Own an original.
Portraits, paintings and illustrated places, drawn and painted by hand. Explore my work, find a piece you love or commission your own. Real paper, real paint. No AI-generated artwork.
Paintings & portraits
Portraits, caricatures and personal interpretations. An idea becomes a drawing or a painting.
Houses & favourite places
A home, a hotel, a place with a story. Portraits of buildings in ink and watercolour.
Paris cafés & restaurants
Terraces, brasseries and Parisian life, from colourful watercolours to detailed ink drawings.
Meet Sébastien
Caricaturist, illustrator and painter. 25 years of drawing by hand, and the artist behind every piece.
Made by hand.
Yours to keep.
I draw and paint each original myself in Bordeaux, using ink, watercolour, graphite or acrylic. Your original is the physical paper or canvas I worked on, signed by hand and sent from France. Here is how it is made, what you receive and how to commission it.
How can I know it is genuinely hand-made?
I create the artwork myself in Bordeaux: the pencil lines, the ink, the watercolour washes and the painted marks. A reference photograph helps me study a face, an expression or a place. It is the starting point for a drawing, not something I run through an automatic portrait filter.
The work exists physically. With a commissioned original, you receive the sheet of art paper or the painted canvas that I worked on, with my signature. A high-definition scan records a drawing and can be used for a reproduction; scanning it does not change how the original was made.
Look beyond the words “hand-painted”.
A claim on a sales page is not enough. Look for an identifiable artist, a consistent body of work, footage of the drawing process and progress photographs connected to the actual commission. A signature or a paper texture on an image, on its own, is not proof of how it was created.
Here you can see the France 3 report showing me drawing. For your own commission, you can also request a progress photo: the drawing while it is still on the table, before the final scan. You deal with the artist who makes and signs the piece.
Read about the artist and his work- A named artist: Sébastien Rieu, Bordeaux.
- A sketch to review after payment.
- A progress photograph available on request.
- The finished physical artwork, signed by hand.
Ink & watercolour
Ink gives the drawing its line and character; watercolour brings transparent washes of colour on paper. Used for caricatures, people, animals, vehicles and places.
Graphite pencil
Light, shade and likeness, built with pencil on fine-grain paper. A quieter approach for a realistic portrait, with the expression at its centre.
Acrylic painting
Paint applied by hand to art paper or canvas, according to the project. A painted portrait can be faithful, stylised or freely interpreted.
Portrait, caricature or personal creation?
These are different artistic choices. All can be made by hand; they answer different wishes.
A realistic portrait
The aim is a recognisable, faithful likeness: the person’s expression, proportions, light and character. Graphite, ink, watercolour or paint can be used, depending on the project.
A caricature
I select and exaggerate the features that make the person unmistakably themselves. The humour comes from observation and interpretation, not from applying the same effect to every face.
A personal creation
The subject is the starting point for a new composition or visual language: a stylised painting, a Cubist interpretation or an imagined setting. You commission an artistic interpretation, rather than only a faithful likeness.
Explore paintings and creative portraits · Discuss your idea with me
How does a commission work?
Send your photos
Tell me who or what you would like drawn. We agree on the subject, technique, size, price and delivery time before the work begins.
Approve the sketch
After payment, I send a sketch by email. You can ask for adjustments before I complete the final artwork.
I draw or paint it
Ink, watercolour, graphite or acrylic, worked by hand on paper or canvas. A progress photo of your commission is available on request.
See the finished drawing
A high-definition scan of the completed drawing is sent by email. You see the finished work before the physical original reaches you.
Receive the original
The signed artwork is packed for its format and sent from France by tracked post. Allow about two weeks; your project’s timing is confirmed with the quote.
Original, print or AI-generated image: what is the difference?
The technique used to create the artwork and the object delivered to you are two different things. A print can reproduce a genuinely hand-drawn work. It is still a print, not the paper or canvas the artist worked on.
| What changes | The signed original | An art print or printed gift |
|---|---|---|
| The artwork | The actual drawing or painting, made by hand on paper or canvas. | A reproduction made from the scan of a hand-made drawing or painting. |
| What arrives | The physical sheet or canvas worked on and signed by the artist. | A print on paper or canvas, or a personalised object such as a mug, cushion or puzzle. |
| Where it comes from | Sent from France by tracked post. | Printed and delivered locally according to the product page. |
| Timing | Usually about two weeks, confirmed for the commission. | Printed gifts: estimated 7–12 days from order to delivery. |
| Why choose it | To own the artist’s actual drawing or painting, with its physical marks and materials. | To enjoy the artwork as a wall print or a useful, personal gift. |
Where does AI fit into this?
An AI-generated image is a different way of producing an image. Printing it, adding a paper texture or describing it as “watercolour style” does not make it an original watercolour painted by an artist. Equally, a reproduction of a real painting does not become AI-generated simply because it is printed.
My artwork starts with my drawing or painting, made by hand. The original stays a physical work. When you choose a print or a personalised gift, the product page identifies it as a reproduction. If you want the physical original, ask for it explicitly when commissioning the piece.
Read the detailed buyer’s guide: Real or Printed?Prices, sizes and delivery
The reference prices below are in euros. Request a quote in pounds before ordering.
Realistic pencil portrait
From €120Graphite on fine-grain paper. Subject, size and composition are agreed before the drawing begins.
Painting
From €200Acrylic on art paper or canvas, depending on the project. Creative interpretations are quoted for the work involved.
Other originals
Quote on requestCaricatures, animals, cars, houses, several people and unusual compositions: tell me what you have in mind.
Paper formats from A5 to A2; larger work and canvas paintings are quoted individually. Request your personal quote.
A face, a place, an idea? Tell me what you would like me to draw.
Read the complete guide to originals and reproductions