The great thing about having the ability to draw and paint portraits is sharing them. Over the years I’ve shared this ability with my circle of family and friends for as long as I can remember. Not only by painting (or drawing) important people in their lives, but also pets, places, and even significant moments. This has been one of the great joys of my life. Now, I’d like to widen my circle, and share this ability with you. Investing in a commissioned painting or drawing is a great way to honor someone, celebrate a beloved pet, or to preserve a significant place or moment in time in a beautiful piece of artwork to be enjoyed for generations. And artwork makes for a meaningful gift at any occasion.
Before deciding if you’d like to order a commission from me, please view my collection of completed commissions, or “works on paper” if you’re thinking about ordering a commission in charcoal. To decide if you like my style. Also, click on an individual commissioned work, then click "More Info" below it to see the reference photo the piece was painted from. Or follow this link, to start at the beginning of commissioned works, then click "next" to see them all.
Your Input
I want to collaborate with you! I am so inspired by the stories and various reasons why people order commissions. Learning your story of why, is where the creative process begins for me. You’ll decide if you want the subject done in oil paint or charcoal (These are the two mediums I work in), the main color (If any), and the size of the piece. Then from there I’ll ask you to let me do my thing. I want to create a masterpiece for you, and the more freedom you give me, the better I’ll be able to do this.
The Process:
- Collaborate and get inspired
- Determine medium, size, colors
- Deposit & time of completion
- Notification that work has begun
- Your Final approval
- Estimated packing/shipping costs
- Artwork packaged and shipped
Collaborate
You share your photo(s), and ideas with me about the subject. Or if you only have an idea, I can take the necessary reference photos for you if needed. A better quality photograph can lead to a better quality painting (but not always). Don’t think that just because you don’t have a “great” photo that an amazing painting can’t be created from it. See what makes a great reference photograph here.
Medium, Size, Color
Here we’ll talk about the considerations of these 3 elements for the final piece. Two of these are directly related to price; medium and size. Its simple math, oil painting takes longer, and the materials are more expensive than doing a piece in charcoal. There are multiple factors that determine the cost of a commission; size to start, then how many people/faces are in the piece, and how much complexity is in the background and so on. See pricing sheet here. The main color of a painting can sometimes be dictated by the subject in the photograph you want me to use, but this can usually be adjusted to a different color if preferred.
Deposit
After receiving 50% of the agreed upon price, I will put you on my painting schedule and give you an estimated day of completion based my current painting calendar.
Work Begins
I will let you know via e-mail when I’ve begun work on your special piece.
Your Final Approval
After I’ve completed the painting I will e-mail you a high quality photograph of the painting or drawing for your final approval. This is the best time to address any issues with the final piece because it hasn’t been shipped yet.
Estimated Packing/Shipping
I will use on-line shipping calculators and give you the estimated costs of packaging and shipping your artwork (I also have a UPS Store in my neighborhood).
Final Balance
This is when I’ll ask to receive the final balance due for the commission, plus packing and shipping expenses. Once I’ve received the final balance, I will have your artwork appropriately packaged and shipped to you through UPS or USPS.
Thank you for your consideration!
