Frequently Asked Questions
Everything most customers ask before placing a commission. Can’t find your answer? Contact us — we typically reply within a few hours.
Process
How long will my portrait take?
Typical production takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks depending on complexity and current order volume.
What happens after I order?
You’ll get an order confirmation by email immediately. We then assign an artist to your project. Once the portrait is ready for its first review, we’ll send you photos so that you can request changes. Once you sign off the finished piece, we ship.
Will I see the painting before it ships?
Yes — multiple times. We do not ship a painting until you’ve approved it. If something needs adjusting, we send it back to the easel.
How many revisions can I ask for?
Unlimited, before you give final approval. We’d rather take an extra week getting it right than ship something you’re not delighted with.
Your reference photo
What photo quality do I need?
Sharp focus on the face is the only hard requirement. Good light helps. Smartphone photos from the last 5 years are usually perfect. Older scans, low-light photos, and blurry shots can still work — our artists have been doing this a long time and know how to interpret a difficult photo.
Can I combine multiple photos into one painting?
Yes. Common cases: a family portrait where one person is missing, a parent with their parent who has passed, or a pet that has crossed the rainbow bridge alongside its current owner. Send us all the photos you’d like to combine in your order notes — the artist will composite them naturally so the result looks like one moment, not a collage.
Can my deceased relative be added in?
Yes — and it’s one of the most meaningful things we paint. Send the best photo you have of them; the artist will integrate them into your scene with care. We’ve done many of these and they’re consistently the paintings customers tell us moved them most.
What if my photo is slightly out of focus or low-resolution?
Send it anyway. If it’s genuinely unworkable we’ll tell you within a day and ask if you can supply something else, or we’ll refund. Most “bad” photos are actually fine for an oil painting because the artist re-interprets the image — they aren’t copying pixels.
Quality & materials
What canvas do you use?
100% archival cotton canvas, gallery-stretched on a solid wooden frame. Same materials museums use for fine-art commissions — built to last for generations.
What paints?
Professional-grade artist oils. We don’t use student-grade paint or acrylic dressed up as oil. Each finished piece is varnished for protection against UV and dust.
Are these real oil paintings or prints?
Real paintings. Every brushstroke is laid by hand. We can prove it: at the end of every commission you receive a short reveal video of the finished piece on the easel.
Will the colours fade?
No. Properly cured oil paint with archival varnish on archival canvas is one of the most stable artistic media in existence — there are oil paintings from the 15th century still going strong. Keep it out of direct sunlight (as you would any artwork) and it will outlast you.
Shipping & delivery
Do you deliver internationally?
Yes — free worldwide shipping is included in every commission. Door-to-door, signed for, fully insured.
What if it’s damaged in transit?
We replace it. Take a photo, use the contact form, and we’ll arrange a replacement painting at no charge. The shipping insurance covers this without affecting your guarantee.
Can I get it faster?
Yes — rush production is available as an add-on that knocks up to two weeks off your timeline. Choose it during checkout, or if you’ve already ordered and need to upgrade, use the contact form within 24 hours and we can usually accommodate it.
Payment
What payment methods do you accept?
All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal — processed securely through Stripe and PayPal. We do not see or store your card details.
Guarantee & returns
What’s your return policy?
100% money-back within 30 days of receipt. No questions, no awkward emails. See our full guarantee for details.
What if I’m not happy with the result?
Tell us what isn’t right. The painting goes back on the easel and we keep refining until you say it’s perfect. We do not consider a painting “complete” until you have explicitly approved it. If we genuinely can’t make you love it, we refund.
Still have a question? Email our contact form.
