Art Commission Request Questions, Details, etc.

Hello There! 

This awesome blog post is for all who wish to have a special artwork personally made by yours truly!

This is an in-depth blog post about what to expect when interested in requesting an art commission piece from me, Miranda Torres, as a professional artist.

It is very exciting to imagine receiving a personalized artwork from an artist that you like. It is also just as exciting for an artist to be asked to be a part of such a special opportunity! 

Because it is such a special and rewarding experience for both the client and the artist; there are a lot of detailing and arranging to be had in order to have the perfect exchange when it comes to an artwork commission. 

An art commission is a professional relationship and a business partnership between the artist and the client (no matter if it is family, friends, etc). 

There are many questions, details, and specifics to be had between the client and the artist in order to ensure a seamless and effective commission request. This is also done in order to protect the artist's time and efforts, and the client's needs and demands, as well. 

         

Therefor, here are the things a client should consider thoroughly when approaching an artist with a personal commission request. More specifically, me as the artist you want to approach, for your specific request. 

Important Details To Consider For Your Commission Request:

*Types Of Surfaces (canvas, paper, hot press/cold press paper, watercolor paper, etc)

• Different types of surfaces can vary in prices, and outcomes in the finished piece. So it is important to consider which surface will be best for the requests over all finished appearance, and the total price it will be. 
• These decisions also go hand in hand with the next detail which is the medium.

*Art Mediums (oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolors, graphite pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, etc).

• Certain mediums will be more advanced to work with, which means they will be a higher price, and each medium will give the finished piece a unique look. So think about what would fit best with the idea intended for the request. 
• Whether the request is realistic, or abstracted needs to be considered when deciding on a medium. (oils and acrylics will be higher in difficulty and price, versus graphite or pen and ink).

*Sizes and Dimensions (How big the canvas, paper, etc. will be).

• Obviously, the bigger the size of the canvas or paper the pricier it will be as that means there is more surface to work on. 
• Canvases come in many sizes, but are specific. Papers can be cut to virtually any size, there just might not be an exact frame to go with it, and that is where matte boards and such can come in (that would, of course, also apply to the end price, as well). 

* Genre and Style (abstract, realistic, portrait, still life, etc).

• The specific genre or style of the commission request will determine the time and price it will take to accomplish the piece. 
• Details will vary depending on the details of the request and the genre that is desired. (realistic will, of course, be one of the biggest challenges especially with people and animals).

*Quantity of Objects and Subjects (Number of people and/or animals, etc.)

• The final price to the commission request will depend on the number of people and or animals if it is requested, and if the genre or style is realistic/abstract/etc.

*Hues and Color Schemes (types of palettes).

• Everyone has their own eye for color, and hue schemes. Some of my commissions have been blue based palettes, or gray hues, etc. 
• It's definitely obvious that, as an artist, I love pink hues, and bright color schemes-but I love all color combinations-so I am happy to accommodate a certain palette for a commission piece request!
• Decide on a palette that works for the piece and what makes you happy with the piece as a whole.

*Time and Duration (hours worked on the commission piece).

• When I do commission pieces, I time myself throughout the process each time I am actively working on the piece.
• I will take that amount of hours worked into the final price for the piece when it is completed. (No time will be added outside of my active work on the piece).

*Shipping, and Mailing (sending the commission if it is out of state or even out of country, obviously).

• I will be happy to send the finished commission off to another state or even country, and I will add that amount spent to ship it to the final price, as well. 
• I will touch base with Postnet before hand so I have that price set in, and I will always do standardized shipping with really protective packaging so there is no room for damages of any kind).

*Payment (how I handle payment for the final commission piece).

• I will give a relatively rough estimated price for the commission request with all of these details considered by the client before I begin the process.
• The price starts as a rough estimate until I complete the piece as I will have to time myself throughout the process to clock my hours worked properly. 
• I will let the client know the final set-in price when I complete the piece BEFORE I send it off or present it to the client. 
• There are no refunds or discounts of any kind. This keeps things at ease and simple for both the client and I as I will have already made the expenses ahead of time clear. 
• I will accept cash, checks, and Venmo exchanges!

*I am a very flexible lady with a lot when it comes to specialized commission requests, and art related things in general. But payment wise, I have to be insistent with my guidelines. 

*Of course, there may be other details that will apply to each individual, and unique commission request that was not mentioned or may be modified for specific situations. 

I am happy to discuss those further details through email, phone, and meet-ups! (I live in Grapevine, Texas). Check the side bar on the right of this blog to email me! Also, my contact information is located at the top of this blog post! 

Hit a girl up for some wicked personalized art! 

Thanks all! I hope this was helpful and I hope to hear from lots soon about some awesome requests!