As an artist taking commissions can be a great way to sell your art, but it can also be a nightmare! How do you create something that might be mostly some one else's idea? What if you hate the idea? What if they hate the art that you made for them? I have definitely made a few big mistakes with commissions over the years and to be honest I am still figuring it out. I will post more about how to handle these issues in a future post.
Fortunately right now I am in the perfect position with the current commission that I am working on. So in this post I will share with you my experience so far and how I am managing this commission.
My client and I have a mutual friend and we started talking art at a funeral of all places! Later that week we saw each other again at a barbecue. She had been familiar with my work through social media and had seen my work in person at a friend's house. She explained to me about how she was studying reiki and how she had a beautiful vision of lotus flowers and a happy Buddha. I had already painted a few lotus flowers which she purchased immediately. Then she wanted a bigger painting to hang over her bed. I have a 30"x40" canvas on hand so we agreed on that size.
Here is how she helped me feel confident to move forward with her art:
1. She sent me a picture of her room so I could envision the space that the painting would be in.
2. She explained to me what she would like to see in the painting.
3. She said that she trusted me. This was the most important thing she could do. She did not want to micromanage the painting. She said she knew I would do a good job. When a client tries to tell me how to create the painting, I immediately start worrying that I will not meet their expectations. Her confidence in me allowed me to move forward creatively without boundries.
I have been sending her regular updates of her painting so that she can see the progress. So far we are both happy with how things are going.
Here is a video of how I paint with posca markers....
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