The Ninth Salon Journal · By Sophie, founder · Published 28 September 2026
The most expensive mistake in a portrait commission is rarely the frame. It is choosing a photograph because everyone is smiling in it, then realising too late that nobody actually looks like themselves.
A good commission is a chain of small decisions made in the right order. Start with the person and the picture, settle how the work will be made, then put the important details in writing before anybody reaches for a brush.
Before you search for an artist, decide where this portrait will live and what feeling it should hold. A formal wedding portrait over a mantelpiece asks for a different image, scale and treatment from a lively painting for a kitchen wall.
Write one plain sentence for yourself: “This is a portrait of Dad at 70, for the hallway,” or “This is a wedding gift they can keep for decades.” That sentence stops the brief from accumulating every good idea you have ever had.
Also decide whether the finished work should feel faithful to a particular moment or more timeless. This affects clothing, background, crop and the amount of artistic interpretation that will feel welcome.
An independent painter suits someone who wants an extended conversation, a particular hand and a traditional studio process. A photo-based portrait studio suits someone with a strong image who wants to see the direction quickly. Neither route is inherently more thoughtful; the useful question is how much interpretation, involvement and waiting you want.
At Ninth Salon, our studio, one photograph becomes a painted portrait in about a minute while keeping the face recognisably the same. The first portrait is free to preview before payment, which is a sensible way to test an era against your actual photograph.
Spend time looking at finished work, especially faces resembling your subject in age, colouring and pose. Our portrait gallery is useful for seeing the before-and-after relationship, not merely the most dramatic transformations.
Keep the money conversation separate from the artistic brief. If you are weighing routes and formats, our guide to custom portrait costs explains the variables without pretending there is one universal answer.
Pick the photo that makes you pause because it feels like the person. Technical quality matters, of course, yet character matters more. The ideal source is sharp, evenly lit and large enough to show the features clearly when cropped.
Natural daylight is forgiving. Heavy filters, hard flash, sunglasses, deep shadow across one eye and a face occupying a tiny corner of a group photograph all make the job harder. If you have several candidates, send them together and label your favourite.
For a memorial portrait, the best available photograph may be imperfect. Say which details are essential: a particular smile, a curl of hair, a much-loved jacket. That gives the maker useful priorities and keeps the work anchored to the person you remember.
A brief need not be grand. One page is plenty. Its job is to distinguish a preference from a deal-breaker before work begins.
Include the chosen photo, the names of everyone pictured, where the piece will hang, the desired orientation and any background preference. If you have reference images, explain what you are responding to in each one: the muted palette, the close crop, the brushwork, the formal pose. Sending references without a note can create a small detective novel for the artist.
Be specific about identity. Mention distinctive glasses, freckles, a beard, a favourite collar or the slight tilt of a head. Equally, say what you do not want changed. Portrait work can involve interpretation, but surprises are much less charming when they concern someone’s face.
If the painting is a gift, share the deadline and keep a little secrecy where you can. The person commissioning the work should still be available to approve the key decisions.
This is the quietly important part. Ask when you will see the first composition, what kind of changes can be requested, how many revision rounds are included and what happens once you approve a stage. Put the answers in an email or order summary.
Good feedback is concrete and prioritised. “The eyes feel less like her than in photo two” gives someone a direction. “Can you make it better?” is heartfelt, perhaps, but not operational.
| Stage | Agree in advance | Approval to give |
|---|---|---|
| Source image | Final photo and crop | That this is the image to work from |
| Composition | Orientation, background and placement | That the arrangement is right |
| Style | References and level of interpretation | That the visual direction fits the brief |
| Revisions | Stages, rounds and scope of changes | That requested changes are complete |
| Delivery | Required date and delivery address | That the final work may be produced or sent |
| Framing | Size, finish and hanging plan | That the final dimensions suit the space |
Timing varies enormously with the maker, medium and their current workload, so ask for a calendar rather than a vague promise. Include time for your own replies. A portrait can sit ready for approval while its recipient’s birthday approaches with remarkable speed.
Choose the final dimensions by looking at the wall, not by guessing from a phone screen. Mark the proposed size with paper or painter’s tape. A portrait needs enough surrounding space to breathe, and a small image can disappear above a large sofa.
For work on paper, decide on a mount and glazing that protect it from light and humidity. For canvas, decide whether you prefer the painting unframed or set in a floating frame. Keep the frame quiet if the image itself is richly coloured or highly detailed.
Ask how the work will arrive, whether hanging hardware is included and what you need to do on delivery. If you choose a canvas print from our studio, it arrives ready to hang in 5 to 7 business days across Europe, the UK and North America; the high-definition file is included with the print.
Finally, photograph the portrait in its new home. The picture you commissioned becomes part of the family record the moment it joins the wall.
Send the best available photograph, a short note about the person and the intended setting for the finished work. Include any features that must be preserved, plus reference images with a sentence explaining what you like about them.
Choose one lead photograph and send a few supporting images if they clarify colouring, a favourite expression or a detail hidden in the main shot. Too many equal options can make the brief unfocused, so identify your preferred source clearly.
Ask before confirming the commission, alongside the schedule and approval stages. Establish what can change at each stage, since a change to the crop is far simpler before final details are completed.
The answer depends on the process, the artist’s workload, the medium and the finishing method. Ask for specific approval dates as well as the final delivery date, then allow time for framing and shipping if the portrait is a gift.