Commissioning a painting is an exciting two way process. I hope to have answered most of your pet portait questions on this website. Feel free to ask anything else if you are nervous, with no obligation to proceed.

Surfaces
I use two surfaces, Paper or Canvas.
Paper: I use high quality 300gsm acid free paper that will not fade or yellow over time
Canvas:Professionally stretched and primed canvases which provides a stable chemically neutral surface on which to paint ensuring neither paint nor canvas will degrade. Alternatively I use canvas board which is canvas attached to a rigid support meaning it can be framed conventionally and is less bulky compared to stretched canvas.

Mediums
whether pen, pencil or paint, all materials are artist quality using natural robust pigments that retain their colour strength over the years and do not colour shift, fade or yellow over time.

Before your commission consider the following:

Subject.
(What would you like me to paint, what qualities do you want captured?)
Design
(Any specific or general ideas?)
Dimensions
(Does it need to fit a particular space?)
Budget
(How much do you want to spend, does it include framing?)
Time scale
(Is there a deadline?)

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU

I can paint from one or more photos but generally the more photos you supply the better, I can extrapolate from a number of different photos and put it all together in one painting though Its often best to base it on one using others as reference.

The best photos are usually taken from the same eye level as the pet and in natural light. Flash photography generally washes out detail and form cues. Apart from full body shots useful pictures are close ups of eyes and markings etc. Large portraits in particular will require clear detailed photographs.

Please remember to note on the back of your photographs the one you wish to be used for expression/pose which are most typical and characteristic of your pet. The better the photograph, the more detail can be shown in the portrait. Additionally, please indicate which photos most closely match the eye and fur colour of the animal, even black fur can have red, blue or brown tones.

If you are providing a professional photo, it could be copyrighted. In which case, the photo must be accompanied by a copyright release from the copyright holder.

TERMINOLOGY
Those unfamiliar with some terminology may find these a useful reference.
 
gsm (eg 300gsm)
The method of categorising paper stock by its weight in grams per square meter. Techinically anything over 350gsm is card
Artists Quality
Not low grade. Artist quality paints are pigment rich as opposed to using substitute dyes or fillers that are less stable and fade or discolour over time
Acid Free
Chemically neutral papers will not deteriorate like cheaper papers, frequently characterised by yellowing.
Pigment
Naturaly sourced and refined colour pigments.
A4 and A3
A4 is a standard paper size for all countries except the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines and Chile, defined by the international standard ISO 216 as 210×297 mm. It is the normal size of paper for both domestic and business purposes.
The ratio between the long side and short side of A paper sizes is the square root of 2. This means An A4 sheet divided in half along the long side produces two A5 sheets. An A3 sheet is double the size of an A4.