CUSTOM PET PORTRAITS 
WATERCOLOR & CANVAS

Potential clients often inquire about how I set prices.  On average, I spend 2 1/2 -5 hours on a canvas painting- smaller sized canvas taking less time, larger taking more.  Watercolor paintings are priced much lower due to much less time required to paint because of the medium. The style I usually paint in offers a realistic interpretation of a pet, but by capping my time at 4 - 5 hours at most, I am able to keep my cost reasonable to clients.  My goal is to make the pet realistic to the client, while balancing with a component that makes the piece an artistic, rather than simply looking like a blown up photograph.

The more time spent on a painting, the more detailed interpretation can be developed, but the cost of the final piece also goes up.  On average, my pricing is set based on material cost, and $20 per hour thereafter. Larger canvases take longer to paint, as do more realistic interpretations, due to painting in stages of layering and details (more details equal more time spent). 

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I hope this information helps you understand that artists do not establish pricing by pulling from thin air.  Most artist set a “price per hour” and their individual style of painting is a reflection of how much one should expect to pay for a commissioned painting.

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All commissioned work is agreeing to allowing the artist, Emily Shane to obtain rights to use all digital copies of the art piece for professional purposes.