Prices and payment
My prices depend on the size, the number of animals and the background and its complexity.
Contact me describing what you wish on the portrait to get a precise quote. To have an idea of my rates, see my pricing guide you can download below.
I accept payments via PayPal and bank transfer.
Completion time
I need about 3 weeks to complete a commission. It will depend on complexity (background, number of animals, etc), or the eventual changes requested on the sketch, and on my current workload or availability.
It is important to take into account a delay of 5 to 6 weeks (including the shipping time) before the date on which you wish to receive the artwork. I try my best to complete a portrait within the deadline requested (unless unrealistic), but I am not responsible of the shipping time and I can’t guarantee you the reception of the portrait on the requested date.
To gift a commission for Christmas, I invite you to contact me as soon as possible (the sooner, the better !) to be assured to receive the artwork on time. Any commission placed after October 15th won’t be guaranteed to arrive on time for Christmas.
Steps of a commission
1 – Contact me through the contact form or directly by email at hello[a]delphinedion.com to talk about your project and/or ask me for information. You can already send me pictures of the animal(s). I will answer you as quickly as possible.
2 – I will communicate you a precise quote once I know the details of your request.
3 – I ask for the full payment or a down payment of 50% of the amount (for 100€ / USD and more) before starting anything. See the payment methods available.
4 – Sketch :
– first quick thumbnail : setting the pose of the animal(s) or the interactions between them, the general composition, the background… The likeness with the actual animal(s) is not very important at this stage !
You can ask me all the changes you want at this stage : changes in the pose, in the composition, the portrait orientation (“landscape” or “portrait” orientation), etc. I can create several thumbnails depending on my inspiration and your requests (as far as is reasonable of course, I won’t create numerous thumbnails !).
I only do this step if the requested position isn’t on the reference pictures and/or if there is a background or several animals.
– detailed sketch: once the thumbnail is validated, I create a detailed sketch, at the final size scale. It is the sketch I will use to create the final portrait.
You can ask me for small changes only (position of a paw, a patch, an item, or some details to improve the likeness with your animal, etc…). If you want major changes (position of the whole animal, of its head, of the interaction between the animals, etc), I will ask for extra money.
It is very important to tell me precisely what you want during the first stages !
5 – Once the sketch is validated, I can start the watercolor step. Once the watercolor step done, I can’t make any changes.
6 – Once you have validated the final artwork and paid the full amount, I can send the portrait through the French Post, by registered mail (delivered against signature). The original illustration is protected in a plastic sleeve to prevent from any water damage during shipping, and strengthened thanks to cardboard sheet, and put in a cardboard envelope. I give you the tracking number when I send you the portrait.
I am not responsible of the delivery time, which can be longer depending on your country, the time of year, or the sanitary situation. The delivery time for mainland France are about 3-5 days and about 2-3 weeks for the rest of the world. For Australia, the delays can be very long (up to 3 months).
