Commissioning a Portrait or Sculpture – FAQs
About Me
Thank you for your interest in my work. I’m a full-time professional animal artist based in Scotland, UK, with over 20 years of experience. My work is held in private collections worldwide, have gained over 20 international awards for my work and I hold a BA in Applied Illustration from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and an MFA in Fine Art and Humanities.
How much does a portrait or sculpture cost?
Prices vary depending on the medium, size, number of subjects, and any additional requirements (e.g., mounting for portraits). Because each commission is unique, please contact me with your details for a personalised quote.
Quotes are valid for 7 days. A 50% deposit secures your booking and timeslot.
What is the difference between the mediums, and why do prices vary?
Pen & Watercolour
Pastel
Acrylic/Oil
You can view examples of all mediums in the galleries on my website.
How long does a portrait or sculpture take?
Timelines depend on the medium and size.
How do I book a portrait commission?
Once you approve your quote, a 50% non-refundable deposit secures your slot.
Sculpture payment schedule:
How do I book a sculpture commission?
Once you approve your quote, a 25% non-refundable deposit secures your slot.
Sculpture payment schedule:
Do you ship overseas?
Yes. I ship worldwide. Please provide your location for an accurate shipping quote.
I’ve booked—what happens next?
I’ll need high-quality reference photographs. Good photos are essential for a detailed, accurate artwork.
Requirements:
Tips for photographing your pet
Can I request a mock-up?
Yes. Pastel, Acrylic/Oil, and any multi-subject commissions include a Photoshop mock-up to approve layout and background choices. Single Pen & Watercolour portraits do not require a mock-up.
Can I see progress updates?
Yes. I usually post progress photos on my Facebook art page. If the artwork is a surprise, tell me at booking and I’ll share updates privately or withhold them entirely.
Copyright
All artwork remains copyrighted to Louise Jarvis Art and may not be reproduced without permission.
Licences are available if you wish to use the artwork for logos, vehicle graphics, tattoos, etc.
Any other questions?If you’d like more information or have a question not covered here, please feel free to contact me.
I look forward to creating a special portrait or sculpture for you soon.
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Photographing your pet - Help and tips
I can only draw as good as the reference photographs I work from really so good quality photographs are a MUST for me to produce good quality clear and detailed portraits. For photographing your animal it is much better if you take your animal(s) outside in natural daylight to avoid red eye and flashes over exposing the fur also. If you have an SLR camera turn the flash off and keep a very steady hand, if not have auto on and the flash won't fire (normally) if its nice and light outside. Now standing above a dog for example means it will look up at you and taking a photo looking down at your animal won't show the chest area and neck clearly so get down to their level. kneel on the grass and get your dog about 1-2 metres away and zoom in a little with your camera. Make sure the sun is not in their eyes and their eyes are fully open and looking towards you. if you make sure the sun is not directly behind you so its not shining in their eyes. Direct sunlight isn't great so in a slightly more shaded area is good. Try and make sure the lighting is balanced on the animal and not on one side or you will get one side of the face in shadow. I have attached a poor quality photo to let you see (taken from the internet) taken inside with a flash on and with a low resolution. File sizes need to be around 3000KB in size at least for good quality. If you are having more than one animal in the portrait please make sure all are photographed from the same spot, i.e. same positioning of dog when you photograph and at their level i.e. you kneeling down that way the lighting is balanced, in the same position and your at the same height and it shows head, neck and shoulders clearly, zoom in to the animal too to show these areas more clearly. I have attached at the top of the page two of my own photos also that I took for a client for their pastel portrait (the labs). This shows what I'm looking for, the lighting, the colouring, the composition, height etc. You can compare these two to the bad quality photo of the collie and you can then see the difference. As an artist I can merely work with what I have on front of me, as another artist once quoted, I'm an artist not a miracle worker! lol Thanks for reading and hopefully its helpful to you. p.s camera phones are not the best either so if you have a slr camera or have a friend who does please ask them to take photos for you failing that contact a professional photographer to take some shots for you esp for pastel portraits or for acrylic/oils. Both Andy Biggar or Sandy Kitching who are good friends of mine travel around the UK to photograph animals or a local photographer could help out also x
About Me
Thank you for your interest in my work. I’m a full-time professional animal artist based in Scotland, UK, with over 20 years of experience. My work is held in private collections worldwide, have gained over 20 international awards for my work and I hold a BA in Applied Illustration from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and an MFA in Fine Art and Humanities.
How much does a portrait or sculpture cost?
Prices vary depending on the medium, size, number of subjects, and any additional requirements (e.g., mounting for portraits). Because each commission is unique, please contact me with your details for a personalised quote.
Quotes are valid for 7 days. A 50% deposit secures your booking and timeslot.
What is the difference between the mediums, and why do prices vary?
Pen & Watercolour
- Fastest and most affordable option
- Typically completed in 2–5 days
- Comes mounted and ready for framing behind glass
Pastel
- Highly detailed and realistic, with a soft, fur-like texture
- Takes days to weeks depending on size
- Very fragile before framing; must be professionally framed behind glass
- Average completion time: 1 -3 weeks+
Acrylic/Oil
- Underpainted in acrylic, finished in multiple thin oil layers
- Traditional, long-lasting medium with higher material costs
- Painted on linen canvas; does not require glass
- Average completion time: 2 weeks to several months
You can view examples of all mediums in the galleries on my website.
How long does a portrait or sculpture take?
Timelines depend on the medium and size.
- Pen & Watercolour: hours to a few days
- Pastel: days to weeks
- Acrylic/Oil: weeks to months
Sculpture timelines vary and will be quoted individually.
If the artwork is needed for a specific date, please tell me when booking. - Ceramic Sculpture - 6-8 weeks
- Bronze commissions - 4-6 months
How do I book a portrait commission?
Once you approve your quote, a 50% non-refundable deposit secures your slot.
Sculpture payment schedule:
- 50% deposit to book
- 50% upon completion + shipping
- Payments can be made via PayPal invoice or bank transfer.
How do I book a sculpture commission?
Once you approve your quote, a 25% non-refundable deposit secures your slot.
Sculpture payment schedule:
- 25% deposit to book
- 25% upon beginning to sculpt
- 50% upon completion + shipping
- Payments can be made via PayPal invoice or bank transfer.
Do you ship overseas?
Yes. I ship worldwide. Please provide your location for an accurate shipping quote.
I’ve booked—what happens next?
I’ll need high-quality reference photographs. Good photos are essential for a detailed, accurate artwork.
Requirements:
- Taken outdoors in natural, even light
- No flash
- Taken at the animal’s eye level from every angle, front, back, from above and behind, videos also help me work.
- Minimum file size around 1MB
Please email photos to: [email protected]
Photos sent via Facebook are too compressed.
For multi-subject portraits, photos must be in similar lighting and angles.
Tips for photographing your pet
- Use a digital or SLR camera if possible
- Shoot outside in soft, even light
- Avoid harsh sun, shade imbalance, and flash
- Kneel to the animal’s eye level
- Ensure the eyes are clear and well lit
If needed, ask a friend with a good camera—or a professional pet photographer—to help.
Can I request a mock-up?
Yes. Pastel, Acrylic/Oil, and any multi-subject commissions include a Photoshop mock-up to approve layout and background choices. Single Pen & Watercolour portraits do not require a mock-up.
Can I see progress updates?
Yes. I usually post progress photos on my Facebook art page. If the artwork is a surprise, tell me at booking and I’ll share updates privately or withhold them entirely.
Copyright
All artwork remains copyrighted to Louise Jarvis Art and may not be reproduced without permission.
Licences are available if you wish to use the artwork for logos, vehicle graphics, tattoos, etc.
Any other questions?If you’d like more information or have a question not covered here, please feel free to contact me.
I look forward to creating a special portrait or sculpture for you soon.
-------------------------------------------------
Photographing your pet - Help and tips
I can only draw as good as the reference photographs I work from really so good quality photographs are a MUST for me to produce good quality clear and detailed portraits. For photographing your animal it is much better if you take your animal(s) outside in natural daylight to avoid red eye and flashes over exposing the fur also. If you have an SLR camera turn the flash off and keep a very steady hand, if not have auto on and the flash won't fire (normally) if its nice and light outside. Now standing above a dog for example means it will look up at you and taking a photo looking down at your animal won't show the chest area and neck clearly so get down to their level. kneel on the grass and get your dog about 1-2 metres away and zoom in a little with your camera. Make sure the sun is not in their eyes and their eyes are fully open and looking towards you. if you make sure the sun is not directly behind you so its not shining in their eyes. Direct sunlight isn't great so in a slightly more shaded area is good. Try and make sure the lighting is balanced on the animal and not on one side or you will get one side of the face in shadow. I have attached a poor quality photo to let you see (taken from the internet) taken inside with a flash on and with a low resolution. File sizes need to be around 3000KB in size at least for good quality. If you are having more than one animal in the portrait please make sure all are photographed from the same spot, i.e. same positioning of dog when you photograph and at their level i.e. you kneeling down that way the lighting is balanced, in the same position and your at the same height and it shows head, neck and shoulders clearly, zoom in to the animal too to show these areas more clearly. I have attached at the top of the page two of my own photos also that I took for a client for their pastel portrait (the labs). This shows what I'm looking for, the lighting, the colouring, the composition, height etc. You can compare these two to the bad quality photo of the collie and you can then see the difference. As an artist I can merely work with what I have on front of me, as another artist once quoted, I'm an artist not a miracle worker! lol Thanks for reading and hopefully its helpful to you. p.s camera phones are not the best either so if you have a slr camera or have a friend who does please ask them to take photos for you failing that contact a professional photographer to take some shots for you esp for pastel portraits or for acrylic/oils. Both Andy Biggar or Sandy Kitching who are good friends of mine travel around the UK to photograph animals or a local photographer could help out also x