commission faq

Please contact me and let me know what you are interested in commissioning. Size, the type of animal(s), etc. I will get back to you and ask that you send me the photo(s) you would like me to work from. If you have several different ones you are considering I will be more than happy help you figure out the best one. Please read more about reference image requirements below as well as in this PDF. Once we have agreed on one or more photos and a commission start date, you will be asked to sign a contract stating that you agree to my terms and that you accept responsibility for acquiring consent to use the photo(s) as reference(s) unless you yourself are the photographer. We will also discuss whether or not you are ok with me posting in-progress photos on social media. If it is a surprise gift for someone I recommend that you ask me to keep it a secret until you have given it to the recipient. Before I start you will be asked to make a 50% non-refundable down payment, to be made within five (5) days of signing the commission contract. I want to be very clear that this down payment will not be refunded for any reason whatsoever. That is what non-refundable means! If you fail to pay the down payment within the stipulated time, the contract will be null and void and your commission slot will be passed on to the next person in line. The work begins! I will be sending progress photos on a regular basis (unless you don't want me to). It will give you an opportunity to suggest alterations/corrections if necessary, but please note that once past certain points it may not be possible to do so. Very black areas are close to impossible to erase more than partially, as an example. Please know that I usually work on several pieces at the same time. It helps keep my eyes and mind fresh, and by leaving a piece alone for a couple of days at a time it becomes much easier to pick up on things that may need to be reworked. Do not feel alarmed if you see me posting images of other works in progress on social media. Your piece is still very much in the works, I am just making sure I don't end up with tunnel vision. An A5 piece is usually done within a week, an A4 takes about 2-3 weeks and an A3 piece about 4-6 weeks. These are approximate time frames and it may take me shorter or longer. I am a human being and sometimes I get sick or have days when I need to tend to other things. Once the piece is close to being finished I will give you a heads up via email so that you know that final approval and payment is imminent. Once I am truly finished you will receive a watermarked photo via email for final approval. You will have five (5) days to respond, and once you have approved of the piece the final payment will be required in full within another five (5) days. Once you payment has come through I will carefully pack you artwork and ship it to you, using an extra secure method requiring a signature upon receipt.

If the finished artwork is not to your satisfaction you are not obligated to follow through and pay the remaining 50%. At this point the commission will be considered as cancelled, with neither one of us having any further obligations toward the other party. I will not start over from scratch and create another work without a new contract and a new down payment. I will keep the finished piece and may sell it to another customer if I so choose. You are not entitled to any of the proceeds from this sale. Unless you request otherwise I will be sending photos of the piece as it progresses which will give you many opportunities to ask me to change details you do not like (to a point, some things may be impossible to change). If you opt not to receive in-progress photos, you do so at your own risk. Please note that the initial down payment will NOT be refunded under any circumstance, including cancellation once I have begun to work. That is what "non-refundable" means!

An A5 piece is usually done within a week, an A4 takes about 2-3 weeks and an A3 piece about 4-6 weeks. These are approximate time frames and it may take me shorter or longer. I am a human being and sometimes I get sick or have days when I need to tend to other business needs.

Once I have agreed to your commission and you have signed the contract you are expected to pay a 50% non-refundable down payment within five (5) days. The charge will be in Swedish Krona (SEK), but I will add a currency converter so that you can see what you will be charged in your local currency. I will send you a link to an individual listing on my website - I accept all major credit cards though Stripe. I can also accept payments through Wise. If you live in Sweden you may also pay using Swish. Please note that I no longer accept PayPal due to their high international fees. When I am getting close to finishing your commission I will give you a heads-up via email, letting you know that final approval and payment will be due shortly. Once your commission is finished you will receive a watermarked photo via email. You are required to respond within five (5) days unless we have agreed upon something else in advance. If you approve of the final work I will send you a link to a second listing for final payment in full, which is required within another five (5) days of approval.

I charge in Sweden's local currency, which is Swedish Krona (SEK). If you live outside of Sweden, your bank or credit card company will do the currency conversion for you and charge you the appropriate amount in your own local currency, like US$ or €. Due to daily currency exchange fluctuations controlled by the international financial market - completely beyond my control - this will most likely mean that the amount you see charged to your bank account/credit card will differ somewhat from down payment to final payment. As an example, the down payment may come to $100.21 whereas the final payment is $98.67 (it could also be more than the down payment, there is no way of knowing). Again, this is not my doing but an international market thing. The fluctuations are usually quite minor, but please be prepared for the possibility that your final payment may be either more or less than the down payment as far as your local currency is concerned. The amount I receive in Swedish Krona is not affected, so I neither gain nor lose from these fluctuations.

I have certain requirements regarding the quality of the photo I am to work from. I can invent and create a bit from experience if details are missing, but I am (unfortunately) not a magician! I have a created a more detailed PDF guide that you may download here and I recommend that you read it. But as a quick guide, here are a few pointers: 1) It must be in digital format. I do not want to be the caretaker of precious prints that may be impossible to replace if lost or damaged. 2) It must be large enough to show detail, be well lit, and sharp. If an image is somewhat under- or overexposed I can usually do a bit of Photoshop trickery to help me create a good reference, but there are limits to technology. 3) Some angles work better than others for artwork. The "nose/muzzle close to the camera" angle that often looks adorable as a photo has a tendency to look quite odd when transferred to art. It is also generally a bad idea to work from photos where the camera is looking down on the subject. You want to be on the same level or maybe slightly below. 4) I much prefer to work from a single photo rather than trying to amalgamate several different ones. However, sometimes working from several photos may be the only way forward. I am always happy to discuss what would work out best.

Yes and no. As an artist, I am not allowed to create a so-called derivative work from a photograph unless the copyright holder (usually the photographer) gives their consent. If you took the photo, then there's no problem. But if someone else took it, you need to get their consent first. I recommend you do this in writing. I do not require proof that you have acquired consent, but I DO require that you sign a contract that states that you accept full responsibility for acquiring all the necessary and proper consent(s); that I will be held faultless in case of legal complaint(s); and that you will indemnify me if you have failed to obtain consent and the copyright holder decides to take legal action for breach of copyright. In short: All legal and financial responsibility falls upon you, not me.