Commission Art

THE PROCESS OF COMMISSIONING AN ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING

STEP 1: The first step in starting a painting commission is deciding what you would like painted,  the subject should be something that moves you emotionally. A place or an event you have good memories from. 

STEP 2: Choose how big a painting you would like. If you know where you would like the painting to hang, this is usually an easy step.  You can know the price easily once you know the size you would like, because my work is priced by the square inch. Average is $7.50 per square inch, but it can go up or down depending on the difficulty of the subject and the size of your painting , i.e. extra large or really small. There are standard sizes that are easier to frame if the frame availability or costs are a consideration.

STEP 3: After the size has been determined, I begin work on collecting images from an area or creating a composition from many different photos to represent a specific memory or location.  A pencil sketch or photo collage usually is sufficient to have the plan set. Sometimes a Photoshop sketch will replace this step. I am still more comfortable drawing than computing!

STEP 4: If you are satisfied with the sketch then it is time to put some money down on the commission to secure a place on my calendar for the work to be done and allows me to order the supplies. The length of time it will take depends on the work load on my agenda, as well as the complexity of your painting.  If time is a critical issue, a down payment can be made as a first step to hold your place in the work order. At the end if you don’t like the results you don’t have to buy it, and I refund the down payment minus the supplies I have used. (I’ve never had anyone not like their painting, but I know there is always that chance.)

STEP 5: The FUN part! Monitor the progress and make suggestions or comments.  Email is an easy way to see how the painting is going.  

STEP 6: Decide about framing. I have many styles available and can arrange for custom framing if that is something you would like help with. The sky’s the limit when it comes to framing options. 

STEP 7: Delivery, in person of course, just kidding (but it would be fun to return to visit the eventual home of the work). To ship,  it is possible to ship the canvas rolled up and have someone there stretch the canvas onto the stretcher frames, especially if we could ship the stretch frames or support with it. If not, we would build a wooden crate to ship.

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