Portrait Commission Process

I do what I can to ensure that you are completely happy with your portrait and so I have a set process I follow which includes regular updates being sent to you via email. Before booking your commission, please have a read of my process below and if you have any questions at all, please send me an email to sophie@lovelylittleartist.com

Find more examples of my portraits and baubles here.

Photos

First things first, the photos! I work from photos and so it's important to share the best photos you can. The best photos are clear and in focus with sharp detail. The higher the quality of the photo, the more detail I can see, and the more detail I can include in the portrait. It's also great if you can share photos and videos that showcase their personality, so I can really get a feel for them and bring it through in the portrait. If you are unsure of which photo would work best, you can send multiple. I can combine photos together for reference to get that perfect position, so the more photos you have, the better. I can guide you as to which photos will work and which won't, so please contact me if you have any concerns at all. I understand that photos may be limited if your companion has already passed on, so again, please contact me if you'd like to check and I will let you know the best option and what I can realistically create for you.

Process

Before any work can begin, I do ask for a 30% deposit to be paid upon confirmation of the commission. This is to secure the commission and cover materials cost. The remaining balance is paid upon completion and approval of the portrait. Payments can be made via Wise transfer or PayPal. Please contact me before agreement of the commission if you have any payment concerns.

Once the deposit has been paid, I will draw up the initial outline sketch. I will send this to you via email to approve before I begin working with the charcoal/pastels. Changes can be made only until a certain point, so I send regular updates to ensure that if you have changes there is still time for me to make them. This initial sketch stage is important to ensure that you are happy with the overall composition, as well as proportions.

On approval of the initial sketch, I will then begin drawing with the charcoal/pastels. I will send regular updates throughout the drawing stage to ensure you are happy. Changes will be made free of charge unless changes require me to redraw the portrait. This will incur an additional fee dependent on the number of additional hours required. This is why it is so important to ensure you are happy with the initial sketch, to help avoid any major changes later on.

Once the portrait is complete I will send you a photo of the portrait for review. When you have given the final approval, I will send you an invoice for the final balance to be paid and package your portrait. Upon receipt of the final payment, I will ship your portrait. If you have a specific postage type (e.g. express/priority) please let me know so I can ensure it ships accordingly. I am currently in New Zealand so all commission pieces are shipped from here. I recommend a tracked postage service to help ensure the safe arrival of your portrait.

All portraits come unframed, however if you would like for me to arrange framing for you please let me know and I will organise this for an additional fee. Note this will also affect the postage cost due to larger package size, heavier weight, and more packaging materials required to keep the frame safe from breakage in transit.

Payment

As stated above, payments can be made via Wise bank transfer or PayPal. Please contact me before agreement of the commission if you have any payment concerns. A deposit amount of 30% is required up front, and the remaining 70% and postage is to be paid upon final approval of the portrait, before it will then be shipped. I send you the tracking information as soon as I have dropped it at the post office.

Packaging

All portraits are wrapped carefully in card and waterproof packaging to ensure they remain flat and safe during transit. Note that all portraits come mounted with mat board ready to frame. Framing available at request and will be packaged with bubble wrap for extra protection during transit. Baubles are wrapped in bubble wrap and placed snuggly inside a card box and secured so they don't roll around inside.

Turnaround Time

I work on a 3-4 week turnaround time depending on the complexity of the portrait and how many commissions I have scheduled at any one time. This may sound like a long time, but portraits take many hours to complete and this includes time taken for you to review each stage and share your feedback, for me to complete any necessary changes etc. If you require a portrait for a special occasion and therefore need it for a specific date, please contact me before committing in order to check whether I have the schedule space available to accomodate your deadline. I do what I can to meet these deadlines.