Order An Original

"Ten" (No. 216) by Tom Wills, September 2013; fourth drawing for a repeat customer.

More than 240 original works of art have been created and distributed by Tom Wills Productions since 2009. They are on display in family homes in several states, and Mahoning Valley businesses and charitable organizations.
Each piece is an individual, and each receives the same level of care. I am proud of my work and enjoy interacting with all of my customers -- some of whom are now repeat customers.

Little Sailor Boys.  From a family photo, for Christmas 2013.

(Click on all images to enlarge)

I'm not a full-time artist. My full-time job is at a daily newspaper. Tom Wills Productions started simple, drawing for friends and family.  Over time my reach has broadened and I can see that my work has improved. They say practice makes perfect. Well, I don't know about perfect.  As for practice, I am now doing about three illustrations each month.

Most people order pet drawings, with the majority being dogs.

 This is what I enjoy, and hope to turn into more than a part-time gig.

Same customer!

But I'm always uncomfortable taking about money with friends and associates. All of us are managing tight finances these days, and I try to keep prices reasonable here. Mostly you are paying for my time, with the frames and mats being the additional costs.

Still, it's not good business to just throw figures out there, giving one person a better deal than another. So finally I have decided to offer a pricing guide.  The list is followed by several questions a buyer might have, and provides examples of what some customers have received for their money.
 

Thank you for considering a Tom Wills Production.

hankbonesman@embarqmail.com

willstom01@gmail.com

(330) 984-8376

160 Laura Lane

Cortland, Ohio   44410

TOM WILLS PRODUCTIONS

2014 PRICE LIST
Half-payment, up front.  Cash or check. Installment payments can be arranged.

Christmas orders should be in by Thanksgiving

Email hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com for additional information

Small, framed

SMALL = 8" x 10" to 12" x 16" (approx.)

Unframed: $140

Repurposed frame: $160 ($170 with mat)

New frame: $180 ($190 with mat)

Composite drawing, unframed, but ready to frame.

Medium, framed

MEDIUM = 16" x 20" to 18" x 22" (approx.)

Unframed: $160

Repurposed frame: $180 ($190 with mat)

New frame: $200 ($220 with mat)

Large frame with mat, picture not yet sealed

Large frame with one-layer mat

Large frame, two-layer mat

LARGE = 20" x 24" to 24' x 28" (approx.)

Unframed: $180

Repurposed frame: $200 ($220 with mat)

New frame: $240 ($260 with mat)

Very large composite of five family members, framed

Very large composite of five dogs, framed

VERY LARGE = 26" x 32" and above

Unframed: $300

Repurposed frame: $320 ($330 with mat)

New frame: $350  ($370 with mat)

SEVENTEEN THINGS TO KNOW:

1. What am I buying?
A signed and numbered original piece of art, sprayed with a fixative, permanently sealed on the back with black heavy cardboard, with a Tom Wills Production card affixed.  Wired or screw hooks, ready to hang.

2. What is the medium?
Pencil on poster board.
(Watercolor paintings upon request with individual pricing).

Pencil on poster board, unframed

3. How long does it take?
Three to four weeks.  It can be done quicker, but a rush job can mean a rushed result.

4. What will you need?
A good, clear photograph. Although I have restored images from some very poor photos.

Restored image from damaged photos

5. Will you wheel and deal in trades for other stuff?
Not generally. I already hoard too much stuff.  But if you have some amazing piece of audio equipment or a vast record collection, we'll talk.  As in, reel to reel.


6. How do you do it?
Dark to light, faces first. Analog, manual and right-handed. Some magnification is involved. It's called my Photomorphic Process and you can read more about it here. http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2011/08/photomorphic-process.html

7. How much lead time do you need for the holidays?
Order by Thanksgiving for delivery by Dec. 25. Later orders may require a later delivery date.

Order now for the holidays!

8. How much lead time do you need for any other time of the year?
Three weeks is good, depending upon demand. Other customers may be ahead of you.

9. What's it cost?
Above is the general guide. An illustration with six to 10 people, for example, could be slightly more due to time required, and difficulty.

Repurposed frame, solid oak, very heavy.

10. What's a 'repurposed' frame?
Used. Recycled. Refurbished. These frames are wood and glass, some with and some without mattes. They are not junk frames. They will save you a substantial sum of money, $40 to $50. New frames are expensive. I deal in both.

11. What's a mat?
A mat is one or more layers of colored cardboard, cut around the drawing and inside of the frame, to create an accent and a buffer between the picture and the frame. These also hold the picture flat.  Custom cut mattes will add cost; a repurposed mat is free.

Mat before framing 

12. What's a 'composite' drawing?
A drawing that is made of several different photos, but made to look like one natural picture. A blended picture, fiction.

13. How do you ship?
Shipping must be unframed. Shipping will be in a UPS (the brown trucks!) sturdy triangle tube and I will pay the shipping out of the project cost.  Generally it's reasonable and results have been good with UPS. Others have failed me.

14. Why won't you ship a framed work?
Because the glass will crack or break. Guaranteed, no matter how much bubble wrap, and no matter which parcel service does the shipping. The glass is a problem because their handling is a problem.  Just because it's marked 'fragile' doesn't mean it will receive proper handling. This way, no one gets disappointed.  Been there, done that.

Medium, framed, double mat

15. What about local pickup and delivery?
I'll deliver in Trumbull or Mahoning counties, or you can come pick it up in Cortland, Ohio. 330-984-8376. Hope you like dogs.

16. Is there any guarantee?
I guarantee that we'll both be happy with the final result.  Also, should any work that I have framed slip or get wavy, I will fix it.  It might require a different frame or mat, however.

17. Do you hug your customers?
Handshakes, generally.  But sometimes hugs happen. And tears.