Terms & Conditions | Scotland

COMMISSION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A COMMISSION PAINTED BY MICHELLE:

You will receive a unique, signed coloured pencil or pastel painting by fine art artist, Michelle Zikmann. No prints will be created from commissions though there may be greeting cards.

Michelle spends a lot of time on commissions to create a painting that you are 100% happy with it. Once painting begins, it can take several weeks to complete your pet commission and it includes regular updates and interactions with yourself.

Pricing includes conservation quality double mount and backing board, meaning your finished piece is ready to frame.

PAYMENT

Deposit and full payment

Once you have filled in the form, a 50% deposit is required to secure your place on Michelle’s client list. The remaining 50%, plus shipping costs, will be required once painting has been completed and you are happy with it.

Commissions can be paid by either cash in hand, BACS (bank transfer) or Paypal.

BACS: If you choose this method of payment it is your duty to ensure the safe transfer of monies from your account into ours. We recommend doing this through your own online banking or go to your bank branch and ask a member of staff to transfer funds – it should be done free of charge by your bank.

THE COMMISSION PROCESS:

Complete the form and select one of the 2 size options.
Read the T&C’s provided and then click send.
We will email you a copy of the form you filled in, the T&C’s and a copy of this commission process list.
Send photos of your pet(s). A non-refundable 50% deposit is also requested before painting begins and to secure your place on Michelle’s client list.
Michelle will draft a rough composition using the best possible photo / photo's and send it for approval. Once approved, you will receive regular photo updates of the painting.
Once you are happy with the painting, the remaining 50% of the payment will be requested plus shipping.
The painting will be sent double mounted using conservation quality board and shipped to your address (tracked and signed for is the only shipping method available for artwork).

Michelle paints commissions on a first-come, first-serve basis so please be aware there may be a waiting list and it could be some time before she can begin your painting. You can contact us to get a rough estimate regarding timescale and place in the queue. If you require the painting for a deadline, please state this in your form to allow us to check if this is possible.

Commissions can take several weeks to complete. Michelle will endeavour to paint your pet portrait by your deadline but cannot guarantee the painting will be completed in time. When she is ready to start your commission, she will send you an email or give you a call to get confirmation that you are still interested in a commission. If you do not reply to the email/phone call within 28 days then your form will be removed from its position on the client list.

TAKING PHOTOS OF YOUR PET

In order to produce the very best possible painting of your pet, we can only accept high-resolution photos. By this, we need to be able to zoom into your photo without it becoming blurry and pixelated.

Area dependant, it may be possible for us to take the photos ourselves if you prefer, however, this will incur an extra charge (to cover petrol costs to and from your address and also for ‘time’).

TIME SCALE

Michelle spends most of her time painting animals for fine art print reproduction, but she does take on a small number of pet commissions per year. Michelle can provide a very rough estimate for the start/completion date.

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellation before painting begins

To secure your place on Michelle’s client list, a 50% deposit is requested. This deposit is fully refundable if you cancel before Michelle starts the painting.

Cancellation once painting begins

Once painting begins, the 50% deposit becomes non-refundable. As the painting progresses, Michelle will send you update emails showing the painting stages. Please do tell her if you would like something changed or if something doesn’t look right. You are fully entitled to do so and please know that she will not be offended.

If you are not happy with the painting and do not want it, you will not need to pay the remaining 50% of the price. However, the other 50% deposit will not be refunded due to time and effort spent on it. The painting may be resold at the Artist’s discretion.

Unwanted finished painting once shipped

If, after receiving the approved painting, you decide you would like more changes, you have 7 days from date of delivery to inform us. The customer will need to cover the shipping costs both ways. If the customer is still not happy when additional changes have been made, then 50% of the final payment total will be refunded to the customer on the condition that the painting is returned to the artist in its original condition and original packaging within 7 days. The other 50% is non-refundable and will be retained by the artist to cover cost of materials and time. Shipping costs cannot be refunded.

DAMAGE

It is your responsibility to check your package for damage BEFORE signing for it as this may invalidate a claim should the item be found damaged after signing. Paintings are packaged to a very high standard. On the rare occasion that your order is lost or damaged during transit, please contact us immediately so we can resolve the issue quickly.

Should you receive your item damaged in any way, immediately inform Michelle within 1 working day of receiving the damaged parcel. KEEP ORIGINAL PACKAGING and take photos of the damage to use as evidence. All artworks sent off by Michelle are incredibly well packaged. Loss or damages caused by the delivery company is the responsibility of the delivery company itself and bears no representation on Michelle.

Please note if your order is lost or damaged it will be replaced with a new painting of the same pet photo at no additional cost.

DELIVERY

Worldwide delivery available using reputable shipping companies and cover. If you are from outside the UK, please contact us with your shipping address for a custom quote.

The copyright of the painting is retained by the artist and may be displayed on Michelle’s website/social media sites for promotional purposes. Any photographs you wish Michelle to work from must have the permission from the photographer before commencement of the Artwork. Customer emails may be used as testimonials on Michelle’s website. Any unauthorised reproductions of the commissioned artwork are in violation of copyright law.

We may choose to upload stages of the painting on social media. However, we will refrain from doing this if you make it clear on the commission form that it is a surprise gift or if you are uncomfortable having your commission displayed to the public (please contact us if this is the case). We will put your response to the finished painting on our website ‘commission’ page as a testimony.

We conform to the requirements of the Data protection act 1998.

All transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers. All customer information (Full name, shipping/billing address, phone number, email) is kept strictly confidential on secure servers. Customer information is only used for the purpose of processing and fulfilling your order or when you subscribe to our newsletter. We do NOT and will NOT pass your details to any third party unless you give us prior permission.

Our website is scanned on a regular basis for security holes and known vulnerabilities in order to make your visit to our site as safe as possible. Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

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