About First Friends:
First Friends celebrates children’s love for their favorite toys. As a Yale-trained artist and mother of 3-year-old twins, I was inspired to create First Friends after painting portraits of my twins’ lovies. When they saw their toy portraits for the first time, they jumped around and screamed with joy….and thus the idea for First Friends was born.
We all remember that special toy that gave us hours of play or comfort in our childhood. Give your child (or nostalgic adult) a gift they will cherish forever with a portrait of their favorite toy. Dollies, stuffed animals, trains, action figures, or even toy garbage cans (seriously – one of my real commissions!) – whatever the toy, kids and adults love to see their favorite first friends memorialized in a unique, hand-painted portrait.
I am also frequently approached to paint portraits of other subjects – people, pets, etc. If you are interested in a special commission of a non-toy subject, please visit the “Other Custom Portraits” section of my online store.
How to order a custom First Friends painting:
1.Purchase: Click Store above. Please select the size you would like and add it to your cart. Checkout safely and securely with any major credit card or select to send a money order.
2.Contact me: Click Contact above to email me a well-lit (strong side lighting is best, but not essential), good quality photograph of the toy posed as you would like it painted. Additional detail pictures of the toy are appreciated but not necessary. In your email, please include the toy’s name, the child’s name and age, the background color you would prefer, and a brief description of why the toy is special.
Framing:
You can choose to order the portraits framed or unframed. Custom framing adds $30 to the price. The high-quality white wooden frames come with a glass front and a white, acid-free 4-ply beveled mat. 4×6 portraits are framed in an 8×10 frame, 6×9 portraits are framed in a 9×12 frame, and 9×12 portraits are framed in an 11×14 frame.
Multiple Toys:
Can’t decide which toy is your child’s favorite? Paintings of multiple toys together are possible – if you wish a painting to include multiple toys, please photograph the toys together as you would like them painted. There is no extra charge.
Gift Wrap:
Sending the portrait as a gift? I will be happy to gift wrap the item and include a personal note for an additional $5. The gift wrap is tasteful plain white paper with a white satin ribbon.
Shipping:
All paintings ship by USPS Priority Mail in moisture-resistant, acid-free, archival-quality wrapping. Insurance and delivery confirmation are included in the price of shipment. Shipping is $10 for anywhere in the US, $20 for international shipments.
Turnaround time is approximately 2 weeks once payment has been received — faster turnaround is usually possible if a request is made at the time of purchase.
Refunds and Cancellations:
Due to the nature of custom work, once payment is processed and I have emailed you confirmation that the photograph was received, the order cannot be canceled or changed. All sales are final. In the event of package loss or damage in shipment, please email me for a refund and to process a claim.
Additional Information:
Each painting is 100% original and individually painted for each order. All portraits are copyrighted by me and may not be duplicated without permission. If you would like additional prints of your portrait, please contact me.
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