Deutsche Version: Portrait malen lassen: Kosten, Ablauf und das richtige Foto
A portrait painted from a photo is one of the most personal things you can own or give. It is also one of the hardest things to price: online you will find offers from under €100 next to portraits for several thousand. This guide explains what you actually pay for, how a commission works with Cologne painter Lena Krashevka, and which photo gives the best painting.
The short answer: an oil portrait on canvas painted by Lena starts at €2,100 for 30×40 cm. You approve a sketch before she paints, and the portrait is ready 2 to 4 weeks after that.
Lena prices commissions the same way as her other paintings: by size. These are guide prices for a portrait in oil on canvas:
The final price depends on the complexity of the work, for example several people or a detailed background. You know the price before anything is painted, and other sizes are possible on request.
Search for “portrait from photo” and you will find three very different things under the same words:
With Lena you get the third kind: a painter trained at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, selected for DIE GROSSE 2026 at Museum Kunstpalast, who paints every portrait herself in her Cologne studio. The price pays for her time, often several weeks of layered oil painting, and for her eye: what to keep from the photo, what to leave out, and how to make a face feel alive rather than copied.
Payment is in two parts: 50% when you order, the rest when the portrait is finished. In Cologne you can pick it up at the studio; elsewhere it travels by insured shipping.
The photo is the most important decision you make. Lena will tell you honestly if a photo is enough, but these points help:
Old photographs are possible: a painted portrait can bring back a grandparent or a family memory in a way a scan cannot. If you have no good photo at all, a photo shoot with Lena is the better start.
A commission does not have to copy the photo. Some of Lena’s clients wanted a faithful portrait, others a different mood:
Besides portraits, Lena also paints landscapes, places that mean something to you, and other motifs on request.
A painted portrait is a gift for a wedding, a big birthday, the birth of a child or the memory of someone who is gone. If it should be ready for a date, start early: after the sketch is approved, the painting takes 2 to 4 weeks, and then it still has to travel. For Christmas, write to Lena in November.
Not ready to commission yet? Lena’s available works are originals you can have right away, and the gift guide lists works under €1,500 and gift vouchers.
Can I see the portrait before it is finished? Yes. You approve the sketch before painting starts, and you receive a photo of the finished work for final approval.
Can you paint from an old or imperfect photo? Often yes. Send it, and Lena will tell you honestly what is possible.
Can several people be in one portrait? Ask Lena. More people and a detailed background add work, so the price depends on the composition.
Do I have to live in Cologne? No. Everything can be done by email and phone, and the finished portrait is shipped insured.
Write to Lena with a few words about your idea and, if you have one, a photo. She replies personally. See more photo-to-painting examples and the price list on the commissions page, or write to Lena directly.