The Commission Process
I’m just going to jump straight in and tell you about a commission piece I am doing at the moment for a lovely couple in Melbourne as I have had some feedback that the “commission process” is somewhat of a mystery to most people. I am not sure how other artists work with commissions but here’s what I do…
I will either receive a phone call or an email from someone who has seen my work. Then the following occurs:
1. We discuss the needs and wants of the clients. What sized painting would they like? Do they have a style and colour scheme in mind? May I see a picture of the space where they plan on hanging the picture? What do they want from the painting? What kind of energy / feelings are they after? Do any of my other works possess some of the things they are looking for? (Price is usually discussed now and is based primarily on size of canvas requested)
2. We choose the subject, often it will be a person or people within the family, in this case the husband is having this painting created of his wife and son for her Birthday in May. In short, it’s very important that I get it right!
3. I receive a number of photos of the client’s wife and child and start on some sketches and ideas. Once I am happy that we are on our way, I send these sketches to the client for feedback and ideas. This part often takes a few days as it can take a while to get a true understanding of the client’s wishes. Once happy with the sketch, it’s time to begin the painting.
This is the sketch (Sketch 4) that the client liked the most and so this is what I am working with. Next I will get to work on the actual painting.
