FAQ for Art Collectors
Art for Sale
- All materials and techniques used in the creation of these original artworks are archivally sound.
- How do I buy an Original work of art directly from the artist?
- I currently only sell my original artworks through the 3rd-party online auction site, ArtByUs.
- Prints are sold through the 3rd-party online print sites DeviantArt, Zazzle, and FinerWorks.
- How do I view and buy Prints or Originals of fine art nudes artworks at authorized sites?
- To buy nude Prints at my deviantArt Print shops, you just click on the censored thumbnail. There are no nudes Prints currently available at Zazzle, but I plan to offer them there in the future. Nudes are uncensored at FinerWorks.
- To view and buy nudes at ArtByUs, there are no special requirements.
- What forms of payment do you accept?
- Sales within the U.S.: I accept only Paypal, credit and debit cards via Paypal, personal checks and USPS Money Orders, which are United States Postal Service only, I do not accept any other kind. Money Order or check must clear before item is shipped.
- International sales: I accept Paypal, credit and debit cards via Paypal, and wire transfers only. Buyers are responsible for all VAT, customs, duties and fees.
- I auction and sell my art through ArtByUs. Please read their FAQ. There are no hidden fees.
- Prints sold at deviantArt are not charged tax, and you can pay with credit cards, Paypal, or deviantCash.
- Prints sold at Zazzle are buyable with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express only and sales tax is charged on orders shipped to California and Iowa.
- Prints sold at FinerWorks can be bought with credit cards. They are based in Texas so any orders shipped to Texas will probably also be charged sales tax (8.25%).
- When buying through ArtByUs, put the auction number in the invoice email you receive in the "For" section of your money order or check. Send it with your name and shipping address.
- Buyers (of auctioned Originals) from Texas are charged 8.25% sales tax (and maybe also Prints from FinerWorks).
- I only accept the exact charge with no overages.
- What about shipping & insurance?
- For transactions within the continental U.S. ONLY, the shipping, insurance, and tracking fee are included in the Original artwork cost. Therefore, the actual winning bid is the actual final cost.
- All other select countries, Hawaii, and Alaska, please ask for shipping rates. Buyers are responsible for all insurance, tracking, VAT, customs, and duties fees.
FAQ
- For Prints sold through deviantArt, shipping costs will be revealed during the checkout process, and you can decline the order before you commit to checkout. Prints can be shipped to 59 countries.
- For Prints sold through Zazzle, they ship to 67 different countries across the globe. International shipping prices differ, however, between Canada & Mexico shipments and all other International destinations.
- For Prints sold through FinerWorks, orders going to countries outside the U.S. will accrue an additional $10 USD shipping charge above ground shipping rates and will be shipped via the US Postal Service. For some international orders they may not be able to ship "stretched and mounted" canvas prints larger than 18 x 24". They will notify you in those instances prior to processing. Prints are insured for damage during shipping.
- Artwork is carefully packaged for shipping.
- I ship Original artwork within 5 business days after payment clears. I will ship the artwork either through UPS or USPS.
- You will receive a tracking number on Original artwork by email as soon as item is shipped.
- Yes, to select countries. Please ask before bidding.
No, my Original artwork is shipped unframed. If you buy a Print you have the option to frame it during ordering (for certain sizes and types only).
- For Original paintings, it is recommended that you frame paintings that are on stretched canvas (3/4" deep). Otherwise, paintings on stretched canvas can be hung frameless, if the staples are not on the sides and if the sides are painted, but this is most commonly reserved for paintings on gallery-wrap canvas (1"deep). I do not paint the sides of 3/4" deep canvas. Artwork on uncradled hardboard needs to be framed.
- Original artworks on paper are sealed in fixative. Original artworks on paper need to be matted, and require a frame to be hung on your wall. Sometimes I include the mat, check the specific auction descriptions.
- Canvas Prints are not "gallery wrap", meaning the image does not cover the sides, so it would be advisable to frame them. However, if the sides are not stapled you may choose to leave them unframed.
Every effort is made to produce Original artwork in common sizes, so that ready-made mats and frames can be easily bought by the Collector. However, for the best presentation, it is recommended you seek the services of a professional framer.
- Not on Original artwork, but I will work with you to aquire insurance compensation. A tracking number will be used to confirm your date of reciept, to assist with validating your insurance claim.
- You do have insurance on Original artwork for the full value of the artwork (insurance is not optional), and you can seek resolution through the postal carrier, which would either be USPS or UPS. Be aware that they take the artwork back from you, hold on to it, place it before a committee who decide whether or not it was their fault, and if they do decide to take responsibility, they keep the artwork and give you money for the artwork's insured value, which does not include shipping expenses. Sometimes they decide the artwork can be repaired, and if that is the ruling, it is preferable you ship it to me for repairs. I cannot reimburse shipping costs.
- Claims for damaged, insured articles should be filed as soon as possible.
- Because of the nature of artwork and the art market, it is preferable for you to resale a piece you have decided you no longer wish to keep for aesthetic or personal reasons. Art is an investment. Please include relevant artist information, such as name of artist, when selling the piece. You can sell collectible artwork to other Collectors by word-of-mouth, via certain gallery and art dealers, through Ebay, and on websites devoted to art trades and auctions.
- DeviantArt has a customer service staff for resolution on orders with defective or damaged Prints aquired through deviantArt only.
- At Zazzle, if you are not satisfied for any reason, you may return any unused products for a replacement or refund within 30 days of receipt. Contact Customer Support to receive a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. Please specify whether you want a replacement or refund.
- FinerWorks offers a full refund minus a 20% stocking and storage fee. Contact customer service by email within 72 hours of receipt and request a Return Authorization Number for any prints to be returned. Customers are responsible for any returned shipping charges. Returned prints must be received in the same condition they were intially received by the customer.
Every monitor has different brightness and contrast settings, resolutions, and variances. Graphic cards, the different technologies of brands and their user-defined settings, are also factored into the results of how images on computers and the internet look on individual computers. Some of the minor differences you will notice are color hues, texture, subtle shading, luminance, boldness or brightness, and darkness or lightness. What will still be the same is the overall linework, form, composition, primary colors and image. Rest assured that artwork always looks lovelier in person.
Not at this time.
- The Collector is buying the physical piece of the individual, original artwork only. The physical piece of artwork becomes the Collector's property.
- In the event that the artwork was sold in California or the European Union by the Artist to the Collector, the Collector may have resale of the piece bound under the rules of the droite de suite or resale rights law. You can see a copy of the California law here. (At this time, the Artist is living and selling work in Texas, which has not yet aquired this resale law.)
- The Collector holds no copyrights to the image itself. The Artist retains all reproduction rights and copyrights to the original image. Artist reserves the right to reproduce and sell the image as limited and/or open edition prints and merchandise.
- Manipulation or alteration of the image by any other than the Artist is strictly prohibited by copyright law. Restoration to restore the original image on a damaged piece of artwork is allowed.
- Any form of reproduction by anyone other than the Artist, and officially licensed Print and merchandise services, specifically DeviantArt.com, Zazzle.com, and FinerWorks.com, is strictly prohibited by copyright law.
- If you wish to display the works online, you may at a resolution of no more than 72dpi and 500 pixels on its longest side, in jpeg format only, for reference purposes for discussing this artist only. You must attribute the work by linking the image to "http://victoriachampion.com" and giving the full name of this artist, Victoria Champion, as the sole creator of the works.
They are the same thing. Masonite is a brand name of hardboard, although that company is no longer in business. Also, if you are familiar with the debate over types of hardboard, modern-day tempered masonite is not the same as old-fashioned tempered masonite, and is archivally sound if primed properly, just as with untempered masonite.
- It is recommended you let a professional restorer do any restoration work. Send them to these site pages: [http://victoriachampion.com/faq_sales.html] [http://victoriachampion.com/bio.html] [http://victoriachampion.com/faq_techniques.html] and also a link to this site's gallery image of the actual painting so they can know what exact media, supports and techniques were used.
- All Original artwork is sent out in perfect condition. If it becomes damaged during shipping, you should send me an email. Or, insurance was included as part of the shipping costs during our transaction. Please check your records.
- It is best to hang artwork where it will remain out of direct sunlight. Even prints can be bleached by the sun.
- All Original oil paintings are varnished with Winsor & Newton Conserv-Art Removable Varnish. Should restoration be necessary, it can be removed carefully with turpentine or mineral spirits. Always revarnish using the same varnish after repair work is fully dried (approx. 6 months if any oil medium or paint is applied).
- If patches of an oil painted artwork become very dulled (what is known as "sunk", as this is a result of linseed oil within the paint sinking to the canvas) the varnish in that spot can be temporarily removed and the spot can be re-oiled using Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Painting Medium (the one actually called "Painting Medium"). This will enrich any dull patches. Great care is taken during painting by this artist to avoid any future sinking or dulling.
- To remove any lint or dust from artwork, use a featherduster or very soft paintbrush, wiping or brushing softly. Do not use your hand as this will leave oils and acids on the artworks.
- If a canvas should become torn or punctured, you can repair this by carefully bringing the torn pieces in line, or pressing the original canvas back into the puncture as much as possible, and adhering a scrap of new clean canvas to the back with "acrylic matte gel medium", a particular art glue which dries fully in 72 hours. At this point the restoration on the painting can be done.
- If an artwork on illustration board, bristol board, and other papers becomes soiled, unfortunately there isn't alot you can do. So it is important that you take good care of your treasure from the beginning. Frame it behind glass as soon as possible. You can attempt to blot, not wipe, gently in very small sections using tissue but if you see the lines begin to smudge, stop blotting immediately and let dry. Do not further attempt to blot or wipe off any spills. You could ruin the artwork. The original art is behind fixative, but this is not as much of a protective barrier as glass, and it can still potentially be scraped or wiped off. Don't be too upset about discoloration of the paper, as long as the drawing itself is intact, the artwork is still somewhat valuable. You can repair any tears with archival Japanese paper & wheat paste tape on the back.
- If your Print becomes torn, just tape the back carefully. It is a personal preference whether or not to frame a Print. Obviously it would be safer to frame it, but this is not always possible for everyone.
- If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly via email or the feedback form on this site.
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