Example commission. Eleanor Hart is a demo artist and none of this is a real transaction.
Worked example · Portrait of E.H.
How a commission actually runs.
One commission, start to finish: the enquiry your client sends, the quote you send back, the contract and deposit, the milestones they approve, and the certificate that ends up in their name.
The enquiry your client sends
This lives on your profile, so a client never has to work out how to ask. The brief, size, medium and deadline arrive in one piece, and you never lose it in a DM thread.
Commission enquiry · Eleanor Hart
Eleanor sees this in her dashboard straight away, with the client already attached.
The quote you send back
You set the price, the deposit and the checkpoints once. The contract is generated from exactly these terms, so there is nothing to write up separately and nothing to argue about later.
New commission
What your client signs and pays
They get one link. The agreement and the deposit happen in the same sitting, while they are still excited, and the money moves through Stripe rather than a bank transfer to someone they met on Instagram.
Your commission with Eleanor Hart
The agreement
Paid by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link. Curated OPUS never holds the money.
The stages, as they happen
Both of you look at the same record. You post progress, they approve it, and the next stage of payment releases. Every change is in writing without either of you having to be awkward about it.
Enquiry & quote
Accepted 3 Jun
Contract signed
Both parties, 5 Jun
Deposit paid
50% secured via Stripe
Sketch approved
Client approved 19 Jun
In progress, milestone 2 of 3
Client approved the underpainting
Delivery & balance
Certificate issues, provenance transfers to client
Delivered, with its record
Final payment and delivery are the same step, so there is no invoice to chase at the finish line. The finished work is already registered, and its certificate issues in your client's name automatically.
Certificate of authenticity
Harbour at first light
Eleanor Hart · 2026
✓ Artist-attested
Verify at curatedopus.com/v/CO-2026-00164
The commission is now an artwork record like any other: if your client ever resells it through OPUS, your 4% royalty is paid automatically.
Run your next one like this.
Commission HQ is part of every artist account. No extra subscription, no per-commission fee.
Or read how Commission HQ works.