Are you looking for a unique gift? Charcoal portraits are as popular as ever. Have a very precious picture turned into a piece of art and you can be sure that your gift is received with delight.

If you commission an award winning artist to do a live portrait, this might be a very costly gift. However, a good portrait made from a photo does not need to be very costly. A little search on the internet will show that most of the affordable charcoal portraits offered online were made by Asian artists. Especially Thai artists are worldwide known for their craftsmanship and eye for detail. Perhaps they are not famous for their originality, but you name it and a Thai can copy it.

The costs of living are quite low in Thailand and some of the artists in Thailand work for really low prices. Unfortunately, many of them never went to art school or just got started on their education. Quality might not be what you expected. To find the right artist will take some time, even when you are in Thailand and visiting the studio’s and galleries. But to find a Thai artist online and commission a portrait through a website or email is almost impossible, since most Thai people do not have these facilities.

What happens here is that smart foreigners start up their businesses selling portraits made by Thai artists. They have the know-how and means to set up an online business and resell the work of the artist at Western prices. And the result of this? Quite shocking, but the artist is happy.

Thai artists are very good at making portraits and reproductions, but most of them are lacking in sales skills. And they are quite happy to let others run the business and keep themselves to the craft. This is more often than not an opportunity for sales persons to make money. In some cases, the artist works in a large studio or gallery and paints or draws the orders that come in through the manager or sales person. In other cases, the artist sets up a small gallery himself and hopes for a foreign gallery owner to find his work and bring it along to large galleries in Western countries. The Internet would be a great medium for all these skilled people, if they only had the means and know-how to start a website.

When searching for an artist to create charcoal portraits, one should read very carefully who the business runs and try to judge who is benefiting most from the commission. Portraits made by Asian artists are usually very good and affordable, but a larger part of the commission will go to the sales person. As with so many products of developing countries, one should always check who is running the business and where the commission is going. Try to find a fair trade company that not only gives you a quality portrait for a reasonable price, but also gives the artists what they deserve for their hard work.