Hand-painted wall art sells at a premium because every piece is made by a person. That same fact is what makes sourcing it different from sourcing prints. Here is what to check before a production run.
1. Confirm it is fully hand-painted
Some "hand-painted" pieces are prints with brushed gel on top. Ask for a close-up video of the surface and of a painting in progress. Real palette-knife and plaster work shows ridges, scraped edges and uneven buildup that a print cannot.
2. Order one sample of your own design
A studio's portfolio shows what its best painter can do. A sample of your design shows what you will actually receive. Compare the sample with your current supplier on color accuracy, texture depth, edge finish and the back of the canvas.
3. Agree how consistency is controlled
No two hand-painted pieces are identical, so agree on what counts as a match. Good practice:
- the approved sample becomes the master that every painter works from,
- the palette is fixed with mixed color references,
- you get photos of the run, ideally in batches, before loading.
4. Check capacity and lead time
Ask how many painters work on your order and what happens if a delivery date slips. A studio with spare painter capacity can absorb a new collection or overflow from another factory without stretching lead times.
5. Settle trade terms in writing
- Incoterm: FOB Shenzhen is common; your forwarder books the ocean leg.
- Payment: T/T, typically 30% deposit and 70% before shipment.
- Minimum: per design and per size.
- Format: rolled, stretched or framed per SKU. See our shipping guide.
6. Prepare for customs
Ask the supplier to describe the goods accurately on the commercial invoice, for example "hand-painted original acrylic painting on canvas", with photos available for classification. Have a US customs broker confirm the tariff classification and current duty before you price the line; rules have changed several times recently. Wooden crates and pallets must be heat-treated and IPPC-marked.
7. Inspect packing before the first shipment
Ask for photos of packed cartons: film, corner guards, double-wall boxes for stretched pieces, rigid tubes for rolled ones. A drop-test of one carton is cheap insurance on a first order.