A portraitist is an artist who specializes in creating portraits of individuals or groups of people. However, there are several other synonyms for the word portraitist that you may not be familiar with. These include portrait painter, portrait draughtsman, portraitist photographer, portrait sculptor, portrayer, and portrait artist. These synonyms all refer to individuals skilled in capturing the likeness and essence of their subjects through different mediums including paint, pencils, cameras, and clay. Regardless of the medium, the goal of a portraitist is to preserve a lasting image of their subject that captures their character, personality, and spirit for generations to come.