PROCEDURES & FEES
How to commission
Commission an original... hand-painted portrait painting
For over twenty years I have provided a service to help people realise a portrait and other bespoke works of art.
Portrait commissions include Male Portraits, Female Portraits, Group Portraits, Child Portraits, Pet Portraits and wild animal portraits, along with many other subjects including Copies & Posthumous Paintings. A portrait is a celebration, life, love, or of achievement and I endeavor to capture the essence of the sitter in every stroke.
Commissions for one-of-a-kind originals are welcome, as are commissions for your own limited edition print. A non-refundable 50% deposit is required on acceptance of commission and the outstanding amount is to be paid on completion. Delivery and framing are extra.. I give my personal guarantee of satisfaction. In over 25 years I have never been asked to give someone their money back!
I use photography and sketches as the source for my portraiture, this significantly reduces the time and inconvenience to the sitter. I take the photographs over one or two sessions of around two hours duration. These usually take place in the informal atmosphere of the sitter's home, office or garden. If this is not possible I will work from good quality photographs provided by the client, these could be sent to me as a digital image by email or snail-mail.
I will take these back to the studio and make a small compositional study or sketch for the clients approval. I sometimes offer a choice of two concepts in sketch form, if more than one possibility suggests itself.
When the portrait feels complete an image is sent to the client for input and approval. At this point any final small adjustments can be made. Upon approval and final balance the painting can be finished and shipped.
No portrait is complete until both client and artist are completely happy. I guarantee my work. Nobody receives a portrait they are not thrilled with.
And that is a promise, period!
CONSIDERATIONS
Some thoughts before you get in touch
-
Is this painting for a particular date? A surprise? I usually take 4-6 weeks to complete a commission, so please bear this in mind. Short deadlines can be accommodate but there will be an additional fee for obvious reasons.
-
What Medium is right for you? Pastel, Charcoal or Pencil?
-
What look are you trying to achieve?
-
Is this portrait to hand with some exisiting artwork?
-
Do you have a budget in mind?
-
How much space do you (or the recipient) have?
FEES
How much should I expect to pay?
How much will it cost? It's impossible to say without getting into specifics. The price and size will be discussed prior to any work being carried out.
Please don't be intimidated if you've never commissioned a work of art before. Email me and I will be happy to call you at a convenient time to chat about your ideas and what you want. My typical prices range from £800 (for a 16" x 12" charcoal portrait) and for pastel commissions expect to pay upwards of £1,500 for head and shoulders to £4000+. Half and three quarter length portraits range from £5,000 to £38,000, with full length costing anything between £8,000 and £65,000.
It all depends on what you want, if you want a detailed background, it will be more, if you want it bigger, it's more, if you want more than one subject, it's more... That said, please remember it will be a unique one-off creation. It's not something you will replace in five years but a family heirloom that will last for all your life and for generations of your descendants. Now, divide the price by those years and you may feel a lot differently about how you pay for your painting.
THE PROCESS
Getting your idea started
Portraits, illustrations and caricatures can be drawn from photographs. Thus recent good quality photographs - That means clear HIGH resolution pictures are very important. I will chat with you about the details; eye colour, hair colour, etc, etc.
Then I will produce a preliminary sketch based on the photos and our discussions. From there we can iron it out between us until you are completely happy with how it's going to turn out.
Then, once that is signed off I get down to business of producing the actual work of art for you.
Timing
How long does it take?
An illustration can take on average from 4 to 6 weeks minimum depending on the complexity of the piece and my current workload. Inveriable I have a waiting list so please order way in advance before you need it. I have been know to turn around a portrait in two weeks for a surpise gift! I love to take my time over artwork to get it just right, so 'rush' jobs will incur an extra charge for obvious reasons.
So what are you waiting for? Contact me today! Be sure to include details of what you are interested in having created, the size, deadline and any other questions you may have. I will then get back to you, pronto!, and get the ball rolling.
 |
 |
