Landscape Commission FAQs
How does a landscape commission work?
When doing a landscape commission, I'll always aim to visit the site and paint a study or under-painting on location. This is important because composition, and especially colour, are often poorly represented in photographic references. This often means working around weather, as well as waiting for the ideal time of day and lighting effects. I will typically combine this study from life with photographs and complete the painting in my studio at home. Any significant travel costs will be covered by the client.
How much does a landscape commission cost?
Please click here to see an approximate price breakdown for a landscape commission. Please note, these prices are indicative only, just to give you an idea of what to expect. A final price will be quoted once all the details have been finalised.
What makes a good landscape painting?
Not all scenes translate well into a painting. Many scenes may look amazing when you are there, but when that view has been reduced to the shape of a rectangular canvas, the interest no longer holds.
I will only take on a commission if I believe that the scene has the necessary elements to translate well to a successful painting.
Generally speaking, a landscape painting needs to be of something specific. This is called a focal point. It can be a building, tree, rock, stream, fence, wave, cloud or anything, so long as it is not an empty or generic view. Also, a scene is often at its most compelling when there is an interesting arrangement of light and shadow throughout.
Left-hand Scene: This scene has a good composition. There is a strong focal area, an interesting combination of light and dark shadows, and an open design which leads the viewer into the picture.
Right-hand Scene: This scene has a poor composition, even though it is a beautiful view. There is no clear focal area and there are not really any compelling light and shadow shapes throughout the image. It is also a closed design, meaning that the foreground trees stop the viewer from being led into the picture.
How long will it take?
This very much depends on the size and complexity of the painting, as well as existing workload. The weather can potentially affect my ability to visit the location, or affect it's suitability to be painted. But it will generally be several months minimum. I tend to work with oil paint in multiple layers. This requires that I allow sufficient time between layers, as well after the completion of the painting, for the oil paint to dry.