4 Things to Consider When Looking for a Custom Commission Artist

Are you looking for a custom commission artist? The internet is more often than not where people go to look, but the internet is vast. It can be difficult to know how to choose between 20 different watercolor artists, or 3 different oil painting styles – or even how to know when an online artist is legit. So, with so many factors to consider, where do you even start? 

That’s the question I hope to answer today. I recommend using this blog post as a checklist, and going through the list from top to bottom in order to narrow your search for a custom commission artist. Let’s get started!

1. What Art Medium Are You Looking For? 

There are plenty of options: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, even digital art. The very first step to take when narrowing your search is to determine the best art medium for the occasion. If one doesn’t immediately jump out at you as your favorite, here’s some tips: 

• Oil acrylic and acrylic landscapes or modern pieces (not my favorite, to be completely honest) are incredibly popular for interior decorating. If your goal with a custom piece is to get the perfect, large (key word here) statement piece for your home, then this is the route I would go. 
• Watercolor art, on the other hand, is incredibly popular with smaller home spaces, especially minimalist watercolor art. A miniature painting for a bedside table, or an 8x10 to set on that piece of furniture in the hallway – watercolor art is incredibly versatile, and is a piece of home decor that rarely stops trending. 
• Digital art is best if you are a) on a budget and looking for some faux watercolor, acrylic, or oil custom art for cheap, or b) looking to get some custom fanart done. If you’re on my website, my guess is that this isn’t the kind of thing you’re looking for, but I thought it’d be best to mention it, just in case ;). 
• Now, for the ultimate question: Is this art a gift? Because this one question can change your entire search for a custom artist. My advice is to just ask the giftee what their preference is. This is something easy to subtly slip into the conversation, and even if you aren’t so subtle (my weakness), the fact that the artwork is custom will always keep the element of surprise for you so you can have the ultimate gift reveal. 

2. What’s Your Budget? 

Next up, arguably the most important thing on this list, what is your budget? If you do a bunch of research on the art medium you’ve chosen, you’ve probably noticed that prices range widely. And, unfortunately, what you pay for is not always what you get. 

So, firstly, get your budget fixed, solid. Then you can start looking for custom artists. One thing to note is that custom artists don’t always post prices on their website – custom art means a custom quote, after all. So, if you find an artist you think you like, but can’t find their prices, don’t be afraid to reach out! Artists will always prefer that you reach out explaining what you want in order to gauge the price rather than you not reaching out at all. That’s just part of the process.

3. What Style Are You Looking For? 

Now, what style of artwork are you looking for? Once you’ve narrowed your search for a custom commission artist to a specific medium, then this second step should be pretty easy – you likely already know what you’re looking for. 

By the time you reach this step in your search for a custom artist, you need to be doing some very careful research – inspect photos of artwork, check out their social media if they have any, and find reviews with photos. It’s easy to write fake reviews by leaving out a photo of any artwork to back it up. Always look closely at the photos to determine if the artist can really do what they claim to do. If the website looks fishy or the reviews are less than glowing, I would say stay away – the artist probably doesn’t actually live up to the photos on their website (or social media platform).

 

4. What Kind of Flexibility do You Want? 

How much flexibility do you want from the custom commission artist? Or, in other words, do you want to tell the artist what to do and let them run with it, or do you want to have control over the entire painting? 

Most artists who take custom commissions regularly will have details like these outlined clearly somewhere on their site. Lots of people offer revisions at the sketching stage, and then after that, the artwork is final - you pay, get what you get, no more revisions. Others offer several stages for revisions. 

Make sure you figure out how particular you are about your custom art idea, and decide if you need guaranteed revision options, or if you're fine giving the artist free reign. This should be fairly simple since by now you should know whether or not you trust the artist and whether or not their style is consistent. 

5. Finally, Do You Think You Would Enjoy Working With Them?

This last thing on the list may come as a bit of a surprise – you’re not the artist, after all. Surely you just tell the custom commission artist what you want, pay the deposit, receive the custom commission, and pay the rest. Right? Well, no. Not necessarily, anyway. 

If the above scenario is how you want to order your custom commission, then great. That makes things easier on the artist and easier on you. But in most cases, you’re gonna want the artist to make some changes to the painting. And some more changes. And, assuming the artist is responsible, there’s going to be a lot of back-and-forth between you and them. This is because it’s your commission that you paid for – it’s the artist’s job to make the art how you want it. So, before you move forward with any custom artist, you need to make sure you’re willing to reply to a few extra emails over the next several weeks. And, preferably, that you’ll enjoy the process. 

There’s a reason I make such a big deal about my portrait painting process on my website. I believe custom artwork is a two-way street, and I want my customers to be excited for their part in bringing their painting to life. 

To Recap: 

• First, determine which art medium you’re looking for
• Then, determine your budget–this is an important one!
• Third, decide on the art style you want
• And lastly, make sure you will actually enjoy working with the artist you have in mind

I hope this post has given you a solid outline on how to hone your search for a custom commission artist, so you can get exactly the kind of art you envision in your head, and enjoy the process, too. 

P.S. Here’s a quick bonus tip for when working with a custom artist: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If the artist is really the kind of person you want to work with, then they’ll be happy to answer any of the questions you may have.

See you next time,

Lydia