Additional Information and Frequently Asked Questions

Click on a topic below to jump to your desired section:

Choosing a Photo

Sizing

Color vs Black & White

Deposits and Payments

Waitlist

Turn Around Time

Shipping, Tracking, Insurance

Framing

Changes, Edits

Refunds, Cancellations

Prints, Sharing on Social Media

Art Commission Terms and Conditions

Choosing a Photo

This is perhaps the most important part of this process! When I have a fantastic photo to work with, I can create a truly exceptional piece of artwork for you. The better the photo, the better the drawing!

The best photos are high resolution, clear, and crisp. Ideally, when you zoom in, you should be able to see individual hairs in the fur. You can easily use a smart phone to take these photos, an SLR is not needed.

More tips for choosing and taking a good photo:

• Be eye-level with your subject.
• Take the photo in good bright lighting – next to a window or outside (cloudy or partly cloudy day is actually best for outdoor photos!)
• Get relatively close to your subject – avoid taking photos across the room or yard.
• Try to capture (or find) a photo that shows their personality and spirit as much as possible, or how you like to remember them.

Tips for taking a good pet portrait photo:

• Approach your pet when they are napping or just waking up from a nap. It can be difficult to take a photo when they are hyper and want to play!
• Get your pet’s favorite treat or toy and hold it right to the camera as you snap a photo.
• Get down at their eye level.
• If you can, take them outside or get them next to a window or door so the lighting is as good as possible. Direct sun can be a little much in some cases – a lightly overcast day is your most ideal situation.
• Use the best camera you have. Avoid using flash. Hold the camera steady, and take LOTS of photos right in a row (put on multi-capture).
• Try to capture their attention so their ears are pointing forward. In the best case scenario, you want to capture an image of your pet where they are relaxed, happy, and attentive. As I mentioned before, try to capture their personality and the way you always remember them! Certain things may be important to you in a portrait like their favorite toy or bed – include that if you desire!

If your pet has passed over the rainbow bridge, here are some tips for finding good photos:

• Collect as many as you can, send them all, and let me know your favorite ones.
• Try to look for photos that are crisp and not pixelated.
• If you only have film photos, scan them onto your computer or phone at the highest resolution possible (I cannot work from a photo of a photo).
• Look for images that really capture their essence.

If you want multiple pets or subjects in one image:

• The best situation here is that you have a good, clear, crisp photo with all subjects in the same frame with the same lighting and at relatively the same depth (so, two dogs next to each other vs one dog next to the camera and one across the room).
• The next best thing is to have separate photos of each subject, all taken with the same lighting (ex. Take a photo of each cat separately next to a window from the same spot.)

I always do my best to work with what you can provide me, but there may be some very rare instances where I cannot work from what you have. I will let you know up front if that appears to be the case. In scenarios where we do not have great photos to work from, I usually will recommend going with a black and white (grayscale) drawing and I will ask you to send me as many photos as possible so I can take additional details from other photographs and put together what I can. It is generally not possible for me to take a face from one photo, and the body from another, and have it look realistic. Keep that in mind.

Always e-mail me your highest resolution photos. Many people will try to screenshot a photo to send me. If you can – please provide me with the original file and e-mail it full size to katieemmittart@gmail.com so it does not get compressed.

Below you’ll find some good (and not so good!) examples of photographs:

Excellent:

Decent:

Poor:

Sizing

The sizes you see listed on the pricing table reflect standard frame sizes in the US. This will make it easier (and less expensive) to frame your piece of art. However, if you want a size that is not listed, please send me an e-mail (katieemmittart@gmail.com) and I’ll be happy to accommodate your request and give you a custom quote. I can often work up to a size of 30×40″, as that’s the largest size of Pastelmat I can order. Do know that to work that large, I will need an excellent quality photo to work from, and that it will be more expensive and take many more weeks than what has been described on the site for sizes up to 11×14″.

If you are having trouble figuring out what size you’d like, I would suggest figuring out where you would like to hang the piece, and what your needs are. Do you have a lot of wall space? What’s the wall and room like where you plan to hang it? Would you prefer to put the piece on a dresser, table, or mantle? If you don’t plan to hang it, I would recommend going with a 5×7″. If you have a small home or apartment, I would also recommend a 5×7″. However, if you have more wall space, a larger home, or want to make the piece a primary focal point of a room, I would recommend going larger. You can always get a larger frame with a bigger mat as well. (See more on framing here.)

Another option (if you don’t want such a large piece and you have multiple subjects or animals you want to include) is to get several small pieces done and hang them together. So you may get a set of three 5×7″ drawings instead of one 11×14″ or 16×20″ drawing.

Color vs Black & White

This comes down mostly to personal preference. Some people prefer a grayscale image because it’s a less expensive option. Others might prefer the look of black and white or the look of color. It might also depend on the room you wish to put the piece in. This is totally up to you!

Occasionally, I may make a recommendation depending on the photo you have, and the coat of the animal. For example, brindle and tortoiseshell fur will be much better rendered in color than grayscale due to the lack of contrast in the fur. Or if you have an image that isn’t the best quality, I may recommend a black and white because it will be difficult for me to accurately represent realistic color from a poor quality photo.

Many people ask me if it’s worth it to have a black or white or gray animal done in color. Again – personal preference. When I draw a color image of a white dog, I am using much more than just “white” pastel to render their likeness. For reference, I’ve included a few photos below of black and white animals done in both color and grayscale.

Deposits and Payments

For your commissioned artwork, you will make two payments. The first is a 50% deposit, paid upfront. This will secure your spot on the waitlist and commitment to the piece. Deposits are non-refundable. Your second payment of 50% will be made upon completion, before shipping. Note that depending on the waitlist, you may be making these payments within a week of each other, or as far apart as several months. I will let you know how long the waitlist is and how long it will take me to complete your piece up front so you can manage expectations and figure out payment. I will not ship a piece without full payment.

I can take payment through PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or GooglePay. I do not take checks, e-checks, wire transfers, or bank transfers. I am happy to create PayPal invoices if needed. If you are not based in the USA, make sure that your payments are made in USD.

Waitlist

Typically, my waitlist is out at least a few weeks. During the holidays, things can be backed up for months. If you are planning on ordering a Christmas gift (the busiest time of year for me,) I highly recommend ordering no later than August or September to guarantee that your gift arrives on time. If you contact me about a Christmas gift in November or December, it is likely I will not be able to get to it until January.

I do not do rush processing, nor do I allow clients to jump ahead on the waitlist. You must plan ahead if you have a particular date in mind! If you are in a time crunch, you can also pay ahead for the piece, and then allow your gift recipient to contact me and design their own commission.

My waitlist time is an estimate, not a guarantee, and is subject to change. Occasionally, a piece may take me longer or shorter than I estimate. If it appears that I’ll be getting to your piece later than initially estimated, I’ll send you an e-mail and let you know of the new update.

Turn Around Times

On average, it takes 1-2 weeks for me to complete a piece, and another few days to get it packaged and shipped.

Occasionally, I may get a piece that has a lot of detail, a detailed background, or is very large and in color that takes me a few weeks to complete. If I suspect that your piece will take longer than a week or two, I’ll let you know ahead of time.

I always let my clients know when I am starting a piece, and an estimate of when I may be finished with it. Upon completion, you’ll be sent a final image for approval before shipping.

Shipping, Tracking, Insurance

Domestic shipping to the USA is included in the price of your piece, as is handling, insurance, and tracking. I will ship to the shipping address you provide me upon completion. I will not ship your piece until I have your final approval, shipping address, and the remaining payment.

I always ship USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground, and insure the full cost of the piece. Once shipped, I will send you the tracking number so you can keep an eye on it.

If needed, I can specifically ship via FedEx or UPS, but there will be an additional charge. I like utilizing USPS Priority Mail because the pieces arrive unscathed and within 3 business days max, it’s very reliable.

If you are an international customer, there will be an additional shipping charge of $30.

I am not responsible for shipping delays. If the piece is lost or damaged in the mail, I will file a claim on the insurance. Once I receive reimbursement from USPS (up to four weeks,) I’ll begin work on recreating the piece for you at no additional charge. (I’d like to note that I’ve never had this happen in my 12+ years of shipping artwork.)

I very carefully package artwork between layers of tracing paper, foam core, packing paper, and wrap the entire thing with several layers of Kraft paper. If you want to see how I package commissioned artwork, take a look at the video below.

@katie_emmitt_art

And (knock on wood) never had a single thing get ruined in the mail using this method 🙂 but i purchase full insurance anyway just in case!

♬ original sound – Katie Emmitt – Artist

Framing

Your piece will come unframed, sandwiched between two pieces of tracing paper and foam core. I highly suggest keeping the artwork packaged this way until it is ready to go into a frame. Pastel can be smudged easily – so be careful with handling and storing it until it has been placed safely into a frame.

Changes and Edits

Once I’ve finished your piece, I will send you a photograph for final approval. If there is something you want me to change, I will happily make a maximum of two adjustments to the piece, free of charge.

Once you pay the remaining balance, and your piece has been packaged, no changes can be made.

Refunds and Cancellations

Deposits are non-refundable.

After I receive your final approval and final payment, there will be no refunds issued.

Sharing on Online and Social Media

Art Commission Terms and Conditions – Katie Emmitt (PDF Download)