Behind the Custom House Portrait: Your Questions Answered

Curious about how a custom house portrait comes to life? Here’s a little behind-the-scenes peek into my process, materials, and packaging. I’ve compiled the most common questions I have received to date from fellow artists and customers below.

1. What paper do you use?
Only the good stuff! I paint on Arches 100% cotton, 300 gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper — it has a lovely rough texture and holds many layers of watercolour, which is perfect for each house portrait which is built up with base layers, highlights and brickwork. The paper has a heavy weight, it is 140lb / 300 gsm, which keeps it flat without buckling when water is applied. It’s also acid-free and archival, which means your portrait will last a lifetime (and then some).

2. What pen do you use that doesn’t smudge?
Ah, the all-important pen! I alternate between Sakura Micron pens and UniBall Unipin fineliners — both are waterproof and smudge-resistant, perfect for crisp linework that won’t bleed when I start adding washes of colour.
You can get them from

3. Do you use sustainable packaging?
Yes! Keeping things beautiful and eco-friendly is really important to me.

I steer clear of bubble wrap and those squeaky little styrofoam peanut fillers. Instead, each framed portrait is wrapped in honeycomb packaging wrap made from recycled paper.

Everything gets packed into a sturdy cardboard box, to complete the plastic free packaging.

4. Do you show drafts before painting?
I don’t provide drafts. But! You can get a really clear sense of my style by browsing my Instagram and website, where you’ll find plenty of examples of finished portraits.

If you like what you see there, you can trust your finished house portrait will be in the same charming, unique style.

5. What’s the typical lead time?
Each portrait is hand-drawn with love, care, and lots of tiny details — so I ask for 4 to 6 weeks to complete your piece, to allow time and space for others that might also be waiting for their portraits.

If you have a special date in mind (like a birthday or settlement), let me know when you place your order and I’ll do my best to make it happen. A little heads-up always helps!

Have a question I didn’t cover here? Reach out and send me a message here — I’m always happy to chat about the process (or your house!).

Ready to place your order? Pop over to quokkascorner.com — I’d love to bring your special place to life.