The quiet power of a portrait drawing
Sometimes the most meaningful things are whispered.
Portrait drawings are perfect when you’re looking for something more intimate. Some stories, some moments, call for something a little softer.
If a painting is an epic poem, then a drawing is a sonnet.
Drawings invite us to get closer, to look a little deeper.
It is a piece of art that can describe the line of a life. While it is more minimal in style, it is no less thoughtful, and every mark is deliberate, sensitive and full of character.
When you’re looking to capture the quiet poetry of someone’s life, whether it’s yours or a loved one’s, a portrait drawing honours the subtle complexities of our story and character, one line at a time.
These are modern heirlooms.
There are very few ways to meaningfully celebrate and honour our lives and journeys in a way that lives with us every day.
Our phones are packed with images but rarely looked at. (When was the last time you did?)
Videos don’t get pulled out and watched because who has the time?
Photography is wonderful but tells a different kind of story. It captures moments, but is limited to what’s in front of the lens.
Portrait drawings live beyond the three dimensions we are limited to.
They are the creation of their own world. They stretch time and imagination, carrying layers of nuance and meaning.
They tell a richer, deeper story, going beyond the surface and weaving together the threads of our lives.
Portrait drawings live with you, every day: reminding you of who you really are, the challenges you’ve overcome and the legacy you’re leaving behind.
I wanted to capture my daughters at the height of their beauty in a unique and memorable way.
I told Sarah at the time, there were so many ways that this might not have worked out, but the whole process was wonderful and the outcome completely satisfying. Looking at my daughters’ portraits makes me feel proud of my daughters and proud to have had them painted.
Charles H.
Grace, dignity, sensitivity:
these are my guiding principles
I believe in portraits as a vehicle for more than just status and vanity.
They are a rich, nuanced way to capture the complexity of who we are as people, telling more than just the story of our achievements, but sharing our strength, kindness, courage and character as well.
Honouring the stories of people’s lives, whether they are 3 or 93, is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.
(Yep, I was a weird kid.)
I never cared about the big mythology paintings in art history books – I fell in love with the portraits, these paintings of people long gone but somehow still with us.
I remember learning about the National Portrait Gallery in London when I was 11 and dreaming of having my work in there one day.
This work has always called to me.
I feel my portraits are so special and intimate
Sarah was so amazing to work with. She is patient and easy to work with. I never really thought of myself as someone who would commission portraits, but I knew Sarah, and had seen samples of her work on social media. I feel my portraits are so special and intimate; they are life-like and it makes me feel like my children are here even when they are not.”
Sarah W.
Drawings that tell your story.
“Sitting for Sarah is entertaining and relaxing; conversation goes everywhere and the time passes quickly.”
How it works
Each portrait begins with a conversation — about who you are, who the portrait is for, who it will be of, and what story you want it to tell.
We’ll discuss colour and style and what your preferences are.
If you’re local to Ottawa, I’ll invite you to my historic portrait studio in Sandy Hill, where we’ll collaborate on the reference photos together, under the beautiful north light window that replicates an Old Master’s studio.
If you’re further away or the drawing is intended to be a surprise, I will guide you through selecting or creating a reference photo that will translate well into a drawing.
Once the reference is finalized, I’ll begin the drawing. You’ll receive updates as your portrait takes form, and you’ll have opportunities for input along the way.
Each drawing is completed within 4-6 weeks. Because I only accept a limited number of commissions each year, early booking is strongly encouraged.
The portrait chair at the Blackburn Studio in Sandy Hill, Ottawa
“Sarah makes you feel safe and welcome.
My portrait definitely captured a side of me that I usually don’t see. A portrait captures an accumulation of your micro expressions that makes you, You! There are dimensions.”
Elyse D.
Commission Your Portrait
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to honour your story — or someone else’s — this may be it.
A portrait drawing offers something few things can:
a quiet kind of immortality.
We’d been married for 17 years, and I thought my wife was the finest work of art I’d ever seen.
I wanted to do something romantic and to show her that even now we’re getting older, we still got it. I found your website and I thought, “Wow, this is perfect. I can’t believe I found this.”
Craig H.
8” x 10” Cameo Portrait Drawings
Fee: $2000 (+ taxes & shipping as required)
Each cameo portrait is hand-drawn with archival materials on fine art paper.
Framing options are available upon request.
Booking 2026 – Limited Spots
I am currently booking portraits for 2026 and I only take 8-10 portraits per year. If you’re ready to capture the milestones that matter with the depth and nuance that they deserve, I’d love to work with you.
To inquire about a portrait, please fill out the form below.
About Sarah Marie Lacy, SCA
As a kid, I once made a whole series of portraits of the backs of my fellow students’ heads while bored in class. For the past 15 years, I have had the honour of painting and drawing the front of people’s heads as well (much to my relief).
My art has been featured in American Art Collector and Fine Art Connoisseur, and has won multiple awards and grants. I have exhibited in public and private galleries and museums in Canada, the US and Ireland and I am working towards another solo exhibition. I trained at Studio Escalier in France, spending over 2000 hours honing my craft under master artists.
I currently live in Ottawa, Canada with a small legion of benignly neglected houseplants. In my spare time, I knit with an absentminded disregard for instructions, hunt for treasures in thrift shops and meander along the river, daydreaming and gathering inspiration.