Do you want a great commission art portrait?

Alya Khemji
3 min readSep 8, 2020

If you want to Commission a portrait painting, you are in the right place. In this article, we’ll debunk the process of commissioning portrait art, particularly for first-time buyers. What do you expect when you commission an artist to do some work and not to become a complete disaster? Stick with me here and learn tips that will improve your chances of walking away with a great portrait painting.

Famous Artist Suzi Nassif during her Work

Commission a portrait painting — where do you begin?

Reach out to an artist to find if they take art commissions. You can identify the artist of your choice in a gallery. For the artist, someone hires you to create a specific portrait art. Which means the client has a lot of influence on the outcome of the artwork. A customer may want a commission art portrait based on another artwork or demand painting from scratch. Provide the artist with much information as much as possible.

What entails a Commission art portrait contract?

Before work commences, have a contract in place between you and your artist. The commitment is not complicated but addresses points such as the Description of the project, size of the portrait, creative process, payment terms, approval process, timelines, and copyright issues.

Most of the artists may not start working on your portrait before signing a contract. The artist needs to start working after signing a contract. Some artists ask for 50% or some deposit before beginning work. When writing a contract, make the commissioning of portrait art as professional as possible.

Studio sketch

Before the artists put paint onto the canvas, they perform what is called a studio sketch. It is a mini version of the artist’s project to depict the face. It gives an idea of what the client expects. The artist can refine the piece as needed but, if the customer is happy with it, then it’s implemented right away.

Commission a portrait painting process

The studio sketch helps in painting the portrait. The artist will focus on portrait painting from start to finish. Don’t wait until the commission art portrait is over. You should be part of the creative process. If the artist is off-track, amendments can be expensive. Build a relationship with the artist to create the stretch the creative boundaries.

Framing/Delivery

Framing may involve extra costs. The delivery stage differs from client to client. Once the painting is over, the artist delivers the portrait painting to a client.

Follow up

You can build a relationship and stay in touch with the artist even when the work is complete.

Commission a portrait painting

The bottom line is no universal rules for commission art portraits. A client may take advantage of an artist or vice versa. What looks like a perfect commission job can be a complete disaster. A client may have no idea of what kind of portrait they desire. The verbal descriptions may not align with an artist’s visual interpretation. When you commission a portrait painting, the success rate depends on the flexibility and communication with your artist.

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