How to commission an artist to paint for you

Commissioning art is a brave move on the part of the customer and the artist, but if done with sensitivity can result in something very special

I once read somewhere that commissioning art becomes a kind of collaboration between the buyer and the maker. So when I began taking on commissions a few years ago I suggested that this is what it is in my website blurb and encouraged customers to come at me with their ideas. Looking back on my initial approach it is now clear to me that this was incredibly naive and several years on I have changed my approach and given people a different slant on working with me.

The reasons for this are quite multifaceted and arrived from some feelings that when someone does me the honour of suggesting that I paint something for them that I become the vehicle for a painting in their mind. I fell foul of the classic line - “please can you paint something to match my decor, sofa, curtains…” saying yes because I was keen to do the work and get the commission.

Some paintings emerged that customers loved and I was happy to paint them but and this is quite a big but.. as a colourist and an intuitive painter the immediate outcome or colour palette did on occasions determine a straight jacket for working that stifled creativity and resulted in a painting that felt somehow forced, contrived and inauthentic.

Something about some of the paintings I made didn’t feel right - they didn’t feel like my work even though I had painted them and they contained distinguishing features that I love to include in my work.

This article is about how I have evolved my commissioning process to arrive at a way of doing things to help artists and customers who may be doing this for the first time.

I’m currently working on a commission for customers who understand me, they get what I do and through working with them I have discovered a commission blueprint that works. Of course like everything this is an ongoing process where experience teaches you so much through doing.

The painting I am currently making is the  second commission the current customers have asked me to make. Here it is as a work in progress

I have become braver and more transparent with customers about my process and what works and what doesn’t work. I have learned to ask people to trust me and to give me the freedom to make them something beautiful. I have also learned to say no if I feel that what is being asked of me might compromise my creativity and result in a painting that I am unhappy to release.

The following pointers may help those who decide to commission art and artists who are just starting out offering commissions.

Commission offer - tips for Artists

Your web page offer

The first thing that it is a good idea to do is to create a page on your web site that spells out the commissioning process clearly. Crucially this needs to include specific details about your availability, scheduling, pricing and the time it takes to make a painting. It’s by no means perfect and as always with a web page it is constantly being updated but here is my commissions page currently.

https://artistintheshed.com/commissions/

Show commissioned paintings that you have successfully created together with testimonials from the customer you created them for. I still need to add more testimonials to my page but this is part of my plan!

Always meet and get to know your customer

Generally people who have asked me to paint for them have already over time established a relationship either through purchase of a small painting, a print or a folk art bird. They might have followed along on social media for some time and made  kind comments on Instagram. Often they have already invested in my art and decided that it works in the context of the atmosphere they want in their home.

When someone contacts you, if they are local, take time to go to their home and meet up. If they are remote set up an online meeting and have a chat about what it is they are looking for. This meeting enables an exchange of ideas and the opportunity for the potential customer to ask questions.

Find out about your customer - what inspires them and what they love

Often people have a story that they want to tell about the reason why they are commissioning a painting. Usually I have found that a commissioned painting is all about a celebration - a significant anniversary, a milestone birthday, a celebration of a new baby, a wedding gift, a desire to make something in memory of a special person or a meaningful place or journey.

Give your customer the time to express this story and ask questions and allow them to tell you about what it is they are looking for. Ask them why they chose you. Quiz them about what other paintings have inspired them.

A typical discussion that I might have includes asking about imagery, colours, size of painting, the substrate, framing and so on. But more crucially it is about trying to ascertain the atmosphere and feelings they want included. Sometimes customers have wanted to personalise paintings with significant words, poems, messages and so on.

Give your customer the time to express their story and ask questions and tell you about what it is they are looking for.

These things are important - in fact more so than anything else. Ask your customers to describe if possible the emotions that inspired the commission. These discussions are often delicate and I have found that often people become quite emotional, in a nice way, because this is so important to them.

Commissioning a painting is very much an emotional transaction far more than it is a financial one. But it is important to reach into the soul of the person who wants you to make something for them - it helps the eventual creative process and gives you the chance to reach into yourself to carry out the right kind of expression.

The collaborative nature of the commissioning process

This is the tricky bit and there are fine lines between delivering on customer brief and compromising artistic integrity. I know that sentence might sound a little pompous but it is very important. A crude example to illustrate this might be that a customer could say to me - can you paint my dog in your style with a palm tree? My answer to this would be no. I am not good at painting animals - although I did paint my daughter’s dog once. This subject is not my forté, it is not what I am known for and I would have difficulty delivering something that I felt happy to release into the world.

A more nuanced example might be that a customer wants you to paint a place they know. Again this is a tricky one but I may be inspired to help out with this because if the place reflects the way I paint and subject matter that I am known for and the customer is happy to go with an imaginary version based loosely on photographs that describes the atmosphere of a place then I know I can do this and moreover would enjoy doing it.

Jessica’s painting

This example below is of a painting based on a customer’s travel memory. This painting represents a symbolic journey made using some of my distinguishing features like the decorative sunshine but the customer wanted a hummingbird to represent her. She sent me images of flowers that she loved from Jamaica. I was able to integrate Jessica’s imagery requirements with my own style of painting very easily. Jessica understood what I could make for her, she had her own ideas but she had thought about the feel and the emotion she wanted. She knew that I was a colourist and that is why she chose me. I didn’t feel remotely straight jacketed by this painting - in fact it gave me new creative freedoms and I love the synergy that happened here between us.

This is what the Jessica said about this painting.

‘This was my very first art commission and I had the best experience with Mary. I wanted a painting that reflected the happy memories I had whilst solo travelling and Mary captured this perfectly in her unique style.

Throughout the process Mary communicated with me and the result was honestly better than expected. The colours are so vivid and I can feel that attention went into every detail.

I just can’t help but stop and smile every time I see my beautiful painting on the wall.’

So my take on this would be to explain clearly what you are good at and steer the conversation to what you can do.  Assimilate the customers desire with your creative offering and if the customer is happy with this you can pretty much go ahead confident that you can deliver. Commissioning paintings is hugely about managing expectations but also about honesty about what you are able to do, would want to do and importantly be happy with the eventual outcome.

It is as just as important that you are happy with the painting you create as it is that the customer is happy.

The example I mentioned at the beginning of this article - ‘please can you use certain colours to reflect my choice of decor’ is not my favourite. As a colourist who uses the entire rainbow this is a moot point for me. Colours spark off each other and my painting process determines that as I build up layers of paint one colour inspires the next and the next. To stifle the very essence of my creative process by ordering on colour makes it very difficult for me to deliver an authentic painting. You would get a pastiche, a shadow of my true expressive self and I no longer say yes to this request.

The Business transaction

The business transaction is just as important as the painting discussion - you need to be clear on the delivery and spell this out in a ‘contract’.

Like any transaction, your customer may have a deadline (birthday, anniversary etc) and you need to work out if you have the time and the capacity to deliver.

So first of all look at your calendar and other commitments and work out if you can deliver within the customer’s time frame.  For example if you are creating work for an exhibition, art fair or open studio happening in two months time it is likely to be unrealistic to deliver a commissioned piece in that time as well. Your customer deserves your absolute attention when commissioning you to paint for them so recognise this before you accept. I have found that customers are generally very understanding and sometimes are happy to wait until after the milestone date but this is all down to the individual circumstances and needs.

Once you have factored in your availability if you are able to deliver you need devise a simple email contract.

Make your contract friendly and clear. First of all thank the customer for choosing you. Include a description of the painting first and base this entirely on the notes you take during your meeting. Include information about imagery, place, integration of words if this is important and other details that the customer may have included.

Include all the information on the substrate the painting will be made on to, the brands of paints you will be using, the size of the painting, the finish you will include, framing options and so on.

Take a non refundable deposit to cover the cost of the materials and your time. I generally ask for 25% up front. I make it clear that this is non refundable but that it will be offset from the final agreed price.

Use a proper invoicing system to do this. I use Square at the moment. It allows customers to pay remotely with a card of their choice and gives them a secure method of payment and a receipt. It also enables easy refund if this is needed.

Agree that if for some reason the painting is not working that you can cancel the arrangement. I always do this to protect myself if I find that ultimately I may not be able to deliver. It has never happened. But what I say to customers is that if I do not deliver a finished painting I will refund their deposit.

Agree a delivery date and give the customer options for shipping. Sometimes customers have wanted to meet me and collect paintings from my studio and I absolutely love it when this happens. It becomes part of the experience for the customer and makes it a memorable part of the gift.

For shipping I use Parcel Force or Pack and Send depending on the size of the painting. The customer pays for the shipping on top of the price for the painting and these prices are all discussed in the initial meeting.

Remember to be transparent about copyright for the finished painting. As I am quite generous with my commission prices I always make it clear that I retain the copyright to make cards, prints, to license my work and to make any other products using the image in the future.

You don’t want to spring a surprise on your customer if they think that you will not be using the image you create in other ways. If this is important to your customer maybe think again about your prices and factor this in.

Keep in touch

Ask your customers if they would like to be added to your mailing list if you have one and they are not already on it. Ask if you can include photographs of the painting once it is hung in their home on your social media accounts.

Most people I have made commissions for are happy to do this so long as you keep their identity anonymous.

Make your customers special

Offer discounts especially made for customers who have commissioned art with you on prints and future series of paintings. They have already invested in you and it is important that you cherish their investment by keeping the relationship special. Again this is something that I feel I could be better at doing and it is very much on my to do list.

Commission tips for customers

When you commission a piece of art from an artist believe me you will not know just what an exciting prospect that is both for you and for the artist. Artists tend to have variable experience of working in this way and you need to recognise that there will be an element of risk. Will you like the resulting image and want it once you see it, will the artist be able to deliver to your timescale? What is it that you are hoping to get from the experience?

There is an element of risk when you commission a painting but what you will get is something very special and unique

Know what it is that you like

This might seem like a ridiculous place to start. Why would you ask an artist you don’t like to paint for you?  However it is crucial to have spent some time looking at art by different artists to understand what they make and what might suit you and your environment. Get to know different styles. Of course knowing what you like and the reasons why you like it is possibly a bit of an obvious consideration. The reason I mention it is because it makes sense to familiarise yourself with the work of your chosen artist to better understand what they are inspired by and how well this dovetails with your own interests.

Consider your brief

To enable an artist to paint for you and for a commission to work you need to spend time in advance thinking about what you want. And you need to go beyond simply saying. ‘Paint me a vase of flowers’. Give the artist as many clues as you can to enable a clear communication of your dream painting. Be mindful however to understand that your vision may end up as something quite different once the artist has untangled their own interpretation in their signature style/s.

Look at previous work and tell the artist what it is that you like about other paintings they have made. Think about elements like the subject, size, media and finish but most of all think about the mood you would like the finished piece to convey - do you want a rainbow of colours or a subdued palette? Are you interested in abstract or a particular kind of composition? Is there a subject that they are known for that you want your painting to emulate? Does the artist you have chosen do that kind of work? Or do you think they might stretch to do it based on their usual output? Look at previous commissions the artists has carried out successfully. What is it about these paintings that has worked? What do other customers say about their experience of commissioning work from your chosen artist? Look for testimonials and examples.

Be real about your brief and base it on what you can see that the artist can do. Again this is may be quite obvious but if you are looking for a portrait and the artist rarely makes portraits it is quite likely that you need to cast your net in a different direction.

Once you have made your decision about who you would like to commission get in touch. Most artists have contact details on their web sites and will respond quickly to your request if they have shown that they are open to commissioned work.

What the artist needs to know about you and your proposed painting

This will vary so I am going to confine this advice to my personal preferences and experience of making commissioned paintings.

Simply put the artist needs to know what you envisage. So try to describe why you have chosen them to paint for you and what it is you like about their work. Say why you are commissioning the painting - gift, milestone celebration, memory or simply wanting something from that artists that is made especially for you.

Say when you need the painting completed if this is important. The longer time you can give the easier it will be for the artist to schedule in with other work. Most artists are continually working at a number of projects simultaneously and need to be able to give you a realistic timescale for delivery.

I find the best way of doing this is via an online meeting or if you live locally to meet up and discuss the proposed work. I ask lots of questions about details, words, colours, composition, subject and so on to tease out an idea of how I need to approach making the painting. In almost every meeting I try to be clear about what I can do and what I cannot do.

To be frank if you are wanting to get the very best that the artist can deliver be brave and leave as much as possible to the artist’s intuition. Too much prescriptive briefing can stifle the creative approach. So for example I am known for making bright colourful optimistic paintings of trees that I call Happy Trees, palm trees and tropical imagery, travel inspired paintings and paintings inspired by the natural world.

The ideal client would say to me. ‘I have been following your work for some time and I love what you do. I would really like a painting in your style that celebrates a memory of my trip to xyz. I have some photographs and there are a few symbols, words that are meaningful to me that I would love you to include. I’m happy to leave you with creative freedom to do your thing. Could you please include xyz from a previous painting I particularly like.”

This kind of brief means that you are requesting certain elements but allowing me to get on with doing what I can do best without putting me in a straight jacket that will immediately prevent me from delivering an authentic painting, that is representative of my work and that will bring you the emotional response that you are most likely looking for in the finished piece.

Trust the artist

This final point is crucial. The artist will have spent possibly years honing their craft and they know what they can deliver. Honestly I believe that commissions can be tricky because you can only deliver your own way of doing things.

If you love an artist’s work try to give them freedom - trust them to create something from the heart and resist the temptation to be overly prescriptive.

You will - I promise be rewarded with a better painting

This has worked so far for me

It is important to stress that the above pointers have worked for me and I know we are all different. We all work in our own way. However some of these considerations may help you.

What one customer said

What made you choose me to create your commissioned painting? What was it about my art, style etc that attracted you to my work?

We first saw you on ‘Home is where the Art is’ and I remember looking at Andy and saying something along the lines of ‘I love it’ and ‘I want one’. I love trees in general and palm trees in particular and was attracted by the vibrant colours. When we looked at your website we knew that we would love to commission a painting at some point, but in the meantime there were all those beautiful prints to choose from.

How did you find the experience and process of working with me on your commissioned painting? 

Easy and relaxed. It helped having that first contact where you asked us about our likes and loves. Then chatting with you over a video call helped us realise that not only did you have a sense who we are but that we could happily leave it to you to do what you do best and interrupt our wants.

Where does the painting hang in your home? Please supply me with a photo. I am sure you did this some time ago but it’s difficult keeping on top of all the photos 😊

The painting has pride of place in our new home, in our living room. It’s one of the first things people see as they come into the room. It’s surrounded by plants and favourite bits & pieces.

Were there any highlights or worries you experienced during the process? Would you recommend commissioning art to other customers? 

Absolutely no worries at all as you made us feel very comfortable. We of course, would highly recommend you.

What would be your top tip or takeaway from the experience of commissioning a painting?

To trust in the process and the artist.

‘From the heart’ in its forever home

A close up of the actual painting ‘From the heart’

How to commission me to paint for you

To begin with simply get in touch via the contact form on my website. The details are in the footer below.