HOW THIS WORKS:

1) Hit me via ScribblesOfDave@Gmail.com.
Please use email. Social media and texting is too hard to keep orders strait. Also, please keep all correspondence within that same email thread when possible. 

 

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 SENDING 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.

• 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. The pet being relatively eye level with the camera will prevent features from being distorted by gravity.

• 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 aware. 

• 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 (or high rez) photos from whichever ap and brand of phone you're using.

• Don't worry about the photo background. It won't be included. 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.

 

Mention where you found me. By telling me, you might be helping to support a charity or small business, getting a discount, or both!

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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. Usually, if you look at the samples of my previous work, it will recalibrate your eye to the style. The white space is part of the simple elegance of the method. Filling in too much realistic detail often takes away from overall feel.

•  While 99% of customers are thrilled with the work, some are 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. A.I. also can handle 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 for customers who have not seen my style or read this page.

Don't let this disclaimer discourage you. If I do not feel confident that I can do the photos a justice, I will request more photos or decline. The very few customers who were ever surprised by the style were folks who didn't see this page before ordering.

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Unless otherwise requested, most of these portraits are sized at standard 8x10" or 11x14" frame sizes because that's what size the style works best at. I prefer to let the pet's texture determine which size to work at, but if you have a preference, this would be the time to decide.

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3) You send payment and your address. This puts you in the production line.

 

4) I'll send you a snap shot 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. Unfortunately, new ideas are often not able to be added without starting over. Detail requests are best done in step 1 or 2. Once you reply with a "yup, that's my pet", I'll prepare it for shipping. 

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OPTIONAL $20  SCAN: Would you like a high rez scan of the art? You'll receive a jpeg in your email in addition to the original that is being shipped. These scans are great for people who might want to get the portrait printed on a mug or a blanket (or literally anything). There are many online services who do this with your jpeg. It's also great if additional people might enjoy owning a copy, which can be ordered from me (or any printer) in the future as well.

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5) I'll ship it USPS 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. The package will be insured but will not require a signature unless you request it. PROS AND CONS: Insurance does not cover it after they deliver. If you may have porch pirates or complicated apartment complex, you may want to require signature. However, if you're not there to sign, you may have to pick it up at the post office or wait for future delivery attempts.

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OPTIONAL: You can feel free to use the snapshot or 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-$500. 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.

(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. Same is true if I charge you less than your friend. There are a lot of moving variables)

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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: Absolutely. After the art is done, ask me about having it printed on stuff.