Topics covered on this page:
- For Private Individuals / Collectors / Gamers
- For Publishers / Authors
- For Other Applications
- What I Can’t Do
- Payment Methods and Schedules
- Tools / Suggestions about Commissioning Art
For Private Individuals / Collectors / Gamers
Portraiture was a specialty while I was still studying art, so I’m comfortable with portraits both fantastic or realistic, and in traditional media (pencil drawings / paintings) and digitally coloured sketches. Please note that if a physical piece of artwork is desired, I’d rather work with traditional media than a digitally painted piece. Traditional pieces tend to look better in person than on-screen.
Conversely, completely digitally painted pieces look better on the screen than printed. For this reason I only offer digitally painted pieces for online display only, not for printing. (Due to the taxing nature of digital work, I’m also not offering large pieces in this medium. See the table below.)
Multiple sitters/subjects per artwork are OK, but beyond a certain number, may work against the strength of the image.
The private individual in this case receives the original artwork and/or full-resolution digital artwork. They are allowed unrestricted non-commercial use of the image (with artist attribution). I retain copyright and the right to submit the art to art anthologies, but otherwise will not resell the image for publication purposes or as art prints.
Options and pricing in US dollars (separate tables for traditional media and digital painting below, please note this is a rough guide only):
| medium\ size | ACEO | 4×6 inches | 5×7 inches | 7×10 | 9×12 | 11×14 | 16×20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pencil | $20 | $30 | $45 | $65 | $85 | $140 | not offered |
| watercolour | $25 | $45 | $65 | $100 | $140 | $240 | $300 |
| medium\ size | 500×700 pixels | 700×1000 pixels |
|---|---|---|
| digital | $75 | $140 |
The larger the image, the more beautiful detail can be included! Send me a detailed description of what you’d like to commission, and I’ll reply with a quote and estimate of when I can start your project, and how long it may take. To get an idea of the commission process, see Payment Methods and Schedules.
For Publishers / Authors
I’m available for book cover art (electronic or print), interior art (colour or black-and-white), online role-playing game art, and CCG art.
For black-and-white art, I prefer to produce tonal (greyscale) pieces with pencils, avoiding ink (line art) as much as possible (it’s hell on my wrists)!
For colour art, I tend to work in mixed media: mostly watercolours, with digital clean-up and colour corrections, and possibly over-painting if I want certain effects not achievable in watercolour.
It’s hard to provide a rough pricing guide for this section as it depends on the number and size of the artwork desired, as well as publishing rights.
Publishers: Please provide as much information as possible about your project or even include your regular art payment rates. Let me know if you have (or need) a contract and/or a non-disclosure agreement.
Authors: Ditto above, unless it’s an e-book or POD cover art and/or design, in which case my e-book/POD cover art package starts at $400 and includes the following (assuming a roughly 5×8-inch physical book):
- An initial 3 concept sketches, of which you get to choose the one that appeals most (though you can leave it up to me, too!)
- Of the concept sketch that gets chosen, up to 3 rounds of edits (to change/refine details)
- A digital colour rough before painting starts
- The original pencil line/watercolour work AND postage for it
- The high-resolution colour image file for print and layout purposes (which will look a bit different from the original physical work, after final digital colour tweaks and edits)
- Up to 2 rounds of minor tweaks to the colour image file
- The print-resolution artwork and/or cover design
Usage/publishing rights included in this package:
- Exclusive rights to the image for fantasy fiction (I reserve the right to offer prints, though this is not likely, and to submit it to portfolio sites and/or art compilations)
- Usage rights to the image for book promotion and book promotion materials (postcards, print/online ads, etc)
- Artist retains copyright and must be credited in all uses of the image
Options (which will affect the final quote):
- Completing the cover layout with type
- Creating web graphics for ads/banners/websites from the cover art
- More concept sketches/tweaks not covered above
Alternate Packages: For strictly-digital books that are not planned for any type of printing (and for which only small-size art is needed), you may refer to my rate for digital art commissions in the table above. Please still let me know when you’d like to commission artwork for commercial use!
For Other Applications
I can and have done tattoo designs, product designs (fantasy or role-playing related) like cups and T-shirts, and even game logos.
What I Can’t Do
Anime, and surrealism to order.
Payment Methods and Schedules
I accept Paypal only. For commissions costing $100 or under, full payment is expected up front except in special exceptions that may be offered/discussed (eg. with publishers and repeat clients).
For larger projects or first-time clients, I do offer a flexible schedule that roughly goes like this: $50 up front for sketches, a 50% deposit to start painting the agreed-upon sketch (toward which the first $50 is counted), and the full payment down for the original work and high-resolution digital image. If making multiple payments isn’t convenient, I’m happy to accept the 50% deposit (or full payment!) up front too.
Tools / Suggestions about Commissioning Art
- Make sure I can do the piece you want! It sounds silly, but asking me to paint like someone else may not get the results you’re after, especially if my work hasn’t looked like this other artist’s!
- If there’s a piece (or a few pieces) in my gallery you do like, let me know and I’ll go for the same feel and style again for your commission, especially if the subject lends itself.
- Pinterest is a site that lets you “pin” down several images you select from the web onto an idea or mood board—a recommended tool if you’ve got quite a few reference images you’d like me to draw from. (This is only useful if these images are already online—not so much if they’re only on your hard disk.) Plus, it’s a fun site to use.
- I can read quickly; long descriptions of characters/places don’t faze me. So, excerpts from books are OK—whole books, though, not so much!
- In rare cases, the scene suggested for illustration may just not yield a great result. I say this with great reluctance after working with clients who had their images set in their mind from composition down to the smallest details—including where to put specific hues of colour! Allow me to present alternate concept sketches or colours in situations where I really think something isn’t working. It may be a case of artist’s instinct vs author’s vision or sentimental value (where neither is better than the other, and of course a compromise is always possible); I just included this note because I’d like all the images I’ve produced to be works I can be proud of!
- Even in light of the above note, feel free to be as detailed as possible about what you have in mind, especially if you do have the details!
I look forward to collaborating with you!