Commissioned paintings

I offer custom portrait and figure paintings of animals and people along with still life paintings of objects special to you. I’ll work at any size ranging from 8x8 to 24x24 inches.

Pricing

The price of a commission depends on the size of the piece and the subject matter. Below are some common sizes and example prices. I’ll calculate the final price once we know more details.

Process

1. Book your commission
I have availability for about one commission a month. Find my 2024 availability and book your commission here. You’ll pay a $100 deposit to reserve your month (refundable until our composition meeting). The month you reserve is the month the painting will be completed. In addition to booking your commission, you’ll need to fill out an intake form.

2. Composition meeting
Before your scheduled month, we’ll have a 30-minute zoom meeting to discuss what you want. We’ll look through reference photos, subject matter, and some of my previous paintings. The goal is to decide on the photos or objects I’ll paint from, the colors that are important to you, ideal sizes, and your budget.

3. Composition exploration
I’ll sketch out 1-3 thumbnail ideas for your painting along with size options and pricing. You’ll send me your feedback and we’ll explore until you feel good about the direction. After we land on a direction, I’ll send you an invoice for 50% of the painting cost (minus the $100 deposit). It will be due two weeks before I get started.

4. Completing the commission
It could take anywhere from a day to a few weeks to finish your painting. Make sure you’re available to answer questions or give input as I’m painting. At 95% completion, I’ll send you a photo and will do one round of minor edits. If major edits are needed, there will be additional charges. When the painting is complete, you’ll pay the final balance plus shipping.

5. Drying, varnishing, and shipping
I’ll wait 4 to 7 weeks for the painting to fully dry and cure. After this, I’ll apply a coat of Gamvar Varnish to seal and protect it. I’ll carefully package and ship it via USPS with insurance and tracking.

Choosing a reference

I prefer to paint from life, which means the subject matter is physically in front of me while painting (i.e., not a photo). For still life paintings, this should be feasible in most cases. I can set up a composition with my own objects or you can send me special objects to paint. For pets and people, this is likely not feasible, so I’ll paint from a high quality, well-composed photo.

Not all photos make great paintings (even beautiful photos) and it’s essential that we spend some time together choosing the right photo. Be prepared to have many photo options of your subject (atleast 5, but more is better!). I’ll use the options you give me to explore compositions for the painting. A few qualities that I look for in a photo are:

• a strong directional light source: the subject matter should have clear shadows and lit areas.

• sufficient detail and color: the photo should be at the proper exposure, have crisp detail (some blur is okay), sufficient resolution, and be the color you want the painting to be.

• composition potential: key subject matter should be at a pleasing angle and seen in its entirety (not cropped or blocked by other elements).

Posting on social media

I post just about all of my paintings on social media, and sometimes I post progress as I go as well. If there’s any reason for me to delay posting your commission (for example, it’s a gift), let me know before I get started.