Commissioning a painting is easy. Step by step, this is how we do it:

• Email the artist, Jason, to discuss your order.

• Send me your photos and deposit. A $100 or £55 deposit is required for all orders. All photos are returned.

• Pencil drawing. I do a drawing for your approval, which I scan and email to you.

• Sepia painting. I paint over the drawing with watercolours, then scan and email you a sample. This takes a week or two.

• Payment. Once you've seen the sample you send the rest of the payment. Prices are below.

• Posting of the artwork. The painting is sent in a mailing tube by registered post. Photos are returned at this point.

• Hang it on your wall. Please send me a photograph of your painting hanging on your wall!

Please read on for more details.

I'm not sure which photo to send.

School photos, holiday snaps and ancient family photos (with the added bonus I can remove marks and creases from the painting) are typical examples of what people want. Take a look at the before and after shots.

All I need is a good quality photo to paint from. Sending several is best, so I can get a feel for the person I am painting. If you can't choose your favourite out of those I can pick the one I think will paint best.

What if I don't like your painting?

After I've finished the pencil sketch I email you a copy before starting on the painting. This way you can comment on the way it's turning out and make suggestions if necessary. The pencil sketch is the hardest part to get right, especially round the eyes and other features.

Please have a good look round by following the links at the top of this page, in particular the previous commissions page. This will give you a good idea of what to expect by way of detail and quality. If you have any doubts, don't commission! Once I start on your commission the deposit is non-refundable.

Does it matter where I live in the world?

No, I have clients around the world, mostly in America. Everything takes place by email or snail mail.

How do you do your pictures?

Watercolours are used, Van Dyke Brown, Burnt Sienna and others, to create the sepia effect. I first do a drawing from your photo which I then paint over. I've found trying to draw, like trying to think, makes a hash of my pictures. As artist Boris Vallejo says, "This odyssey of the imagination need not be a deliberate or controlled thing. It's much better when it's not directed, when I simply sit quietly and let it happen. In a sense, it's as though my ideas don't come out of me so much as I allow them to move in on me. The most important thing one can do to nourish the imagination is to relax."

I want my picture framed.

I don't do the framing myself, but there will probably be a picture framers local to you. Choose the frame after you receive the painting. The framers can advise you on things like non-reflective glass which will make your painting look better.

Mounting is a cheaper alternative to framing and can look as good. With mounting, several layers of card are often used.

What else can you paint?

Anything. Company logos, caricatures for birthdays, pastel renditions of the countryside. If there is something specific you need, I'll be happy to give you a quote.

For all questions and comments please email the artist.