Commission a Painting - How it Works

I've had a few enquiries recently from people wanting to commission a painting, so I thought I'd let you know how that works. Because I'm an abstract artist who paints intuitively, the processing of commissioning your own work of art is a little bit different than, say, commissioning a family portrait or a painting of your pet.

Why would you commission a painting?

There are a few different reasons why you might want to commission an abstract painting, rather than choose from my existing artworks...

• The painting you had your eye on has already been sold, so you'd like something similar (it will never be exactly the same so yours will still be completely one of a kind!)
• You already bought a painting from me, and now your friend / sister / mum wants something similar (again, it will never be exactly the same so yours will still be completely one of a kind!)
• You love my paintings but I don't currently have what you're after in the size or shape you want. Perhaps you want something much bigger (or smaller), or a series of three paintings in a particular size that work really well together.
• You have a particular colour palette in mind or really want a painting that matches something else in your home.
• Perhaps you want a canvas painting and I currently only have paintings on paper (or vice versa)

Whatever your reason, I'm very happy to work on commissions. Here are a few things to think about before you get me to create you your own personal work of art...

Do you like my style?

I paint in a certain way, so if you are commissioning a painting from me, it's going to be in my own style. My paintings are abstract, multi-layered and full of texture, so if that's your thing then I'd love to create you your own one of a kind piece!

I've heard some artists say they've been asked to recreate something that has already been done by another artist, or to do something in the style of another artist. Thankfully this hasn't happened to me, but if it did, it would be a hard no 😆

What colours are you after?

Here we have a lot more flexibility! I love colour and I love mixing up new combinations of colours, so if you have a particular colour palette in mind then I'm very happy to accommodate that.

There are several different ways we can do this:

You can send me swatches (digital or physical) of the colours you'd like included so I can make sure I know what you have in mind.

You can send me a photo of the room the painting is destined for, and I can pick out colours from existing furnishings or other artworks you already have on the walls.

You can refer to one of my existing paintings that you like the colours of.

You can give me more general guidance, examples being:

• a muted palette or bright, vibrant colours
• a warm or a cool palette
• mostly blues and greens, or reds and oranges, or whatever your favourite colours are together
• lighter or darker colours overall

Or you can give me completely free reign😁

What size and shape do you want?

I paint both large and small, so as long as I can fit it into the room I work in, we're good.

If you have a particular spot in mind for the painting, you can use masking tape on the wall to mark out the size that would look best and then measure it, and I'll create a painting as close to that as possible.

Also consider whether you want the painting to be vertical, horizontal or square (I'm trying not to use the terms portrait and landscape here, as they can cause confusion if you want, for example, an abstract landscape painting in portrait orientation...)

If you'd like a general idea of cost, please look at the paintings I currently have for sale to get an idea. A commission will cost slightly more, but will still be a similar price to something of the same size and on the same surface.

What surface do you prefer?

I can do commissions on either paper or stretched canvas. This is completely personal preference, so it's up to you. I can also arrange for either surface to be framed, or you can do this yourself.

Next steps

If you'd like to commission a painting from me, this is the process:

1. Get in touch via email (lou @ loulongworthart.com), the contact form on my website, or message me on Instagram or Facebook. Please use my name so I know you're not one of the many spam messages I get!
2. I'll get back to you to find out the basics of what you want, i.e. size, surface and what you have in mind.
3. Once I have this information I can work out a quote and send it to you. This will also include the predicted timespan and the deposit required to book your commission in.
4. If you want to go ahead, I'll invoice you for the deposit and once that's paid we can discuss what you want in more detail.
5. I'll create your unique piece of art and send you photos when it's ready. Once you're happy with it you can pay the balance and I'll get it delivered to you.
6. You get to hang it in your home and smile every time you see it!