When remailing us for a quote, please always provide the following information:

• Your budget range, here is an explanation why this is vital.
• Your full address along with a day time phone number.
• What materials you would like.
• A brief as detailed as possible. The better the brief, the more interest you will get from artists.
• Any photos, images or diagrams in as high quality as possible.
• Your required timeframe.

When requesting a quote for a commission, your budget range is a vital question that will determine the scope of what is possible to have commissioned.

As a rule of thumb, commissioning anything is likely to cost from around 4x the cost of a similar item you can buy from a regular shop. Clearly economies of scale do not apply to making single item compared to manufacturing hundreds of the same item.

Once we know your budget, we will immediately know:

• If have enough budget to commission anything you are after.
• If you have enough budget for us to help you to create a well through through defined brief or if you need to do this yourself.
• What type of design concept method we can consider from a photo, your drawings (if good enough) artist hand drawings, digital designs, 3D Designs/Modelling, Parametric Design to Augmented Reality Designs like this desk that you can view in your own space using your mobile phone.

(Good example of a professional hand design for a commission)

• What types of production methods we can use from traditional craftsmanship to digital fabrication methods.
• What type of materials we can consider for your budget.
• What level of experience and capability we can use for the artist/maker.
• What country we can produce your commission it, we prefer to always produce in the UK however wok with international partners when necessary.

So you see, not providing your budget range in the first instance means we cant provide you with a quotation and also usually indicates a potential client may be at the very early stages of their research into a commission and are not aware of the associated costs of commissioning an item.

To give you an indication of our most common commission costs

• Portraits from photos A4 in oil on art paper/canvas roll average £250-£300
• Portrait sittings in a studio oil on canvas in a frame A3 average £2,500
• A sculpture in bronze 6” tall averages £2,500
• A side table made to measure averages £2,500
• A bespoke alcove wardrobe/shelving unit averages £3,500

If you are not able to indicate your budget at the outset, we may not be able to provide you with any indication of costs.

What material and frame options would you like ? 

Typical options available>

Canvas Roll – The most popular material our clients go for when going with an oil painting is canvas roll. This is the most cost effective option on materials and also makes the postage size and cost lower as well.  A canvas roll that will need to be stretched onto a wooden frame at a later stage. We normally arrange to send the roll once completed to a local picture framer to you for them to stretch it and place it in a frame of your choice. We can alternatively arrange for this ourselves and have it all posted directly to you.

Box Canvas (No Wrap) – A stretched canvas over a wooden frame, can provide a contemporary look without a frame. Increases the cost of the commission and postage by around £130 on average. Painting can go to the edges, this example left a margin to allow for the painting to fit into a frame. Use this option when going for oil or digitally supplied commissions.

Box Canvas with wrap (Wrap your painting around the edges) – As above but would usually not have a frame.  Can stretch the painting all the way to the edges or any amount required. Frame thicknesses usually range from 1.8 cm to 3.9 cm with the latter giving a more contemporary feel.

Framed Canvas –  The painting would start on a canvas roll, then stretched onto a box canvas (or board) and then that would be placed into any frame choice you would like. (For oil painting).

Art Paper – Good quality art paper, making it very easy for you to just pop it into a frame yourself. (Mainly for waterlolours, pencil, crayons).

The cost to commission a portrait painting from a photo is based on many factors listed below A to E.

When requesting a quote please do provide and answer to all the questions below (A-E) and we will endeavour to confirm the cost to you as quickly as possible.

Our typical costs to commission a portrait from photo in watercolour/oil on A4 canvas roll is around £200-£250 + postage.

In addition to clarifying the below questions, please also forward a copy of the photo, your full postal address and a day time phone number. On average most commissions take 3-4 weeks to be produced from the time the commission contract has been signed and agreed and payment terms have been finalised.

A – What medium would you like? 

The most popular mediums for portraits are watercolour, oil & digital. Here is a link to an online guide to help you decide on the right medium for you.

B – What size would you like the painting? 

The most popular size for a portrait painting is A4 (21.0 x 29.7 cm). The beauty of commissioning art is that you can have it produced to virtually any size you desire. The larger the size you require the higher the cost. As a rule, a painting should fill 75% of the space for a good balance in your space.  If the painting is to go on a wall above your sofa, measure the width of the Sofa and select a width 75% of the space.

Additional common size options:

30×40 Inches – 76x102cm

36×48 Inches – 91x122cm (slightly bigger then A0)

48×72 Inches – 122x183cm

(We can produce to ANY size depending on your budget)

C – What material and frame options would you like it in? 

Typical options available>

Canvas Roll – The most popular material our clients go for is a or art paper. This is the most cost effective option on materials and also makes the postage size and cost lower as well.  A canvas roll that will need to be stretched onto a wooden frame at a later stage. We normally arrange to send the roll once completed to a local picture framer to you for them to stretch it and place it in a frame of your choice. We can alternatively arrange for this ourselves and have it all posted directly to you.

Box Canvas – A stretched canvas over a wooden frame, can provide a contemporary look without a frame. Increases the cost of the commission and postage by around £130 on average.

Framed Canvas –  The painting would start on a canvas roll, then stretched onto a box canvas and then that would be placed into any frame choice you would like. 

Art Paper – Good quality art paper, making it very easy for you to just pop it into a frame yourself.

Digital – If you are going for a digital painting, you can generally have it produced to any resolution/size and most file extensions with a .pdf being the most common format.

D – How many people and what level of detail do you require?

Most clients go for a portrait of an individual usually with some simple background to provide a good contract and a good composition. You can have as many individuals in the commission and also a high level of detail. The more individuals and detail you require, (usually determined) by the photo will determine the cost.

E – What calibre/experience would you like from the artist?

You can either select one of the many artists on our website by looking through their portfolios and requesting a quote from them or if you contact us and request a quote we will generally select the most popular capable artists who provide the most cost effective solution. 

If you have sufficient budget and or would also like a sitting we can select a higher calibre more established artist for you, just be sure to clarify your budget when requesting a quote.