How to Commission

Below is a list of the elements on the Commission Request Form. Please click on any element to read more information about it. Please make sure to check the sections for Preferred Transparency and Preferred Texture to see what qualifies as different levels of these visual aspects.

These fields are for filling in your first and, optionally, last name.

In the likely case that The Copper accepts your commission and creates an item for you, your full name will be required for shipping purposes. Before then, however, it is important to be able to contact and speak with you about the subject of your commission, so we do require a first name in order to submit the form.

This field is for entering a valid email address at which The Copper can contact you about your commission.

Email is the primary method through which The Copper will handle commission discussions. Other methods such as phone call or texting can be useful in certain cases, but the primary, official communication about your commission will be done through email to ensure that all information required by The Copper is in one place and verified for the most up-to-date decisions regarding your piece.

This element is for informing The Copper of how you are available by phone. Selecting "Neither" means you are not available for contact by phone, while selecting "Both" means you are available to be called or texted. Any option other than "Neither" will expect a phone number to be entered in the following field.

Phone availability is not required in order to commission The Copper, but can be helpful in certain cases, especially if you are not accustomed to checking your email regularly. Please keep in mind that final, official decisions about your piece must be reflected through email or they risk not being reflected in the final piece. In the case of non-email contact, The Copper will attempt to send an email including any important decisions, but it is ultimately the commissioner's duty to ensure that such decisions are reflected in email.

This field is for entering a valid phone number at which The Copper can contact you.

This is not required, but can be helpful in certain cases, especially if you are not accustomed to checking your email regularly. Please keep in mind that final, official decisions about your piece must be reflected through email or they risk not being reflected in the final piece. In the case of non-email contact, The Copper will attempt to send an email including any important decisions, but it is ultimately the commissioner's duty to ensure that such decisions are reflected in email.

This is a multi-selection set of checkboxes used to inform The Copper of the budget you would like to try to aim for on your piece.

This will help inform The Copper as she tries to design your piece, and will have an impact on things like level of detail and which aspects utilize alternative art methods (such as paint or wire) rather than purely stained glass. If you do not have a budget in mind, please select "Who needs money?" and no other option.

This set of radials is for answering whether you have a timeframe in mind for the delivery of your commission, and selecting that you do have a timeline in mind will cause a field to appear where you can enter a date by which you would like it delivered.

Please keep in mind that stained glass is an art and does take some time. Tight timelines can be unmanageable, especially when The Copper already has commissions to be completed. That being said, if you enter a timeline that does not seem plausible, The Copper will contact you and let you know that the timeline was an issue. In this case, you will have the option of amending your timeline if you would like to continue with the commission process.

This field will only appear if you have selected "I have a timeline in mind for my commission" in the previous element. This field will allow you to enter a date by which you would like your commission delivered to you.

Sometimes a piece is intended as a gift for a holiday, and would ideally be delivered by that time. The Copper understands this, and so you can use this field to request your commission be completed by a certain date. This way, if The Copper doesn't think this is plausible, she can let you know that she will be unable to finish by that time and you can make other plans.

If you enter a date that does not seem plausible for The Copper to deliver by, she will contact you and let you know that she feels it is unlikely to be completed in time. This way you can either cancel your commission or amend your timeline and continue.

Entering a requested date and The Copper accepting your commission is not an indication of any type of guarantee from The Copper that your piece will be delivered within that timeframe. She will do her best to meet your needs, but for many reasons cannot make any guarantees about when a piece will be delivered.

This dropdown offers options for the size you'd like your piece. Please select the smallest size you would like your piece to fit within, as measured by the largest dimension. This means that a piece that is 6 inches by 10 inches should select a "Large (10" by 10" or smaller)" option here.

Actual dimensions can be discussed during your consultation with The Copper, but this helps give an idea of what kind of sizing you hope for in your commission. This way, leading up to your consultation, she can have ideas formulating as to what it might look like and whether it will be possible to portray your image in glass at that size.

Please know that you will not be denied a commission based on your selection here and, at worst, The Copper will let you know that your size preference seems unmanageable and suggest an alternative.

This dropdown offers options for how transparent you would like your piece on average.

Stained glass comes in a variety of transparencies, from almost-totally-transparent to completely opaque, and in many cases it is merely a style choice to use one over another. The Copper will have her own ideas to share, and may make suggestions during your consultation about transparency, but this will give her a baseline to work with so that she can start to imagine the piece you are hoping to see.

Please note that all glass used is subject to availability, as not all glass is available at any given time. The Copper will do her best to match your imagination as best she can, and will make sure to create something you will enjoy even if not a perfect match for what you envisioned - it is art, after all!

We will work quickly to ship your order as soon as possible. Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with further information. Delivery times vary depending on your location.

Here, please enter a written description of your art piece.

Think of this as how you would describe your art piece without all the guided elements. Feel free to use all kinds of imagery, or be as simple as you can. A description can be long and flowing like something from Tolkien (please keep descriptions shorter than 500 words!), or as short as "The Chicago Bears logo in blue".

If you include reference images that are not the exact thing you would like, please describe what you would like The Copper to emulate in each image, or in the images as a whole.

This element is a drag-and-drop capable upload section for any reference images you would like to supply.

In some cases, a reference image can be the exact thing you are looking for, like if you are looking for a specific logo and you upload an image of that logo. In other cases, like scenes or animals, it is possible that they are merely one example of what you are looking for, or similar to what you are looking for. If the images are not the exact thing you are looking for, please use the Design Description section to explain what you like about the reference images you supply.

Please see the Commission Disclosures page to read all about any terms and conditions that apply to your commission.