If you have a question about deciding what medium you'd like for your pet's portrait, by all means, ask: Email me, use the chat box to the right or call 412-828-8679.
Prices start at $325 for an 8x8 inch pencil head study portrait. To quote an accurate price, I need to know what type of portrait and what medium you want. Color portraits somewhat more and there are discounts for multiple portraits. I've put together a price guide to help you estimate the cost, but I will give you a firm quote before we begin.
My portraits shouldn't be confused with 10-minute caricatures at the mall. They also aren't "sketches." Many people call all pencil drawings "sketches," but a sketch is really just the first step in creating a work of art. Artists use sketches to plan their work, just like writers make an outline. Just for comparison, here are some of my real sketches, called gesture drawings because they try to capture motion, rather than detail. You can see, they are nothing like my finished drawings for sale here.
My graphite pencil drawings start with a 30-minute sketch, but that is only the beginning. I spend another eight to ten hours carefully applying stroke after stroke of graphite to build up a whole range of shades from black to white. Fully rendering textures and details can't be rushed, whether they are created in paint, pencil, or pastel.
I am developing a lower cost, less detailed black and white portrait style that I can do in less time, but I don’t have that ready to market just yet. If you’d be interested in hearing from me when this style is available, just let me know.
Yes! I discount multiple portraits on the same order 20%, so for graphite pencil head study portraits, the first would be $325 and each additional one would be $260.
Additional pets in the same portrait are discounted 30% after the first one. See the complete portrait price guide here.
That's fine. You can mail your check with your signed Commission Agreement to:
Susan Donley
700 10th Street
Oakmont, PA 15139
Yes! It is an honor to portray these wonderful working dogs. I discount portraits of assistance, police, military, and SAR dogs about 50%. Graphite pencil portraits of “civilian” dogs normally cost $325, but in honor of their service, I charge just $165 (about 50% discount) for service dogs. Color portraits of service dogs are also discounted 50% from the regular prices listed here.
Clarifications: No other discounts (multiple pet discounts, etc.) apply. Please note that therapy dogs are not service (assistance) dogs, as much as we appreciate what we do.
I’m afraid you’ve run into a standard policy for artists, photographers, musicians, and other creative artists! The artist you talked to was just going with those standards. Intellectual property rights keep a lot of lawyers in business, so don’t feel badly about not understanding it all!
I am surprised that the other artist didn’t give you the option of licensing her art for business use in addition to the price of doing the portrait. That is common practice: you buy the portrait (at the regular portrait price) plus for an additional (licensing) fee to use it for business purposes. The amount of the licensing fee varies, depending on the potential future income of the use. Using it on a business card for a local dog grooming business would be less than using it for the logo for the Poodle Club of America, which would be less than using it in the logo of the Petsmart chain of pet superstores. You can see how unfair it would be if all of these uses were covered by the same licensing fee! One is a small business, another a national nonprofit, and another a huge mega-business.
In the past, without the protection of the current copyright laws, Hallmark cards or The Gap clothing chain would have been able to buy an illustration for $325, then turn around and use it on a card or t-shirt that they would sell for thousands of dollars of profit. Without the illustration they wouldn’t have a product, yet the artist got no more income than if a customer hung the portrait in her living room to enjoy with family and friends.
All this to say, business use (profit or nonprofit) isn’t a simple portrait purchase. Art is licensed per use. Using it on business cards would be a one-time use. If the customer also wanted to use the portrait as a logo for other purposes, like signage, ads, or stationary, she would need to buying the rights to use it as a logo. In that case, the fee would be higher, but would give her the license to use it whenever she wants to use her logo without coming back to license it for each use.
Now, finally, to answer your bottom line question about using a portrait on a business card for a local business: The cost of the portrait would be my regular charge of $325. Above that I would charge $100 for use on the business card (total $425). That would be considered a one-time use. For use as a logo for a local business to use anywhere, I would charge an additional $215 over the cost of the portrait (for a total of $540). All of this would be spelled out in a Licensing Agreement that we would both sign.
For another type of business or other uses, the licensing fee would be different. Licensing fees are negotiated individually and I'm happy to discuss licensing of my artwork. Email to discuss licensing of my artwork.
I hope this is clear and seems fair now that I’ve explained (probably much more than you wanted to know! ;-) how licensing works.
For more information about copyright as it relates to my artwork, see my copyright page.
Yes! I understand being nervous about ordering a portrait from an artist you've never met! That's why I offer a guarantee where I assume the risk, not you. You do not take delivery if you are not 100% delighted with the final scan of your pet's portrait. You will not owe the balance of the commission payment and I will even refund your 30% deposit. (If this should happen, I will keep the portrait, which will be offered for sale to other buyers.)
Read more about my "No-Risk No-Unpleasant-Surprises Guarantee" here.
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TO ORDER: Email artist Sue Donley, click the chat box on the left, or phone 412-828-8679 to discuss your portrait. More pricing information.
Checks accepted; credit cards via Paypal. No-Risk No-Unpleasant-Surprises Portrait Guarantee!
