Pop Art Canvas - FAQs
The pop art canvas ordering process
General questions
About the canvases
Delivery
Andy Warhol style portrait of a lady
The pop art canvas ordering process
How long does it take?
The process should take about 3 - 4 weeks. If you have a particular deadline to meet, please do let us know and we’ll do all we can to meet it.
How much does it cost?
The price of a pop art canvas depends on:
- the style you want
- the number of people (or pets) you want in the portrait
- the size of canvas you want
To see the prices for specific styles and sizes, take a look at our
custom portrait prices guide.
How can I be sure I’ll be happy with the portrait?
We take great care to involve you at every step of the way.
Before we start work, we discuss with you the composition, the style and the colours you want to feature. Only once this has all been agreed with you, does the artist start work. About 2 weeks after confirmation of your order, we will then come back to you with a draft version of the picture, showing how it would look using your chosen colour combination, but also showing you a number of alternative colour combinations that you might like to consider.
At that point you can give us your thoughts on the picture and any amendments you would like can be made.
Only when you are completely happy with the image will we move on to the next stage and actually produce the canvas. You are in complete control, so you only get the
modern portrait you are happy with.
Do remember that the last thing we want to do is start work using a photo we don't feel will result in a great portrait. If you send in a photo that we feel we can't work with, and you can't provide an alternative, we will simply refund the 50% downpayment.
How do I send in my photo?
Using the ordering tool you can choose between uploading, emailing or posting your photos.
Digital photos can be uploaded right away or emailed after checkout. In the case of prints, negatives, slides or transparacies, these can be posted to us in a hard-backed envelope.
If you choose to email or post your photo/s, we will give you the address to send them to (and a reference number to send with them) after you've checked out.
What sort of photo do you need to work from?
To help you in choosing your photos, we have put together a
guide to getting the right photo. Here you can see examples of the sorts of photos that make great portraits.
As a basic rule, the better the photo we receive, the better the end result will be.
As the artist is working only from the photo and needs to be able to zoom in on it to find the detail, it is very important that the shot is clear and in focus. As a guide, if you are unable to clearly see the colour of the person's eyes, then the shot is probably not suitable.
A shot with the person's head and shoulders taking up most of the frame is really ideal. Do remember that the portrait is about the person, rather than the situation they are in, so rather boring head on shots work far better than action shots.
As the portrait will hang on your wall for many years to come, it's worth taking time to get the right photo for the artist to work from!
With some styles (
Simple Illustration for example) we do need a more specific type of photo to work from. To help you in choosing your photos, we have put together a
guide to getting the right photo..
In terms of the format you supply the photos in, we can work from anything - digital shots, prints, negatives, or slides. If we were to choose then our preference would be a digital shot.
What happens if the photo I send in isn't suitable?
When you order your pop art canvas we would encourage you to send in (either by post, upload or email) a number of shots.
Sometimes it’s difficult to judge whether a photo will work, so if you're unsure about the photo, then please don't hesitate to send it in for us to take a look at. At the end of the day, the best person to judge if the photo is suitable, is really the artist.
Before the artist starts work we will discuss the various photos with you and only start work once we are happy that we have a photo that we can work with and you are happy for us to work with that photo.
If after seeing your photos and discussing them with you we find we still can't get a photo that would work well in the style you like, we will simply refund the 50% downpayment.
To help you in choosing your photos, we have put together a
guide to getting the right photo. Here you can see examples of the sorts of photos that make great portraits.
How do I choose the colours in the portrait?
Using the online ordering tool, you can either:
- Let us know the sorts of colours you want to feature if you have something specific in mind
- Choose some colour combinations based on previous portraits we have done
- Or just let the artist decide what would look good.
At the draft stage we will then come back to you with a draft version of the picture, showing how it would look using your chosen colour combination, but also showing you a number of alternative colour combinations that you might like to consider.
At that point you can give us your thoughts on the picture and any amendments you would like can be made. Remember - you are in control. Only when you are completely happy with the image will we move on to the next stage and actually produce the canvas.
How do I choose the composition of the portrait?
This is about where the head sits within the canvas.
To help decide on the composition of the picture we will email you a number of crops of your photo for you to consider. Some will be close crops, concentrating very much on the face, with others showing the full face and more background.
To achieve the iconic portrait look, a square crop tends to work best, but with some photos a thinner tall, or wider composition may be better. It really is up to you.
Only once you are happy with the composition will the artist start work.
What size can I have the portrait?
As all our pop art canvases are bespoke you can (within the boundaries set out below) have any size you want, allowing you to fit canvases into particular spaces.
It is worth bearing in mind that a little bit of scale does suit these portraits. A bigger picture allows the artist to go into finer detail resulting in a much richer portrait.
Because the artwork is created by a Graphic artist and the canvas is then printed, the bulk of the cost for us, is the creative development (which remains the same for either a small or large portrait) rather than the material cost of the canvas and stretcher bars.
For this reason the bigger canvases can in a way be though of as better value. Our starting size in most styles is 40cm x 40cm, with 80cm x 80cm being our recommended size.
The one thing that does limit the size of the canvases is the width of the rolls that the canvas comes in. We have a maximum printable width of 110cm. As the canvas comes in rolls you can have a canvas that is longer in one dimension - one of 110cm x 150cm would be fine for example - but one dimension does have to be 110cm or below.
You can get an idea of the difference in price a larger size makes by looking at the
custom portraits price guide page.
Your Feedback
Can I make amendments to the portrait once the artist has done it?
You certainly can.
At the draft stage we will come back to you with a draft version of the picture, showing how it would look using your chosen colour combination, but also showing you a number of alternative colour combinations that you might like to consider.
At that point you can give us your thoughts on the picture and any amendments you would like can be made. This coud be as simple as wanting to change some colours, or you may feel that a particular area of the portrait isn't quite right.
Either way the artist will make any changes needed and we will send you a revised version of the portrait. Remember - you are in control. Only when you are completely happy with the image will we move on to the next stage and actually produce the canvas.
Can I see my pop art picture in a number of different styles before choosing?
Each of our pop art style portraits are created by a graphic artist and - depending on the style - take anything up to 15 hours to complete. This isn’t simply a case of putting it through some sort of filter in Photoshop!
As we're sure you can appreciate, we are not therefore able to show you how the portrait might look in different styles prior to commissioning.
If you're not sure which style you like and want us to take a look at the photo you have in mind and make a technical recommendation before you place your order, then by all means send it to us. You can email it to
Oil painting of a Naval Office. Our oil portraits are painted in England in the traditional way.
Simple Illustration style portrait
Above: Simple Illustration style portraits hanging on the wall of our studio
Pet portrait - Graphic style
Delivery
How are the pop art canvases delivered?
Within the UK, the canvases are normally delivered via Citylink, TNT or Parcelforce on a next day service. UK delivery is £7.93. If you are having more than one canvas there will only be one delivery charge.
For customers outside the UK the price of delivery will depend on the size of the canvas you choose and the destination. The online ordering tool will give you the delivery price for your chosen size and destination when you let us know the details of what you are after. If you are ordering from outside the EU, then VAT will not be charged.
Canvases will be delivered by DHL, DPD, Parcelforce or UPS.
Can you deliver to addresses outside the UK?
Certainly. We have worked with lots of customers outside the UK and delivery is no problem. We regularly ship pictures abroad and have successfully sent stretched pictures to customers as far away as Singapore, Sweden, the US, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia to name but a few.
If you are a customer outside the European Union, do remember that the prices shown in our price guide include UK tax, so would be lower for you. The online tool we will give you an export price based on the size, style you want and destination for the picture.
How do you make sure my canvas arrives safely?
To ensure your canvas reaches you in perfect condition, we take great care in packing it up. See the photos below to see this process in action. This picture was actually being sent to Hong Kong.
A number of portraits hanging at an exhibition
Any further questions?
Most common questions about our
portraits should be answered here, but we're more than happy to chat too, so feel free to call us.
Studio hours are 9.30am - 5.30pm Monday - Friday
Telephone: 020 7193 7778
e-mail:
Airbrush style portrait
Ordering process - how it works
Our simple ordering process puts you in control of your portrait, allowing you to work with the artist to create the perfect
modern portrait.
Step 1 - Tell us what you want
Use our ordering tool to:
1) Tell us the details of the portrait you're after
2) Choose the sort of colours you’d like in the portrait
3) Choose how to send us the photo/s you’d like us to use
4) Confirm your order by making a 50% downpayment
Step 2 - The artist starts work
1) Our artist will then take a close look at the photo/s you send in* and we will contact you to discuss the composition of your portrait and talk to you about any other details.
2) Once we have agreed the composition with you and are completely clear about your requirements, the artist will start work.
*The last thing we want to do is start work using a photo we don't feel will result in a great portrait. If you send in a photo that we feel we can't work with, and can't provide an alternative, we will simply refund the 50% downpayment.
Step 3 - Draft portrait and feedback
1) About 2 weeks later, we will e-mail you drafts of the portrait for you to consider.
2) You give us your feedback
3) We make any changes required
Step 4 - Portrait delivered
On approval by you, your portrait is printed, stretched up and on payment of the final 50%, despatched straight to you.
In all the process should take about 3-4 weeks.
Any questions? See our pop art canvas FAQs
Graffiti Art style
Pet portrait - Graphic style
Pet portrait - Graphic style
General questions
Why do you take a 50% down paymet?
We take a 50% down payment because we have to invest a serious amount of time in developing each portrait and this shows your commitment to the project.
How do the artists create the portraits?
The majority of the styles – apart from the
oil portraits and the
pet oil paintings– are done by Illustrators and Graphic artists. Each portrait can take up to 15 hours to complete and will involve several different techniques, depending on the style and the way that particular artist works.
We have two artists who paint our
oil portraits – one specialising in
pets and the other in
people. They are based in England and work in the traditional way.
Do you have a gallery I can come and visit?
To keep costs down we don't currently have Gallery space as such, but if you'd like to pop in and see us at the London studio, we do have a number of canvases on the walls!
It would be great to see you, so just give us a bell on 020 7193 7778 and we can arrange a time. We’re open from 9.30pm – 5.30pm Monday - Friday
Photo mosaic of three kids. These
Photo mosaics are made up of hundreds of
your own photos.
Quality of the canvases
How are the portraits printed?
We print the portraits onto canvas using the Giclee printing process. This printing method (using UV resistant inks) offers a very true facsimile of an image, and is often used by museums when they want to get as close a reproduction of a painting as possible. For this reason these canvases have a wonderful sharp quality about them and very rich colours.
Opposite you can see two portraits hanging on the wall of our studio.
How do I hang the canvas?
The canvases are really quite light, so you can actually hang them very easily on just one or two screws in the wall. Although we do finish them all with eyelets, you may find it easier – as we do at home – to just hang them straight onto the screw. Hanging them like this also means that they sit flush to the wall which looks great.
How can I clean the canvas?
Should it get dusty, the best way to clean the canvas is with a feather duster. Avoid getting the picture wet and do not use solvents.
Why should I choose You Are Art?
The one question we are constantly asked is ‘How do you do it?'
The answer is really quite straightforward;
Hard work from fantastic artists.
This is not about putting a photo through a couple of filters on a computer – you can do that at home, so why pay someone else to do it? To create a portrait of any worth, you need a great artist.
Outstanding Work
- Our artists are some of the leading digital artists, illustrators and graphic artists in the country.
- Depending on the style, each of our portraits takes up to 15 hours to develop. It is this investment in time and skill that makes our portraits so outstanding.
- To see the quality of our work just take a look at the gallery of modern portrait styles, and particularly the full size files which show you what the artwork will look like when reproduced at full size.
- From the work itself, to the materials we use and the way we frame and pack your picture, everthing we do is of the highest quality.
Customer Feedback
We are very aware that this is a business driven largely by recommendation, so it is in our interest to deliver only the very best work. But there's no need to just take our word for it - check out
what our customers have said about us.
