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Anna LeNeil
Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Portrait Commissions
The price of the digital artwork alone – or an NFT – without the printing or postage costs is between £150 and £350 depending on the style.
The price of a giclée (https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/professional-giclee-art-printing/)print on Hahnemüehle Bamboo paper (https://www.hahnemuehle.com/en/digital-fineart/fineart-media/natural-line/p/Product/show/202/1036.html)varies slightly depending on the size of print and the postage location.
For more information see here.(https://www.leneil.co.uk/prices)
Please allow at least six weeks.
The artwork usually takes me up to five days depending on the technique, and the postage (including ordering a test print) can take about a week. So, if the print is a gift and you need it at short notice, I can work quickly. But I prefer not to rush.
Ideally, I like to put the artwork aside for at least a week and come back to it with a fresh eye to make tweaks and finishing touches over several weeks. Also, I like to allow plenty of time for the client to choose the right reference photo.
Step 1: Get in touch here.(javascript:void(0))
Step 2: We can discuss the reference photograph and the size and dimensions of the print you would like to buy.
Step 3: I will create the artwork and send you a screenshot of the work.
Step 4: If you’re happy with the artwork I will order a test print with 6-12 variations in the colour levels to make sure the finished print looks like the image on the screen. Together we can choose the best one.
Step 5: Once you're happy with the final choice I'll send an invoice and you can make a payment through PayPal or a bank transfer.
Step 6: I will send you a high resolution PDF and place the order for your giclée print, which will arrive by post within 1-3 working days.
I order through The Print Space o(https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/professional-giclee-art-printing/)r Point 101. I(https://www.point101.com/giclee_printing/)f you would prefer to order your own print we can discuss this, and I would remove the cost of printing and postage from the overall price.
The reference photo should be clear and sharp, with good lighting and interesting shadows.
Ideally, I prefer to take the photo myself. I've found that a remote photo shoot via Facetime (or any video call) can work almost as well as being in the same room as someone. There is no additional charge for this.
Or, if you live near London, we could arrange a photo session in person. We can discuss the price options for this.
If the commission is a surprise gift, or if the sitter is a young child, we can discuss the best way to get a good reference photo for the commission.
Yes, you can order as many prints as you like. To give an idea of the cost, an additional A3 sized giclée print on fine art paper would cost an extra £23 (plus £4.85 postage if sent to a different address).
You can also order prints in different sizes. An additional A6 sized giclée print would cost £6.
You will own a high resolution PDF, which means you can order more prints yourself at a later date.
If you would like the print to be a one-off signed copy, or a limited run of signed copies, we can discuss this too.
From Point101.com:(https://www.point101.com/giclee_printing/) "Giclée prints are often known in exhibitions as archival pigment prints."
"The word Giclée ("gee-clay"), is based on the French verb gicler which means "to squirt or spray” and was originally coined by printmaker Jack Duganne in 1991. Giclée printing is a fine art digital printing method using specialist archival pigment inks and acid-free papers; creating gallery-quality inkjet prints with excellent depth of colour, longevity and stability."
The art process is different for each different style. The screen print style is the most time consuming. The process for this involves simplifying the colour fields of a photo portrait. I use a reference photograph, an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and the illustration software, Procreate.
I start by uploading the reference photo to Procreate and drawing lines over the image, picking out the shapes of the highlights and the shadows. Then I apply tones of grey, white and black.
Once I feel pleased with the shapes and confident that I have a likeness of the sitter, I remove the reference photo and choose the colours.
I keep altering the shapes, lines and colours, and adding new layers until I feel the portrait is finished. As a final touch, I add subtle layers of texture to the colours.
There are many different techniques for creating graphic art from a photograph. The method I use isn't about manipulating the photo but using it as a reference for a hand-drawn piece of graphic art. I don't use any digital vectorising effect on the photograph before using it as a reference, and I don't include anything of the original photograph in the finished piece.
My aim is to create a representational likeness with an artistic interpretation of the shadows and fields of colour.
As for photo editor apps, I think they are clever and interesting, but I don't believe that AI can replace an experienced artist's time, eye and skill.
Yes, that is the intention and the most important aspect of these commissions.
Achieving a good likeness is one of the most mysterious processes for me as a painter. Sometimes it comes naturally and easily, and sometimes I have to work hard at it. An accurate representation of the sitter can be elusive even when working directly from a photo. When it doesn't come easily, I will either keep working on it or I will start again from scratch until a true likeness comes through.
In my other, more stylised portrait work, instead of going for a representational likeness I aim to capture an abstract likeness of the sitter – which is also a mysterious process. Madame Thierry,(https://www.leneil.co.uk/prints?pgid=kfy6t3cf-8a1286ba-0a56-4f94-ade4-2fb01a89662e) Mum (https://www.leneil.co.uk/prints?pgid=kfy6t3cf-59a1753f-5167-45c4-88b8-80e76fa3ad91)and Michal,(https://www.leneil.co.uk/prints?pgid=kfy6t3cf-804a0016-6813-4239-b15b-30ee46dbbcc5) for example, are people I know well. I drew or painted them from memory as intentionally stylised portraits.
The price doesn't include the framing. If you would like to buy a framed portrait please get in touch here (javascript:void(0))and we can discuss options.
If you would like to buy a good quality readmade frame (with real glass and real wood) at a reasonable price, I can make some recommendations. To give an idea of the price, to buy an A2 sized frame with a mount that holds an A3 sized print would cost around £12-£28 (including postage), depending on the choice of frame.
Yes. One of the fun things about this commission is that you can buy a variety of quality items featuring the commissioned image. This can include bone china mugs, stationary, jewellery and clothing. If this appeals, I recommend Contrado's Design Your Own (https://www.contrado.co.uk/design-your-own)service.
Some of my favourite items are the bone china mugs,(https://www.contrado.co.uk/bone-china-mug-printing) the custom jewellery (https://www.contrado.co.uk/custom-jewellery)and the hip flasks.(https://www.contrado.co.uk/custom-hip-flask) These can work well with more than one portrait – for example you could create a design featuring the members of a family, or a group of friends.
If you would like me to design and order the merchandise for you, we can discuss this.
Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Portrait Commissions
If you would like to buy an original, please get in touch here.(javascript:void(0)) If you live in London we can organise a studio visit. If you would like to buy remotely, we can talk on the phone first and discuss the payment and delivery that way.
I use PayPal because it has excellent buyer protection (see here)(https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security). And for shipping I use DPD because they have a good reputation for handling art, and also because they are endorsed by Framd.com (see here)(https://help.getframd.com/en/article/how-does-the-sales-process-work-on-framd).
To buy merchandise from Contrado,(https://www.contrado.co.uk/stores/leneil) Red Bubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/LeNeil/explore?page=1&sortOrder=recent)or Society 6 (https://society6.com/leneil)you need to create an account and place an order on the respective website.
To buy a print of an original painting from The Print Space o(https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/professional-giclee-art-printing/)rPoint 101,(https://www.point101.com/giclee_printing/) please get in touch here.(javascript:void(0))
Yes. If you're not happy with your purchase, you can get in touch with any of the retailers to organise returns and a refund.
Click on the following to see the returns policy for each online store: The Print Space,Contrado,(https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/help/knowledge-base/i-want-to-refund-my-order-how-do-i-do-that/) Red Bubble (https://help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/articles/201250609-Returns)and Society 6.(https://help.society6.com/hc/en-us/articles/227341967-How-do-I-start-a-return-)
Yes. If you would like to buy an item on Contrado, Red Bubble or Society 6 that isn't available with the artwork design you have in mind, please let me know here.(javascript:void(0))
Yes. Please get in touch here (javascript:void(0))for more information.
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