Half the portraits we paint are surprises. A wife commissioning her husband with the dog he still talks about; siblings commissioning their mother with the grandchildren; a daughter commissioning her father with the car he restored in 1998. Surprise commissions have all the normal questions — photo, size, price — plus a logistics problem the recipient must never see. This guide is about that second half.
Getting the photograph without asking for it
The single hardest step of a surprise commission is also the first one. You need a photograph where the person is sharp, well lit and looks like themselves — and you cannot ask them for one. The practical solutions, in order of how well they work:
- Harvest what already exists. Scroll their own camera roll at a family dinner, their social media, the group chat, the wedding album. The best surprise references are almost always candid shots nobody remembers posing for.
- Deputise someone close. One message to a spouse, sibling or best friend — “send me two photos of Dad, any occasion, just good light” — usually produces better material than a week of scheming.
- Stage it badly on purpose. “Send me your favourite photo of yourself for that family slideshow” is a lie that works once and works well. People tend to send the photograph they secretly wish everyone used.
- Shoot it yourself at the next gathering. Phone photos are fine. Stand them near a window, chat, take twenty frames. The full requirements are in the reference photo guide — roughly 600 pixels across the face and light coming from one direction.
One caution: do not screenshot a photo if you can get the original file. A screenshot throws away half the resolution and cannot be undone by the painter. If all you have is a screenshot, send it anyway and say so — we will tell you honestly whether it will carry the size you want.
You approve the mock-up, not them
Our process sends a digital mock-up before any paint goes on the canvas, and every change at that stage is free. On a surprise commission, that conversation happens entirely with you.
- You are the client. We do not contact the recipient, ever. No confirmation emails to them, no phone calls, nothing on the packaging.
- Expect to answer likeness questions alone. On a normal commission we ask “does this look like him?”. On a surprise one, ask the deputised family member instead. A second pair of eyes on the mock-up is the cheapest quality control there is.
- The background is yours to set. This is where surprise gifts get personalised: the garden from their old house, the plain studio ground if the wall is busy, the boat, the workshop. The mock-up stage is free and unlimited precisely so you can get this right.
- Reply fast. Every day of silence at the mock-up stage is a day removed from painting. If the deadline is tight, check your email daily once the order is in.
The logistics that stay secret
| Problem | The working solution |
|---|---|
| Their wall needs measuring | Ask about “the living room rearrange” or get a sibling to pace it out. The two-thirds rule means you only need the furniture width, not a tape-measure photo. |
| The parcel arrives at their door | Ship it to a neighbour, your office, or a pack-and-ship store that holds parcels. Any address works — tell us at the mock-up stage. |
| The reveal date moves | The canvas is durable and ships in a rigid protective tube or box; it will wait in a cupboard for two months without complaint. |
| They find the email receipt | We email only you. Nothing is posted, no card is included unless you write the text for one. |
| You are short on time | Rush painting is $90 and pulls the studio queue forward; transit cannot be rushed, so plan three to five business days regardless. |
Gifts get a plain outer box by default. If you want a card inside — and the reveal is happening at the delivery address — send us the wording and we will hand-write it.
What it costs, and what people actually order
A surprise changes nothing about pricing. Single-subject workhorses: 12 × 16 in at $289, 16 × 20 in at $389, 24 × 36 in at $789. The two-subject 16 × 20 in at $499 is the classic couple surprise; a 20 × 24 in with three faces at $849 is the grandmother’s-Christmas format. If siblings are splitting the cost, the group gift guide covers who pays and who decides. Occasion-specific deadline maths live in the anniversary and birthday guides.
The reveal, done properly
The best reveals we hear about are unremarkable in one specific way: the canvas is already on the wall. The recipient walks into the room and it has always been there. To pull that off, you need the hanging hardware ready on reveal day — the painting arrives with wall hooks and, if stretched, ready to hang — and a story ready for why you are ushering everyone to that particular wall.
- Plan sixty seconds of quiet. People look at a portrait properly for the first time when nobody is talking over them.
- Have the reference photograph on your phone. Someone always asks for the before-and-after.
- Expect one honest note. “My nose is not that big” is not a complaint; it is the sound of a likeness landing. The studio will adjust genuine concerns, but the first-reaction joke is a tradition.
The short version
- Harvest candid photos from the group chat and family albums; never send a screenshot when you can get the file.
- You are the only client. We never contact the recipient, and the packaging says nothing.
- Ship to a neighbour or office; the canvas waits patiently for the reveal date.
- Prices are unchanged by secrecy: $289–$789 single subject, $499 for the couple surprise, $849 for the grandmother format.
- Hang it before the reveal. The wall is the moment.
Start with the photograph and the reveal date on the quote page. You will get a fixed price, a recommended canvas and a plan for the delivery — and nobody will hear about it from us.