A commissioned artwork begins with a conversation, but the conversation needs to become a usable brief. “Something like this, but personal” can contain several conflicting expectations about style, size, subjects and completion.
Set out what will be made and how decisions will be approved. That protects the creative process from becoming a sequence of unrecorded changes.
Define the physical deliverable
Record the medium, dimensions, support and whether framing is included. Identify the number of finished pieces and any agreed accompanying material.
Do not let a reference image determine the deliverable silently. A digital reference may be discussing composition while the customer expects a physical painting.
Keep digital files or reproduction permissions separate if they are part of a different agreement.
Clarify the subject and references
Ask which details are essential and which are interpretive. For a portrait or personalised subject, identify the reference images and their limitations.
Confirm that supplied images can be used for the requested purpose. WIPO's copyright FAQs provide a general starting point on rights and permissions; uncertain cases need appropriate advice.
Do not promise to copy another artist's work simply because the customer supplies it as inspiration.
Explain the artistic scope
Describe the style and level of interpretation your service offers. Use your own representative work to show the approach where you have the right to display it.
Avoid promising a result identical to a photograph if your process does not produce that. Equally, do not hide an important limitation behind the word artistic.
The customer should understand what can be specified and what remains part of the maker's creative judgement.
Choose meaningful approval stages
A sketch or composition approval may be useful before detailed work. A colour or material decision may need confirmation before an irreversible stage.
Define the stages your process actually supports. Do not offer unlimited previews merely to make the enquiry sound flexible.
At each stage, identify the version being approved and what kinds of changes are still possible.
Define revisions without hostility
Explain the included revision scope, how changes are requested and what happens when the brief changes substantially. Keep the language clear rather than punitive.
A correction to your own departure from the agreed brief is different from a new customer preference. Do not collapse both into an automatic extra charge.
Any payment, cancellation or ownership terms should be checked for your situation rather than copied from an unrelated artist.
Plan the schedule around decisions
Include time for reference collection, approvals, making, any process-specific finishing and packing. Do not count only active drawing or painting hours.
If the customer needs the work for an occasion, identify the date they need the finished parcel. Keep dispatch and arrival expectations separate.
Explain how late feedback affects the schedule before it becomes a problem.
Keep a single current brief
Store the approved specifications and references together. If the customer changes a subject or size, update the brief and mark the old version superseded.
Do not work from a screenshot containing several earlier alternatives. A concise current record helps both the artist and anyone assisting with fulfilment.
Use the custom approval guide for a general version-control approach.
Close with a final inspection and handover
Check the completed work against the agreed deliverable and prepare the appropriate packing. Explain any product-specific care or handling information you can support.
Obtain separate permission before using private commission images or customer details in a portfolio. Completing paid work does not automatically settle every promotional-use question.
A good commission process leaves room for creativity while making the business arrangement clear. The customer knows what they are approving, and the artist knows which decisions are final enough to build on.
For multiple commissioned pieces, identify which approval applies to each one. A customer accepting the composition of one portrait should not accidentally authorise the unfinished layout of a second work in the same order.
Examples are illustrative. Confirm current features, charges and suitability before making a business decision.
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