Custom Painting Orders for the Holidays: 3 Simple Steps!

[Above: Recent commission for a bride who had 11 bridesmaids!]

I hate to bring it up because I've never been one of those "start your shopping early!" people, but as an artist who needs at least a couple of weeks to finish a custom painting, I simply have to...

Because I got so many holiday commissions last year (and don't get me wrong, I'm beyond grateful and I adore doing them!), and because I'm on a mission to make my life a little less hectic these days, I've decided to simplify the holiday ordering process and set both a deadline + a cap for how many commissions I can take this year. 

Thus, if you've contemplated ordering a custom painting for a loved one, now is the time to start thinking about it. Here are the deets for how you can order a custom painting by yours truly...

STARR STRUCK STUDIO HOLIDAY COMMISSIONS 2014: BASIC INFO

• In order to receive your custom painting by December 20th, you must place your order no later than November 1st. 
• If you place your order after November 1st that but still want it in time for the holidays, there will be a rush charge.
• I'm limiting my holiday commissions to a total of 10 paintings. Once I've reached that cap you can still order a painting, but I can't guarantee that you'll have it by December 20th. 
• Paintings will be added to my queue in the order that I receive them. If you want yours earlier, place your order earlier! ;)
• To make things easy, I've listed 3 commonly-ordered painting sizes below. You can still order different sizes, but should refer to my commission info page for pricing. 

3 SIMPLE STEPS FOR ORDERING A CUSTOM PAINTING

STEP 1.  Decide what you want painted for your loved one. Some commonly requested commissions/ideas: 

• A painting of a favorite place or a special landscape
• A portrait of a pet/beloved animal
• An image of your loved one in a yoga pose (or an image of his/her favorite yoga pose)
• Wedding dress or a dress worn on a memorable occasion
• A bouquet of favorite flowers
• A meaningful object: pair of shoes, special suit, drink/food item, etc. 
• A painting of a home, childhood home, vacation home, church, etc.
• A special quote or inside joke
• A mixed media collage that includes many of the above!

STEP 2. Pick a size and medium.
This can be determined by your budget or what you think will fit best with your subject matter. If you're not sure what medium (i.e. type of paint/materials) would be best, I can help you decide based on what you want painted!  

STEP 3.  Email me with your order. 
Include any inspirational materials, photographs, links to images online, Pinterest boards, colors, etc. Once I receive your order, I will send you a link to pay your deposit online to hold your space in my queue. Then you're done! 

Other details:

• During the painting process you will receive in-progress pics (when I'm close to being done) so that we can make changes/tweaks, as desired. 
• All acrylic, mixed media, and oil paintings come ready to hang--no framing necessary! 
• Watercolor paintings must be framed, but I'm happy to frame them for you for an additional cost (basic framing--not professional by any means!). 
• To learn more about my commission process and view some of my past commissions, check out my commission info page. 
• Please note that shipping is not included in the prices listed above and varies between $12-20, depending on painting size.

Let me know if you have ANY questions! 

I also think it's necessary to say that, as I mentioned last year, I'm kind of over the whole stressing out and buying everyone a gift just because it's the holidays thing. But do you know what I'm not over? Buying someone a one-of-a-kind, personalized, totally meaningful, will-keep-it-forever gift (especially when it's art!). 

So, do with that what you will...and once you submit your order, please forget everything I said about gifts and go on with your day knowing that the holiday season is still many moons away ;)