HOW THIS WORKS:

1) Hit me via ScribblesOfDave@Gmail.com.
Please use email. Social media and texting is too hard to keep orders strait. 

 

You send a few pics.
3-5 is good. Less than 20. You can specify which one(s) you like most as a primary portrait in terms of angle/expression. This is the time to say things like "That collar is important" or "ignore the growth on her eye, it was temporary" etc. Additional secondary pics can be sent for reference. We'll reach a point of clarification in the email thread.

 

NOTES ABOUT PICS: 

• Colors are often misleading in pictures. Sending multiple pics in different lighting is helpful for brown, grey, blonde, brindle fur. These are marker drawings. Colors will be representative but not exact. 

• Eyes are often in the shadows. If your primary pic doesn't show the eye color, you might consider including a pic that shows at least one well lit eye, even if the rest of the pic is pointless.

• The art will likely not have a background (see samples). Positions and angles are important. If the pet is on the floor looking up or squirming under a blanket, it will likely not look right in this style. Relatively eye level with the camera is best.

• Perspective! If the dog is sniffing the camera lens and you only send that one picture, your portrait will be of a dog with a giant nose and tiny ears. That works great sometimes, but be warned. 

• If the dog has a toy in it's mouth, I can't see what the mouth looks like. If the dog is in mid flight, I can't see how the ears hang. 

• Sending from a phone? Your phone will likely compress the photo to a lower resolution, causing me to lose crucial detail, especially in the eyes. Please google how to send lossless photos from whichever ap and brand of phone you're using.

• Ignore what is in the background. Don't spend too much time seeking photos that don't have a car bumper or messy living room behind the pet. Please look at my samples. It will be mostly a head floating on a white background. In rare instances where I do include a background, it doesn't need to be the same one from the face picture.

 

2) I'll respond with a quote and a turn around time. If you want to proceed, payment is taken up front. In the quote, there will be payment / postage instructions.

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DISCLAIMER: You are commissioning original artwork from an artist with a very specific abstracted style and then trusting that process. Please look at the samples of past portraits.

• They will likely not have a background or a full body.

• The colors will be close (at least to what was in the pictures) but not exact.

• The pet will be made out of flowing strokes with a lot of white space in between to depict light reflection. People sometimes mistake the white space as white fur. Usually, if you look at the samples of my previous work, it will recalibrate your eye to the style. Roughly one out of 100 customers mistake it for white fur, so there's a good chance the person you bought it for will not perceive it that way. Most pets, especially light or dark ones have to be done this way and can not be filled in.

•  While 99% of customers are thrilled with the work, some are somehow surprised that they do not resemble victorian oil paintings with classical landscapes. If you are looking for a more literal representation, I can refer you to other artists who do a great job of that. My process is for people who want their pet interpreted in my particular style. I am not able to return money for portraits that I have created within my declared terms, since I am unable to unspend that time.

 

Don't let this disclaimer discourage you. If I do not feel confident that I can do the photos a justice, I will decline the commission. The very few customers who were ever less than thrilled were folks who didn't see this page before ordering.

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3) I'll send you a scan of the finished product. This is to be sure nothing important was forgotten, like an agreed upon detail, or a mix up with the wrong pet. Details such as "could you try a slightly different pose or a slight different shade of brown" can sometimes be fixed but usually result in needing to pay for a redo.

 

4) I'll ship it in a tube and will tell you the size so you can shop for a frame while it's in transit. I can also send you links to frames that I know will fit.

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OPTIONAL: You can feel free to use the scan to post on your social media with a tag to my FB or INSTA. (You don't have to, but it's how I advertise. So you would win massive karma points which can be traded in for dog biscuits.)

 

FAQ

TURN AROUND TIME: I can do them in a day, but there are usually a week of orders already in the cue (from Oct-xmas). Your portrait will be put in line as soon as photos and payment are received.

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PRICE: $150-$350. I know that's pretty vague. Those are extremes and the majority are around $250. Price is determined by several factors such as time frame and the photos I'll be working with. I can give an exact quote after seeing the submitted photos. Price includes 3-5 day USPS unless you need it faster or are outside the US. All shipments need to be signed for.

(note: Prices change over time based on my availability among other things. Please do not feel cheated if you're quoted much more than your friend's order. On that note, if you catch me while prices are low, you should jump on it before it goes back up!)

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STYLE: As noted in the disclaimer above, I don't commonly include backgrounds and action poses. But it can't hurt to ask. Depending on the situation, it might be easy.

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SIZE: Usually 9x12" paper (image fits inside 8x10 mat opening). Sometimes 11x14. I make that decision based on the pet. My markers are always the same width and so depending on the animal's fur or patterns, I might want to scale in or out to capture it.

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MULTI PETS: Price is per pet. It is not easier to put multiple pets in the same drawing. It actually takes longer and so unfortunately there is no discount for that. But, as with anything, I can give deals for multiple orders. So yes, there is a discount but it's because you're making multiple orders, not because I'm saving paper. Same discount if you were ordering two separate drawings on different papers.

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SNAKES? HEDGEHOGS? HORSES? BIRDS?: Yes to anything. I would love to. Feel free to send me your house or Harley or whatever.

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MUGS, TSHIRTS, PRINTS, PILLOWS, PHONE CASES, TOWELS: Yes. After the art is done, ask me about having it printed on stuff.