A commission is the hiring and payment for the creation of an art piece, often on behalf of another.
I would recommend pulling out the handy measuring tape and evaluating what size canvas would look best in your space. Sometimes clients will already have a frame they are in love with and that will dictate the size of the canvas for our collaboration. Here are a few great resources for inspiration:
I typically do not like to negotiate on price. However, I can negotiate on other variables such as time, level of detail, quality, service and so on. The best clients are those that are upfront with their budget and what they expect from our collaboration.
Once I have agreed to take on a project, or a client has purchased one of the special design packages I’m offering on my website, then there will be consultation via email or phone regarding their design inspiration. If the client would like to commission a portrait in a specific style, they will send me digital pictures of the subject via email and some color/composition ideas they may have. After this consultation, I will make a digital composition and send them a picture via email to give the client an idea of what the piece will look like. If the client is happy and ready to move forward I will paint the piece and give them final approval upon completion. When the client is 100% happy with the final piece, they will pay the final installment payment and I will ship out their piece to them.
Final payment is due after the client has viewed the emailed pictures of the piece and they have given me their final approval. I will send them a link via email for final payment.
All deposits on commissions are for materials, planning, and security.
Once final payment has been received, I will ship out the piece via UPS.
I believe in the “Fast, Good or Cheap. Pick two.” concept:
Good + Fast = Expensive
Good + Cheap = Slow
Fast + Cheap = Inferior
In general, I have never had a commission take longer than a few weeks for me to create however the initial consultation process, payment collection, and UPS issues usually are the only reason for a hold up in delivery.
All commissions can be whatever subject matter the client chooses within reason. As far as style (Impressionist, Realist, Pop-Art, etc.) I can create the piece in whatever style the client would like, but there will be price and time considerations for oil paintings and pieces with a lot of detail work. This will all be established in the initial consultation with the client.