Portrait Drawings For Sale

Browse portrait drawings for sale on our online gallery and explore our extensive selection of styles, ranging from expressionistic portrait drawings to cartoons to illustrative portraits. Shop today and find the perfect contemporary portrait drawing for your home or office.

About the artists

Fatola Israel's emotive portrait drawings demonstrate how the medium’s softness lends itself well to the study of social issues. In his hyper-real style, the award-winning pencil artist who studied in Nigeria, explores humankind’s struggle within society. Captivity captures an intimate close up of a man behind bars, while “Mojisola” documents an entirely different emotion: hope.

The work of acclaimed artist Nelson Makamo, winner of the 2018 Rise Art Prize, highlights individuality and celebrates society in his native South Africa. The large-scale charcoal drawing, In My Skin sees a young boy standing as if exposed, charged with a self-consciousness recognisable amongst pre-teens. Beauty captures his subject less directly, zooming in to the sitter from the side, his features composed from spontaneous marks and scrawled words.

Lee Ellis uses his portrait drawings to create a darker sense of intimacy, using his figures’ warped features to hint at an inner landscapes of psychological torture. The scratched surface of Cheese Before Bed 11 creates a sense of emotional angst. Ellis’ distinctive figures are repeated throughout the rest of his nightmarish Cheese Before Bed series.

Hyper-realistic artist Kelvin Okafor gained recognition drawing portraits with pencil, graphite and charcoal. These are not just realistic portraits, though; Okafor aims to draw out each subject’s humanity and personal story, also known as Emotional Realism. Okafor draws his subjects front-on, addressing the viewer with a defiant stare.

An Intimate Art Form

The history of portrait drawing is intertwined with that of portraiture. However, unlike portrait paintings which have evolved according to the style of the day, portrait drawings have remained a timeless way to intimately explore an individual.

There has long been a fascination with portrait drawings of well-known figures, reflecting a desire to strip them back to their core. Augustus John sketched T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in both London and Paris. At the time Lawrence sat for John, between 1919 and 1923, the archaeologist and military officer was a household name and John’s drawings of him sold for good money. Commenting on this fact, Lawrence wrote to John: “What do artists' models of the best sort fetch per hour (or perhaps per job)... it seems to me that I have a future...”

Unlike John’s paintings of Lawrence which can be considered fairly formal, the quick portrait drawings show a different side to the sitter. A two-minute sketch drawn at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, shows a more vulnerable Lawrence than the public were perhaps used to - a figure engulfed by his robes, hunched and small.

The intimacy of portrait drawings can reveal a side to a person’s personality that is often edited out from official portraits. In Paul Emsley’s final painting of the Duchess of Cambridge, she appears demure and regal. But in Emsley’s portrait drawings, her gaze is fierce and challenging. Studies of modern politicians, such as Diane Abbott by Stuart Pearson Wright and Ken Livingstone by Andrew Tift, show a softer side to these public figures.

Since 1990, there has been a revival of interest in portrait drawings among contemporary artists, who are drawn to the art form for its intimacy. Matthew Carr’s 2008 portrait drawing of novelist Sebastian Faulks, for example, hints at a sort of existential crisis in the sitter, as we see a floating head in pencil, marooned on the empty page.

Preparatory or Stand-Alone Portraits

Self-portrait drawings offer artists an impulsive method of self-examination. Stanley Spencer’s 1913 self-portrait drawing is sketched onto paper that had previously been used, hinting either at spontaneity or an attempt to weave studio materials into his self-portrait. The piece is thought to be in preparation for his self-portrait painting completed the following year and the drawing shares the same intense stare he later depicted in oil.

However not all portrait drawings exist only as studies in preparation for grander works in painting or sculpture. Frank Auerbach churned over his drawings of Estella (Stella) West, who posed for him between 1950 and the 1970s. Head of E.O.W. took almost 70 sittings and as a result of the artist’s constant drawing and erasing, the paper is torn and patched.

Find out more in our Guide To Drawings.

Size
SMLXLXXL
Height5 - 160 cm
Width5 - 150 cm
Price100 - 20,000 +
Orientation
  • Square
    Square
  • Portrait
    Portrait
  • Landscape
    Landscape
Drawings
Select Mediums
  • 1 selected
    Drawings
  • Drawings
  • Paintings
  • Paintings > Oil
  • Paintings > Acrylic
  • Paintings > Mixed Media
  • Paintings > Watercolour
  • Paintings > Ink
  • Paintings > Fabric
  • Paintings > Gouache
  • Paintings > Airbrush
  • Paintings > Encaustic
  • Paintings > Tempera
  • Photography
  • Photography > Digital
  • Photography > Colour
  • Photography > Black & White
  • Photography > Mixed media
  • Prints
  • Prints > Digital
  • Prints > Screenprint
  • Prints > Lithograph
  • Prints > Mixed media
  • Prints > Woodcut
  • Prints > Etching
  • Prints > Lino
  • Prints > Mono
  • Sculpture
  • Sculpture > Bronze
  • Sculpture > Metal
  • Sculpture > Resin
  • Sculpture > Stone
  • Sculpture > Ceramic
  • Sculpture > Clay
  • Sculpture > Wood
  • Sculpture > Plastic
  • Sculpture > Marble
  • Sculpture > Enamel
  • Sculpture > Glass
  • Collage
  • Collage > Mixed Media
  • Collage > Paper
  • Digital
  • Installation
STYLE
Select Styles
  • 0 selected
  • Figurative
  • Realistic
  • Cubism
  • Expressionistic
  • Illustrative
  • Photorealism
  • Pop Art
  • Graphic
  • Minimalistic
  • Surrealist
  • Abstract
  • Impressionistic
  • Street Art
  • Abstract Expressionism
  • Conceptual
  • Geometric
  • Cartoon
  • Dada
Portraits
Select Subjects
  • 1 selected
    Portraits
  • Portraits
  • Nudes
  • Urban
  • Landscapes
  • Landscapes > Rural
  • Landscapes > Beach
  • Landscapes > Sky
  • Animals
  • Animals > Birds
  • Animals > Horses
  • Animals > Fish
  • Animals > Cats
  • Animals > Dogs
  • Animals > Cows
  • Architecture
  • Botanical
  • Botanical > Trees
  • Botanical > Flowers
  • Botanical > Leaves
  • Nature
  • Sports
  • Sports > Cycling
  • Fantasy
  • Seascapes
  • Spirituality
  • Spirituality > Religion
  • Celebrities
  • Cityscapes
  • Cityscapes > New York
  • Cityscapes > Paris
  • Politics
  • Maps
  • Maps > London
  • Wildlife
  • Food
  • Still life
  • Still life > Flowers
  • Still life > Food
  • Music
  • Typography
  • Fashion
  • Transport & Auto
  • Transport & Auto > Airplanes
  • Transport & Auto > Bikes
  • Documentary
  • Science & Technology
  • Underwater
SHIPS FROM
Select countries
  • 0 selected
  • France
  • United Kingdom
  • Hungary
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • United States
  • Germany
  • Peru
  • Italy
  • Belgium
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
  • Israel
  • Ukraine
  • Turkey
  • Bulgaria
  • Saint Martin
  • Russian Federation
Select Colors
  • 0 selected
  • Colourful
  • Black & White
  • White
  • Grey
  • Black
  • Maroon Neutral
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Purple
  • Pink
  • Red
sort
All Art
showing 589 pieces
Confronting My Friend by Simon Tatum
View in a room interior
Confronting My Friend by Simon Tatum
Confronting My Friend
Drawings - 21x25 cm
Portrait of Juana  by Tony Girolo
View in a room interior
Portrait of Juana  by Tony Girolo
Portrait of Juana
Drawings - 61x46 cm
Woman at Table by Randy Klinger
View in a room interior
Woman at Table by Randy Klinger
Woman at Table
Drawings - 46x56 cmRent for $235 /mo
Boa rouge by Tatiana Ivchenkova
View in a room interior
Boa rouge by Tatiana Ivchenkova
Boa rouge
Drawings - 31x22 cm
Changes III by Melinda Matyas
View in a room interior
Changes III by Melinda Matyas
Changes III
Drawings - 69x49 cm
Click to discover similar artworks

Use visual search to find art with a similar style

View in a room interior
Woman at her Puzzle by Randy Klinger
Woman at her Puzzle
Drawings - 46x56 cmRent for $180 /mo
View in a room interior
A Hug from Behind by Simon Tatum
A Hug from Behind
Drawings - 23x23 cm
View in a room interior
Woman with a Mask by Randy Klinger
Woman with a Mask
Drawings - 34x24 cmRent for $145 /mo
View in a room interior
Beatrice by Yana Medow
Beatrice
Drawings - 55x46 cm
View in a room interior
NU assise aiko by Maude Ovize
NU assise aiko
Drawings - 49x69 cm
View in a room interior
Character (layer) 2 by Susannah Douglas
Character (layer) 2
Drawings - 20x20 cmRent for $70 /mo
View in a room interior
Vanitas by Andrés Felipe Castaño
Vanitas
Drawings - 65x45 cm
View in a room interior
Démon 1 by Tatiana Ivchenkova
Démon 1
Drawings - 41x31 cm
Free and easy 14 days returns
View in a room interior
Zainab Bangura by Habib Hajallie
Zainab Bangura
Drawings - 30x21 cmRent for $140 /mo
View in a room interior
Portrait of Sana by Tony Girolo
Portrait of Sana
Drawings - 61x46 cm
View in a room interior
Untitled by Nelson Makamo
Untitled
Drawings - 100x70 cm
View in a room interior
Girl/Eating (repeat) 1 by Susannah Douglas
Girl/Eating (repeat) 1
Drawings - 20x28 cmRent for $70 /mo
View in a room interior
Weinmann (Wineman) by Ralf Schmidt
Weinmann (Wineman)
Drawings - 80x60 cm
View in a room interior
Masque by Franck Le Boulicaut
Masque
Drawings - 50x50 cm
View in a room interior
Woman/Boat 15 by Susannah Douglas
Woman/Boat 15
Drawings - 26x26 cmRent for $70 /mo
View in a room interior
Woman Looking Left by Randy Klinger
Woman Looking Left
Drawings - 46x56 cmRent for $180 /mo
View in a room interior
One Way Street by Malayka Gormally
One Way Street
Drawings - 56x76 cm
Trusted by collectors and leading brands

See our latest collaboration with Soho Home

View in a room interior
Kayla  by Tony Girolo
Kayla
Drawings - 61x46 cm
View in a room interior
Abstract Head No. 15 by Gregory Malphurs
Abstract Head No. 15
Drawings - 41x31 cm
View in a room interior
Woman/Boat 18 by Susannah Douglas
Woman/Boat 18
Drawings - 26x26 cmRent for $70 /mo
Refine your search. find the perfect artwork

Filter by size, medium, price and more

Regional Settings
English
US (USD)
United States
Metric (cm, kg)