This is Mike Theuer's signature. Mike creates pencil portraits and watercolor portraits from your photographs
  • pencil portrait of Ronald Reagan by pencil artist mike theuer

    In this pencil portrait of Ronald Reagan I added his entire hat which was cut off in the reference photo, and I removed the background.

  • baby on a blanket watercolor portrait by watercolor artist mike theuer

    For this watercolor portrait of a baby girl, I removed a window which was in the background of the customer's photo and painted a wash instead.

  • pit bull watercolor portrait by pencil artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of a sweet pit bull, I painted the pit-bull from one photo the customer supplied and the background from another photo.

  • Brittany spaniel pencil portrait by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil portrait of a Brittany Spaniel by removing the background visible in the customer's photo, zooming in and emphasizing the dog's eyes.

  • pencil portrait of a baby on a blanket by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew only the baby and his blanket from the customer's reference photo for this pencil portrait.

  • two Asian boys watercolor portrait by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of Asian cousins I moved the two boys closer together compared to the customer's photograph, and I zoomed in a bit.

  • watercolor portrait of an Irish setter in the garden by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this pencil portrait I zoomed in on the Irish setter, and I removed wide expanses of garden on either side shown in the reference photo.

  • horse pencil portrait by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil portrait of a horse from the customer's photo and left out the background plus zoomed in on the horse's face.

  • mom and newborn pencil portrait by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil portrait of a mom and her baby pretty much like the customer's photo, except I made her shirt white instead of black.

  • watercolor portrait of dad fishing by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this watercolor portrait of a dad with a big catch after fishing from a cropped photo sent by the customer and I invented most of the background.

  • watercolor portrait of a girl in winter by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of a teenage girl, at the mom's request I changed the color of the door and her scarf from red in the original photo to teal.

  • pencil portrait of a sheltie by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil portrait of a sheltie in the wind like the photo supplied by the customer except I changed the background to look more plain.

  • pencil portrait of a Portuguese church artist mike theuer

    In this pencil portrait of a Portuguese church I removed the nearby buildings which appeared in the original photograph. 

Pencil portraits & watercolor portraits from your photos

Welcome!  I'm Mike Theuer, a professional portrait artist.  I create pencil portraits and watercolor portraits from your photographs.  Send me a photo and I will turn it into a work of art.  My style is expressive, so you will see pencil lines in my drawings and brush-strokes in my paintings.

watercolor portrait of a Doberman by watercolor artist mike theuer painted from a photo

I painted this watercolor portrait of a Doberman like the customer's photo.

pencil portrait of a baby boy by pencil artist mike theuer drawn from a photo

In this pencil portrait of a baby boy I removed the background from the original pic.

boxer dog pencil portrait drawing by pencil artist mike theuer sketched from a photograph

I zoomed in on the boxer's head in this pencil portrait and cut the background from the customer's photo.

I also pay close attention to light and shadow so my drawings and paintings appear to glow.  Accuracy is important too, since I also teach drawing and painting at the Pennsylvania State University.
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What my customers say
"Great work. Realistic price. Look forward to doing business with Mike again. He really makes art easy." – Greg Sutton, 8/19/2011
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Commission your own portrait
1. Email  me.  Tell me your ideas.  Keep in mind I can combine photos and draw or paint any size portrait.
2. Attach  a digital photo.  Or mail a paper photo.
3. Discuss  your ideas by email.
4. Pay  by credit card, check, or PayPal—PayPal offers free financing for 6 months.
5. Receive  a pencil portrait or a watercolor portrait in as soon as 2 weeks.  Plus get a digital version by email.  Worldwide.
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Can't decide on an artist?
How do you choose a portrait artist online?!
Have you been looking online for an artist to turn your photo into a portrait?  Maybe a portrait of your pet?  A pencil portrait of your baby, or a watercolor portrait of your wedding?  Then you've noticed there are a lot of portrait artists to choose from.  How do you choose one? 

Here is a checklist that might help!
✓ Skilled  ― does the portrait artist capture the subject?  Look for an artist whose pencil portraits and watercolor portraits include reference photos so you can compare and gauge the artist's skill at capturing a likeness.
✓ Consistent  ― is the portrait artist consistent?  Look for an artist with lots of samples.  If the sample pencil portraits and watercolor portraits are all good, then your portrait will be just as good!
BEWARE art companies.  Art companies sign their portraits with the company name.  This is partly because they hire a stream of artists.  Meaning the samples they display on their website usually are not from the artist you'll get.
✓ Reasonable  ― is the portrait artist worth the price?  Look for an artist whose price makes you think you would gladly pay that amount for a watercolor portrait or a pencil portrait.
✓ Current  ― is the portrait artist current?  Look for an artist whose pencil portraits and watercolor portraits are dated this year.  If not, that artist may be out of practice.
✓  Appealing  ― does the portrait artist make a great first impression?  Look for an artist whose watercolor portraits and pencil portraits make you smile.
  • pencil sketch of a calico cat drawn by pencil artist mike theuer

    For this pencil sketch of a calico cat I zoomed in on her face and removed the background from the original photo.

  • twins at the beach watercolor portrait painting by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this watercolor painting of twins at the beach like the customer's photo.

  • girlfriend watercolor portrait by watercolor artist mike theuer

    This watercolor portrait of a girlfriend I painted just like the reference photograph.

  • pencil sketch of a newborn and a mother drawn by sketch artist mike theuer

    In this pencil sketch of mom & newborn I zoomed in a bit compared to the customer's photo.

  • pencil sketch of a cat laying down drawn by sketch artist mike theuer

    I sketched this pencil portrait of a laying cat without a background which appeared in the original photo.

  • girl and grandpa watercolor portrait painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this girl & her grandpa portrait in watercolor like the customer's photo.

  • watercolor portrait of dogs resting painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of dogs resting, added a back-color and softened the edges compared to the reference pic.

  • pencil sketch of a black Labrador lying on the deck sketched by pencil artist mike theuer

    This black lab pencil sketch I did by zooming in on the dog's face.

  • pencil portrait of classic truck sketched by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil sketch of a classic truck for a girlfriend to give to her boyfriend.

  • pencil sketch of a pug drawn by pencil artist mike theuer

    This close-up pencil sketch I drew of a pug looked like the reference photo.

  • pencil portrait of a horses grazing sketched by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil sketch of horses for a children's book.

  • watercolor portrait of a brick house painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of a brick house I removed the cars from the driveway of the original photo.

  • watercolor portrait of a cottage painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    This cottage which I painted in watercolor was for a newlywed couple.

  • father and son beach-combing pencil portrait sketch by pencil artist mike theuer

    I sketched this pencil portrait of a father & a son at the beach for the mom from her photo.

  • pencil portrait of golden retriever drawn by pencil artist mike theuer

    I zoomed in on the golden retriever's face for this pencil sketch.

  • Italian village watercolor portraits painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this watercolor portrait of an Italian village for a traveler from his own photograph.

  • house watercolor portraits painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    This watercolor portrait of a house looked just like the reference photo.

  • watercolor portrait of a yellow Labrador in the water painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    This watercolor portrait of a lab in water was commissioned by the dog's owner from her photo.

  • yellow lab in the snow watercolor portrait painting by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this watercolor portrait of a lab on a rug from two separate photos.

  • girl wearing a big hat pencil portrait drawing by pencil artist mike theuer

    I drew this pencil sketch of a girl in a hat off to the side compared to the reference pic.

  • pencil portrait of grandparents drawn by pencil artist mike theuer

    This sketch of grandparents I drew as a Christmas gift from the daughter's photo.

  • pencil sketch of mom and daughter drawn by sketch artist mike theuer

    This pencil sketch of a mom & a daughter was commissioned by the husband from his photo.

  • watercolor portrait of a black Labrador painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    This watercolor portrait of a Labrador by the pool was commissioned by the owner.

  • watercolor portrait of a German shepherd laying down painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    I painted this watercolor portrait of a German shepherd laying down by zooming in on the dog's face.

  • little tough dog watercolor portrait painted by watercolor artist mike theuer

    In this watercolor portrait of a little dog, I painted him to the side for interest.

  • sled dogs pencil portrait sketch drawn by sketch artist mike theuer

    In this pencil sketch of sled dogs I removed the glass door from the original pic and sketched a hint of glass instead.






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