Site lets anyone commission their own portrait for under $500

Fabulous Noble is enabling anyone to upload a photo of themselves and have it turned into an affordable, personalized portrait by an expert artist.

Artworks can add a unique touch to any space, but the nature of one-off pieces can often make them prohibitively expensive to own. We've already written about ARTtwo50, the platform that sold works by independent artists for the fixed price of USD 250. Now UK-based Fabulous Noble is enabling anyone to upload a photo of themselves and have it turned into an affordable, personalized portrait by an expert artist.

The process is fairly simple. Customers can first browse the artists on the site to find one they like the style of. At present, visitors can choose from a range including traditional and digital styles, from expressionist and realist to 'pop electro' and 'digital vogue'. They can then upload the picture of themselves they'd like turned into an artwork. After commissioning the piece, the artists will send customers a draft, which they can review and give feedback. The artist keeps the customer updated throughout the entire process to ensure the piece is perfect. Within a few weeks, they'll have their own handcrafted portrait ready to hang in their home.

Pieces start from around GBP 300, although some artists charge up to GBP 1,500. Are there other ways that regular people could commission artworks for their home without breaking the bank?