Custom Commissions
Send me photographs and I will draw it by hand — line by line — then print it on brushed aluminum and ship it ready to hang. One subject. One drawing. Never resold, never reprinted for anyone else.
Most commissions are cars, in the same LINESTRACT line work you see across the automotive collection, rendered from your vehicle rather than mine. But the technique responds to shape and light, not to subject matter, and it will draw whatever you put in front of it.
It changes with the light
A photograph flattens brushed aluminum. In person the surface is never still — walk past it and the grain catches, the lines lift out of the black and drop back, and the piece reads differently under a garage light than it does by a window. This is the part you cannot see in a product photo, so here it is moving.
Shot outdoors, unedited. No filter does this — it is the metal itself.
The work
It does not have to be a supercar
The gallery above is exotics because that is what people have asked for so far. It is not a limit. The line work is built on silhouette, contrast, and light, and none of that cares what the thing costs or whether it has an engine.
Vehicles of any kind. A farm truck, a work van, a first car someone learned to drive in, a motorcycle, a tractor, a boat, a plane, a bicycle. Some of the best commissions have been the cheapest vehicles — a beat-up pickup that has been in one family for three generations draws better than a car nobody has a memory of. Sentiment renders better than horsepower.
Things that are not vehicles. A pair of shoes. A guitar. A dog. A pair of boots that did twenty years of work. A building that means something to you. A helmet, a watch, a tool, a trophy.
People. Portraits work in this style too, and they land differently than a photograph does — the line work reads as a likeness without the literalism.
If you can photograph it clearly from a few angles, I can draw it. If you are unsure whether your subject will work, send the photos and ask. I will tell you honestly before you pay anything.
How it works
- You send photos and tell me about the subject. Use the form at the bottom of this page. Photo guidance is below — it matters more than anything else on this page.
- I confirm the piece and take a 50% deposit. I will tell you within two business days whether your photos are workable, confirm size and price, and send a deposit link. Nothing starts until that clears.
- I draw it. Your subject is built up from nothing, one line at a time, until the whole thing is there. You get a digital proof in 5 to 7 business days.
- You approve the proof. One round of revisions is included — a wheel, a stance, a badge, a missed detail. Approve it and I send the balance invoice.
- It gets made and delivered. Production and finishing run 7 to 10 business days after approval. It ships insured and ready to hang out of the box — or, if you are here in Utah, I will bring it to you myself.
Typical start to doorstep: about three weeks. If you have a birthday, an anniversary, a delivery date, or a show you are building toward, tell me the date in the form and I will tell you honestly whether it is possible.
Photographs: what I need from you
This is the part that decides how good the finished piece is. A great drawing cannot come out of a bad photo, and a clean set of photos from a phone beats a careless set from a professional camera. Take twenty minutes and do it properly.
The one shot that matters most
For a vehicle: a dead-straight profile from the side. Stand back 15 to 20 feet, crouch so the camera is level with the middle of the wheels, hold the phone straight up and down rather than tilted, and center the subject in the frame. This single photo becomes the backbone of the drawing.
Not a vehicle? Same rule, scaled down. Get the camera level with the middle of the subject rather than looking down at it, back off and zoom in slightly instead of shooting up close, and give me one clean straight-on view before anything else.
The rest of the set — 6 to 10 photos total
- Straight profile from one side, and again from the other
- Front three-quarter and rear three-quarter
- Straight-on front, straight-on back
- On a vehicle, a close shot of one full wheel, square to the face
- Close shots of anything that makes it yours — badges, a spoiler, exhaust tips, ride height, a plate, a wrap seam, a scuff, a repair, an engraving, any detail you want carried into the line work
Do
- Clean it first. Dirt reads as line detail and I will draw it.
- Shoot in soft daylight — overcast is ideal, and early morning or the hour before sunset is next best
- Find a plain background: an empty lot, a wall, open pavement, a bare table
- On a vehicle: wheels straight, doors closed, windows up
- Send the original full-resolution files
Don't
- No filters, no portrait mode, no beauty or HDR effects, no screenshots
- Do not stand close and shoot wide — the lens bends the shape and the drawing inherits the distortion
- Avoid harsh midday sun that throws hard shadows across the surface
- Avoid busy backgrounds: other cars, poles, fences, crowds, clutter
- Do not send photos pulled from Instagram, a forum, or a listing — the compression destroys the detail I work from
Only have a handful of old photos of something you no longer have? Send them anyway. I will tell you straight whether there is enough there to work with before you pay anything.
Sizes and pricing
Every commission price includes the original hand drawing, the finished piece, and its custom plaque. The drawing is the larger part of the cost, and it is only ever sold once — your subject is drawn for you and is never reprinted or resold to anyone else.
24 × 36″
from $1,499
The most-ordered size. Reads properly from across a garage, an office, or a living room without dominating the wall.
40 × 60″
from $2,500
The statement piece. Built for showrooms, tall walls, and shop bays. Shipped by freight, or hand-delivered and hung if you are on the Wasatch Front.
A 50% deposit starts the work; the balance is due when you approve the proof. Utah residents pay applicable sales tax. Prices are for a single subject — a second one in the same composition is quoted separately.
Why 24 × 36″ is the smallest commission size
The drawing takes the same work whether it ends up small or large, so on a small panel you would be paying commission money for a piece that does not carry the detail you paid for. The smaller 15 × 10″ format exists as a delivery gift through dealerships rather than as a commission.
Every piece is named
Your commission does not arrive anonymous. Every piece ships with its own plaque, custom printed on the same brushed aluminum as the artwork, carrying the subject, your name, the date, and my signature.
It is the part people do not expect and the part they end up pointing at. A print says what the thing looked like. The plaque says it was yours, and when. Years from now the car may be long gone and the plaque still says whose it was.
If your piece came through a dealership, their logo goes on the plaque alongside everything else, at no charge to them or to you.
Plaques are 6 × 4″, printed on brushed aluminum and included with every commission at no extra cost. Mount it beside the piece, below it, or leave it on a shelf — it is yours to place.
How it is made
- An original hand-drawn line rendering of your subject, drawn only once
- High-resolution gloss print mounted to a solid Dibond aluminum panel
- Brushed aluminum finish with a 1-inch border
- A custom-printed 6 × 4″ brushed aluminum plaque naming you, the subject, and the date — included with every commission
- Premium metal hanging hardware, ready to hang out of the box
- A digital proof before anything is printed, with one revision round included
- Insured shipping in custom-built protective packaging, or hand delivery if you are local to Utah
Local delivery in Utah
I am based on the Wasatch Front, and if you are within reasonable driving distance I would rather hand you the piece than put it on a truck. No shipping charge, no freight damage to worry about, and on the larger sizes I will help you get it on the wall while I am there. Mention it in the form and we will find a time.
Good to know
Turnaround and the calendar
Roughly three weeks is normal. Spring through fall is car season and the queue runs longer; winter is the quietest stretch and the best time to book. If you need a piece for a specific date, say so in the form and book early rather than late.
Revisions
One revision round is included and covers accuracy — a wheel style, a stance, a badge, a detail I missed. Further rounds, or a change of subject after the drawing is underway, are quoted up front before any extra work begins.
Rights
You own the physical piece. I keep the copyright to the artwork and may show the finished work in my portfolio and on social media. If you would rather I keep yours private, just say so in the form and I will.
Cancellations
Cancel before I begin drawing and the deposit is refunded in full. Once the drawing is underway the deposit covers the work already done and is non-refundable. Because every commission is made for one person, commissions are not returnable — which is exactly why there is a proof step before anything gets printed.
Multiple pieces, dealerships, and events
I run a delivery gift program for dealerships and produce limited editions for car shows and clubs, both at different pricing than a single commission. Mention it in the form and I will send details.
Start your commission
Fill this out and I will come back to you within two business days. If you already have your photos ready, put them in a Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud link and paste it below — or just send the form and I will reply with somewhere to send them.
Got it — your commission request is in. I will reply within two business days with next steps and somewhere to send your photos.