The following information applies to private commissions for non-commercial use. If you’d like to hire me for work in a commercial publication, please email me to discuss.
All commissions are taken on a first-come, first serve basis. If I’m currently handling a number of clients, you’ll be put on a waiting list and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.
Scroll down for all information, or jump to a category:
Fine Art from Available References
Illustration
Character Concepts
Be sure to read over What I Won’t Draw or Paint and Official Business as well!
Fine Art from Available References
If you have a photograph or other image you would like turned into an original piece of art, please look over the options below. Likewise, if your subject matter is something that can be easily gathered together – say, you’d like a still life of a bowl of fruit – these options would apply. Shipping costs are added at time of shipment. Cost increases mostly due to size and subject complexity, and less often due to rush orders.
Pencil Drawing: $25 and up
Pencil drawings are executed on Bristol vellum, from 6”x8” to 14”x17” in size.
Charcoal Drawing: $45 and up
Charcoal drawings are executed on 18”X24” drawing paper unless charcoal paper or layout bond is preferred. Charcoal and white chalk or red and white chalk on tan or gray toned paper are also available.
Oil Painting: $75 and up
Oil paintings are executed on stretched cotton canvas or hardboard panel, sizes ranging from 6”x6” to as large as 30”x40”. Cost increases with size and subject matter.
Digital Painting: $55 and up
A cost-effective way to hang painterly art on your walls, a digital painting can be printed on paper or canvas almost any size to look very similar to a traditional painting.
Illustrations
Illustrations refer to original art that cannot be directly referenced from available sources. Illustrations require further research and development time, creating a subject and its environment in an original way. For an example, if you’d like a drawing of a Supermarine Spitfire from a photograph, it’s Fine Art from Available References. If you would like a drawing of a particular Spitfire landing at a particular airfield at a particular time of day, it becomes an illustration.
An illustration can be a pencil drawing, charcoal drawing, oil painting, or digital artwork. The minimum cost for a simple illustration is $35. Because of the development time involved in some illustrations, a complicated scenario can run several hundred dollars.
If you have an idea that you would like visualized in an illustration, please contact me!
Character Concepts
(RPG’s, Gaming, Fan-art, Fiction)
Character concepts are a quick and easy way to get original art of your favorite characters. You supply me with as much information and references as you can, and I’ll create a drawing or digital painting of a concept of your character derived from those sources.
Please note that character concepts are, in essence, “sketches” whether they are drawn or painted. I rarely give opportunity for feedback during this process in order to keep the turnaround quick and the prices low. If you would like a more involved process and a more finished piece of artwork for your character, ask me about having an illustration done!
That said, character concepts are very popular among fans and gamers and one of my favorite commissions to take on. See below for pricing and options, which apply whether you’d like a portrait, half-figure, full figure, or whatever. And remember, because the price range on these is progressive, you can always come back later and add the next step or two, from Pencil Sketch to Digital Painting, or even have it developed into a polished illustration!
Pencil Sketch: $10
Drawn on paper in pencil with basic shading. You get a scanned image file and avatar crop and signature. Add a dollar and I’ll mail it to you!
Lineart: $25
Drawn in pencil but inked with real pens. Finished in Photoshop with a background color of your choice. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Digital Concept Shade: $30
Lineart with basic shading and value pattern to give some sense of lighting and form on a background color of your choice. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Digital Concept Shade and Color: $35
Lineart with basic light and shadow plus flat colors. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Full Digital Render:$45
Lineart with full light and shadow on a background color shade of your choice. Looks like a charcoal/chalk drawing. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Full Digital Color: $65
Fully rendered color and shadow. A basic background with a symbol or pattern on a color of your choice is provided, text optional. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Digital Painting: $75
Fully finished digital painting of your character with basic suggested background. You get an image file, avatar crop and signature.
Extras:
Additional characters add 80% each.
Small pets add 15% each.
Medium/large pets add 50% each.
Mounts add 75% each.
Other extras negotiable.
What I Won’t Draw or Paint:
- Pornography
- Cartoons
- Anime
- Graphic Violence
- Graphic Gore
- Depictions of hatred towards any race/group/orientation/culture
If you’re still wondering about an idea (for example, the difference between erotic nudes and pornography) then please contact me and I’ll let you know. I reserve the right to terminate any commission based on subject matter or differences of opinion with the client.
Official Business:
Reproduction rights:
For private commissions such as the above, all reproduction and publication rights are retained by the artist. Privately commissioned work may not be reproduced by the client without the artist’s consent. Any public display of the artwork, whether in person or online, should be accompanied by credit to “Diane E. Kraus” and/or the website URL “dekraus.com”.
Prints and other reproductions:
High-resolution, archival images of all artwork is kept on file. Prints and other reproductions for non-commercial use can be ordered through the artist for the cost of printing and shipping.
Payment:
For commissions $55 and under I require full payment before I start creating the artwork.
For commissions $56 and over I require 50% payment before I start working and 50% before shipping or final delivery.
Paypal is preferred for all privately commissioned work. I hold all funds in my Paypal account until the artwork is received by the buyer and approved and/or two weeks have passed since confirmation of delivery.
Personal checks and money orders accepted, but checks must clear before any work begins. Any bounced checks may immediately terminate the commission.
Making customers happy with their artwork is one of my foremost goals, and I guarantee your satisfaction with the finished product.