Frequently Asked Questions

Contact will largely be via email, however you’re welcome to call me if you have any questions whatsoever, number provided through email.

You can email me at marina@customhorseportraits.com  and I will always respond to you within 2 business days.

All payments for your horse portrait are quoted in Australian Dollars and accepted via Paypal or bank transfer. Paypal is a safe and easy way to pay online without sharing your financial details and allows you to pay via credit card, debit card or bank transfer. If you don’t already have a Paypal account, it’s easy to set one up here.

No, I use soft pastels to create horse portraits for my clients. The reason I love using pastels is because they don’t dry and crack over time, like oil and acrylic paintings. Pastel is one of the most permanent art mediums and won’t deteriorate. You can read my article here on why I like pastel and how to care for your pastel portrait.

Framing is optional. It can be a very personal thing and it can be an art in itself to match it to the portrait and to your home.  I work with a reliable and skilled framer who is a specialist in framing pastel works and can choose a beautiful and quality frame and pack the artwork safely for postage.  Framing does incur an additional fee subject to the size of the portrait.

Please don’t hesitate to email me the photo in question and I will happily let you know whether the photo is suitable for creating a horse portrait. Please note that a professional photographer is not needed for a high quality photo and most smartphones and digital cameras can take a photo to the quality I require. You can find some tips on taking the perfect photo of your horse here.

Yes, I can include multiple horses in one artwork for you in a way that best portrays each horse! Please note this attracts an additional fee that is specified on the commissions page here.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’re interested in commissioning several different horse portraits and I’ll be happy to discuss the packages I offer. This could be perfect if some of your friends would love their own horse portraits too! marina@customhorseportraits.com

I specialise in drawing horse and dog portraits.

No, I dedicate all of my time to creating personalised horse and dog portraits.

The three horse portrait sizes I offer are as follows:

• A3 (29.7cm x 42cm)
• A2 (42cm x 59.4cm)
• A1 (59.4cm x 84cm)

A3 horse portraits are the smallest size I offer. A horse portrait larger than A1 is available upon request and will attract an additional fee, please email at marina@customhorseportraits.com  for details.

Full body horse portraits are available upon request. Please email me at marina@customhorseportraits.com or call me if you’re interested in commissioning a full body portrait of your horse.

I don’t offer refunds based on change of mind, however I take great care in the initial stages of the process to ensure you’ll love the horse portrait I’ll be creating for you. I’m always listening to your suggestions and input and take great pride in producing artwork my clients love.

I have never had a client not immediately fall in love with their Artwork but for your piece of mind, if you are not happy with the photo of the final product and it has not yet been shipped, you are not obligated to accept your completed portrait. However, the initial 25% deposit is non-refundable.  I will not post the Artwork to you unless you have confirmed you love it and would like to receive it.

As soon as the portrait is completed, I will email you a photo of it. I’ve never had a client who wasn’t completely happy with their portrait however, for your peace of mind, if you don’t love your horse portrait you’ll have the opportunity to request alterations to it before it is finalised.

Any alterations requested will be agreed upon and completed within 3 business days, after which I will email you a photo of the horse portrait with the alterations you’ve requested. Only once you’ve confirmed you love your horse portrait will you be required to pay the balance of the portrait price.

I’ve never had any of my clients want to part with their horse portrait once they’ve seen it in person. I don’t offer returns but just remember that you won’t be sent the portrait and won’t be required to pay the balance of the portrait price until you have confirmed you are happy with the portrait in it’s completion.

I will use Australia Post standard shipping to send your completed horse portrait to you and I offer free shipping Australia wide. Once the parcel has been shipped, I’ll email you to provide the Australia Post tracking code, an estimated date of delivery and care instructions for your new artwork. Express and international shipping incurs an additional fee.

Your horse portrait will take between 2-6 business days to be delivered to you by standard Australia Post once it is sent. Express shipping is usually 1-2 days.  Delivery to regional areas by Australia Post may take longer. I will email you a unique Australia Post tracking code so you know expected arrival date of your horse portrait.   International delivery is dependent on your location however you will be notified once an order is made as to the time for delivery to your location.  A signature upon receiving the portrait is required.

This has never happened before, however in the chance that there is any damage, I have insurance on every artwork I send and if your horse portrait is damaged by Australia or international Post I will discuss the best course of action with you so you’re completely satisfied with the outcome.

I’ve never had this happen to a client before and it’s highly unlikely it will happen to you as I put great care in the packing process. I post all horse portraits using Australia Post so you will be provided with a tracking code and required to sign for your portrait upon collection.

Yes, I offer international shipping.

Pastel is one of the most permanent art mediums. When properly framed and securely hung, the pastel particles will stay fixed in place for centuries to present you with a timeless treasure with the same richness in colour and no deterioration. As soft pastel has less binders and more pigment, your pure pigment pastel piece will stay bright, velvety and beautiful. To read more about the care of your pastel portrait you can read my blog post here.