Buyer guides
35 practical guides from painters with thirty years at the easel: how to commission, what to check, and how to get paintings where they're going.
Custom commissions
How to commission a hand-painted portrait from a photo
What a painter needs from you, what happens between the photo and the finished canvas, and where custom portraits usually go wrong.
What makes a good reference photo for a painted portrait
Light, angle, focus and resolution: how to choose or take a photo that a painter can turn into a strong portrait.
Pet portraits: how painters capture fur, eyes and expression
Why pet portraits are their own craft, which coats are hardest to paint, and how a painter brings a pet's eyes to life.
Family and group portraits: combining several photos into one painting
How painters combine people from different photos into one convincing portrait, and how to choose a size that gives every face room.
House and place portraits: from photo to painting
Painting a home, a wedding venue or a favorite place: what painters focus on, what they can leave out, and which sizes work best.
How long a hand-painted commission really takes, and why
Where the time goes in a hand-painted commission, why rushing shows, and how to plan around a hard deadline.
What happens if the painting isn't right: proofs, photos and revisions
The two points where you can shape a commission, what can change at each, and how revisions work.
Craft and materials
Hand-painted vs printed canvas: how to tell the difference
How printed canvases are dressed up to look hand-painted, and five places to look to tell the difference.
Acrylic vs oil for commercial artwork: an honest comparison
How acrylic and oil differ in color, finish, drying, durability and shipping, and why most commercial artwork is painted in acrylic.
Why paintings are built in layers, from underpainting to glaze
What each layer of a painting does, what happens when steps are skipped, and why layered paintings look deeper.
Palette knife and impasto: how heavy texture is made
How palette-knife texture is built, how thick it can go, and why textured paintings need extra care in shipping.
Gloss, satin or matte: what the varnish does
Why paintings are varnished, how gloss, satin and matte finishes differ, and which suits which room.
Canvas explained: cotton, priming and what makes a good surface
What a painting canvas is made of, why priming matters, and how to judge canvas quality.
How to care for an acrylic painting
Cleaning, light, humidity and placement: simple care that keeps an acrylic painting looking new for decades.
Color on screen vs color in paint: getting the color you expect
Why a painting can look different on screen, how finished paintings are photographed, and how to get color right on critical projects.
Sizes, formats and shipping
Standard canvas sizes, and how to choose one for your wall
Standard canvas sizes in inches and centimeters, simple rules for sofas, beds, hallways and lobbies, and how high to hang a painting.
Rolled or stretched: which to order, and what it does to your freight bill
How rolled and stretched canvases differ in cost, risk and convenience, and which paintings should never be rolled.
How to stretch a rolled canvas
A step-by-step guide for framers and buyers: margins, order of stapling, and how to avoid wrinkles and cracking.
Stretcher bars, gallery-wrap depth and framing a canvas
How stretcher depth changes the look of a canvas, when to use a gallery wrap, and how to choose between floater and traditional frames.
Shipping large paintings: crates, freight options and real costs
When a painting needs a crate, why freight on large paintings can exceed the painting itself, and how to reduce it.
How paintings are packed so they arrive undamaged
How rolled, stretched and crated paintings are packed, why curing comes first, and what to check when a painting arrives.
Importing hand-painted art: duties, classification and paperwork
A general guide to how hand-painted paintings are usually declared, what the paperwork shows, and questions to ask your customs broker.
For online sellers
How to add hand-painted custom portraits to your online store
What a successful custom portrait listing includes, how orders flow between your store and the studio, and the mistakes new sellers make.
Dropshipping hand-painted art: blind shipping and approval photos
How blind shipping works for hand-painted art, how single pieces are packed and sent, and how to handle an unhappy customer.
What drives the cost of a custom painting
Size, subject, detail, texture and timing: the factors that decide what a hand-painted commission costs, and what else to count when you price it in your store.
Managing customer expectations for custom portraits
Why custom portrait customers are sometimes disappointed, and what to tell them before they order.
Planning for peak season: Christmas, Mother's Day and more
When custom art orders peak, how lead times change, and when to set your order cut-off dates.
Wholesale and original series
How to build a range of original canvas art
How original designs are developed, which subjects sell steadily, how to structure a series, and the mistakes buyers make choosing designs.
Exclusive designs and private label: how they work
How exclusivity by country or channel is agreed, what goes into the agreement, and what private label covers.
Trial orders and reorders: keeping a design consistent over years
Why we start with a trial order rather than a sample, what to check in it, and how a hand-painted design stays consistent across years of reorders.
Interiors and hospitality
How a hotel art program works, and how to specify it
Who commissions hotel art, the stages from brief to installation, what each area of a hotel needs, and what a good specification includes.
Commissioning a statement piece for a lobby or villa
How a large original painting is commissioned, painted, shipped and installed, and what you'll see while it's being made.
Art for restaurants, offices and healthcare spaces
How the subject, color and finish of a painting should change for restaurants, offices and healthcare settings.
Copyright
Copyright basics for sellers of hand-painted art
What can and can't be painted, the difference between a style and a specific work, and what to confirm about customers' photos. General information, not legal advice.
Public-domain masterpieces: what can be reproduced
Which famous paintings can be hand-painted as reproductions, how a reproduction differs from an original, and what can be adapted.