FAQs

How can I commission an illustration or painting from you?

Natural ephemera can serve as profound reminders of times, people and places; the foods we share, gardens and natural landscapes we spend time in, the flowers that embellish our weddings and funerals and the medicines that heal us. If you have a special plant, creature or object you’d like captured in a drawing or painting I’d love to hear from you.

Every commission starts with a conversation, initially by email and then if possible in person. Consultations are free so you can ask any questions you have and ensure your idea will be feasible before deciding to go ahead with your artwork. I will ask you for the details of what you have in mind, establish what your budget is and suggest the various options that fit within these preferences. I  will generally ask you for reference pictures if you have any, but I can often source these as well. Once we are both happy with the price and plan for your artwork I will ask for a deposit of at least $100 before commencing, with the rest payable upon completion. A larger deposit will be required for large or expensive pieces.

How much do you charge?

My current rate for illustration work is around $100 an hour. This fee is only charged for actual “pencil-to-paper” time; research, reference acquisition, consultations and other preparatory work are included in this price. I can be somewhat flexible with this pricing and am always happy to talk about your options if you’re unsure of the affordability of the project you’d like to commission. Most pieces can be quoted for upfront so you know exactly what you’ll be paying. 

The cost of a piece will be determined mainly by the size, medium used and complexity of the image; for instance, coloured pencil, watercolour and oils are time-consuming and present a greater cost in materials, whereas graphite on paper is more time-efficient and less costly. Smaller pieces take less time than larger ones, and a single flower or fruit takes less time than multiples. The addition of a detailed background or other decorative elements also add to the cost. The amount of detail I am able to put into your art can increase with a larger budget also; the larger your budget the more realistic your art can be.  I will discuss all your options with you before embarking on a project, and make suggestions for the best medium to use on the basis of your desired size, imagery and budget.

Commissions for commercial projects will be subject to a negotiable licensing agreement.

Can I pay for my artwork in installments?

Yes you can. I can create a payment plan for you payable by direct deposit, with the first payment being a deposit upfront and the final payment due upon completion of the project. In the future I am also looking into offering Afterpay.

What sort of reference material can you work from?

There are a wide range of options for reference materials based on the purpose of the artwork. Strict botanical illustrations for scientific purposes are always drawn from life, which is obviously limiting as fresh plant material needs to be obtained when it is in season and drawn before it decomposes, or preserved material must be sourced from a herbarium. Natural history subjects that are not prone to decomposition, such as insects, feathers, nests, seedpods, minerals, skulls or even animals preserved with taxidermy can easily be drawn from life if the material is available. These can also be combined with botanical or other natural history subjects.

Many of my personal artworks such as the mushrooms in my gallery were created from life, and this is a wonderful option where possible and necessary or desired, but more commonly my commissioned botanical art is made from reference photos. As often as possible I take these myself from life when the opportunity arises, but they can also be provided by the client or obtained from books or on the internet. If the art is for aesthetic rather than scientific purposes this is a perfectly valid option and makes the process simpler for both of us.

My drawings are never exact replicas of a single reference photo – usually an image is created from multiple references and romanticised a little to bring out the features of the plant that are most appealing, and to create a composition that is pleasing as well as realistic. This also means I am able to create compositions of different subjects together, even if they would never be seen together in nature due to seasonal or environmental differences. How carefully I stay within the bounds of scientific accuracy with any given drawing or painting is determined by the client’s wishes.

As stock photo libraries have recently become riddled with AI imagery, some of which is very realistic, I now make a point of being careful to avoid using any when sourcing reference images.