We’re sure you’ve looked through our Portfolio, and checked out some Featured Work, now you’ve got some questions. Well, here are some answers! If you have any other questions that aren’t made plain here, please contact us and we will be happy to help out!
What services DO you provide?
That’s a great question! We recognize that it’s difficult to see in our robust Portfolio what the main focus of our business is. We are artists who pride themselves on diversity and high-quality and we define ourselves by being able to accomplish any job that requires an artistic temperament.
I have a job that requires an artist, but I don’t know if it’s something you do.
We’ve been in business for over 10 years, so chances are good that we’ve been asked to do pretty much anything you can come up with! We’ve painted signs, civic art, museum pieces, restorations, even those funny little boards with the circle cut-out so you put your head in and take a picture! You may not see evidence of the particular work that you’d like done in our portfolio now, but there are many things we’ve done that don’t get posted due to space constraints. The best thing to do is go ahead and ask us!
I’d like a mural, but I don’t know if I can afford it!
This should be a VFAQ (VERY Frequently Asked Question). Murals are seen as a luxury expense and therefore are perceived as being out of most people’s price range. This is unfortunate. We feel that everyone should have art in their lives, and our homes are an ideal canvas to present our ideas and aesthetics to the world. As we state in our Affordable Guide To Art Patronage, art enhances our lives and makes us happy. It has a long lasting effect on our well-being. And we like to make sure our services are affordable and do everything we can to work within your budget in order to accomplish your goals. The first step is to let us know what you want done, and we can go from there!
How do you price your work?
Each job we do has it’s own set of unique challenges. That’s one of the most interesting things about our work! Our years of experience have taught us how to look at a job and define those challenges upfront, so there is minimum chance of surprises to the client after the fact. It would be fairly impossible for us to decide on a hourly rate that would serve as a basis for our work, from murals and ceramics to venetian plaster. We work in many trades that afford their own rates and intensity of labor and we’ve found that often times this works in the client’s favor, as you’re not always paying our top rates for every service we provide.
Pricing, for the most part, is done on an individual basis. But some of the main factors that effect pricing are as follows:
For Murals:
For Faux Finishes:
For Fine Art Services:
These questions may seem to prohibit affordability, but that’s simply not true. We hear time and again that our work is much more affordable than most people assume. The best thing to do is let us know about your ideas and we can go from there, the bidding process is entirely free!
Can you give me a bid over the phone or email?
While we can give you a rough idea of cost based on spending some time talking to you over the phone or having you email us pictures, we only consider it a rough estimate. We reserve the right to modify the bid based on an actual viewing of the workplace to determine the real challenges. Sometimes, this face-to-face meeting results in a lowering of the initial bid so it’s advantageous for both of us to set up an appointment to see the workplace BEFORE any appointment to start the job is set.
Do you do sketches?
We do sketches, although in many circumstances they aren’t always necessary. Our portfolio includes hundreds of samples of fine work quality and for most people that’s enough. If you would like sketches before you decide to hire us, be advised that each sketch is $25 for pencils, $50 for color. If you decide to move ahead with the project, this amount is negated and the sketches are included free of charge. If you decide not to continue, then we require payment for the sketches at that time (this is an awfully rare occurrence, though!)
Sketches are our copyright, regardless of whether you hire us or not, and we expect that our sketches would not be used for another artist to complete the work. (We imagine that you think this is obvious and shouldn’t need to be stated, but you’d be surprised!)
I’d like to have you to do some work for me and want to know more about the process?
Some of our work has very unique processes however, most mural and faux jobs are more or less the same from beginning to end. Here’s how it usually goes:
Step 1: You call us.
Step 2: We set up an appointment to see the space and discuss your ideas.
Step 3: If sketches are necessary, we do them and send them to you for approval, along with a bid. If a deposit is required, we let you know.
Step 4: We set an appointment to do the work. (If sketches require any revision, we agree upon the changes and set an appointment to do the work. Revisions do not require more sketches, as the changes will be implemented in the work itself. If more sketches are required by the client, then another charge per sketch will be included.)
Step 5: We show up in a timely manner, ready to complete the work with minimal impact to you, your home, your place of work, and/or the community at large.
Step 6: We complete the work to your satisfaction!
Seems easy enough, yeah? We think so too!
Do you require deposits on every job?
Most times, deposits are not necessary. But we prefer to take a deposit on any job that takes a long time to complete or, in total, exceeds $1000 or more.
How long does it take to book a job with you?
Wait time varies depending on many factors. Most of the time we try to have a start date within a few weeks of your bid.
I’d like a faux finish but I don’t see a sample of what I want in your portfolio!
We do have many samples of most kinds of faux techniques, but we do many more that may not be included. Or alternately, you may see a technique that you enjoy but not in the color that you want. This is common as we don’t have samples in every color and shade. Faux finishing is a very personal job and each work is unique to the setting and client’s satisfaction. Therefore, it’s difficult to provide samples of what you want beforehand. We are happy to make sample boards of the exact finish you’d like for $25 a board. And just like the mural sketches, this price is negated if/when you book the job with us. The best thing to do is contact us about the finish you’re looking for and we’ll send you any samples we may have on hand.
Do you do regular ol’ house painting?
We pride ourselves on being experts on all aspects of our work and that has come to include interior and exterior painting. So, yes, we can and will paint a room for you, especially if it’s necessary for us to do a mural or faux finish.
Do you do Color Consulting or Interior Design Services?
When people call looking for something new, we’re always pleased to brainstorm with them to achieve something great. This service is free when you are hiring us to do the work, and we also have rates for single consultations, if you’d prefer.
I heard you do web design and website maintenance. Is that true?
We are well-versed in web design and maintenance, and we currently have a number of clients in that field. In the last few years we have moved solely into using the WordPress CMS to create new sites and convert older ones. We can also update older sites and help with other aspects of keeping a web presence, including branding, web ads, and social media integration. Please contact us if you’d like a bid.
Thanks for reading, if you have any questions that weren’t answered here, let us know!
