Katy Lipscomb's Promise to You as a Client:

Katy pledges to work with integrity, honesty, and with a high standard of excellence.

Katy pledges to treat each client with respect, professionalism, kindness throughout the commission process, even in instances of disagreements or cancellations.

Katy pledges to put all of her creative efforts into a client's project, and treat each project with equal attention and importance. Should a time or event arise when Katy is not able to put her full attention into a client's project, the project will be set aside until full and proper attention can be placed on the project.

Katy pledges to reasonably adhere to discussed or posted timelines. In instances when a project takes much longer than originally discussed, Katy pledges to remain in contact with the client and to provide updates as the project progresses. Reference the "Additional Considerations" section below for further details.

Commission Process:

The commission process in most cases is very straightforward: a client makes an inquiry, that inquiry is accepted, a down payment is paid, Katy provides a sketch for approval, a final drawing is created and approved, and then the final work is sent via a high resolution scan or via the postal service (should the physical copy be requested). The explicit details and processes entered into by both parties are listed below:

First, Potential commissioners will submit their commission requests by using the signup form located at signup.katylipscomb.com. This is the commissioner's way of ensuring their place in the commission queue and for making their interest formally known. At this point, the commissioner should try to provide us with as many details and specifics as possible. After received, all requests are personally reviewed. Any requests that do not meet our timelines, price-points, or usual subject matter are screened and applicants will be notified if this is the rare case. All other commissioners are contacted to either confirm receival or to confirm an approaching slot availability.

Next, Katy Lipscomb LLC will provide an initial quote for your project once all the necessary elements of a commission have been discussed. This quote will almost always remain the same throughout the process. Occasionally there are instances where a client asks for additional details, sketches and other things beyond the initially-agreed upon scope which do come at an additional charge. These additional costs will always be discussed beforehand. No additional charges will be added to your project without direct consultation first. 

After an initial quote is provided and project terms have been agreed upon, a non-refundable down payment  is required of 25% the anticipated project cost. By making a downpayment you are acknowledging that yourself and Katy Lipscomb LLC have entered into a professional relationship in which you are paying for a service. All payments to Katy Lipscomb LLC are to be paid via PayPal. This allows clients from all across the globe to pay with an existing Paypal account or by using a debit/credit card. At this time we do not accept other forms of payment unless outstanding circumstances are explicitly agreed to beforehand.

Once the deposit has been paid and your commission has been started, this down payment acts as a "Kill Fee". This cannot be refunded once the commission has been started. Should the project end for any reason, a kill fee will be assessed and is equal to the amount of the initial deposit plus any additional expenses incurred above and beyond the deposit amount. The only exception to this is if Katy Lipscomb becomes unable to complete your project due to an act of god such as physical impairment, sickness, or other unexpected life event. 

Please note that after a downpayment is made, changes to the project such as direction, sizing, and complexity cannot be made. Katy Lipscomb LLC schedules clients based on the complexity of the project so a change of this type would be considered a contract entered into under false pretenses. Katy Lipscomb does her best to work "on the fly" with a client's needs, but major changes need to be discussed before a project begins. Once your commission starts, Katy Lipscomb LLC will be in regular contact via email. 

Next is the sketch phase. Katy Lipscomb LLC will provide an initial sketch which requires the client's approval. One round of alterations to the initial sketch is usually included for standard Private Commissions and two rounds of alterations to the initial sketch for Tattoo Commissions. We find that in almost every case that this is sufficient but should further alterations be required, they may be added for an additional fee, starting at $15/change. Katy Lipscomb will do her best to adhere to a client's vision to keep necessary alterations to a minimum. 

After the sketch is completed and approved, Katy Lipscomb will continue with final renderings. This stage includes coloring, detailing, and finishing so please be sure that all specific requests are noted beforehand. For the best results, it is recommended that clients be trusting of Katy's experience and expertise with color. Requested color schemes are very helpful if the client has something specific in mind; however, too much input can lead to the end result looking stiff or clunky. For example, requesting a blue lion is perfectly acceptable but requesting a lion with a blue mane with patches of brown and speckles of yellow might not look exactly as you imagined. Katy has a very distinct style in which she works, so we recommend browsing her gallery/art on Facebook or Instagram to become familiar with her style and to be sure that she is the right artist for your project. When in doubt, feel free to ask and we will let you know if there might be an issue.

Once the image is complete, you will receive a high resolution photo or scan of your finished drawing with watermarks. At this point, Katy Lipscomb LLC requires the final payment plus any additional charges. Upon receiving final payment, you will be sent a digital packet which includes a scan or high resolution photo of your finished drawing without watermarks. The physical copy may be sent if requested beforehand and will be subject to additional charges for shipping and handling.

Additional Considerations - Please Read Carefully

Katy Lipscomb may upload images of final commissions on all of her social media channels. There are several reasons for this, some are personal and others are strictly related to marketing. In the past clients have been uncomfortable with this. Please be sure that you are comfortable with your finished commission being displayed publicly. If for personal reasons you feel like this may conflict with your decision to order a commission, please let us know. We will certainly will not be offended, but we will usually not be able to accept a commission. We are happy to link to social media accounts for pets or clients whose work we post, upon request; however, we are unable to promote your account and cannot always guarantee a tag. If you wish to order a commission for promotional purposes, please review our Commercial Commission Information, available here.

Private Commissions are only for personal use by the client. Private commissions may be used by the client for tattoos, desktops, screensavers, personal blogs, home/office display or in any other way that is not considered commercial gain. Commercial Gain is anything that will knowingly result in profit, solicitation of services, or brand awareness for a for profit entity. We offer commercial commissions for logo design, product design, social media promotion and beyond. Information regarding Commercial Commissions can be found here.

Completed commissions may sold as prints or merchandise by Katy Lipscomb LLC and rights to completed commissions are retained by Katy Lipscomb LLC. If a client is ordering a pet portrait and feels uncomfortable with the completed image being used as prints or merchandise, we can discuss this beforehand. We understand that pet portraits (especially memorials) are a sensitive subject, and we would never use these types of commissions as merchandise without discussing this possibility with a client.

If a client truly wishes that an image not be recreated as a print or merchandise in my shop, usually the price of the commission must be doubled to make the commission feasible. Selling prints and merchandise of completed commissions allows us to subsidize costs of commissions for all clients. In the past we attempted to keep each commission as special as possible to the client by not offering prints; however, in recent years, private commissions have become much more challenging to schedule due to other projects and obligations. We want to assure potential commissioners that prints that are sold are loved and cherished by many avid art collectors around the world. We realize that to some this may feel like it makes the commission less special, but keep in mind that the original commissioner is the only person who owns the original artwork.

Katy Lipscomb will do her best to complete a project within a timely manner. Usually estimated wait times are posted or discussed on a case by case basis, but they are just that: estimates. We cannot always guarantee with certainty a timeline for private commissions. Life events occasionally prohibit or limit studio workflow, as is the nature with creative projects. Should your project require a finite deadline, we offer expedited services such as rush orders for additional fees. Katy Lipscomb promises to do her best to adhere to reasonable deadlines in the case of holidays, birthdays, or other important life events so long as the commission is placed well enough in advance (usually at least 3-4 months).

For Tattoo Commissioners

Please be aware that Katy Lipscomb LLC is not responsible for anything that happens after we have created and an agreed upon a design for you to use as a tattoo. Once the final payment is made and the high resolution file is sent, our professional relationship comes to a close. Getting a tattoo is a serious decision and should be treated with care and contemplation. Katy Lipscomb LLC is not responsible injury or harm that may arise from tattoo application, nor is Katy Lipscomb LLC responsible for mistranslated tattoos. Be sure to carefully research tattoo shops and tattoo artists beforehand.

Tattoo artists may suggest changes to Katy's design for the purpose of better translating the commissioned design to a your body. This should be worked out between you and your tattoo artist. Katy Lipscomb will do her best to create something that she thinks will work well as a tattoo and will take suggestions and notes prior to beginning a tattoo design. This may include bolder outlines, increasing the contrast in certain areas or using less colors that fade easily. This being said, Katy is not a tattoo artist. Please be aware that once the design has been accepted and paid for, Katy cannot revise the final design unless the client wishes to purchase an additional commission or changes. This is subject to commission availability at the time of request.

Tattoo commissions may be used as prints and merchandise by Katy Lipscomb LLC. That being said, Katy Lipscomb LLC will never resell the rights to use the image as a tattoo to someone other than the original client. All tattoo commissions are clearly marked as such so that other people are aware they are not permitted to use the design. That being said, Katy Lipscomb LLC cannot guarantee that a third party will adhere to these notices. It is in the nature of posting images online that an image may unlawfully be used by a third party. In the past this has been an issue, which is part of the reason Katy has started to limit the number of tattoo commissions she accepts. Tattoo commissions are very time consuming, and the only way we are able to subsidize cost is to sell prints and additional merchandise. If this makes a client feel uncomfortable, we offer premium pricing for tattoo commissions that will not be sold as merchandise or used commercially. This premium pricing starts at $500.

Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!