Rachael Caddy Portraits

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Rachael Caddy Portraits

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I'm and artist based in South Yorkshire, creating contemporary portraits from photographs in both pencil and coloured pencil

I am currently taking commissions.

05/11/2025

This year is flying by so quickly, and I've been so focused on other projects in my life that I forget to promote my portraiture.

I'm currently working on some commissions in preparation for Christmas, and still have space for some small ones (or one larger one). Please get in touch if you would like to know more.

16/09/2025

Hey everyone! I thought I’d finally show my face after a long break. I’m still here, still open for business, and I currently have availability for Christmas commissions. 🎄

This year took an unexpected turn, which meant stepping away from socials for a while. Being a self-employed artist has been an incredible journey, but like many creatives, I’ve felt the challenges of the current economy. Commissions slowed down, so I took the chance to rest, work on house projects, and reflect on where I want my art to go next.

If I’m honest, before my break I started to feel like I was posting just to please the algorithm — not from a place of joy. Now I’m coming back with less pressure, more authenticity, and a renewed love for creating.

I’d love to work on your portrait commissions, but if now isn’t the right time that’s totally fine. In between commissions, I’ll be focusing on personal projects, family life, and a new creative side hustle (which I can’t wait to share soon!).

Thanks for sticking around — it means the world. 🖤🖤🖤

15/06/2025

Happy Father's Day! ❤️

14/03/2025

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𝓑𝓸𝓫𝓫𝔂
(2025)
17 x 22.8cm approx
Coloured pencil on Pastelmat

How gorgeous and cheeky is this little guy?!

I absolutely loved drawing this portrait, it's full of character, colour and warmth.

I really like working with rich coloured backgrounds as they add a sense of drama to a piece, and keeping the backdrop loose and out of focus was a really fun challenge.

More like this one please! 😍

06/02/2025

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𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕
(2025)
17 x 28.5cm approx
Coloured pencil on Pastelmat

Every year I challenge myself to draw a self-portrait, and here is this year's piece.

This year I wanted to do something different. I always laugh with my husband about how unflattering the self-till security cameras are. The reference was a photo that I'd sent to him after a recent visit.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I hate being in the supermarket, the noise, the lights and the crowds of people can be exhausting and I actively avoid going in there. It's made all the more unpleasant by being served with an unsympathetic reflection of myself just before I leave.

But as uncomplimentary as these screens can be, there is also a huge realness to them. It's a snapshot in time, capturing a frazzled, nearly 40 year old mum, who has little time, nor inclination towards the makeup or fashion that I once had.

I really enjoyed the composition of this piece, and how the background is warped through a wide-angled lens. I chose to use unnatural, obnoxious, contrasting colours to reflect the nauseating experience of the supermarket environment; whilst also contradicting the dull, drained colours caught in the security camera.

I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this piece. What do you think?

-portrait

16/01/2025

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𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆
(2024)
21cm²
Coloured pencil on paper

I had the privilege of being commissioned to create this portrait of sweet, beautiful Millie as a Christmas gift. Sadly, Millie’s family had to say goodbye to her earlier last year, and this piece was intended as a heartfelt keepsake for their daughter to commemorate her beloved four-legged friend.

Many of my portraits are created as commemorative pieces. When people lose someone special, they often seek meaningful ways to remember them, and it’s an incredible honor to play a small part in that healing process.

Given the nature of my work, I’ve partnered with a couple of respected local pet crematoriums. Millie’s passing was handled with care by the compassionate team at Walker's pet cremation and home euthanasia services, Darfield, Barnsley. They provide beautiful, bespoke services for their clients, and I’m proud to collaborate with them to offer portraits as part of their offerings.

On a personal note, creating Millie’s portrait brought back memories of my own old boy, Obi, who had to be re-homed last year due to severe allergies at home. Seeing Millie’s beautiful face come to life on paper was incredibly cathartic for me, and I hope this piece brings comfort and love to her family as well.

14/01/2025

👋🏻 A Little Hello from Me! 👋🏻

Hi everyone! It’s been a while, so I thought I’d pop on, show my face, and say a big “Hi!” to all my followers—both old and new.

For those who don’t know me, I’m an artist based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, specialising in portrait commissions drawn in graphite and coloured pencil. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of bringing all sorts of characters to life—from people to parrots, and all sorts in-between! I absolutely love working closely with clients to create artwork that they can truly treasure.

As a naturally shy person, I’ve always found the sales side of things quite challenging, and I'm not at all pushy! If you’re curious about my work or prices, please feel free to reach out for a no-pressure chat—I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be honest: social media isn’t always easy for me. Like many introverted artists, I sometimes struggle to keep up. I’ve been guilty of hiding behind my screen. This year, I’m aiming to be more present—not just online, but out in the real world too!

Social media has been a blessing in many ways. It helped me launch my business after being made redundant during lockdown, connecting me to incredible clients across the UK and inspiring me through a wonderful artist community. But it’s also exhausting to keep up with. When I step back to recharge (like I’ve done over the past few months), it often feels like starting from scratch when I return.

Real life hasn’t made things easier lately! From a leaky roof and partial ceiling collapse to flooding and burst pipes, it’s been a rough few months at home. When things pile up, I tend to withdraw, but I’m trying to embrace the ups and downs rather than forcing positivity when it’s not how I feel.

This year, I want to keep things real and honest. Life isn’t always smooth sailing, and that’s okay! I’m also planning to push myself creatively and try new things that I’ve been scared to explore until now—because, honestly, what’s the worst that could happen?

If you enjoy my work and don’t mind following along with the journey of a happy-but-tired artist, warts and all, I’d love for you to stick around. And if you’d like to support my business, any likes, shares, or interactions with my posts mean the world to me.

Here’s to a year of creativity, honesty, and hopefully fewer calamities than 2024! Thanks so much for your support—it truly means everything.

14/01/2025

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𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌
(2024)
15cm² approx
Coloured pencil on paper

Here's another one of the commissions that I completed for Christmas.

Frank unfortunately said goodbye to his human last year, so her lovely friend got in touch with me about drawing a mini commemorative portrait.

I was sent a large selection of photos to choose from along with a description of Frank's personality. Together with my client we decided upon this pose. Frank was described as the strong and silent type, with a gentle soul, and this is the pose that best reflects that.

I absolutely love drawing miniature portraits, they've got a delicate fragile quality to them and there's something special about having to get up close to a piece of work to study all of the little details.

What do you think?

08/01/2025

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𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒐𝒏
(2024)
17 x 22 cm approx
Coloured Pencil on Pastelmat

Here's another little portrait that I completed for Christmas.

Watson is unfortunately no longer with us. His family had their sights set on having a picture of him on their shelves to commemorate him, so their friend contacted me with photos of the intended space for the piece, and several photos of Watson.

Together we worked through which picture best illustrated Watson's personality, and which would best suit the space.

I absolutely loved the reference photo that we chose and worked hard to get everything just right, making a few changes to the composition where needed.

I was really touched to receive an email from Watson's family just after Christmas. They told me of their emotional response to the portrait and their thankfulness for the kindness of their friend. I'm not ashamed to say that it bought a tear to my eye.

Being a portrait artist definitely has it's ups and downs as it can be a struggle at times, but moments like this make it all worth it.

What do you think to this piece?

06/01/2025

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𝑩𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂
(2024)
30 x 35cm approx.
Coloured pencil on Pastelmat

Here's one of the portraits that I completed for Christmas.

I love Bella's quizzical expression, what do you think?

My books are now open. If you're thinking of commissioning a portrait, get in touch for a chat with no obligation.

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Derby

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http://www.rachaelcaddyart.com/

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