When he was working as a cleaner to make ends meet, aspiring artist Alastair Barford wondered whether he would ever make a living as a painter.
His future is looking rather brighter now, after he landed his first ever commission: a portrait of the Queen.
Mr Barford, 28, was hired by the Illustrated London News (ILN) to paint Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her becoming our longest-reigning monarch, a landmark she will reach on September 9.
Mr Barford, from Bridport in Dorset, said: “The whole thing was quite a shock really. I had an email one Monday asking me if I would paint the Queen, and the next week I was at the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle.
“I was there for two hours, watching her from a distance, but I could only see her for about 10 minutes of that time. I made some sketches, got what I could, and had someone taking photographs, but it wasn’t a fantastic way of doing it.”
“It was daunting, because painting her comes with a lot of expectations as she means so much to so many people, yet I didn’t have a chance to get to know her, which I usually do with my subjects.