FAQs

There are a lot of questions that pop up when it comes to a custom moon painting. I've answered them all to help you through your first order!

WHAT DETAILS DO I NEED TO PROVIDE FOR A CUSTOM MOON ORDER? 
There are only two details you need to provide me with for a moon order; your chosen special date* (exact date, ie - May 9th, 2017) and a colour. I have a selection of the most popular colours listed in each custom moon painting listing, or, you can choose to pick a custom colour. I can help you with this and it is very doable. 

*A birth date, wedding date, anniversary, adoption date, divorce date, moving date, date began FMT / EHT etc.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PAINT A MOON? 
Depending on the time of year, it takes me from 1-3 days to paint one moon (and each subsequent moon thereafter). There are a few steps involved before I begin painting, and they can add to the time. The steps are:

- I create a mock-up using the date and colour chosen
- I send the mock-up to you and await feedback
- There can be up to 3 revisions in a mock-up
- Only once I receive the go-ahead from the client do I begin painting

Because I can only start a painting once I get confirmation, this stage of the ordering process is out of my hands. I've gotten confirmation from clients within 30 minutes, and sometimes it takes a few weeks for them to confirm. I am fine with either.

DO YOU SHIP WORLDWIDE?:
Yes! I do!

HOW LONG DOES SHIPPING TAKE? 
All custom moon orders (large envelope) and stickers (small envelope) are shipped from Perth, Ontario, Canada. On average*, the following is how long it takes for either size envelope to arrive to their final destination:

- Within Canada: 3-5 days
- USA: 4-7 days
- Europe / UK: 7-15 days
- India: 2-4 weeks
- New Zealand / Australia: 3-4 weeks

As I ship to more and more countries, I will update my estimated delivery times. Above are where I've sent moons so far.

*Please note the above estimates are a rough guesstimate. Different times of year will effect the estimated time (ie - leading up to Christmas). As soon as your items are mailed, it is out of my control as to how long the delivery process will take. 

WHAT SIZE ARE YOUR PAINTINGS? 
The watercolour paper I use is 30.5cm x 23cm (12" x 9"). The moons themselves are 15cm (6"), as seen below:

WHAT SIZE FRAME SHOULD I PICK? 
This is a great question, and while the answer can be kind of whatever type frame you want, I did put together a beginners guide for picking a frame (and mat) for your artwork. You can read it here!

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT THE TYPE OF MOON PHASE FROM A DATE?  
I'd like to say I gaze into a crystal ball and my eyes turn white, but it's not that exciting. I head online and type "moon phase" along with the date from your order. There are some more reliable sites than others, so I here is where I do some research. 

For example, I will research the moon phase for October 11th, 2012, which was a 20% illuminated waning crescent. I then Google image search high resolution images of 20% illuminated waning crescents and begin my painting. 

WHAT IF ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF THE MOON IS SEEN ON MY DATE? 
This is very common. It is infact been quite rare for me to paint a 100% illuminated full moon. I paint a darker shade of your chosen colour on the darker portion of your moon phase in an earthshine* style.

*Earthshine: Earthshine, or earthlight, is the diffuse reflection of sunlight reflected from earth's surface and clouds. Earthshine is the dim illumination of the otherwise unilluminated portion of the moon by this indirect sunlight.

ARE YOU JUST PAINTING THE SAME IMAGE OF THE MOON, OR DOES IT CHANGE? 
The moon's details (crater's etc.) change so much depending on which side the sun is illuminating. I always paint my moons using an exact moon phase of the exact date - I never guess. The light and shadows are so completely different during different moon phases. 

DO WE ONLY SEE ONE SIDE OF THE MOON? WHY DOES THE MOON LOOK THE SAME IN EVERY PAINTING WITH ONLY THE LIGHT / SHADOW BEING DIFFERENT? 
This is a great question. The phases of the moon change, but the moon looks the same, because the moon and the earth are tidally locked. This means the moon is rotating the earth at the same speed it rotates its own axis. This causes one side of the moon to permanently be facing the earth. 

If this explanation makes your brain melt, don't worry. Me too. Here's a gif that explains it perfectly: Tidal_Locking_of_the_Moon_with_the_Earth.gif

Alex - Total Eclipse of the Art