Every Beo Art portrait is built on archival-grade materials, the same standards used in fine art galleries. Here is exactly what we use, and why each choice matters for the longevity and quality of your piece.

Pencil & Charcoal Portraits

Paper

Standard commissions, Strathmore 400 Series, Toned Gray/Tan
Acid-free, lignin-free, and archival-rated. Holds charcoal better than cardboard paper, produces richer darks and cleaner highlights. The warm ground gives the same toned-paper effect as traditional cad-bod paper, done properly with archival chemistry.

Large & premium commissions, Strathmore 500 Series Bristol / Fabriano Artistico
Museum-grade. Fabriano has been manufactured in Italy since 1264, the texture holds fine detail in large-format portraits without buckling or degrading over time. Used in fine art academies globally.

Charcoal & Pencils

Detail and precision work, Cretacolor Charcoal Pencils
Austrian-made, professional-grade. Consistent density and archival carbon pigment. Used widely by portrait artists in fine art academies across Europe.

Broad shading and tonal depth, Nitram Académie Charcoal
The industry standard for portrait charcoal work. Incredibly soft and controllable, produces the deep tonal range that makes a portrait feel three-dimensional rather than flat.

Fixative

Krylon UV-Resistant Archival Fixative
UV-blocking and museum-grade. Protects the finished drawing from humidity, dust, and fading, critical in Nigerian climate conditions where heat and light accelerate deterioration in lesser materials.

Oil Paintings

Canvas

Standard commissions, Primed cotton duck canvas, double-gessoed
Professional-weight cotton duck, double-coated with Winsor & Newton Artists' Gesso. Superior tooth for paint adhesion, no bubbling, no cracking over time.

30×36 and above, Claessens linen canvas
Denser than cotton and more dimensionally stable in humidity. Linen is the museum standard for large-format oil paintings, it resists warping and holds paint for centuries, not decades. All large commissions at Beo Art Studio are painted on linen.

Paints

Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colours
Professional Artists' range, not the student Winton line. High pigment load, lightfast ratings of I and II (the top grades on the scale). These paints are formulated to remain stable and vibrant for 100+ years when properly handled and stored.

Varnish

Gamblin Gamvar Picture Varnish
UV-filtering, museum-approved, and removable. The removable part matters, it means a conservator can safely restore the painting in 50 or 100 years without touching the paint layer underneath. This is the standard in serious portrait commissions and gallery work.

What 100+ Years Actually Means

Every material listed above is rated acid-free, lignin-free, and lightfast at the professional or museum grade. Acid and lignin are what cause paper to yellow and become brittle over time, they are present in cardboard, newsprint, and most commercial art paper. Lightfastness measures how resistant a pigment is to fading under light exposure. A lightfast rating of I or II means the colour is expected to remain stable for over 100 years under normal display conditions.

We do not use student-grade materials on client commissions. The difference in cost between professional and student materials is small relative to the price of a commission. The difference in longevity is measured in decades.

Our Process

1. Photo review and material selection
We assess your reference photo and choose the right paper or canvas for the size and complexity of your commission.

2. Surface preparation
For paintings, canvas is double-gessoed and sanded smooth. For drawings, the toned paper ground is selected to complement your subject's skin tone and the intended mood of the piece.

3. Drawing or painting, with progress updates
You receive updates as work progresses. We build in layers, developing tonal range and likeness gradually, not rushed.

4. Fixing or curing
Charcoal portraits are fixed with UV-resistant archival fixative once complete. Oil paintings are left to cure fully, we do not varnish wet or semi-dry paint.

5. Final varnish and delivery
Paintings receive a final coat of Gamblin Gamvar before framing and delivery. Your portrait arrives protected and ready to hang.

Explore Our Portrait Work

If you are considering a commission, these pages will help you decide:

To start a commission or ask a question, send a message on WhatsApp or book online.