Commercial Art Comissions

Do you need custom art for your book, merchandise, album, or Kickstarter project? Then read on for more information!
I specialize in character & fantasy art, including but not limited to: character art for books, Kickstarters, SWAG (e.g. stickers, bookmarks, postcards), chapter headings, title pages, maps & more.
Since each project is a custom creation, please reach out for a consultation to discuss your budget, vision, & needs.
Below you will find my pricing, process, questionnaire, and terms of use for commissions. As well as a sample of my portfolio.

Are you ready to book? Add the deposit for your desired commission month to your cart! Simply click the image below.

  • The first few steps. Line art and block colours

  • The bulk of the process is creating the greyscale image. Making sure there is depth, and contrast in the image

  • The final steps are colour and texture. Bringing the illustration to life.

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Commissions include a behind the scenes video to share with fans! (Plus it's proof no AI was used if you ever need it!)

Commission FAQ

Pricing

Commissions are priced on a piece by piece basis. My rates are $85 CAD per hour, with a $275 CAD non-refundable deposit to secure your spot in my calender.

We will discuss the details of your project and work together to create the art that you want and need for your project.

While it is difficult to give an exact quote, most character commissions take between 5-8 hours based on the complexity of the character and scene, with additional characters adding anywhere from 1 to 3 hours per character. 

The deposit covers 3 hours of work time and will be deducted from the total amount upon completion of the art. All commissions are final sales, with full payment due upon completion of the project.

Process

Step by step process of art
After you have paid the deposit and secured your date on my calendar, we will talk about your project. I will send you a quick questionnaire similar to the one posted below. I may contact you for more information if I need it.
Once I am certain I know what you want, I do a quick 30 min sketch. I will ask you to approve the sketch in terms of the pose, composition, etc. as this is the last time any major changes can be made. Be specific! You won't hurt my feelings if you want something changed or tweaked! Need a smaller nose? Bigger muscles? Stretch marks? This is the time to ask and tell me! 
Once you have approved the pose/composition, I will get to work. I love sharing my progress as I go along, so expect frequent updates! This also lets you know when I am actively working on your project.
All my art follows this basic process: line art, black and white shading, and finally colour at the very end. I usually do a NSFW version of most art, unless it has children or under aged teens in it. (It allows me to ensure proper anatomy in the pose!) This version is shared exclusively on my Patreon, however you are welcome to it as well if you want it.
However, if you don't want the NSFW version, please let me know! I do not need to share that WIP with you. And if you want the completed NSFW version, also let me know. It doesn't add much time to the final commission to fine tune it into its own completed version. (15-20 mins max per character, and you have two finished art works for the price of one!)
When we reach the colour stage, I will reach out to you again for any minor tweaks before I add the final details. Once you are happy, I will send you the final invoice which is due before I can send you the completed high resolution art work. Invoices are sent via my Shopify store and an email link. Final art is delivered via email once payment has been received.
Ideally, I ask for 3-4 weeks' from the time we book your starting date, so please plan accordingly. (Please note, I sometimes book 1-3 months in advance! This 3 week timeline is after that!) When you pay the deposit via my Shopify, it is listed by month. I aim to complete commissions by the end of that listed month on a first come first served basis. Unless you purchase it at the end of the month, in which case it will move to the next month.
However, I can sometimes do rushed commissions within a week if I have space on my schedule. This needs to be known at the time of booking, so I know if I can deliver on such short notice. Otherwise, there is a $150 CAD fee if it is a sudden change in plans as I schedule around other commitments and would have to put in extra hours.
I often create multiple 'products' from a single image. From stickers, to wallpapers, and art prints to two versions if you get the NSFW option. You will get both the high resolution files in your desired ratio, and a transparent .png file of any characters, which you can then use as stickers/marketing/SWAG & more. I can format your art for social media as well, just ask!
Read on for the basic questionnaire and see a few samples of my work.

Design Questions

Here are some things I will ask you for your project

 vs  
Here are the basic questions I will need for your commission:

Date you need the commission completed by.


What you need to use the art for. There is a difference in designing and composing character art for merchandise, stickers, bookmarks, interior art and cover art. So it is very important that I know how you want to use the art.

Do you plan to only use it digitally or are you planning to print it and how big? If you know you want postcards or art prints, interior book art, let me know so I can be sure to create the art with a specific ratio in mind. Most common rations are 4x5 or 2x3.

    Art specific information I need:
    How many characters?
    Are your characters human, or some other fantasy/sci-fi/monster species? (Elves, angels, demons, werewolves, etc.)
    If they are not human, do they have non-human features? (Horns, wings, tails, fur...)
    Age of character/age they appear to be.
    Male or female - if not human, do they have specific features that identify them?
    NSFW version, or not.
    Activity: do you want just a portrait, a specific emotion/pose? Are they doing anything specific?
    If multiple characters, how are they interacting?
    If it's a couple, and you want a NSFW scene, how blatant/intimate do you want it to be? Are they just holding hands, kissing, or more?
    Specific character features: ethnicity, eye colour, hair colour/length/style, body type, skin colour/tattoos...
    Fashion: what are they wearing, if anything? Jewelry & accessories?Modern/fantasy/futuristic/steampunk/gothic etc.
    Props/equipment/gear: anything that identifies them you want included. (Swords, weapons, etc)
    Character personality. I try to capture their body language if possible.
    Specific pose/scene/event in your book.
    Full body / portrait (shoulders up) / 1/2 body (waist up) / 3/4 body (just below hips) - note more body can take longer in some cases.
    Backgrounds: I usually do simpler backgrounds with the focus being on the characters themselves. However, I can create a more complex background if you need it. This will affect the overall cost, and can add anything from 2 to 5+ hours on elaborate scenes.
    Complex creatures:
    some creatures/characters can become quite complex and require a lot of time to capture all the details. If this is the case, we will discuss your budget ahead of time. (eg. the golden dragon below took 12 hours total time)
        If you want me to read the book to get my own sense of the characters or pick a scene that inspires me, you can send me a Bookfunnel link to therena@therena.ca Please allow 2-3 weeks to read the novel. This can be sent before your booked commission date, as I try to read on weekends. Depending on the length of the book, there might be a $30-50 charge.

        NSFW vs SFW - Content warning : this section contains nudity

        SFW commission  NSFW commission
        Because I start all my images as NSFW (Nudes), I always have two versions of every image. I start my art this way because it allows me the opportunity to make sure that I have created the correct anatomy for my characters. 
        Clothing is therefore drawn after the base "NSFW" or anatomical version.
        SFW Character commission NSFW character art commission
        These NSFW versions are then shared exclusively on my Patreon. However, you are welcome to that version as well. These versions are great for things like sharing with newsletters, exclusive art prints, or even your own Patreon.
        Many of my clients write spicy romance books, and the NSFW versions are a great way to reward those super fans with something spicy!
        SFW character art NSFW character art
        Sometimes a NSFW version can completely change the meaning of the scene. Like the art below.

         SFW book character art commission NSFW character art commission

        I do, however, have limits in the types of NSFW I will draw. I am not comfortable drawing straight up genitalia during a sexual act where you see the penetration. (Explicit scenes) This goes for both males and females. I have no problem drawing naked breasts, however, or straight on anatomy where legs are closed. (See my samples to see what I am comfortable with in terms of spicy scenes.)

        Character art, undercover art design, and fantasy maps! Make your vision a reality whether you are looking for semi-realism or abstract graphic elements. I can bring your project to life.

        Let's chat! Tell me about your dream art! How can I bring life to your characters and books?

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        Collapsible content

        Commercial Use & Licensing

        By hiring me, you agree to these terms

        When you commission art work from me, you get COMPLETE, unlimited, lifetime, commercial usage rights as outlined below.

        You can copy, print, merchandise, and use the art however you want and in whichever format you want, whether print or digital, as long as it is for your own commercial use. (Eg. Interior art, cover art, bookmarks, prints, stickers, marketing images, pillow cases, Kickstarters, etc. Your imagination is the limit. And I often help clients think of additional ways to use art, going as far as to prepare files for additional products like stickers.)

        However, you cannot resell the commercial license to someone else or an NFT of the art.

        If for any reason you need to resell the commercial license, it needs to be purchased directly from me for a minimum of $350 CAD. NOTE: Any business or publishing company under your own name or ownership does not require a license transfer. However, if you are taken in by an external/traditional publishing company, they will need to pay these additional licensing fees to use the art.

        I reserve the copyright to use the art in my portfolio both physical and online (website, social media, Patreon, inside art books, etc. Though I will never use commissioned art as covers, that remains your exclusive right. If used in an art book, it will be no more than 5% of the total work,1 or 2 pages, and typically more as a showcase of my art vs about the content of the art itself. Eg. I won't use your book or name as the selling point for the book/art.). Full credit will be given to you as the IP owner of the characters and I will include a link to your name and/or website for credit.

        Exclusive licensing (where I can't use the art in my portfolio at all) is available for an annual fee and must be discussed up front.

        If you need to do an art reveal, that is fine, I can wait until you are ready to share up to a maximum time of 1 year after which it requires an exclusive license, except under extremely extenuating circumstances which must be discussed in writing before the one year term.

        By commissioning art from me, you agree to these terms.

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