A commission is a request to create a custom piece of art, such as a portrait, fan art of a favorite genre, or anything specific that requires the services of a professional artist. Although I can draw nearly anything, I won’t necessarily do anything. It depends on the request!
I will entertain requests outside of my preferences. Just ask!
Through years and experience, I have learned that it takes time to do good work – and that time has value. I will spend anywhere from 10 hours to 50 hours on illustrated pieces. It depends on the size, style and complexity of the project subject. Given how full my schedule is – I treat my time as a premium – and my commissions begin at $300. Final estimates will vary based on the details – and the hours I anticipate expending to arrive at a finished piece.
[ Examples of my work and not for sale ]
Digital Art allows for much more flexible creativity. I am able to scale and experiment more freely with layout, color and affects without having to start/re-start. I paint in super-high resolution, meaning you can print pieces as huge billboard sized graphics, or reduce to a business card. In the end, I will produce a high resolution file that can be sent to a printer. It can be printed on canvas to mimic the aesthetic of traditional art, or on any preferred paper finish (high gloss, quality matte, etc). It also means that you have the ability to make more than one print – perhaps to share a portrait with other family members, etc.
When the final artwork is completed, I will provide you with a high resolution print file (usually JPG format) that can be provided to your printer.
Printing is ultimately up to you to arrange.
You choose your own printer, but be aware this does add to the expense. For a low price, I have personally printed many high quality matte finish posters using local or online printers (Vista Print), and I’ve been extremely happy with the result.
Shop Local in your area:
There are also many local print shops that provide reasonable print rates, on a variety of paper/canvas finishes – you just need to inquire in your area for a printer you trust and whose rates are reasonable.
As a professional designer who currently runs his own business, my time is valuable. After over 20 years in my industry, I have long passed the days when I had to discount my talents to find work. If you appreciate my work, then you’ll pay for it. If not – there’s other people who are talented artists also. I hope the reward will be mutual in the business relationship that extends beyond money – but also to friendship.
Yes! It’s important that I see what you want me to create! In instances of a portrait, more than one photo reference is valuable – it will help me to gain a fuller picture of the subject. If I am creating something with more artistic interpretation (eg. a movie or comic character), showing me examples of styles you like will also help direct me. Keep in mind, the more complex the style, the more time it will take me.
If you are framing the artwork, please let me know what size of print will fit your frame. Otherwise, the size is up to you. As I will be creating the artwork in a high resolution digital format, I can do some re-sizing / cropping of the artwork after the project is complete. But increasing the size will result in loss of print-quality – so it is best to know what size you need before I begin.