Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the site is free for both Artists and Users to register and use. There's absolutely no reason not to give it a try!
Absolutely! That was the original idea behind creating the website! You can start your art commission by either creating your Brief from scratch and specify your requirements; or browse Artists work from our Inspiration page to find something similar to your requirements and use the 'Create Similar Brief' button to build your Brief. You might even find the art your are looking for already exists, is for sale, and you can buy the artwork direct from the Artist!
We've provided 3 ways to start your Art Commission to make it easier to describe what you are looking for.
By far the most powerful is the 'Create Similar Brief' option from an example Artwork as, to coin a phrase, 'a picture speaks a thousand words'. Simply click the button and your Brief is created for the Artist and it will reference the Artwork. You simply need to update your description with your art commission requirements and upload additional images if required.
The second option is to build a Brief directly for an Artist that you have chosen because you specifically like their work and require something in their style. This can be done by selecting the 'Create Brief for Artist' button on the Artists Profile page. You'll be shown the options that the Artist has selected on their profile and you detail your requirements in the description section and upload additional images if required.
The third option to begin your art commission is to build your Brief from scratch using the 'Create Brief' option from the main menu and should be used when you know exactly what you are looking for. When you save your Brief you'll be shown all matching Artists and you can browse their profiles and only submit to the specific Artists to begin your art commission.
The majority of Artists will but some may require a sitting as they consider it essential to capture a real likeness and feeling of the person in their portraits. The Artists Profile will indicate if they are willing to work from a photograph.
Photographs can be uploaded as part of your Brief. If the photograph was not taken by you then you must obtain permission from the copyright holder of the image to have it recreated.
Copying of existing Artwork by another Artist would breach copyright of that Artwork and is prohibited.
If you use our 'Create Similar Brief' option to build a Brief, the Brief is only submitted to that Artist so there are no copyright issues.
You can request something 'in the style of' to aid understanding of your Brief but no Artist will directly copy an existing Artwork unless the copyright in the original Artwork had expired.
If you are unsure about any copyright situation then you can email us for advice.
No. If you select Portrait you'll be asked if you are willing to visit the Artist for a sitting. If you select 'No' we'll only match your Brief to Artists who are prepared to work from a Photograph.
Don't worry, we are a new service and we have Artists signing up every day. If a newly registered Artist matches your Brief they will automatically see it when their profile is approved. We'll also advertise your Brief via our social media channels to attract Artists who haven't signed up yet.
Yes. The very first question when creating a Brief is Art type and current options are: Picture/Painting, Glass, Ceramic, Sculpture, Photograph, Digital Artwork and Conceptual Art.
Yes. If you want to Commission a Painting or Drawing spread accross 3 canvases in a 'Triptych' or Commission Paintings of a common theme you simply specify the number of pieces when creating the Brief.
The Artist will set their competence level when creating their Profile and this is available for you to see. Competence levels are currently classified as: Full Time Professional with Qualifications, Full Time Professional Self Taught, Part Time Professional with Qualifications, Part Time Professional Self Taught, Art Student, and Amateur. Artist Profiles do not appear on the site until they are approved by our review team and we only approve profiles with Artwork of a good standard.
When you accept a Quote and Schedule from an Artist you pay the full amount up front to MyArtBrief Ltd to start the art commission. We accept PayPal and all major debit and credit cards (via Paypal). We take payment up front and hold it in a holding account while the Brief is in progress.
When you purchase an existing piece of Artwork your Paypal account or card is authorised and payment is only taken when the Artist confirms availability. If the Artist indicates the Artwork is not available the authorisation is cancelled. If they confirm the Artwork is available the authorisation is completed and we hold the payment in a holding account until the sale is complete and the return period expires.
Your Artwork will be shipped insured and tracked by the Artist with insurance to cover full cost if damage occurs. You may be able to arrange collection from the Artist via a Conversation but that would be at the discretion of the Artist.
You will own the original Artwork. A piece of Art and the copyright in that Art are two entirely separate commercial entities. If you want to own the copyright you can request this in your Brief for your Art Commission or via a Conversation for the purchase of existing Artwork. The Artist may agree and price accordingly but you should expect to pay a substantially higher fee.
Select the Sign In option from the menu bar. You can use your favourite social media account to Sign Up by selecting the correct icon or you can select the Sign Up link and enter a traditional username/password along with the required information. If you choose the latter, you can always link your social media account later so you won't need to enter your username and password to Sign In.
We would hope this never happens but if it does you can raise a Dispute against the Brief and we will manage the process. You can mitigate this risk by ensuring enough detail exists in your Brief and also by viewing the Profiles and previous work of each Artist that provides a Quote and only accept the Quote if you think they can produce what you require. You can also ask the Artist to include review stages in the Schedule, (before you accept the Quote) so you can review the work as it progresses.
We hope you would never need it but at the end of the day, Art is subjective and we, as an impartial third party would mediate on a case by case basis. You would only open a Dispute for a Brief if the issue could not be resolved between the 2 parties involved. The Artist or Customer can start the Dispute process at any time once a Quote has been accepted. Once a Dispute has been opened, the party who the Dispute is against has 7 days to respond before our Dispute team get involved.
For Bespoke Artwork, payment is released to the Artist on expiry of the right to raise a Dispute. The right to raise a Dispute expires 3 days after receipt of the Artwork.
For purchases of existing Artwork, payment is released to the Artist on expiry of the right to return the Artwork. The right to return the Artwork expires 14 days after receipt of the Artwork.
We are a new service and an Artist only receives a review on completion of an Art Commission. When choosing an Artist, their Profile and gallery of previous work should be the main source of information for your decision.
Yes. A lot of time has been taken to ensure the pages adjust to fit most, (if not all) devices.
Yes. We do not store debit/credit card details and we are registered on the National Register of Data Controllers. All personal data is stored in an encrypted secure database and we do not pass on any information to any third parties. All traffic from your device to our servers will be encrypted via an EV SSL certificate.
Yes, but not all Artists will ship outside of the UK and you may have additional import duties or taxes to pay depending on your countries rules for importing Artwork.
It is your responsibility to check your countries import rules for Artwork and then ask the Artist if their international postage includes those duties or taxes.
Yes, the site is free to Sign Up and use. The site is funded from a 22.5% commission of the Artist Fee in a Quote and sale of existing Artwork.
MyArtBrief Ltd is acting as a third party and when you register with us you must read and agree to an Agency Contract that outlines the terms between us as the Agency and yourself as the Artist. Part of those terms is you agreeing that we (as the Agency) can accept payment on your behalf.
When you submit a Quote and Schedule for an Art Commission which is accepted, the creator of the Brief is accepting a Consumer Contract, (view template here ) which references your Quote and Schedule. This contract deals with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and requirements around payment, delivery, approval of work, cancellation and return policies between you as the Artist providing the work and them as the Consumer. As the work you will undertake is bespoke, the Brief creator agrees to waive their right to a 30 day refund detailed in the Consumer Rights Act and instead be bound by any obligation outlined in your Schedule.
Unfortunately not but you can build payment terms that you currently use into your art commission Schedules. Our contracts have been developed by a specialist legal team and are 100% bespoke to the service. If you feel there is an element of a contract that you are not happy with you can email us and we will review with our legal team.
Select the Sign In option from the menu bar. You can use your favourite social media account to Sign Up by selecting the correct icon or you can select the Sign Up link and enter a traditional username/password along with the required information. If you choose the latter, you can always link your social media account later so you won't need to enter your username and password to Sign In. Complete your Artist Profile and submit for review. We'll let you know if your profile has been accepted and viewable on the site.
All the steps of an art sale are managed from your Sales History page. You'll receive email's, (and notifications on login) for all sale state changes and likewise, purchasers receive the same when you make updates.
No, but you can specify payment points in your art commission Schedule that would entitle you to receive the cash amount specified should the Brief go to Dispute for any reason. For example, if the Brief creator changed their mind about what they wanted after you had begun the commission, (and you are too far into the process to rework to their new requirements), you would be entitled to the monetary amounts you specified when you prove that work had been completed to those Schedule points.
We hope you would never need it but if you do, we, as an impartial third party would mediate on a case by case basis. You would only open a Dispute for an Art Commission if the issue could not be resolved between the 2 parties involved. The Artist or creator of the Brief can start the Dispute process at any time once a Quote has been accepted. Once a Dispute has been opened, the party who the Dispute is against has 7 days to respond before our Dispute team get involved.
Yes. You should select that you are VAT registered on your Profile and include VAT in your Quote.
Your Display Name is unique to you. It is your MyArtBrief name that other users of the site will see when viewing your Artist Profile. It cannot contain your surname and can only contain alphanumeric characters.
If you have your own website and want to manage all your commissions and sales through MyArtBrief then your display name can be used to create a link directly to your MyArtBrief profile page from your own site. https://www.myartbrief.com/artistProfile/display_name
Yes. There are 3 ways a Brief can be created to Commission an Artist. A user of the site can browse Artwork, find an Artist or Artwork they like and submit their Brief directly to that Artist by using the 'Create Similar' button on an Artwork uploaded by the Artist or build a Brief by selecting 'Create Brief for Artist' button on the Artist Profile.
If they use the 'Create Brief' option from the main site menu, on saving the Brief they are shown all matching Artists and can choose who they submit to by reviewing the Artist Profiles and Galleries.
This is to protect you and us from any potential misuse of the service.
Another term within the Agreement also states that you must always take a picture of yourself with every completed work before handover or postage.
These 2 images provide proof of completion by you.
For now, select the Other option and email us your requirements. We'll consider your request and if we add it, we'll let you know so you can update your skills with the new selection.
That's up to you when you create a Quote for an Art Commission. A piece of original Art and the copyright in that Art are two entirely separate commercial entities. If the creator of the Brief requests copyright in their Brief and you are happy to do so then you price accordingly and select the option to transfer copyright on your Quote. This will be reflected in the created contract for the Brief.
Yes. You can still create a Brief and Commission an Artist on the site.
For an Art Commission, payment is released on expiry of the right to raise a Dispute. The right to raise a Dispute expires 3 days after receipt of the Artwork.
For purchases of existing Artwork, payment is released on expiry of the right to return the Artwork. The right to return the Artwork expires 14 days after receipt of the Artwork.
You can receive payment via bank transfer or PayPal by setting the required options on the 'Payments' tab of your User Profile.
Yes, by law, consumers have the right to return a purchase within 14 days of receipt. If the Artwork arrives damaged then return costs and arrangement of return must be covered by the Artist.
For returns of any other reason, you can set your listing to 'Free Returns' or 'Buyer Pays for Returns' and this will show on the listing for the buyer to see before they make their purchase.
Return policies are clearly indicated on the checkout page and there is a 'Print Postage Label' available for every sale that includes an advice note for returns that the Artist should ship with the Artwork.
Where a return is required, our return policy states 'The Artist will make one attempt to arrange collection at an agreed time. If the courier fails to collect then responsibility and cost of return transfers to you'.
Not for sales as they need immediate attention but for everything else, Yes. You set your preferences from your User Profile to Never, Weekly, Twice Weekly, Daily or Immediate.
If you are away, have a heavy workload or want to stop receiving Art Commission requests for any reason. Simply login and update your Artist Profile to 'Not Accepting Briefs'. Don't forget to switch it back!
