Commissions

Here's a very quick FAQ about commissioning an original. 
If you're looking for a PET PORTRAIT, those are more standardized and are explained if you CLICK HERE.

HOW MUCH DOES AN ORIGINAL COST? 

Every job is so different, it's impossible to explain the intersecting factors. The best thing to do is reach out via email and start a conversation. Quick answer, originals have sold for $50 to $4,000. 

BUT THE SIGN SAYS $20...  That was a gallery or website where prints were available. "Original" means actual drawing/painting. A "Print" is a copy of that drawing. A print can't be commissioned because it would have to be drawn first, which would make it an original. Common misunderstanding.

WHY DO YOU SOMETIMES OFFER A SLIDING SCALE? When I give a min-max price and let you choose an exact number, it's for 2 reasons.
1) I could sometimes do a very simple version or a very complex version, letting you choose.
2) Art has a subjective value. Some people have a very limited budget while others enjoy supporting the arts.
I'm letting you decide instead of trying to fit you both in the same box. Don't feel bad about choosing the minimum! I chose that minimum because it's a perfectly acceptable amount to pay. If you have extra funds and want to encourage hand-made art, pick the max. I capped it there because anything higher would be exploiting your support. Literally anywhere on the scale is the correct price to pay and I appreciate all patronage equally.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DRAW?

If asking because you think it's too expensive... Do you mean "how long" from the start of art school?.. or from my first drawing ever? Do you kiss your primary care doctor with that mouth?

If asking because this is America and we can't imagine a dollar amount relating to anything other than a specific formula involving a unit of time ... Price = (Σ Eᵢ) / D
E = Each monthly life expense (food, supplies, mortgage, booth fees etc.) 
Σ E = the sum of all those expenses
D = the number of drawings completable in a month

If asking because you're genuinely curious about the process on an artistic/technical level... Because of the fast movements necessary for this style, some of the best results happened very quickly. The simplicity is actually harder to accomplish than heavy detail. So the quicker the process, the better the final product (a generalization). Having said that, it usually takes several attempts at the same drawing before the final one is started. So a finished piece (with elegant simplicity) may have taken only 2 hours to complete, but took 3 days of wasted paper in order to get there. Some pieces have taken up to a month. Some were nailed on the first try. 

HOW PET PORTRAITS WORK

Read just the BOLD if you're skimming. The rest is for ordering.

STEP 1) Hit me via ScribblesOfDave@Gmail.com.

Please use email, not socials. Social media and texting is too hard to organize and return to. Also, please keep all correspondence within that same email thread by using the REPLY button, not by sending a new email.

Send a few pics.
3-5 is usually good. Less than 20. You can specify which one(s) you like most as a primary portrait in terms of angle/expression. This is the time to say things like "That collar is important" or "ignore the growth on her eye, it was temporary" etc. Additional pics can be sent for reference. We'll reach a point of clarification in the email thread. Heads up, gmail reorders the photos. So don't say things like "the first photo". Instead say, "the photo with the lamp in the background" etc.

Mention if you have a deadline, like a birthday or Holiday. Otherwise, the project is just scheduled in the order they are received/paid.

NOTES ABOUT SENDING PICS: 

  • Colors are often misleading in pictures. Sending multiple pics in different lighting is helpful for brown, grey, blonde, brindle fur. These are marker drawings. Colors will be representative but not exact. 

  • Eyes are often lost in shadows. If your primary pic doesn't show the eye color, you might consider including a pic that shows at least one well lit eye, even if the rest of the pic is pointless.

  • Positions and angles are important. If the pet is on the floor looking up or squirming under a blanket, it will likely not look right in this style. The pet being relatively eye level with the camera will prevent features from being distorted by gravity.

  • Perspective! If the dog is sniffing the camera lens and you only send that one picture, your portrait will be of a dog with a giant nose and tiny ears. That works great sometimes, but be aware. 

  • If the dog has a toy in it's mouth, I can't see what the mouth looks like. If the dog is in mid flight, I can't see how the ears hang. 

  • Sending from a phone? Your phone will likely compress the photo to a lower resolution, causing me to lose crucial detail, especially in the eyes. Please google how to send lossless (or high rez) photos from whichever ap and brand of phone you're using.

  • Don't worry about the photo background. It won't be included. Don't spend too much time seeking photos that don't have a car bumper or messy living room behind the pet. Please look at my samples. It will be mostly a head floating on a white background. In rare instances where I do include a background, it doesn't need to be the same one from the face photo.

This is also a good time to mention Mention where you found me. By telling me, you might be helping to support a charity or small business, get a discount, or both!


2) I'll respond with a quote 

If you want to proceed, payment is taken up front. In that email will be payment / postage instructions.

DISCLAIMER: You are commissioning original artwork from an artist with a very specific abstracted style and then trusting that process. Please look at the samples of past portraits.

  • They will likely not have a background or a full body.

  • The colors will be close (at least to what was in the pictures) but not exact.

  • The pet will be made out of flowing strokes with a lot of white space in between to depict light reflection. Usually, if you look at the samples of my previous work, it will recalibrate your eye to the style. The white space is part of the simple elegance of the method. Filling in too much realistic detail often takes away from overall feel.

  •  While 99% of customers are thrilled with the work, once per decade or so someone is surprised that they do not resemble victorian oil paintings with classical landscapes, nor is it one of those apps that make it a Disney character. If you are looking for a different representation, I can refer you to other artists who do a great job of that. A.I. also can help. My process does not deviate from my particular style unless explicitly contracted that way. I am not able to return money for portraits that I have already created. Please see samples of my style and make sure you are not ordering lasagna at a sushi bar. 

Don't let this disclaimer discourage you. If I do not feel confident that I can do the photos a justice, I will request more photos or decline. The very few customers who were ever surprised by the style were folks who didn't see my work before ordering.


3) Send payment and your address.

This puts you in the production line.


4) I'll send you a snap shot

of the finished product. This is to be sure nothing important was forgotten, like an agreed upon detail, or a mix up with the wrong pet. Unfortunately, new ideas are often not able to be added without starting over. Detail requests are best done in step 1 or 2. Once you reply with a "yup, that's my pet", I'll prepare it for shipping. 

OPTIONAL $20  SCAN: Would you like a high rez scan of the art? You'll receive a jpeg in your email in addition to the original that is being shipped. These scans are great for people who might want to get the portrait printed on a mug or a blanket (or literally anything). There are many online services who do this with your jpeg. It's also great if additional people might enjoy owning a copy, which can be ordered from me (or any printer) in the future as well.

5) I'll ship it USPS in a tube and will tell you the size so you can shop for a frame while it's in transit. I can also send you links to frames that I know will fit. The package will be insured but will not require a signature unless you request it. PROS AND CONS: Insurance does not cover it after they deliver. If you may have porch pirates or complicated apartment complex, you may want to require signature. However, if you're not there to sign, you may have to pick it up at the post office or wait for future delivery attempts.

OPTIONAL: You can feel free to use the snapshot or scan to post on your social media with a tag to my FB or INSTA. (You don't have to, but it's how I advertise. So you would win massive karma points which can be traded in for dog biscuits.)

PET FAQ

TURN AROUND TIME: I can do them in a day, but there are usually a week or a month of orders already in the cue (from Oct-xmas). Your portrait will be put in line as soon as photos and payment are received.

PRICE: $200-$350 (average). Price is determined by several factors such as time frame and the photos I'll be working with. I can give an exact quote after seeing the submitted photos. Price includes 3-5 day USPS unless you need it faster or are outside the US.

(note: Prices change over time based on my availability among other things)

SIZE: Usually 9x12" paper (image fits inside 8x10 mat opening). Sometimes 11x14. I make that decision based on the pet. My markers are always the same width and so depending on the animal's fur or patterns, I might want to scale in or out to capture it.

MULTI PETS: Price is per pet. It is not easier to put multiple pets in the same drawing. It actually takes longer and so unfortunately there is no discount for that. But, as with anything, I can give deals for multiple orders. So yes, there is a discount but it's because you're making multiple orders, not because I'm saving paper. Same discount if you were ordering two separate drawings on different papers.

SNAKES? HEDGEHOGS? HORSES? BIRDS?: Yes to anything. I would love to. Feel free to send me your house or Harley or whatever.

MUGS, TSHIRTS, PRINTS, PILLOWS, PHONE CASES, TOWELS: Absolutely. After the art is done, ask me about having it printed on stuff.