Commissioning a portrait

When you commission a bespoke portrait, you can be sure you will always get:
~ The finest-quality materials used. My portraits are created using high quality, lightfast materials. Lightfast is a longevity rating in art supplies. The higher the score the longer the colour, pigment or material will last. All of my materials including the paper, canvases and boards I use are all archival and made to last ensuring you are getting the very best quality.
~ Friendly, professional service
~ Superb communication including regular progress updates
~ Reliable, tracked delivery – worldwide
~ Free advice and ideas
What I need from you:
When I’m creating something original just for you, it’s important that I start with as much input as possible, so that you get exactly what you’re looking for. The best portraits are those that capture something about a person or pet’s character or a special moment.
When sketching portraits, I tend to work from a favourite photo but, to ensure I get the best likeness, it can help to have supplementary photos or even video – it can be hard to capture the personality of someone you haven’t met and, although you know the person intimately, I will base my work solely on the images supplied. See my guide to choosing a great photo. The better the photo, the more detail I can see, the better the finished result.
Delivery
UK Orders: Packing and delivery usually costs £10 – as standard, your portrait is mounted and wrapped for presentation and sent via recorded 24hr delivery. This may vary depending on the item’s size, where it’s going, and how it needs to be packed, but I’ll always give you an up-front quote so there are no nasty surprises. If you’re reasonably local to Huddersfield/Wakefield, you’re welcome to pop in and collect it at no charge – it would be lovely to meet you!
International Orders: I’m happy to post portraits overseas. As a guide, it costs around £20 to Europe and £25 to USA and Australia but I will always confirm delivery charges before accepting a commission. Again, your portrait is mounted and wrapped for presentation and sent via a tracked, insured service.
Pencil portraits are supplied unframed unless agreed otherwise – read more about mounting and framing here.
Payment
For commissions, I charge 50% on acceptance, with the balance payable on completion prior to dispatch – I will send you a photo of the drawing to ensure you are totally happy with what I have created before accepting final payment.
Payment is via bank transfer or PayPal,
I want you to be absolutely delighted with your purchase so, if you are not completely satisfied for any reason whatsoever, just get in touch and we’ll attempt to resolve it. However, I’ll be in regular contact during your commission and will send you photos so that we can make corrections as we go on. I won’t dispatch your portrait until you’re 100% happy with it.