Okay recommendations wanted!
I'm looking to commission someone to draw from a photograph of a decreased pet (dog) and then maybe get it framed. Which dA artists that you follow do you think would be able to do it? What would I be looking at in terms of cost/shipping/etc? I live in Australia. This is a present I would need by the 17th of December.
Unfortunately I don't know anyone specific who does pet portraits, even not related to dA.
though usually if they do animals/creatures well they can do pet portraits, how about hitting up ana ;)
Were you looking for like, a detailed traditional painting? If you just wanted less real paint focus, it might be easier for you to ask the artist for a high quality digital file, that you could then print and frame yourself
(I can help with how to get that done), as I suspect the cost and shipping to be pretty high even within your country itself, as well as limit the available artists you could use. Some artists actually don't know anything about high quality printing specs, considering how many services and digital alternatives there are, and also the shipping involved, or even just not having the time to do so. About what size were you after?
Alternatively if you are looking for a traditional painting, you can check your local artist area. Pretty much every area has old time traditional painters, especially if you go to more rural areas. Though, seeing as you wanted to commission from dA, I'm guessing that's not what you're specifically after.
Edit: Depending on the print shops in your area, you can also get the traditional painting scanned and printed on textured/canvas like paper that can really bring out the work. While it would be a pretty penny depending on the size, it would probably still cost less than paying the artist printing/framing costs AND shipping costs. It depends on your budget I guess!