How an art commission works
Brief the piece, choose an artist, approve the direction early, and keep your money protected until the finished work is in your hands.
From idea to finished piece
- Brief the pieceSubject, size, medium, style references, where it will hang or stand, colours to match, your deadline, your delivery address and a budget range. Photos of the person, pet or place help most.
- Compare artistsArtists reply with a price and a timeline. Look through their past work and reviews, and ask how many sketch or revision rounds are included before you choose.
- Accept a bid and payCard payment goes through Stripe. The Spool List holds it, and the artist isn't paid until you've confirmed delivery.
- Approve, receive and confirmFollow sketches and progress photos in the app: the composition, the underpainting, the clay before it's cast. Once the piece arrives and you confirm delivery, the artist receives the payment.
The piece you want isn't on any shelf.
Your subject, your size, your style. Post one brief, compare bids from verified artists and makers, and keep your payment protected until the piece is in your hands.
Post your piece →What art commissions cost
Figures from Skillshare's art pricing guide (Laura Mueller, 2021, worked example), Ceramic Arts Network ('The Hourly Earnings Project', Mea Rhee) and ThePricer's bronze statue cost guide (updated October 2026). US figures; your bids will vary.
Why commission art here instead of in a DM
Paid when the piece arrives
You pay when you accept a bid. The platform holds that money and releases it to the artist once you confirm the piece reached you.
Artists bid on your brief
One brief reaches every verified maker with the right skills: painting, illustration, pottery, sculpture, resin or craft. Compare price, timeline, reviews and past work side by side.
The bid is what you pay
Buyers pay the artist's quoted price. The Spool List adds no buyer fee on top.
Reviews from finished commissions
An artist's reviews are tied to completed orders, so every rating comes from someone who actually commissioned them.
Brief and price in writing
Size, medium, references, revisions and deadline are agreed in the job before work starts, so nobody has to dig through old messages.
A dispute path, not an unanswered inbox
If a piece stalls or doesn't match the agreed brief, raise a dispute from the app. The Spool List reviews any that the two of you can't settle.
Every commission on The Spool List is a job with a written scope, so '18 × 24 in oil portrait of two dogs, warm palette, by 1 December' means the same thing to you and the artist before any money moves.
Most artists agree the direction early: a thumbnail sketch, a colour study or a small clay maquette. Approving that first is the cheapest moment to change your mind, because changes after the paint or the casting are expensive. Payment still goes to the artist in a single release once you confirm delivery.
If a piece stalls or arrives different from the agreed brief, the dispute process looks at the brief, the progress photos and your messages. That's the part a social media DM can't give you.