The part of the process most people don't ask about
Most advice about commissioning an artist focuses on finding one and writing the brief. Far less gets said about what should happen after you hit send -- and that gap is exactly where a lot of commissions go wrong. A properly run process has a clear sequence between "brief sent" and "piece delivered," with checkpoints along the way that protect you.
Step one: the palette and style proposal
A genuine commission artist does not go straight from your brief to a finished canvas. They first develop a palette and style proposal -- a clear direction based on what you have sent -- and put it in front of you for approval. This is the single most important checkpoint in the whole process. If something in the brief was misread, this is where it gets caught, before any paint goes down.
Step two: production, at whatever scale the brief calls for
Once the proposal is approved, production begins. For a single piece, that is straightforward. For a larger collection -- a full room, a multi-space project, a commercial fit-out -- sample works are produced and approved first, before the full volume goes into production. This second checkpoint exists specifically to catch anything at small scale before it is repeated across dozens of pieces.
Step three: framing and delivery
The finished work should arrive professionally framed and ready to install, not as a bare canvas you then need to sort framing for separately. Confirm this is included before the commission starts, not after the piece is finished.
What protects you if something needs to change
Because the proposal is approved before painting starts, most changes can be absorbed at that stage at no cost to your timeline. The further into production a change request comes, the harder and more expensive it is to accommodate -- which is exactly the argument for raising anything you are unsure about at the proposal stage, not after.
About Leah Justyce
This is exactly the process I run for every commission -- brief, proposal and sign-off, sample approval on larger collections, then production, framing and delivery. Twenty-six years of professional practice working directly to brief for private clients, interior designers, hotels and developers.
Read the full guide on finding an artist who creates art to a brief, or send yours through the commission enquiry form -- I respond within 48 hours.