Pet Portrait Commission

I picked up a commission over Christmas for a pet portrait. The couple (from a village near Loughborough) who it was for are my dad's customers and friends and they noticed my work around the house when they came to pay him for some work. They wanted a portrait of their dog and sent over some photos but I realised they weren't good enough quality for me to work from, especially for the size of the picture they wanted and the level of detail. I decided to arrange a visit to their home to organise all the details rather than using my dad as the messenger which is what seemed to have been happening. While I was there I agreed a size, payment and timings for the work to be completed. I also took my own photos of the dog so I knew I had everything I needed. This seemed like an effort at the time to visit their home but it made everything so much easier in the long run. I got everything sorted in one visit rather than dealing with miscommunication and missed information. I think they really appreciated it as they hadn't met me before and I could tell they were much more comfortable with a face to face conversation rather than an email or phone call. 

At the time I met them, I was overloaded with cop work so I said it would be complete by the end of January. They were in no hurry at all but I thought it was best to give them a rough completion date. I told myself I would have this finished by the 20th January, just in case anything came up which delayed me. 

I pieced together an image from the photos I took and tried used the composition and style of the one they saw in my house as a guide. I completed the portrait a couple of days before the 20th, I signed, mounted and framed it and also wrote a little note as I knew I wouldn't be able to deliver it in person due to the short amount of time I would be visiting home. Their payment was processed on the same day that they received the picture. 

I have heard since that they are really pleased with it and they have already passed my email address onto someone else who might be interested in a similar thing for their pet which is great news! 

The commissions I have done so far have been for people connected to myself or my family in some way which means I am handling them in a more relaxed way than if they were total strangers. There is an element of trust which may not be present with future clients - this is making me think that I need to get a more formal invoice or document prepared for if/when this situation does occur.