Portrait ArtistYour story, beautifully drawn.
Sarah Mallett creates bespoke portraits in oil paint and pencil — from hyper-realistic pencil drawings to bold, expressive oil paintings alive with colour and movement.
Sarah Mallett creates bespoke portraits in oil paint and pencil — from hyper-realistic pencil drawings to bold, expressive oil paintings alive with colour and movement.
"No plan, no tidy edges — just following whatever mark or colour felt right in the moment."
Sarah Mallett is a portrait artist with a passion for capturing the soul behind the face. Working in oil paints and pencil, she brings two very different energies to her craft.
Her pencil work is meticulous and deeply observational — close-up studies that reveal every crease, highlight and shadow. Her oil paintings take the opposite approach: loose, instinctive and alive with colour and movement, obsessed with expression in ways that graphite simply can't achieve.
Based in the UK, Sarah takes on commissions for individuals, families, and gift portraits — working from photographs you supply.
Meticulous, deeply observational work — close-up studies that reveal every crease, highlight and shadow with astonishing precision.
"Enjoying the mat finish that graphite achieves — something paint simply can't replicate."
Expressive, instinctive, alive with colour. These portraits chase movement and feeling — obsessed with how light plays and emotion breathes.
"Playing around with colour, movement and expression. What better subject matter than the human face?"
Send Sarah a message describing the commission you have in mind — the subject, preferred medium, and any size or occasion details.
Good reference photography is everything. Sarah will advise on what works best and you can discuss composition and approach together.
Progress shots are shared so you can see the commission taking shape — there is always the chance to give feedback before it's finished.
Your finished commission is carefully packaged and posted — ready to be framed, hung, and treasured for years to come. Alternatively, the commission can be collected.
"Absolutely in love with the beautiful portrait Sarah did of my dog Poppy. I was lucky enough to win her Facebook competition in December just after my little dog had passed away so felt it was such a blessing. The detail and accuracy Sarah has managed to capture is second to none - she truly is amazing and has brought the picture of Poppy to life. Poppy now has pride of place at home for all to see, a living memory which makes my heart smile every time I see it. Thank you so much xx"
"Safe to say Archie is very pleased with his portrait! Thank you so much Sarah for all your hard work. I’m so pleased with it!❤️"
"Thank you so much to you Sarah for such an amazing and precious portrait! This was a commission for a 50th birthday present and they were blown away. We can’t thank you enough and it’s now taking pride of place as it should! Would highly recommend anyone looking to have a special portrait commissioned to look no further than Sarah. 🤩🥰"
"My sister recently drew a photo of my boyfriends dog for his dads birthday, the drawing turned out amazing and his dad loved it. I highly recommend Sarah, she works so hard and they always turn out incredible. Thank you so much for this drawing xx"
"Sarah drew a wonderful picture of my dog Giz for my dads birthday, he was delighted with it and I really recommend her for any pieces you want done!"
"Absolutely chuffed to bits with our portrait, amazing talent you have Sarah, thank you so much for fitting us in at short notice too. Couldn't be happier with the finished piece. Thank you so much."
"Sarah drew a portrait of my 3 children and 3 nieces and nephews. It was a gift for my Dad who had cancer and was bed bound. Due to covid my Dad couldn’t say goodbye to his Grandchildren before time ran out for him. But Sarah did manage to get the portrait completed before my Dad passed away. The portrait was hung above his bed, and two weeks later my Dad died. The last image my Dad had of his Grandchildren was the one Sarah drew. It is an amazing drawing, and my Dad stared at it for long periods of time. I couldn’t recommend anyone more than Sarah. She worked incredibly hard and fast as she was aware of the circumstances. An amazing artist and person."
"Sarah recently commissioned a beautiful drawing of our dog who we sadly lost in March. It is absolutely stunning and captures her personality brilliantly. Sarah was brilliant from start to finish sending me updates of what she had done so far to check I was happy with what she had drawn, the communication was excellent from start to finish. I would highly recommend Sarah to anyone 😊"
"Sarah presented us with a portrait for our Golden Wedding present. She used a photograph of the two of us from our wedding day, back in 1970 without us knowing. It was a big surprise for us and the first pencil portrait we had seen. I produced a video file showing just how accurate the portrait is when compared with the original photograph. All done by eye! Sarah is superb at her craft and, although we are obviously biased, very highly skilled. Unlike me, the video is completely unbiased as it is a true transition from the portrait to the photograph with no retouching. Please let her do a portrait for you. It will give you a unique piece of art that you can treasure for years to come."
"Absolutely blown away with my commissioned portrait. Sarah truly brought it to life. Each stage of the drawing was amazing and when I saw it completed it took my breath away. Such a talented artist who clearly puts her heart into her work xx"
"Very happy from the start to the end 😁 Communication was very good I highly recommended. Thankyou Sarah 👌🏼😁"
"Sarah is amazing. I asked her to draw my dog and she really captured him. I highly recommend. Thanks again, Sarah"
"So Amazing, I can't thank you enough. Truly Beautiful portrait done of my daughter and I couldn't be happier!!!!! Thank you"
Every portrait starts with a conversation — no obligation.
Fill in the form and Sarah will get back to you personally to discuss your portrait.