All artworks are © Randy Asplund unless otherwise noted

Commissioning Artworks

Updated Note- November. 14, 2023:

I have a Wait List for commissions, and am on a temporary pause from adding to the list at this time. So if you are already on it, hold on, because I still plan get to you. I will still let you know when your turn comes up.

Here's what's happening:
Since January 2018, I have been locked in a mission to rescue my elderly mother from victimization by an abusive and exploitative Guardianship and Conservatorship supported by a corrupt Probate Court (learn more). The mission is my top priority, and from time to time it makes temporary demands my tiime. I'm still involved in fighting that terrible corrupt guardianship and conservatorship plight through our court system, trying to get my mom out of the clutches of the crooks who destroyed her life. THAT IS MY PRIORITY. And because that interferes dramatically with my ability to create artwork on commission, I do not feel it is fair or reasonable to clients to randomly put them on hold while I work on that. Likewise, by having such a big wait list I am cutting my own ability to do more lucrative jobs when they appear. So what I have decided is to do some odd pieces here and there on my own when I can fit them in, and offer them up for sale, possibly by auction,

That means in the midst of painting I sometimes have to switch to research and writing materials for the court case. The delay can be a few days or a few weeks. If you commission art from me you should anticipate and accept this as a possibility. Please know that I take the business of art very professionally, and your work will be completed without unreasonable delay.

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I sell art prints and many other interesting items from medieval ink pots to MAGIC: The Gathering Artist Proof cards. Available prints are found on their art pages and listed on the Sore page. See the Store for other items.

When commissions are being booked- I take three kinds of commissions-

* Publishing work: Intellectual Rights for Book, Magazine, Packaging, and advertising uses. If you represent an established company, please call me or email me. If you represent a start-up or are self-publishing the terms are a bit different, but please contact me. Ownership of originals is a separate negotiation.  I am willing to do all-rights deals, but I expect to retain authorship and license back to use the work for self promotion, works profiling me as an artist, and the right to make reproductions for me to sell. Two dimensional artworks are usually supplied digitally, unless agreed upon at the time of the commission.

* Original Physical Artworks: SF & Fantasy, Manuscript Illumination, whole Medieval or Art Books, Paintings, Drawings, Coats of Arms, Medieval Scribe Tools and more.
These are works for private individuals or company purchase. Intellectual rights are not included in the purchase unless a separate agreement is added to the sale. Coats of Arms and other works where the client owns a source image are granted reproduction rights in a written agreement. See below for Original art commission terms.


* Commission of new objects for Rental: This usually applies to TV or motion picture prop commissions where the company does not wish to store the objects. I give a slightly reduced rate if there is a resale possibility.

How the commission works:

1) We start by communicating about what you want. Once we agree on a design, the materials, the time it will be completed, and the price, I will send you a quote with all of those terms, a schedule and a very complete description of the artwork. 

2) After careful reading to be sure we both correctly understood the terms and description, you will confirm by sending a down-payment. he amount of the down-payment is often about half for lower priced items + materials cost, and for the more expensive items like full paintings or books I work out a payment schedule with you. In this way your payments come when you can afford them. As work progresses on higher priced item I send photos before asking for the next payment. That way you know your work is being done.

3) When the work is completed, I will send you a picture of it for your approval. When you approve it, you will send a payment for the balance due, plus the price of shipping and optional insurance via your favored carrier. Upon receipt in full of the amount due I will send your new treasure home to you.  Please note that most carriers  have insurance caps, and I do not accept responsibility for loss over what you paid for insurance. Also, import fees are added in the destination country. If you know fees will need to be collected on your end, please be aware that there have been issues in the past where the post office returned or failed to notify the recipient properly when the destination was a business or apartment complex office.

Payments:

You can pay with a personal check drawn on a US bank or you can pay via PayPal. I need the full amount, so if you choose PayPal please cover any fees that PayPal would takes on your side, including anything PayPal takes in transaction fees or currency conversion. You can avoid transaction fees by going from your PayPal account rather than a credit card. BE SURE TO CHECK PAYPAL for their current policies and terms in case they change before this page is updated.
Michigan customers must add 6% Sales Tax on the price of the art.



Commissions for Non-Corporate and International Clients

What will it be? A coat of arms with helm, crest and supporters? How about a family tree? Maybe a wedding book or your own prayer book made with your personal favorite passages? How about a book that you authored, or your favorite story set down in beautiful calligraphy? Maybe you want a nice space scape for your office, or an enlarged and more detailed version of one of the cards paintings from MAGIC or Lord Of The Rings?

This is your chance to have your own, custom artwork made to your order, just the way you want it. If you are contacting me, it is because you like what you see. From that we can work together to come up with something you will be really happy with.  

To start,  it would be helpful if you would look at the samples on the web site so that we can work out a price based on the examples you see. My prices are professional, but reasonable. For non-publishing work I charge based on how much work I expect the job to take, plus the cost of materials. Once I have made a quote, that is all you will pay unless you ask for more, or change your mind about what you want after I have done work. I am happy to suggest alterations of design when necessary to allow the commission to better fit your budget.

I choose my materials and techniques to ensure the greatest of permanency, so when treated appropriately your art will outlast your grandchildren. Permanence is of great importance to me. Please note that medieval book commissions are a special case regarding color permanence. Since medieval colors in books were kept closed and away from light and eventual air pollution, they last quite a long time. However, many of them will not last if you display the book open in direct sunlight (see below).



Medieval Book Arts

I make whole books in the authentic medieval style, or to your taste, using authentic medieval materials and techniques. Unlike many other artists doing medieval work today, my designs are not copies of pre-existing work unless that is your specific request. Instead, my work is original,  created as if I were an artist of that time period. 

If you want a book, you get to specify the text content, the year and place to be emulated, the X/Y dimensions of the book, the type and amount of decoration (illumination), and the materials used. In a book, I normally use all authentic historical materials. The exception is when the customer wishes me to use a less expensive modern alternative. In addition, I am able to offer some very rare and ancient materials that most other artists do not use. I work with genuine animal skin parchment, real gold laid on medieval base (not modern base unless you ask for it). I make my inks and paints just as they did in the middle ages, so I can offer you Lapis Lazuli and Azurite blues, Dragon's Blood (resin), Malachite green, and genuine vermilion, minium, buckthorn, saffron, iris flower and other authentic paints. See my pages about making medieval book arts for more information. You will need to ask about availability and pricing for some materials, especially parchment. The cost of entire books is fairly high, but you are getting a custom made, highly personal work of art done in the most authentic manner possible today. This is a rare treasure indeed. When I am asked why someone wouldn't just buy a genuine medieval book instead, my answer is this:

The price is comparable, but the point isn't to have a piece of someone else's history.  Anybody with money can collect an old thing. Instead, it is about the luxury of having something new, wonderful and special, custom made for the client today, using a language the client can usually read, and about a subject that the client desires. You can have your own link to history in a way that is meaningful to you but also allows you to actually use the book as someone might have done in ancient times. If I make a Book  for you, you will be able to use it for the rest of your life, and your children will treasure it from one generation to the next.

Manuscript style Pages

These are usually single pages or spreads designed to resemble pages found in genuine medieval books. Some people enjoy commissioning a family tree or depictions of their family coat of arms using real gold and genuine parchment. You can choose the subject text, the amount and style of decoration, the scale, and the materials used. The only exception is that I use slightly different materials for works intended to be framed and hung on the wall than I use for book works. This is to ensure that the art will have great longevity. Many pigments that are safe to use for work that is normally closed up in a book are not stable in the ambient light of a room.

Much more affordable than an entire book, my pages can be your own personal statement, or speak your favorite poem, lyric, or anything you wish. Hang it on a wall or place it in a desk picture frame. The choice is yours.


Fine Art

Drawing and Painting. Please call and discuss options, pricing, and scheduling. Works can be on paper, genuine parchment, art board, or panel.

 
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, and other arts

Drawing, Painting, and Digital. Works can be on paper, genuine parchment, art board, or panel. Let me know what you are interested in and we can discuss what it might look like. Once we have a basic idea and settle on a price, you pay a low design fee for me to make B&W and Color composition roughs for you to approve. On approval, the art gets scheduled when I receive your down payment.