Commissions
How I approach commission requests, artistic collaboration, pricing, and more!
Depending on my availability, I would love to work on a commission with you! It always starts with an idea—a topic you’d love to see illustrated, a personal story you want commemorated in print. Whatever your goal, I’ll do my best to help you bring it to life in one-of-a-kind handprinted artwork.
The process
Every project is different. While I’ll always try to reach your milestones (e.g. gifts for birthdays and holidays), an end-to-end commission can take anywhere from one to three months. Please reach out sooner rather than later!
Interview and idea sharing
Yay, information sharing! What you’re looking for, your ideas, detail requests, my questions, and eventually, a mutually agreed-upon direction.
Illustration approval
Once we agree on an idea, I’ll proceed with a pencil drawing proof. I can make minor changes, but rarely wholesale revisions. Approve the illustration and I’ll begin carving the piece.
Carving and final print delivery
After I’ve finished carving the lino block, I’ll print a test and send a photo. I can’t make changes to a completed piece (see note below)! Finally, I’ll ship it your way :)
What is relief printmaking & linocut?
Here’s how MoMA defines linocut:
“A relief printmaking technique, also called linocut, that is usually characterized by flat, clearly delineated areas of color. An image is cut or gouged from a sheet of linoleum, which is softer and easier to carve than wood. The surface is inked and paper laid on top, with printing accomplished either by rubbing manually with a spoon or similar tool, or on a printing press.”
The tools you see in the picture are micro u- and v-gouges that I use to carve the block, in this case gomuban, a Japanese vinyl. My style is maximalism, small format, and often black and white. Every print is the result of weeks of physical labor, but I love it.
NOTE: I am a relief printmaker, not a digital artist. It’s what I love about this work—it’s manual and immersive. But it does mean that everything you see in a proof will be carved. As such, illustration approval is final. As you can see, the final print has a graphic look with negative & positive space (in contrast to the pencil drawing), which is what you can expect. Carving isn’t an exact science, details can vary a bit and that’s the charm. Also, sometimes I make mistakes, but I usually find a way to make a print work.
Pricing
The pricing of an original, commissioned print is based on a range of factors. I work with clients to offer transparency in my approach and fair pricing for my time and materials. Read more to find out how I build pricing around original work.
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A lot of factors go into the price of a commissioned print but two of the first considerations are total size and density of details. My artistic style is maximalist, so I will operate in the illustrative phase with this in mind (if you’re looking for a completely different style, I may point you in a different direction). I’ll ask you to share as many details as possible that you’d like to see included, and this in turn will impact my sizing recommendations.
If you have a sizing preference from the start, I’ll work to include as many details as I can, but I will exercise editing to make sure the final draft is something I can achieve in the carving stage.
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Size and density play a huge role, but time and materials most directly affect the final price of a commissioned piece.
A print like the sample on this page can take 10-15 hours to illustrate and 20-30+ hours just to carve! It can be anywhere from $300-450+ in time alone (a price that would flex down with a smaller print size).
The cost of a the print itself reflects the block material, paper, and shipping costs:
Japanese vinyl block
Paper—I prefer Awagami papers but can offer other options.
Quantity—You can purchase between 1 to 5 prints, which can cost anywhere from $30-70+ each. This is, of course, a fluid range.
Checkout via Etsy—I pack everything carefully in sturdy shipping tubes to prevent damage to your print in transit!
Again, a lot of factors can impact a price! Thank you for attending my TED Talk.
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Don’t be an asshole clause! Ok, so I am a people-pleasing, accommodating pushover but this work is supposed to be fun and I do the art that I do—I can’t change my style, all I can do is take your inputs and show you my output. Collabing on a project like this means fun chats, and it’s better when you’re into it.
I am also a thin-skinned artist and while I love input, I don’t love getting yelled at or criticized unfairly. Please be kind!
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The process I use makes this really unlikely (since you will know the illustration you’re getting!), but if you’re not happy with the finished print, I will honor a refund for the cost of the physical print itself and shipping. I cannot refund the artistic development, time, and parts of the materials cost, which are the bulk of the price.
Thanks for understanding!
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A one-time full payment is due via Etsy before the illustration approval stage (so after we agree on direction and before I start drawing). If you’re not happy with a drawing I share and don’t want to proceed, I’ll issue a refund minus a small fee for the illustration work.
Please note in the case of a refund, the fee will go up or down depending on the size of the design.
