Policies and Frequently Asked Questions
Covid 19 policies
These last couple years have been one for the books, globally. And it means finding new ways to make things work. I want my clients to feel confident in buying from small businesses and living artists. I think during this time we still need the bright spots in life to help get us through. Art has been that for me so I hope it's been that for you too. That being said, I want to take this time to ensure you that I am and have been taking this pandemic very seriously. My family and I have been isolating as much as possible since the very beginning. We wear masks, sanitize, wash our hands, and minimize our outings as much as possible. We even opted to homeschool for the time being.
I sanitize before I pack any items to ship and the plan is that if I should become unwell, my studio will be off limits until I'm sufficiently well again.
My post office is also taking every precaution and if I have to go in at all, I make sure to go during quiet times. Most shipping labels I’m able to print from home which means only having to visit a postal outlet briefly to drop off a package or, when there’s enough, scheduling a pickup for the packages.
As for local sales and pickup, I ensure that they’re all contactless and have had great success so far!
if you have any questions about our practices at all please feel free to contact me via the contact form.
I sanitize before I pack any items to ship and the plan is that if I should become unwell, my studio will be off limits until I'm sufficiently well again.
My post office is also taking every precaution and if I have to go in at all, I make sure to go during quiet times. Most shipping labels I’m able to print from home which means only having to visit a postal outlet briefly to drop off a package or, when there’s enough, scheduling a pickup for the packages.
As for local sales and pickup, I ensure that they’re all contactless and have had great success so far!
if you have any questions about our practices at all please feel free to contact me via the contact form.
Shipping Policies Info and FAQ
Q. Where do you ship from?
A. As we're a military family this answer may change from time to time. The broad answer is Canada. The more focused answer right now is Manitoba.
Q. Will you ship outside of Canada and the U.S.?
A. of course! Currently I have original pieces of artwork in Canada and the U.S. as well as countries like Australia, Japan, the UK. I will ship anywhere. However, if shipping fees apply to the item you're purchasing, they may vary depending where you're located. My shopping cart will provide you the appropriate options.
Q. When you ship the items how are they sent?
A. Most items are sent via Canada Post. Canada Post has a multitude of options and it is our Federally run mail system. However, if you prefer to have your items shipped via outlets such as Purolator, Fedex, or Canpar, please feel free to contact us so we can work that out for you.
A. As we're a military family this answer may change from time to time. The broad answer is Canada. The more focused answer right now is Manitoba.
Q. Will you ship outside of Canada and the U.S.?
A. of course! Currently I have original pieces of artwork in Canada and the U.S. as well as countries like Australia, Japan, the UK. I will ship anywhere. However, if shipping fees apply to the item you're purchasing, they may vary depending where you're located. My shopping cart will provide you the appropriate options.
Q. When you ship the items how are they sent?
A. Most items are sent via Canada Post. Canada Post has a multitude of options and it is our Federally run mail system. However, if you prefer to have your items shipped via outlets such as Purolator, Fedex, or Canpar, please feel free to contact us so we can work that out for you.
Payment
Q. Is your shop secure?
A. Absolutely. You'll notice at the top of the page where the web address is, to the left side of the address there is a little lock icon indicating that my shop and site are secure. I do not collect your financial information. That's all handled either through the financial institution your credit card is associated with or through Paypal.
Q. What payment methods do you accept?
A. My shop allows you to pay via a variety of credit card options or through PayPal.
A. Absolutely. You'll notice at the top of the page where the web address is, to the left side of the address there is a little lock icon indicating that my shop and site are secure. I do not collect your financial information. That's all handled either through the financial institution your credit card is associated with or through Paypal.
Q. What payment methods do you accept?
A. My shop allows you to pay via a variety of credit card options or through PayPal.
Refunds and Exchanges
The guidelines I have for refunds and exchanges are only put in place for the safety of both you and me. All of this being said, I've never been asked to issue a refund or exchange an item. I do pride myself and my business on customer service - I always want to treat my customers and admirer's with respect and kindness and always give them the products they requested in a timely manner and in mint condition!
Q.My item arrived damaged. What do I do?
A. As soon as you realize your item is damaged please contact me immediately either through our contact form or maigan_lynn@hotmail.com. Please also send a picture of the damaged item and the packaging. It is important if I have to place a claim through my mail carrier that I have these things in order to issue a refund or replace the item.
If the piece in question is an original piece of art I ask that you do the same - contact me immediately, send me a picture of the damaged item and the packaging. It may not always be possible to replace original items - reproducing an item the same way twice is a precarious task but I will do my best to work with you on a solution that fits.
Q. My item hasn't arrived. What do I do?
A. If you are concerned that your item is missing, please contact me. In most instances within Canada items should arrive between 5-10 business days, depending on how they've been shipped, and 10-21 business days to the United States. Internationally varies quite a bit from country to country so I would have to find the information to your specific area. With all of this being said, amidst a global pandemic with increasing shipping issues, the postal systems are feeling more strain. Which means asking for a little more patience than usual from you. Canada Post and the USPS have both put out bulletins from time to time stating that there will be delays in expected delivery times. I find few issues with most shipments but I have had a few that were more delayed than anticipated. I know it's a big ask with everything else we've been tasked with but sometimes all we can do is be patient. If it is a tracked item I should, at the very least, be able to pull up the information and see where your package is.
Image Use
I've decided to post this note here on my website because I know there is quite a bit of confusion as to the protocol necessary when using images. Search engines are an extremely important and invaluable tool. However they usually tend to jumble a bunch of pictures together without proper visible and immediate credit to the owner leaving you to assume, if you didn't know any better, that they were there for anyone to use. So here are some tips to follow when you find an image you'd like to use (this falls true for art images, photographs, magazine clippings etc.)
1) Obtain permission - this is extremely important. As an artist, yes I do put my work out to the public but it does not mean I relinquish my rights to that image. Most artists have no problem with others using a watermarked version of their image as long as you follow ALL rules required.
2) Give credit to the artist/creator - in the event that you've contacted the artist for permission and are able to use the image in the capacity as discussed with the artist, it is usually also asked that you make visible a credit to the artist alongside the image. Each artist has their own requirements so be sure to ask about this when you're acquiring permission. Usually it's just a matter of including the artists name and a link to their website or shop. It's the polite thing to do when you're granted permission to use an image for free.
3) Do not alter the image - in any way unless you, again, have permission from the artist to do so. This includes cropping, removing watermarks, colour adjustments etc.
A few other important tid-bits:
Watermark - this is usually an image/name that is included with the image for display purposes to help protect the work form being stolen. If you notice on all of my images it will have my name and the year smeared all over it - I'm pretty diligent about protecting my work! :)
Copyright - these are the rights that belong solely to the creator of the art piece. This is what allows me to deem what is appropriate and inappropriate uses of my work, who has access to use the image, and in what capacity - for those of you who are parents, I am the legal guardian of my artwork, if you will. Copyright is automatically given to the artist as it is their idea and their work. You can also have your work legally covered under copyright for a fee and the additional security but the image and rights belong to the artist, regardless.
Stealing - When you use an image without prior consent from the artist it is considered stealing and it is a punishable criminal offence. I know this sounds scary but if you stick to the rules you won't have any problems.
Selling images - The only persons who are allowed to sell reproductions of the images or merchandise including these images on them are the artist/creator/copyright holder and any other person/company that has acquired a license to use these images in a specified contract with the artist/creator/copyright holder OR if the images are in the public domain then they are free to use without legal contract. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've come across people selling images that weren't their own without permission from the artist which is stealing directly from the artists. Stolen images take a lot of resources for artists to be able to deal with appropriately.
All of this being said, what should you do if you happen to come across one of my images being used? Please contact me at maigan_lynn@hotmail.com. I will look into the issue and verify whether or not the person/company has permission to use my work or not and deal with them accordingly should it be the latter. These are legal issues that should only be dealt with between the artist and persons in question.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me! :)
1) Obtain permission - this is extremely important. As an artist, yes I do put my work out to the public but it does not mean I relinquish my rights to that image. Most artists have no problem with others using a watermarked version of their image as long as you follow ALL rules required.
2) Give credit to the artist/creator - in the event that you've contacted the artist for permission and are able to use the image in the capacity as discussed with the artist, it is usually also asked that you make visible a credit to the artist alongside the image. Each artist has their own requirements so be sure to ask about this when you're acquiring permission. Usually it's just a matter of including the artists name and a link to their website or shop. It's the polite thing to do when you're granted permission to use an image for free.
3) Do not alter the image - in any way unless you, again, have permission from the artist to do so. This includes cropping, removing watermarks, colour adjustments etc.
A few other important tid-bits:
Watermark - this is usually an image/name that is included with the image for display purposes to help protect the work form being stolen. If you notice on all of my images it will have my name and the year smeared all over it - I'm pretty diligent about protecting my work! :)
Copyright - these are the rights that belong solely to the creator of the art piece. This is what allows me to deem what is appropriate and inappropriate uses of my work, who has access to use the image, and in what capacity - for those of you who are parents, I am the legal guardian of my artwork, if you will. Copyright is automatically given to the artist as it is their idea and their work. You can also have your work legally covered under copyright for a fee and the additional security but the image and rights belong to the artist, regardless.
Stealing - When you use an image without prior consent from the artist it is considered stealing and it is a punishable criminal offence. I know this sounds scary but if you stick to the rules you won't have any problems.
Selling images - The only persons who are allowed to sell reproductions of the images or merchandise including these images on them are the artist/creator/copyright holder and any other person/company that has acquired a license to use these images in a specified contract with the artist/creator/copyright holder OR if the images are in the public domain then they are free to use without legal contract. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've come across people selling images that weren't their own without permission from the artist which is stealing directly from the artists. Stolen images take a lot of resources for artists to be able to deal with appropriately.
All of this being said, what should you do if you happen to come across one of my images being used? Please contact me at maigan_lynn@hotmail.com. I will look into the issue and verify whether or not the person/company has permission to use my work or not and deal with them accordingly should it be the latter. These are legal issues that should only be dealt with between the artist and persons in question.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me! :)
Custom Art Pieces
Q.Do you do custom/commission artwork?
A. YES! Time permitting, I love to create pieces for customers. If this is something you're interested in please feel free to contact me. Commission pieces tend to take up more time as they're usually very specific to the buyer. Please understand that when you request a custom piece of artwork it is a unique work of art suited to you, specifically. To ensure that materials and some of my time will be covered upon starting the project, I do ask that 50% of the total price agreed upon to be paid up front. This is non refundable. The other 50% only needs to be paid when the piece is complete and to your liking. I make sure to send lots of updates throughout the process to make sure the piece is up to your satisfaction. If this is something you'd be interested in please don't hesitate to send me a message!
A. YES! Time permitting, I love to create pieces for customers. If this is something you're interested in please feel free to contact me. Commission pieces tend to take up more time as they're usually very specific to the buyer. Please understand that when you request a custom piece of artwork it is a unique work of art suited to you, specifically. To ensure that materials and some of my time will be covered upon starting the project, I do ask that 50% of the total price agreed upon to be paid up front. This is non refundable. The other 50% only needs to be paid when the piece is complete and to your liking. I make sure to send lots of updates throughout the process to make sure the piece is up to your satisfaction. If this is something you'd be interested in please don't hesitate to send me a message!
Social Media
Q.Are you on Twitter?
A. Yes I am! You can find me HERE
Q.What about Facebook?
A. Of course! There's a link to my Facebook Fan Page on the Home page of this website or you can just click HERE! If you search for me on Facebook, Search for Maigan Lynn. It should have "Artist" as a sub-title. I have a fan page as well as a personal profile, however, my personal profile is for my personal friends, family, and artist friends. I'm very active on my fan page and anything you need to know concerning my artwork is there! :) I also do giveaways every once in a while so keep your eyes open for those!
A. Yes I am! You can find me HERE
Q.What about Facebook?
A. Of course! There's a link to my Facebook Fan Page on the Home page of this website or you can just click HERE! If you search for me on Facebook, Search for Maigan Lynn. It should have "Artist" as a sub-title. I have a fan page as well as a personal profile, however, my personal profile is for my personal friends, family, and artist friends. I'm very active on my fan page and anything you need to know concerning my artwork is there! :) I also do giveaways every once in a while so keep your eyes open for those!
Q. What about Instagram?
A. Absolutely! You can find me @maiganlynn
Q. Tiktok?
A. You betcha! @maiganlynn
A. Absolutely! You can find me @maiganlynn
Q. Tiktok?
A. You betcha! @maiganlynn
Licensing
Q.Do you currently license your work anywhere?
A.Yes. I currently have a contract with Creative Design Outlet who creates tubes of my images to purchase and create tags for personal use as signature tags, banners, wall paper etc. You can find more info in the Licensing section of this site or click one of the above links.
Q.I'm interested in licensing your work. What do I have to do?
A.I'm always interested in new licensing opportunities and would love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to contact me with your name and email address and what kinds of products you're looking to license my images for. You can send me a message by using the Contact Us form.
A.Yes. I currently have a contract with Creative Design Outlet who creates tubes of my images to purchase and create tags for personal use as signature tags, banners, wall paper etc. You can find more info in the Licensing section of this site or click one of the above links.
Q.I'm interested in licensing your work. What do I have to do?
A.I'm always interested in new licensing opportunities and would love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to contact me with your name and email address and what kinds of products you're looking to license my images for. You can send me a message by using the Contact Us form.
You can't find the answer to your question?
I will be updating this page with more information I think is relevant to my cutomers/fans but if there's a question you were wondering and it wasn't answered on this page, please feel free to CONTACT ME and I will be sure to get back to you in a timely manner with a response. If you have a concern, suggestion, or comment, I'm always wanting to hear what you have to say so, again, feel free to CONTACT ME! :)