Because I want to ensure your pet caricature is exactly to your specifications, I currently do not have any automated uploading or scheduling features on the site. So, to begin the process, send an inquiry to me at rickbaldinstudio@gmail.com with your contact information and we can begin your process. You can also DM me on Facebook or Instagram. I will need to know what style of caricature you are interested in and all other vital information needed to create your art work, including descriptions of your pet’ unique and interesting traits and characteristics. You will email reference photos of your pet to me and to begin the actual process, I will give you a link to send a non-refundable $30 deposit. In a few days you will receive a concept sketch of your caricature and, upon your approval, the painting process will begin. In approximately 7 – 10 days I will email your digital art to you! Simple, eh?

I paint your pet so that means whatever slithers, crawls, jumps, swims, floats, flies, creeps or climbs is acceptable as long as it’s your pet buddy. Sorry, no humans so if you consider your little brother or next door neighbor to be your pet, you’re out of luck. Not to mention, kinda strange.

It’s best to limit the number of pets in your caricature painting to no more than 4 pets. The more pets in the painting, the smaller the rendering must be and the more difficult it will be to focus on the faces. Plus, it’s a big pain to clean up after lots of pets.

Depending upon the artist’s schedule, you can normally expect to receive your finished art 7 – 10 days after you approve the concept sketch. During heavy demand times (holidays) delivery time could be somewhat longer. I suggest you ask for a delivery estimation during initial consultation. Unfortunately, I do not have any way to control the delivery of printed products so please order your printed products much earlier than you will need delivery.

I must work from submitted photos. Please do not send me a social media link of a pet folder for me to browse. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to do that so it’s best for you to pick out the best photos and send them to me.

Please understand that a successful outcome of your pet caricature depends almost entirely on the quality of the photos you submit. Therefore, it’s highly desirable to work from quality, professional level photos. I realize not everyone has those, so when you submit your photos, make sure they are photos with the best lighting, focus and positioning as you can possibly get. Remember, I don’t know your pet so if you send me a photo that has poor lighting and is out of focus, that is the only knowledge I have of your pet. Fortunately, most of us have decent cameras on our phone, so if possible, plan a little photo session and send me the best ones. Avoid cropping the photos (I need to see ears and tails if I’m going to paint them) and, if possible, get down on the pet’s eye level instead of sending only photos taken from human height level.

3-5 good photos should be enough for each pet. If you have questions about the photos, please ask during the initial consultation.

A pet portrait is usually created to look as close to your pet’s actual appearance as possible. Caricature is a more specific and humorous, type of portrait. It relies on distortion, exaggeration and cartooning to create the likeness of your pet. If your pet has a long nose, in caricature your pet may have a really long nose. A short pet may become shorter, a chubby pet may become chubbier and a scrappy-looking pet may end up looking even scrappier. A few people in this world do not care for the humor in caricature (I feel they may need a little therapy…) so if you aren’t really sure of the difference, do a little research and make sure you aren’t one of them!

Yes, Simple settings are acceptable but if you have a detailed or complicated scenery request, it will add an additional cost to the art. Keep in mind, you want the focus of the art to be your pet. Elaborate scenery and settings can cost a lot of extra money, add additional time and distract from your pet’s big starring role.

Yes. Especially if the toy or possessions are included in the reference photos. Objects that are large or excessively detailed may incur additional expense. 

Yes. Costumes and props can be incorporated at additional cost. (Please see the information about making your pet look like a celebrity.)

Yes. Costumes, props and special settings can be created at additional cost, depending upon detail and amount of accessories added. Because this art is of a parody, entertainment and satirical nature, I have some flexibility with using characters that are under someone else’s copyright. However, I am not able to recreate actual cartoon characters in the art, such as Disney characters, Peanuts, Warner Brothers, etc. I can dress your pet mouse like Mickey but I can’t actually put Mickey Mouse in the art. Costumes and scenarios can be created to suggest Dr. Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings or whatever you would like. Additionally, I can incorporate Renaissance costumes, Highland kilts, cosplay, cultural dress, or regional costume. It’s all only limited by our imaginations.

You may upload and print the art using any print on demand service you choose. I will also upload your art to my own shop merchandise service and you may order from there if you choose. After uploading your art, I will send you a link to order products.

Possibly. If I still have a copy of your art, I will make every effort to send a replacement copy to you.

I retain all copyright ownership to the artwork, however, I grant you unlimited non-commercial usage rights. This means you can post or print the photos in pretty much any way you want to. You may not use the image for commercial purposes or allow others to do so. So if the Super Pet Store loves your painting and wants to purchase it to use for their Obedience Training Advertising, that isn’t allowed. Also, selling it to online stock art companies is not allowed. You can print whatever you want, as much as you want, for whomever you want, but I’d prefer you not create items for the general public to purchase. I want sue you but it won’t be cool and I’l probably think really bad thought about you. But you’d never do anything like that, would you?

Because this is custom art, I can not offer refunds for the art. However, it is my desire for you to be happy with your pet caricature so I will make every effort I can to make right any issue you may have with the art. There is no refund of the initial deposit, even if you choose not to proceed with the caricature.