UNIQUE

COMMISSIONS

I welcome commissions

Although I specialise in pet portraits of dogs, cats, horses and other animals, if you have a particular landscape that you would like either for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, then I am very happy to give these commissions a go too!

Commissioning a painting couldn’t be easier, requiring just a few simple steps.

Step 1 – Contact me via Facebook messenger, email or phone and let me know your commission requirements. I require a 20 percent deposit on booking your painting, with the balance due on completion once you are 100 percent happy with the result.

Step 2 – We will discuss your requirements and preferences for your painting, deciding on matters such as size and medium. I work predominantly in oils, although I also use acrylics, soft pastels and, occasionally, watercolours. The mediums I use are carefully chosen to ensure your finished painting has the richest of colours and will last a lifetime. I use high quality board, paper or stretched canvas for my paintings, and specialist pastel paper or card for my work in soft pastels.

Sizes

My preferred painting surface is MDF board because of its smooth surface and how well it takes paint.

Paintings on board can be commissioned in the following sizes:

Size in inches Size in millimetres Price
10 x 12 254×304 £150.00
11 x 14 279×356 £175.00
12×16 304×406 £225.00
16×20 406×508 £275.00

 

Paintings on paper can be commissioned in the following sizes:

‘A’ number Size in millimetres Size in inches Price
A2 420×594 16.54×23.39 £350.00
A3 297×420 11.69×16.54 £175.00
A4 210×297 8.27×11.69 £150.00

 

I work on the following canvas sizes:

Size in inches Size in millimetres Price
30×20 762×508 £450.00
24×18 609×457 £375.00
20×16 508×406 £300.00
16×12 406×304 £250.00

 

I am happy to discuss commissions in larger than standard sizes with you. I do not paint on anything smaller than A4 due to the difficulty this presents in achieving the level of detail I desire and you deserve!

Step 3 – The higher the quality of the reference photographs you supply me with, the better the work I will do! I cannot stress enough the importance of having really good quality reference photos.

This is particularly important when it comes to animal portrait commissions.

What makes a great reference photo? Well, they must be sharp and in focus. With animals, it is important that the details of their key features, such as eyes and noses, are clearly visible.

The best photos are taken in natural light – the best time to take the image is on a bright, but overcast day as strong sunlight can cast dark shadows. Please try not to use flash in a bid to avoid the horrid red or glowing eye effect and, if you can, take the photo at the same level as your pet, with the animal facing and looking straight at you, or perhaps with head tilted and looking past the camera.

If you would like to commission a portrait of more than one pet in the same painting, please do not worry if you cannot get photographs of them together. Just get great individual photographs and I will do the rest!

Step 4 – Once I start work on your painting, I will send you regular emails and photographs so you can see progress and I can be sure you are happy with what I am doing. I will also post progress on my Facebook and Instagram pages unless you would prefer me not to – I definitely don’t want to spoil any surprise gifts!

Upon completion, I will send a final photograph to you to ensure you are satisfied with what I have achieved. Once you are happy, I will send you an invoice. Your painting will then be securely packaged up and sent to you.

Step 5 – All works on paper will be supplied mounted with backing board and delivered bubble wrapped, sandwiched in strong cardboard within a large mailing bag. Canvasses and boards will also be bubble wrapped and fitted with cardboard ‘corners’ to protect them during delivery.

Postage prices are dependent on the size of the painting commissioned and will be agreed with you in advance. I charge what the delivery companies charge and am happy to send you the receipt on request.

If you would like me to arrange for your painting to be framed, I am happy to discuss this with you.