General Information
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- You choose the style and medium you prefer. I will always tell you which medium I think will work best for your particular project, so don't worry about it if you're not sure what you want. We'll decide together what will suit your pet and your taste the best. For an explanation and examples of the mediums I use, see Tools of my Trade.
- Prices listed are general ballpark figures, based on head studies with no background. If you're not sure what that means, take a look at my gallery. Most of the pieces in it are head studies. Depending on the animal and pose, some of the neck and chest may be included. Full body compositions are available - contact me to discuss. Every portrait is completely unique, and may include more or less of the animal's body, some hint of the background, or place the animal in some pose or context. It depends entirely on what you want and what sort of photos we have to work with. I only give concrete quotes after discussing the portrait with you.
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2018 Commission Rates
Many artists require potential clients to contact them directly for prices. I am not one of them. I like to be as upfront and transparent as possible about my rates, so that there are no surprises for my clients at any point in the process. All commissions are priced on a case-by-case basis, and your final quote will depend on your specific needs. However, this chart provides pricing guidelines and ranges that are pretty accurate.
Classic and Impressionistic portraits are priced based on size and medium. Full Composition portraits and Original Art (any commission that is not specifically a portrait) are priced based on composition, medium, reference photo(s) required, materials and any number of other variables. You will see a rough price range for these pieces.
Classic and Impressionistic portraits are priced based on size and medium. Full Composition portraits and Original Art (any commission that is not specifically a portrait) are priced based on composition, medium, reference photo(s) required, materials and any number of other variables. You will see a rough price range for these pieces.
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Interested in commissioning a portrait of your own? You're in the right place. Understanding the basic steps of the process will save time for both of us, so I ask that all potential clients to please take a minute to read my brief explanation of the commission process, detailed below, before contacting me. Thanks!
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1. Read This.
Seriously. Please just take a minute or two to read through it. It will make things easier for everyone.
2. Contact Gerrard Fine Art, better known as Becca.
You can email me, call me, text me, or submit the simple form on my Get In Touch page. When you do, please let me know what type of piece you'd like to commission. Who or what will the subject be? We will discuss the piece you'd like to commission, and whether or not we'll need photographs, either taken by me or obtained from a stock agency. If you're commissioning a portrait, you'll tell me a bit about your special animal and who they are, and whether you're thinking about color or graphite. I'll give you my thoughts on the topic as well. If you're commissioning a Spirit Works piece, we'll discuss whatever it is you'd like to capture, and any ideas you have for the piece. We'll go over size possibilities, price differences, and media options. I'll also give you an idea of how long my current queue is, and how long it is likely to be before I will begin and finish your piece of art.
3. Submit contract and deposit
After we've discussed your commission, I'll send you a contract to read over, print, fill in and sign. When I receive your signed contract and deposit, your commission is officially accepted and your place in the queue is secured. Cash is always welcome, and I accept checks payable to Gerrard Fine Art. If you wish to pay by credit or debit card, I will invoice you via email through PayPal.
Please send contract and deposit to:
Gerrard Fine Art
1680 Old Trenton Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
OR, contract can be scanned or photographed with your phone, and emailed to GerrardFineArt@gmail.com.
4.Get the right photo
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of the process!!! It is absolutely essential that I have the best possible photographs to work with for your portrait. If you're a local client, we'll schedule a mini-shoot so that I can get some photos of your animal. These shoots are quick and easy. They usually take no more than 10-15 minutes and I include one mini-shoot in the price of the commission. I just ask that you have your animal ready to go prior to my arrival.
If you're a nonlocal client commissioning a portrait, you'll need to email or mail me some photo options. Film photos will be returned to you unharmed when the portrait is complete. I must have clear, focused photos to work from, and they must be zoomed in enough that facial detail can be made out. I reserve the right to cancel a commission if suitable photos cannot be obtained! If this happens (to date it never has), your deposit will be fully refunded.
If you're commissioning something in the Spirit Works category, and photos are required for my work, I will spend some time browsing stock photos and will create a lightbox with photo options for you to look over. Together, we will find the right photo (or photos) for me to work from.
5. Estimated timeline
Once I have your photos in hand, I can give you a more accurate estimate of completion time. This will depend on the project itself, but also on how many other commissions are in the queue ahead of yours.
6. Work and updates
I will let you know when work commences on your art. At this point, your deposit becomes nonrefundable. Now that we're living in the age of the smartphone, it is easy for me to send progress photos of your artwork as it comes together - IF you wish to see them. Generally, you'll have to wait at least 2-3 weeks before you'll see your first progress shots. I won't send them until your dog is beginning to look like a dog! Just bear in mind that these progress shots are simple phone pics, taken at low resolution, usually in poor light. They'll give you an idea of how things are shaping up, but take them with a grain of salt!
7. Completion
Your artwork is finally finished! But I'm not quite ready for you to pick it up yet. Here's why.
8. Professional digital archiving
These days, I have all my artwork digitally archived, professionally. What this means, essentially, is that I take each finished piece to a place where a team of professionals uses a high end camera and flawless lighting to capture a digital image of said art. This gives me an extremely high quality digital version of each piece, which I can use for my own purposes and portfolio, AND which gives you the option of having gallery-quality prints made of your commissioned piece, should you ever desire to do so.
9. Pick up or delivery
Once my work is archived, I'm ready to hand it over to you! Local clients need to schedule a time to come and pick up their art. Please bring your remaining balance with you, unless we've discussed and agreed to an alternative payment plan. The art will be shipped to nonlocal clients, at their expense. I do ask that you send your remaining balance before I ship. I'll give you advance notice of completion, so there are no delays when I am ready to ship.
Seriously. Please just take a minute or two to read through it. It will make things easier for everyone.
2. Contact Gerrard Fine Art, better known as Becca.
You can email me, call me, text me, or submit the simple form on my Get In Touch page. When you do, please let me know what type of piece you'd like to commission. Who or what will the subject be? We will discuss the piece you'd like to commission, and whether or not we'll need photographs, either taken by me or obtained from a stock agency. If you're commissioning a portrait, you'll tell me a bit about your special animal and who they are, and whether you're thinking about color or graphite. I'll give you my thoughts on the topic as well. If you're commissioning a Spirit Works piece, we'll discuss whatever it is you'd like to capture, and any ideas you have for the piece. We'll go over size possibilities, price differences, and media options. I'll also give you an idea of how long my current queue is, and how long it is likely to be before I will begin and finish your piece of art.
3. Submit contract and deposit
After we've discussed your commission, I'll send you a contract to read over, print, fill in and sign. When I receive your signed contract and deposit, your commission is officially accepted and your place in the queue is secured. Cash is always welcome, and I accept checks payable to Gerrard Fine Art. If you wish to pay by credit or debit card, I will invoice you via email through PayPal.
Please send contract and deposit to:
Gerrard Fine Art
1680 Old Trenton Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
OR, contract can be scanned or photographed with your phone, and emailed to GerrardFineArt@gmail.com.
4.Get the right photo
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of the process!!! It is absolutely essential that I have the best possible photographs to work with for your portrait. If you're a local client, we'll schedule a mini-shoot so that I can get some photos of your animal. These shoots are quick and easy. They usually take no more than 10-15 minutes and I include one mini-shoot in the price of the commission. I just ask that you have your animal ready to go prior to my arrival.
If you're a nonlocal client commissioning a portrait, you'll need to email or mail me some photo options. Film photos will be returned to you unharmed when the portrait is complete. I must have clear, focused photos to work from, and they must be zoomed in enough that facial detail can be made out. I reserve the right to cancel a commission if suitable photos cannot be obtained! If this happens (to date it never has), your deposit will be fully refunded.
If you're commissioning something in the Spirit Works category, and photos are required for my work, I will spend some time browsing stock photos and will create a lightbox with photo options for you to look over. Together, we will find the right photo (or photos) for me to work from.
5. Estimated timeline
Once I have your photos in hand, I can give you a more accurate estimate of completion time. This will depend on the project itself, but also on how many other commissions are in the queue ahead of yours.
6. Work and updates
I will let you know when work commences on your art. At this point, your deposit becomes nonrefundable. Now that we're living in the age of the smartphone, it is easy for me to send progress photos of your artwork as it comes together - IF you wish to see them. Generally, you'll have to wait at least 2-3 weeks before you'll see your first progress shots. I won't send them until your dog is beginning to look like a dog! Just bear in mind that these progress shots are simple phone pics, taken at low resolution, usually in poor light. They'll give you an idea of how things are shaping up, but take them with a grain of salt!
7. Completion
Your artwork is finally finished! But I'm not quite ready for you to pick it up yet. Here's why.
8. Professional digital archiving
These days, I have all my artwork digitally archived, professionally. What this means, essentially, is that I take each finished piece to a place where a team of professionals uses a high end camera and flawless lighting to capture a digital image of said art. This gives me an extremely high quality digital version of each piece, which I can use for my own purposes and portfolio, AND which gives you the option of having gallery-quality prints made of your commissioned piece, should you ever desire to do so.
9. Pick up or delivery
Once my work is archived, I'm ready to hand it over to you! Local clients need to schedule a time to come and pick up their art. Please bring your remaining balance with you, unless we've discussed and agreed to an alternative payment plan. The art will be shipped to nonlocal clients, at their expense. I do ask that you send your remaining balance before I ship. I'll give you advance notice of completion, so there are no delays when I am ready to ship.
