Welcome to Rachel Drake Portraits – where every brushstroke tells a story. I create unique, hand-painted watercolour portraits and detailed pencil drawings of people and pets. Whether you’re celebrating a loved one, remembering a special companion, or commissioning a meaningful gift, my art captures personality, emotion, and detail in a way that photographs alone can’t.
Based in Scotland, I work with clients across the UK and beyond, creating portraits to treasure for a lifetime.
Watercolour Portraits of People – Soft, expressive paintings that capture personality and emotion.
Pet Portraits – Honour your furry friend with a detailed pencil or watercolour likeness.
Couples & Family Commissions – Thoughtful gifts for weddings, anniversaries, and milestones.
Memorial Portraits – A sensitive tribute to loved ones who are no longer with us.
Commission a portrait as unique as your story.
An artist you can trust
A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art with over 30 years’ experience, you can be assured of receiving a quality portrait and a stress-free commissioning process.
How to commission a portrait
You may have many questions about how to commission a drawing or painting. I usually work from photographs which makes the process simple and convenient for you. I have put together some information that will hopefully answer some of the questions that you may have including how to order, price guides and tips on supplying suitable photos for me to work from.
Testimonials
A. McGuinness
A. Sinclair
This is fantastic! Great work! It came out perfectly, I absolutely love it!
Lisa McCreesh
Oh Rachel the drawing is so good, thank you so much. It’s perfect the way it is, there’s so much depth to the drawing. I would also like to say that I really appreciated the speed of your responses, your help with the choice of drawing & overall communication & service. I would highly recommend you & will.
Julie Cox
I asked Rachel to draw a portrait of my son, Harry. I sent her a few photos and she then spent so much time talking through how I wanted the portrait to look. She discussed in detail the materials she was thinking of using and emailing examples of her past work. She suggested using black biro to draw Harry and the result was absolutely amazing. The detail of his face and especially his curly hair was so life like.
I can highly recommend Rachel, you won’t be disappointed. Harry has been framed and hanging in my front room. I love it and have so many comments. Thank you so much.
Robyn MacCallum
We’d like to thank Rachel for the portrait of our dog, Alfie. When we received this special gift we were amazed by her ability to not only capture his handsome charm but also his caring and loving nature. The portrait takes pride of place in our home and helps us reflect on our fond memories of our beloved dog.
Most importantly for us the portrait helps to keep Alfie a cherished member of our family forever.
Rachel Drake Artist
Watercolour and pencil drawing are my favourite working media. I love the transparency of the paint and the way that skin tones can be built up. I have many years' experience of perfecting this demanding technique. Pencil portraits have a beautiful simplicity and a hand-drawn pencil portrait is a timeless classic. They are an excellent choice if you prefer a black and white finish.
This large charcoal portrait of my son was selected for exhibition at the Scottish Portrait Awards 2022.
