HOW MUCH DOES AN OIL PAINTING COMMISSION COST?
A custom oil painting commission from my studio costs between $475 and $1,650 (£355–£1,225 / €415–€1,435), depending on size. The full price list is below, in USD, GBP, and EUR, with nothing hidden behind “price on request.”
Klaudyna Hady — one of 125 painters chosen from 5,000 applicants worldwide to hand-paint the individual frames of Loving Vincent, the first fully oil-painted feature film, nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. View her IMDb profile.
Every piece is painted by hand from your photo in artist-grade oils on 100% linen canvas. No printing, no digital base layer, no shortcuts.
I was one of 125 painters chosen from 5,000 applicants worldwide to hand-paint the individual frames of Loving Vincent, the feature film made entirely in oils and nominated for the 2018 Academy Award. The same brushwork goes into every portrait that leaves my studio in Rzeszów, Poland.
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Loving Vincent (2017)
One of 125 painters chosen from 5,000 applicants worldwide. The film was nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
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The Peasants (2023)
Painted for Kobiela and Welchman again — Poland’s official Oscar submission that year.
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Degree
MFA with distinction, Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, from the studio of Professor Marian Kępiński.
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Collections
More than 150 paintings in private collections. Studio in Rzeszów, Poland; ships worldwide.
Full Price List (USD / GBP / EUR)
Prices are for one subject — one pet, or one person — painted from your photo. Each row shows the canvas size, how many hours of painting it takes, and the price in three currencies, so you can read the real cost in your own money wherever you’re ordering from.
| Size | Painting time | USD | GBP | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small 30 × 20 cm (12 × 8 in) | 6.5 hours | $475 | £355 | €415 |
| Medium 40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in) | 11 hours | $725 | £535 | €625 |
| Large 50 × 35 cm (20 × 14 in) | 14 hours | $895 | £665 | €775 |
| XL 70 × 50 cm (28 × 20 in) | 19 hours | $1,195 | £885 | €1,035 |
| XXL 90 × 60 cm (35 × 24 in) | 26 hours | $1,650 | £1,225 | €1,435 |
Every price includes worldwide express courier shipping (DHL or FedEx), full transit insurance, tracking, export-grade packaging, painted canvas edges so it hangs well without a frame, and a signed certificate of authenticity. Not included: a frame, and any import tax your country charges on arrival — both explained further down.
A portrait of two subjects — two pets, or a pet and its person — costs the base price plus 35%. Three subjects: the base price plus 65%. Each one is painted at full detail rather than shrunk to share the canvas, which is where the extra hours go.
Not sure which size fits your wall? Send the wall photo with your inquiry and I’ll advise.
Add-Ons and Rush Orders
- Second subject: +35% of the base price. Third subject: +65% of the base price in total.
- Keepsake miniature — a 10 × 10 cm oil study of the same subject, painted alongside the main portrait: +$95 / £70 / €80.
- Rush order: +25%, available for Small and Medium sizes only, and capped at three rush slots per quarter. The cap exists because oil paint dries at its own pace — a rush fee moves you up the queue; it cannot speed up chemistry.
What Determines the Price of an Oil Painting Commission
Three things, in this order: hours, surface area, and materials.
Hours dominate. The same face takes different amounts of work at 30 × 20 cm and at 90 × 60 cm, but not proportionally different amounts — the eyes take about as long either way. That’s why the price per square inch falls as the canvas grows:
| Size | Area | Price per square inch |
|---|---|---|
| Small 12 × 8 in | 96 sq in | $4.95 |
| Medium 16 × 12 in | 192 sq in | $3.78 |
| Large 20 × 14 in | 280 sq in | $3.20 |
| XL 28 × 20 in | 560 sq in | $2.13 |
| XXL 35 × 24 in | 840 sq in | $1.96 |
If you’re comparing quotes from several artists, ask two questions: how many hours of painting the price buys, and whether shipping and insurance are inside the number or added afterward. Mine are inside it.
Timeline: From Photo to Doorstep
No one can honestly deliver an oil portrait in a week. Here’s where the time goes.
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01
Painting: 3–4 weeks
Oils are built up in layers, and each layer has to set before the next goes on. You get a progress photo at the halfway point.
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02
Drying: 10–14 days
After the final brushstroke the surface needs 10–14 days before it can be varnished and packed. Shipping a wet oil painting ruins it. This stage isn’t negotiable.
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03
Transit: 5–10 business days
Express courier from Poland to the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, insured and tracked door to door. Ireland and the rest of the EU are faster — 2–4 days, with no customs stop.
Total: 6 to 8 weeks from deposit to doorstep. The range covers your place in the queue, the size of the painting, and your country’s transit time. If a seller promises a hand-painted oil portrait in two weeks, either it isn’t hand-painted or it isn’t oil. For Christmas delivery, see the order deadlines below.
Customs and Import Tax, by Country
What you’ll actually pay at the border:
United States
Original hand-painted works are classified under HTS heading 9701 and enter the United States free of customs duty. Works of art have also been exempt from the recent US tariff measures. There is no duty to pay; your courier may add a small customs clearance fee, which is theirs, not mine.
United Kingdom
Original works of art are imported at a reduced valuation under section 21(4) of the VAT Act 1994, which produces an effective import VAT rate of 5% instead of the standard 20%. On a Medium portrait at £535 that’s about £27, collected by the courier before delivery, usually alongside a small handling fee.
Ireland and the rest of the EU
Nothing. Poland is inside the EU single market, so an Irish or German delivery is a domestic shipment in customs terms — no duty, no import VAT, no clearance, no courier handling fee. The price you see is the price you pay.
Canada and Australia
Original artworks carry little or no customs duty, but GST is charged at your national rate on arrival. Check your customs service’s current threshold before ordering.
Where import charges apply, they are paid by you on arrival and are not included in my prices. The courier handles the paperwork; the invoice and certificate of authenticity travel with the painting.
Deposit and Payment
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01
Deposit: 50%
Paid to book your slot and start the painting.
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02
Balance: 50%
Paid before shipping, once you’ve approved the final photos.
The deposit is non-refundable after painting begins. The reason is plain: a portrait of your dog has exactly one possible buyer. Once brush touches canvas, the materials are used and the studio time is spent on a painting no one else can purchase. Before painting starts, the deposit is fully refundable or can be moved to a later slot.
I accept bank transfer, PayPal, and card. You’re billed in whichever of the three currencies you choose.
Order Before These Dates for Christmas Delivery
An oil commission takes 6 to 8 weeks door to door — painting, drying, and international transit included. Working back from December 24 with a safety margin, these are the last safe order dates:
| Shipping to | Order by |
|---|---|
| United States, Canada and Australia | October 20 |
| United Kingdom | October 24 |
| Ireland and the rest of the EU | October 31 |
After these dates I can still take a limited number of rush orders (Small and Medium only, +25%, three slots per quarter), but I won’t promise a Christmas delivery I can’t keep.
Missed the date? A gift certificate is emailed as a signed PDF the same day, for any size in the table. The recipient chooses the photo in January and the painting is made then. It’s the honest version of a last-minute order.
Finished Commissions
Original Painting vs. Print — Why the Price Is Different
If you’ve seen pet portraits online for $50–$90, those are digital images printed onto canvas by machine. They arrive in days because nothing is painted. That’s a legitimate product; it just isn’t this one.
What I sell is the object itself: 6.5 to 26 hours of brushwork in artist-grade oils on 100% linen canvas, with visible texture that changes as light moves across it, signed on the front and documented with a certificate of authenticity. It exists in an edition of exactly one.
A print reproduces an image. A painting is the image — the physical record of the hours spent looking at your animal. That difference is what the price on this page pays for.
About the Artist
Roughly 5,000 painters worldwide applied to work on Loving Vincent, Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s film — the first feature made entirely of oil paintings, later nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. I was one of the 125 chosen. I painted at the film’s studio in Gdańsk, working mainly on the scenes with Armand Roulin — you can see my profile on the official Loving Vincent site and view my IMDb page.
I hold an MFA with distinction from the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Poland, from the studio of Professor Marian Kępiński. In 2023 I painted for Kobiela and Welchman again on The Peasants, Poland’s official Oscar submission that year. More than 150 of my paintings now hang in private collections.
I work from my studio in Rzeszów, Poland, and ship worldwide. Read the full story behind Loving Vincent and The Peasants.
Memorial Commissions
Many of these portraits are commissioned after a pet has died. If that’s your situation, say so when you write. It changes nothing about the price and everything about how I handle the photographs, the questions I ask, and the pace I work at.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a custom oil painting commission cost?
A custom oil portrait from my studio costs $475 (£355 / €415) for a 30 × 20 cm canvas, $725 (£535 / €625) for 40 × 30 cm, $895 (£665 / €775) for 50 × 35 cm, $1,195 (£885 / €1,035) for 70 × 50 cm, and $1,650 (£1,225 / €1,435) for 90 × 60 cm. Every price includes insured express shipping worldwide and a certificate of authenticity. A second subject adds 35% to the base price; a third adds 65%.
How long does an oil painting commission take?
Six to eight weeks from deposit to doorstep. Painting takes 3–4 weeks, because oils are built up in layers and each layer must set before the next goes on. The finished surface then needs 10–14 days to dry before it can be varnished and packed — shipping it earlier would damage it. Express transit adds 5–10 business days outside the EU, 2–4 days inside it.
Will I have to pay customs duty or import tax?
In the United States, original paintings enter duty-free under HTS heading 9701, and works of art have been exempt from the recent US tariff measures; the only possible charge is a small courier clearance fee. In the United Kingdom, original art is imported at a reduced valuation under section 21(4) of the VAT Act 1994, giving an effective import VAT rate of 5% rather than 20%. In Ireland and the rest of the EU there is nothing to pay — Poland is inside the single market, so there is no customs stop at all. In Canada and Australia, original artworks carry little or no duty, but GST applies at your national rate.
Do you ship internationally, and is the painting insured?
Yes. I ship worldwide by DHL or FedEx express courier, and every shipment is insured for the painting’s full value, tracked door to door, and packed in rigid export-grade materials. Shipping, insurance, and packaging are included in the listed price; nothing is added later.
What if my painting is damaged in transit?
Every painting is fully insured. Report any damage to me within 48 hours of delivery, with photos of the painting and the packaging. I file the insurance claim and, depending on the damage, either restore the painting or paint a replacement at no cost to you. Rigid packing makes this rare.
What kind of photo do you need?
A sharp, well-lit photo taken at your subject’s eye level, close enough that the eyes are clearly in focus. A phone photo is fine — most of the ones I work from are. Send whatever you have before you pay anything; if a photo won’t carry a painting, I’ll tell you before you commit — and I’ll usually point to the one in your camera roll that will.
Can I see progress photos before the painting is finished?
Yes. A progress photo at the halfway point is part of every commission, not a favor on request. It’s your moment to flag anything about likeness or composition while changes are still easy to make. You also approve final photos of the finished painting before the balance is due and the piece ships.
What happens if I don’t like the finished painting?
You review final photos before shipping, and one round of adjustments is included before the painting is varnished — most requests at this stage are small and quickly resolved. Because a commissioned portrait is made to your specification, it falls outside the statutory cooling-off period that applies to ready-made goods in the EU and the UK, so a commission cannot be returned for a refund once you’ve approved it. The halfway photo and the pre-shipping approval exist so that we never reach that point.
How much extra does a second or third subject cost?
A second subject adds 35% to the base price, and a third adds 65% to the base price in total — so a Medium (40 × 30 cm) portrait of two dogs costs $979 (£722 / €844). Each animal is painted at full detail rather than reduced to share the canvas, which is where the additional hours go.
What’s the deposit, and is it refundable?
The deposit is 50% of the price, paid to book your slot, with the remaining 50% due before shipping once you’ve approved the final photos. Before painting starts, the deposit is fully refundable or can be moved to a later slot. After painting begins it is non-refundable, because a portrait of your pet cannot be sold to anyone else — the materials and studio hours are committed to a one-buyer object.
When do I need to order for Christmas delivery?
Order by October 20 for the United States, Canada, and Australia; by October 24 for the United Kingdom; and by October 31 for Ireland and the rest of the EU. These dates work back from December 24 across the full 6-to-8-week span of painting, drying, and insured transit, with a safety margin. After the deadline there are a small number of rush slots (Small and Medium, +25%), and a gift certificate is always available for a painting made in January.
Ready to Commission a Portrait?
You’ve seen the prices, the timeline, and what crossing a border actually costs. The rest starts with a photograph. Choose your size above and send me your photo — I’ll confirm the price and the timeline within 24 hours.