the process, beginning with the selection of a suitable portrait reference from your favourite photos. You will choose your preferred medium (oil on linen or graphite on paper) and image size, and indicate if you need your portrait by a specific date for a special occasion. George Zarkadas invites you to discuss your portrait project in advance by messaging, email, skype/zoom or telephone. If you are in Athens – Greece, you are welcome to meet George Zarkadas in person to plan your portrait commission.

Handmade oil painting

Portrait Power

George Zarkadas appreciates the expressive capacity of the human face and our inate ability, through nuances of light and anatomy, to discern the emotion, spirit, and character of people. George Zarkadas extends the role of a portrait beyond a likeness, letting the face reveal the humanity and inner life story of each subject.

Handmade oil painting

Portrait Oil Painting

George Zarkadas uses oil paint on linen to create your colour portrait. George Zarkadas begins each portrait painting by building a beautiful archival hand-crafted stretcher of repurposed hardwood and softwood to support the linen fabric. The artist prepares the raw linen for painting with state of the art Gamblin PVA sizing and acrylic ground. Your portrait image first takes form in thin washes of Gamblin acrylics and is developed and resolved in multiple layers of the finest lightfast Holbein oil pigments. All portrait materials are carefully selected to withstand the effects of UV light, and temperature and humidity fluctuations over time. With proper care, your portrait painting will retain its original brilliance and last many lifetimes. George Zarkadas also captures the full story of your portrait creation in photographs, time lapse and video, and includes this digital treasure with your commission for you to enjoy and to share.

Experience the creative adventure

When you embark on a portrait jouney with George Zarkadas you can expect some fun and excitement along the way. Follow the creative process with photo updates and time lapse video as your portrait story unfolds. Keep in touch by video personally with the artist in action by skype/zoom/facetime.

Handmade oil painting

Creative timelines

The time required to create your portrait paining will depend on your portrait size. Here are some guidelines. A small unframed oil painting can be produced within 5-6 days whereas a large oil portrait typically takes 3-5 weeks. Oil portraits also require 2-4 weeks to dry sufficiently. Oil paintings are typically hung unframed using the wire system provided, however the artist also offers a beautiful custom hardwood frame design for oil portraits. Keep in mind that custom framing adds production time to your portrait project. George Zarkadas will accurately estimate your production and shipping timelines based on your portrait specifications. Feel free to inquire by message, email, skype/zoom, or telephone.

Handmade oil painting

Portrait forever

George Zarkadas’ portrait paintings are created using carefully selected materials to withstand the effects of UV light, and temperature and humidity fluctuations over time. With proper care your portrait will last a lifetime. Oil portraits are painted using lightfast Holbein oil pigments on hand-prepared pure linen. A beautiful archival hand-crafted stretcher of repurposed hardwood and softwood, designed and built by the artist himself, supports your portrait handmade oil painting.

Portrait payment

Your portrait project begins with your payment of the commission and shipping fees. Portrait commissions are non-refundable.

Portrait commission price list

Portrait oil painting on linen prices: (40cm • 1200€) (60cm • 2500€) (100cm • 5000€)

Portrait graphite drawing on paper prices: (38cm • 500€) (57cm • 1200€) (76cm • 2500€)

Please contact the artist by email at stratazarkadas@gmail.com

View more in my wepage

Centaur

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Aphrodite

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Laocoon

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Young woman

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Magdalene

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Young man

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

Historical development of graphite

In early times, slate or chalk were used for writing. However, slate leads were inefficient, leaving only a faint mark while requiring intense pressure to do so. The term “graphite” comes from the Greek word graphein, which means to write. Carbon drawings have survived for thousands of years on cave walls and other antiquities. Graphite pencil was discovered in the 1500’s, when a deposit of graphite, a soft, black rock, was discovered around Borrowdale, in Cumbria, England. Originally used for marking sheep, and later, a niche industry developed. Eventually, the graphite was encased in wooden layers for use in carpentry. Eraser added by Hymen Lipman who patented the idea in 1858.

Frenchman Nicholas Jacques Conte is credited for creating the variety of hardness in pencils when mixing graphite with clay and firing the mix in rod shapes in a kiln, a process which begun primarily to protect the limited supply of Borrowdale graphite. In the mid-1800’s, American Joseph Dixon opened a pencil factory, and by 1873, had mastered the mass production of pencils.

What is Graphite?

Graphite, archaically referred to as plumbago, is a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure. It occurs naturally in this form and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Under high pressures and temperatures it converts to diamond. Graphite is used in pencils and lubricants. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Its high conductivity makes it useful in electronic products such as electrodes, batteries, and solar panels.

Read more about Graphite

Portrait of Dwayne

Discover more artworks about the artist Georges Zarkadas

Commision portrait paintings

The artist offers portrait paintings on order.

Oil painting on linen costs 1200e, 2500e, 6000e for 40cm,60cm,100cm height respectively

Graphite on paper costs 500e, 1200e, 2500e for 40cm, 60cm, 75cm height respectively

Please contact the artist by e-mail

What is an oil painting?

An oil painting is the result of painting with oil colors. The most common drying oils include linseed oil, poppy oil, coconut oil and cauliflower oil. The choice of oil gives a number of properties to the oil paint. For example, the amount of yellowing or drying time depends on them. The paint could be diluted with solvent. Some differences, depending on the oil, are also visible in the gloss of the colors. An artist can use many different oils in the same painting depending on the specific pigments and the desired effects. The colors themselves also develop a certain consistency depending on the medium. The oil can be boiled with a resin, such as pine resin or frankincense, to create an award-winning varnish for the body and its shine. The color itself can be formed in different textures from the plasticity it contains. Egg tempera was commonly used before oil painting was fully discovered. Tempera did not have the flexibility in the pigment provided by the oil paints.

Read more about oil painting

What Are the Advantages of Oil Paint?

The main advantages of oil paints are their flexibility and depth of colour. They can be applied in many different ways, from thin glazes diluted with turpentine to dense thick impasto. Because it is slow to dry, artists can continue working the paint for much longer than other types of paint. This provides greater opportunity for blending and layering. Oils also allow the artist to create greater richness of colour as well as a wide range of tonal transitions and shades. In fact oil colours do not change noticeably after drying, and it is possible to produce both opaque and transparent effects, as well as matt and gloss finishes. In the hands of Old Masters like Rubens or Rembrandt oils permitted stunning effects of light and colour as well as much greater realism.

When Was Oil Painting First Invented?

No one knows when oil paint was first invented. Oils had been added to paint mixtures long before the invention of oil paint as an independent medium. The earliest known example of oil painting is recorded as early as the 11th century, but the practice of easel-painting with oil colours grew out of 15th-century (quattrocento) tempera painting methods. It occurred largely as a result of improvements in the refining of linseed oil and the availability of new colour-pigments and volatile solvents after 1400, all of which coincided with a need for an alternative medium to pure egg-yolk tempera in order to meet the creative requirements of the Renaissance.