A commission enquiry is a NON-BINDING form that is used by me to gather information about a subject or group of subjects that you would like to commission me to create. A commission is only officially declared once the commission contract has been signed by both parties. I use this form mainly to ensure that the reference photos you submit are consistent with the standard that I am able to work with. This form should generally only be completed by clients who have referred to the prices listed under the Commission Info page of my website and are fully interested in obtaining a custom portrait. For the others who are not entirely sure whether they want to pursue a commission, that’s ok! If you have any questions, feel free to reach me via my email as found on the Contact Me page, and I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can.

The commission contract is the short form that I use to ensure that all of the terms of my commission are understood and agreed upon by both parties – me, the artist, and you, the commissioner. This contract lays out of the details of the commission agreement including but not limited to the final price, medium used, expected time of completion, and rights that I reserve for the piece after it has been sent to you.

Custom artwork is a meticulous craft, requiring many hours of highly-detailed work to create the work that you have come to associate with my art. Additionally, many of the art supplies that I use are high-quality, expensive tools. In order to continue being able to provide the best quality work that I can, I have priced my artwork to reflect the amount of time, effort, and resources that have gone into producing it.

As long as you live in the United States, no! The price that you pay for your commission covers the price of shipping the artwork to you. That being said, if you do happen to live outside of the U.S., I will need to charge a slight increase to the commission to cover the cost of the higher shipping rates.

The amount of a time that a commission takes me varies greatly due to a variety of factors, including difficulty of the subject to draw, the medium that I chose to use for that piece, and size of the piece. That being said, a typical 9×12″, single pet portrait with colored pencils can take me anywhere from 20 to 40 hours to produce.

I use two main mediums to create my art: colored pencils and pastel pencils. My favorite colored pencils to use are the Faber Castell Polychromos set along with the Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils. For pastel pencils, I use the Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils and Stabilo Carbothello Pencils.

The type of paper that I use varies depending on the size of the commission, but I generally work between the Pastelmat Clairefontaine Paper and Bristol Vellum Paper, both providing a varying range of tones.

While it may seem that I exclusively draw cats and dogs, I can draw any pet! Cats and dogs just happen to be the most common pets to have in the household. I do always love a challenge, though, so do be sure to commission me for any pet you may have. If you’re ever still unsure, you can always reach me by my contact info found on the Contact Me page, or you can fill out the Commission Enquiry form and I can answer any questions you may have!

Because the amount of time that a piece takes me to create varies so greatly, the time you should expect to wait for your commission will also greatly depend on a variety of factors. In general, you should expect around a 2-4 month wait from the time that you have signed the commission contract to the time the artwork is completed. This wait can be attributed to the amount of time that it takes me to create a portrait, as well as how many other commissions I may be working on before starting on yours.

I will communicate to you when I have started your commission, as well as keep you updated throughout the entire process. When the artwork is complete, I will send you a notification of completion and a high-resolution photo of the completed work. You can always check my Instagram accounts to see progress pictures and videos of your commission as well!

I can absolutely draw your pet, even if they have very light or very dark fur. In fact, some of my most favorite portraits to draw are of pets with these fur types because they hold so many tones beyond that which is seen at face value. That being said, as with every subject, a quality reference photo – most importantly taken with good lighting – is key here to allow me to see those hidden tones and reflect them in the portrait.

The difference between pastel and colored pencil artwork is subtle, but there is a difference. Artworks that have been completed in pastel pencils have a slightly softer, almost painterly appearance (see my white retriever work as a reference). On the other hand, artworks that are created in colored pencils allow smaller details to appear sharper and more defined (see my springer spaniel portrait as a reference). For that reason, commissions for pets with shorter hair often benefit from colored pencils whereas pets with long and fluffy hair may benefit from pastels. Because of the techniques employed to create a pastel artwork, pastel portraits also tend to take slightly less time to create, which is why they are slightly less expensive than colored pencil portraits.

Regardless of whichever medium you choose, you will receive a beautiful portrait of your pet to enjoy for years to come!