Earlier this year we created an oil painting for actor John Nettles. We were absolutely delighted when John reached out to us with quite a special request. A pet portrait of his granddaughter’s beloved dog, Milo who had sadly passed away. This portrait became quite a unique commission, not only because of the opportunity to work with John, but also due to the photo of Milo within the wintry scene in Jersey.
For our readers who may not have heard of John Nettles, John is a fabulous British actor. I have been watching him on TV since I was a child. Among many shows, he is probably best known for playing Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac in the crime drama Bergerac, set in Jersey. He was then Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in Midsomer Murders. Both classic TV shows.
A Unique Photo of a Rare Moment in Jersey
The reference photo John provided was taken during a rare snowfall in Jersey. This was the only snowfall in Milo’s lifetime and John wanted to preserve the icy, serene feel of the day in the painting.
While the snowy setting remained intact, we made a few subtle adjustments. By straightening the trees in the background, it provides a sense of balance to the overall composition. Also making Milo slightly larger in the frame, ensured Milo would be the focal point of the painting. You can see the original photo of Milo below on the left and our mock-up on the right. John commissioned a 16 x 12 oil painting which was the perfect size for Milo.
Oil Painting for Actor John Nettles – The Early Stages
Here is the first stage of Milo’s portrait. Nicholas always draws out the scene on the canvas in pencil. He then uses a fine paintbrush and sepia colours to line in the painting to firm up the drawing. He often uses a sepia wash over the canvas, so at this stage he has added the wash onto Milo.
Nicholas then added a sepia wash over the entire canvas and began to block in the tones behind Milo so that he could gauge the correct depth of tones between the trees and Milo himself.
Nicholas worked on the background more, adding the soft snowy tones and the grass around him. As you can see the background is coming to life around Milo, it’s looking real already!
Bringing Milo to Life
As the background of the painting began to take shape, Nicholas started to block in the undertones of Milo with his collar and his jumper. He is also adding the snow onto Milo’s coat at this stage too.
The close up photo below shows the portrait on the easel with Milo’s face at the half way stage.
The Completed Oil Painting for Actor John Nettles
Here is the completed oil painting for actor John Nettles. You can see that Nicholas has added plenty of detail within Milo and just enough detail in the background, to create a realistic scene. It doesn’t distract from Milo though, so he stays the focus of the oil painting. John sent us a lovely email when he saw the final painting which you can read below.
Dear Melanie and Nicholas.
The portrait of Milo is absolutely wonderful! The little fellow to the life! I cannot thank you enough for it. I will send you a photo of me and granddaughter Sophie by the portrait when I go across to Jersey to later this month and which you are more than welcome to use on your website.
Kindest regards
John N
Finishing Touches and Brushes To Show Scale
We like taking photos with Nicholas’s had and brush within the photo as this helps to give the painting scale. The portrait was a 16 x 12 oil painting and this size works well for smaller breeds full body and a scenic background.
Another photo of the finished painting to help show scale.
The photo below shows the painting with Nicholas’s brushes, another for scale.
Nicholas With Oil Painting for Actor John Nettles
We took a record of Nicholas with the oil painting, which again is great to show the size relationship of a 16 x 12 oil painting. The photo of Nicholas, along with this commission all happened earlier this year, as you can see it was sunny outside!
Gift Packaging
Once the portrait was met with John’s approval, it was time for the final step. The packaging. We believe the presentation is as important as the artwork itself. For John’s piece, we prepared a special gift box, wrapped the portrait in tissue paper, carefully wrapped with ribbon, to make the unboxing experience as special as the portrait inside. This extra touch ensured the painting would arrive safely while giving the unwrapping moment a sense of occasion.
Our Discreet Client Approach and Working with High-Profile Clients
Both Nicholas and myself have had the privilege of working with several high-profile clients over the years. While confidentiality is always our priority, it’s a pleasure to share this collaboration with John Nettles, a genuinely lovely person who was an absolute pleasure to work with.
We hope that you have enjoyed our Oil Painting for Actor John Nettles. If you are interested in reading about another special portrait, take a look at the commission we did this year for a special surprise wedding portrait.
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