[Tom Edgerton]

Leslie--

I WISH...

The amount of finish I get with the client from life is pretty much as you describe it, just some final adjustments when the painting is mostly finished. If it's a local client, I can schedule some interim work from life if I can get them in, which always ends with a superior result.

Sounds like your handling of the nuts and bolts of the commission is pretty well in place and working. But you're right in sensing that getting a deposit makes it a "real" commission, and the client sometimes is more engaged, paying better attention, and is more dedicated to a successful outcome when some money is exchanged up front. They tend to work a little harder to give you what you need to succeed.

All the best--TE