When to Order a Custom Portrait for Christmas (So It Arrives in Time)

Every year we hear from someone in mid-December hoping to surprise a parent, partner, or friend with a hand-painted portrait under the tree — and every year, we wish they'd reached out a few weeks earlier. Because everything we make is created by hand, one piece at a time, a custom portrait simply can't be rushed the way a mass-produced gift can. The good news: if you're reading this in the fall, you have plenty of time. Here's exactly how to plan it.

Why handmade gifts need a head start

A printed mug or a machine-embroidered blanket can go from "order" to "shipped" in a day. A hand-painted portrait can't, because a real person — not a printer — is sitting down and creating your piece stroke by stroke or line by line. That's what makes it meaningful, but it also means the timeline is different from most gifts you'll see in a holiday sale email.

According to our own numbers: custom portraits (charcoal, pencil, or oil) typically take 1–3 weeks to complete, which includes your artist reviewing the reference photo, creating a digital preview for your approval, and finishing the final piece after you sign off. Original hand-painted paintings then ship within 3–5 business days and generally arrive within 7–14 business days (closer to 7–10 days for US customers). Add it up, and a made-to-order piece can take anywhere from two to five weeks from the moment you place your order to the moment it's in hand.

This year, industry data backs up what we see every December: 2026 holiday shopping trends show that meaningful, personalized gifts remain the top priority for gift-givers, and early October is considered the ideal window to order anything handmade — before small studios like ours get buried in holiday-season volume. The pattern holds true here too: the earlier you start, the more relaxed your options.

A simple timeline to work backward from

We can't promise a guaranteed delivery date without knowing your specific order (shipping destinations, product type, and current studio volume all affect it), but here's a general rule of thumb based on our published production times:

• Now through mid-October: The most comfortable window. Plenty of time for the full custom portrait process — reference photo, preview, revisions if needed, painting, and shipping — with room to spare.
• Late October through November: Still very workable for most orders, especially art prints. For hand-painted originals or detailed charcoal/pencil commissions, this is the point to place your order rather than keep browsing.
• December: Possible for some products, but the safety margin shrinks fast, especially internationally. If you're ordering in December with a hard deadline, email us at support@artofbrs.com before you check out — we'll tell you honestly whether we can make it happen, and if a faster option makes more sense.

If you're short on time, here's what moves fastest

Not every gift on your list needs the longest production timeline. If the holidays crept up on you, a couple of our product lines are built for a shorter runway:

• Art prints are produced locally in the US and typically ship within 5–7 business days — a great option when you still want a personalized, photo-based gift without the multi-week wait of an original.
• In-stock originals, when available, ship in 1–3 business days rather than the 1–3 weeks a made-to-order piece requires.

If you're not sure which option fits your timeline, that's exactly what our team is for — reach out and we'll help you find something that arrives when you need it.

A gift that's worth the wait

We won't pretend a hand-painted portrait is the fastest gift you could buy this year. But for a parent's milestone birthday, a couple's first Christmas together, or a tribute to a pet or loved one who's no longer with you, it's the kind of gift people keep for decades — not because it arrived quickly, but because someone actually took the time to make it. Start the process now, and by the time the holidays arrive, all that's left to do is watch them open it.

Ready to start? Browse Custom Portraits for charcoal, pencil, and oil options, or explore Holiday Gift Ideas for the full lineup.