How To Order

Streamlined and simple ordering process

1. Select or take a photo of your pet

All my pet portraits and wildlife paintings are created from photographs. If you have several high quality photos of each individual that you will have portrayed, don’t hesitate to send them all, because then we will have more to choose from. I always work from a single photograph but I’m able to look for colors and details from your other photos as well. Be sure to send a photo of the pet that represents her/his coloring, character and personality. As I have only your photograph and you to guide me through the creating process it is very important that I have right photos as reference. If you need help taking a good picture of your pet please read through my photography tips section for pointers.

My portraits are highly detailed and stand for quality and true likeness, therefore I need big photographs from you. I prefer digital photos of the original size (not resized) but if you have only paper photographs I want you to send them to my home address (given by email). I will then scan the photo in a size I need to work from. Of course your photos will be returned to you along with the completed portrait. If your photographs aren’t good enough they will be returned right away. 

If you would like to commission a portrait with extra background or combination portraits, let me know about your wishes and I will find nice photos for you to choose from.

2. Choose a medium

I paint and draw in three painting mediums which gives you a choice between oils, pastels or pencil. Detailed portraits or affordable sketches, the choice is yours. The shortcuts below should give you a good insight on what the three mediums are about..

Acrylic Paintings - Starting at $200

"Acrylics are a very brilliant medium which have the potential to acheive great realism."- I paint mostly on heavy weight watercolor paper but I also offer the option of stretched canvas on wooden frame. Read about and see examples of my acrylic portraits in the acrylic gallery »

Watercolor Paintings - Starting at $150

"Watercolors are softer and more free-spirited acheiving both a vibrancy and balance between light and shadow"-I paint mostly on heavy weight watercolor paper but I also offer the option of stretched canvas on wooden frame. Read about and see examples of my watercolor portraits in the watercolor gallery »

Pen & Ink Drawings - Starting at $80

"Pen and Ink has a way of achieving a sort of startling realism for an image portrayed in mere black and white."- I paint mostly on heavy weight watercolor paper but I also offer the option of stretched canvas on wooden frame. Read about and see examples of my Pen & Ink drawings in the pen & ink gallery »

Pencil Drawings & Sketches- Starting at $45

"The traditional and classic medium which gives impression of detail and contrast" - Pencil drawings are delivered Mounded / Matted. Read about and see examples of my Pen & Ink drawings in the pen & ink gallery »

3. Photo Mock-ups

Once the photograph has been selected I will create a photo mock-up or montage in a photo editing software on my computer. How the mock-up will look depends on your wishes. Sometimes I only have to delete backgrounds and add colouring that suits your subject, but many times I have to do full photo montages to add elements that will be included to the portrait and remove unwanted details. The mock-up is only a guide for me and for you to visualise your final portrait, colors and minor details may look a bit different on the actual portrait. The photo mock-up is sent to your email for approval and possible changes.

4. Deposite

I ask for a 50% deposit payment before I start to paint. The reason for this is to cover the cost of time and materials. Please note: the deposit payment at this time is for the portrait only, possible framing, and portrait prints are tallied up when the portrait is completed and the balance is paid. Curently, I use Paypal for all online money transactions because it's both simple and secure, but if you would like to pay in a different way, such as check or money order via post don't hesitate to contact me.

5.Work in Progress

On the work in progress pages you can follow the evolution from a simple drawing or painting to a completed and highly detailed artwork. You will be able to monitor how your work progresses and you can ask questions or make suggestions about your portrait as it is developing. Visit my Blog to see the Work In Progress by clicking here.

I thought it would be good for my client to be able to see their photo or mock-up along with the description of the pet, on these pages as soon as possible. After that, my client can check the work in progress many times a day to see if I updated the progress. One benefit for me, is by doing this, any extra help I get can only make the portrait better. 

The process is very simple:

• Client list - Current clients are shown as a list of photos on the left side. The portrait I currently paint is on the top of the list and the photos below are the ones waiting to be painted.
• Portrait creation - I scan or photograph the portrait in various stages and post them for you to see how far I've got in the process. I study the subject carefully to see right colors, shadows and lights. I paint the individual personality and character of each animal or person, the eyes are my main focus since they are images of the soul. It takes from 40 to 200 hours to complete a portrait, depending on size and backgrounds among other things.
• Final scan - With this last step I want to ensure that you are happy with the completed portrait. Even though your portrait is completed you can still request possible alternations which I'm more then willing to do.

6. Ordering prints

Along with receiving your beautiful painting you will also have the opportunity to purchase multiple prints (in Giclée Quality) to share with friends and family at the time of final payment. Although I keep your final scan on file for ever which makes it possible to come back years laters and purchase more prints, ordering them at the same time as your original is a nice little bonus for others.

7. Final Payment, Packaging & Delivery

The portraits are professionally packaged to protect them against any damage. All portraits are packed in a custom made cardboard box, wrapped in 2 layers of bubble wrap, and then wrapped into hard packing paper. You will also receive a certificate of originality signed by me; hold this Certificate as a value paper.

8. Shipping

I am providing free worldwide shipping of custom portraits with regular mail. You can also choose to send your package with UPS or FedEx with an additional charge. Once the package is sent it arrives within a few days in the USA and 7 up to 14 days overseas. Please note that shipping can take longer around certain holidays such as Christmas. The portraits are delivered accompanied by hand-signed certificate of originality, invoice and promotional materials.