There are many reasons why you might consider commissioning a painting - it could be that you're looking for a portrait of yourself or a loved one; perhaps you want a recreation of your favourite old master painting; maybe you want a scene from your favourite place or you have a space in your home that you want to fill with a concept piece.
You’ve been keeping a lookout for an evocative piece, something that keeps giving no matter how many times you look at it; something that will last a lifetime. But you haven’t found anything that is quite right.
Whatever your reasons, I know that commissioning a painting is not something you do every day and you want to get it right. If you haven't done it before, the process will be full of unknowns so, with that in mind, let me try to give you a little more information about what’s it’s like to work with me, answer some of the questions that might be on your mind and try to put you at ease.
It takes time to commission a painting - on your side and also on the artist's side. If it's an oil painting you should probably allow 6 months for the whole process; longer if its a larger piece of work. So, if the project is to commemorate a specific event in your life or you need the artwork for a specific date, remember to factor this time into your planning - you definitely don't want to rush an artist as the end result may suffer. Pencil or charcoal drawings can be done within a shorter timescale, depending on the level of detail in the piece.
This can vary enormously from person to person and commission to commission.
You may have a very loose brief at first or you might have a clear idea of what you want, perhaps with photographs of the subject as reference material. Either way, the first thing on your checklist is to find an artist whose style will fulfil your vision and whose price range is within your budget. As you're reading this page, I'm assuming you might trust me with delivering your commission and I hope I can provide you with some honest and upfront information to put your mind at ease.
Once you get in touch, I’m happy to listen to and discuss your ideas either on email, phone or video chat - whichever option suits you best. If you have any reference material such as photographs or if you have a colour palette in mind - great! If you're not sure what you might want in the scene, that's okay - I can come up with a range of ideas. Through conversation and consultation we will work together to achieve a statement piece of artwork that fulfils the brief.
When I have understood your ideas as clearly as possible, I'll email you my Artist Commission Agreement so that we both have full details in writing. I also offer the option of creating a ‘mock-up’. By this I mean, I ask you to take measurements and a photo of the space you’re thinking of putting the painting in and get to work on helping you visualise what it will look like once complete. The ‘mock-up’ is designed to give you a feel for what the outcome will be - there’s still a process to go through but you can think of it like the planning stage and you can play around with the size and layout until you’re satisfied!
Once we’ve reached the point where you’re super happy and excited by what you’re going to receive, I can order the materials and get the canvas or panel prepared. There may be preliminary sketch(s) and/or an underpainting before the final painting is started - it depends on the subject matter. The time it takes to put paint on canvas depends on the size of the painting and the level of detail - all this will be factored into an agreed completion date.
Along the way I will provide progress pictures and updates and give you the opportunity to provide feedback/guidance. Minor changes can be accommodated but not major deviations from the agreed brief. My main aim is to achieve 100% happy customer.
The price of the final piece will depend upon the size and complexity and will be discussed when we chat but to give you an idea, I’ve listed some common sizes below. The prices listed exclude postage & packaging unless you’re local (Lanarkshire, Scotland). If you require shipment, I can give you a quote on the cost of P&P once we’ve decided what size painting you are going to be commissioning. The number of days shown is how long it takes for painting (this does not include planning and preparation time).
Oil Painting Prices:
| Size | Price | Time |
| 406mm x 305mm (16 x 12 inch) | £425 | 11 days |
| 457mm x 356mm (18 x 14 inch) | £530 | 15 days |
| 500mm x 400mm (19.7 x 15.7 inch) | £625 | 18 days |
| 610mm x 457mm (24 x 18 inch) | £825 | 25 days |
Payment: 50% deposit upfront (non-refundable); balance prior to delivery.
If you have any questions that I haven’t managed to answer please get in touch via email to john@johnsmithart.co.uk or use the contact form here.
If you’re in and ready to take the leap already then hurray! I’m excited you’re ready and I can’t wait to work with you!