Not all artists do them. They can be painful. They can be tedious. They can make you question your life choices. They can be the best thing for your career or the worst. What am I talking about? The Art Commission.
An art commission is when someone hires you to paint what THEY want, not an an existing piece of art you’ve already made. I’ve done art commissions my whole career and I actually love them. Well, most of them.
The Beginning or Ancient History
My very first commission was in 10th grade when I was asked to draw the cover for the playbill for our high school play. It was the Sound of Music and I basically did a line drawing of the album cover (yes, I’m that old) of the soundtrack. I wasn’t paid and I didn’t even get credit. I was just listed as part of ‘Publicity’ on the back of the playbill. I’ve done many, many more commissions since then, some I’ve loved and some not so much.
My worst commission was murals for two nursery walls. The client was the daughter-in-law of a friend who knew I was an artist. The problem was the mom had her vision (nursery rhyme themed) and it didn’t really match my art style. But I was trying anything at that time to make money from my art so I agreed. The resulting mural was very cute but just not me. I hated every minute of it and decided that I was done trying to execute someone else’s vision.
And it wasn’t just because it was a mural. I was commissioned to do a wall in the Youth Group room of a church I was attending. I was able to do what I wanted and it was funky, vibrant and fun. That’s also the largest commission (and painting) I’ve ever done. I also spent two hours trying to find a photo of this and could not!
Present Commissions
Most of my commissions are pet portraits. I really enjoy not only creating them but the appreciation and love the clients have for the finished work. The most interesting thing from my pet portraits was a commission for a Great Dane. The client brought her into my studio with her favorite bed and I took a couple of dozen reference photos to paint from and enjoyed getting to know the dog. When she came back to see the finished painting, she said something was off and she couldn’t figure out what. I brought out the photographs and she realized that the dog’s chest was pink from an infection that they had cleared up between the photo session and my painting. Fortunately, that was an easy fix.
Other interesting commissions have been a sunrise over a dock, a hibiscus flower, a watercolor of a family home and a set of abstractions (more on these later). A lot of artists don’t do commissions. They absolutely don’t want anyone interfering with what they create or be in a position to defend their artistic choices. I’ve never minded (except the nursery rhymes) especially because I get to paint something I know someone wants. So much of my art is experiments and ideas…some sell…some don’t. When I get to create something that I know from the beginning is going to be not only appreciated but cherished…well…I get the warm fuzzies inside. And who doesn’t like that feeling?