FAQ
Ordering
What does Neape make?
Three keepsakes for the earliest years of family life: illustrated portraits drawn by hand from your photograph, framed photographs, and your child’s first artwork, framed. Each arrives finished and ready to hang.
How do I order?
Choose your keepsake, size, and frame on this site, upload your photograph, and pay. We confirm by email with the date we expect to ship. There is nothing to arrange by phone or email unless you would like to.
Do I need an account?
No. You order as a guest, and everything about your order comes to you by email.
What does it cost?
Framed photographs start at $295 and illustrated portraits at $370, framed. The full price is shown before you pay: the piece, the frame, shipping, and any sales tax. Nothing is added afterward.
Can I send one as a gift?
Yes. Enter the recipient’s address at checkout and add a note, which we include in the box. No prices are enclosed. For an illustrated portrait, the proof comes to you.
Do you ship outside the United States?
Not at present. We ship to street addresses within the United States.
What if the order form does not work for me?
Write to info@neape.com and we will take your order with you by email, at the same prices.
Illustrated portraits
Who draws the portrait?
One of our illustrators, by hand. You choose the style from the examples shown, and your portrait is drawn in that style. We do not use AI to make illustrations.
Can the portrait include siblings, parents, or pets?
Yes. A portrait can include up to four people or pets, and each one after the first adds $30. Send one photograph where everyone is clearly visible.
What kind of photograph should I send?
A clear, well-lit photograph where the face and eyes are easy to see. Please send the original from your camera or phone, with no filters. Screenshots and photographs saved from messaging apps lose the detail an illustrator needs.
Can I use a photograph taken by a professional?
Yes, with the photographer’s written permission. Professional photographs usually belong to the photographer, and we may ask to see the permission.
Will I see the portrait before it is printed?
Yes. We email a proof, and nothing is printed until you approve it.
Can I ask for changes?
One round of changes is included. Please send everything you would like changed in a single message, such as hair, eyes, skin tone, clothing colors, or the spelling of a name. After that round, you choose between the revised proof and the first one.
Will it look exactly like my child?
A portrait is an artist’s interpretation in the style you chose, so it will be recognizably your child and not a copy of the photograph. The examples for each style show what to expect.
What if I do not reply to the proof?
We send reminders. If we have not heard from you within thirty days, the latest proof is treated as approved and we finish and ship your order.
Do I receive the digital file?
No. Each portrait is made as a single framed piece.
Framed photographs
What file do I need?
The original photograph from your camera or phone. We accept JPG, PNG, and HEIC, the format iPhones use. When you upload it, the site tells you if it is too small for the size you chose and suggests the largest size it suits.
Which paper should I choose?
Matte cotton rag is soft, with no glare, and suits most photographs. Satin baryta has deeper blacks and a slight sheen, and suits black-and-white or high-contrast images.
Do you edit or retouch the photograph?
We print it as you send it, with light color correction only. If its proportions differ from the print size, we send you a crop preview to confirm first.
First artwork
What artwork can I send?
Your child’s drawings and paintings on paper or thin card, up to 18 × 24 inches. For anything larger, or for canvas and pieces with raised surfaces, write to us and we will quote it individually.
How does the artwork reach you?
We collect it from your home, and collection is included in the price. In Manhattan and Brooklyn, we come by hand at a time that suits you. Everywhere else, we send a packing kit with a prepaid, insured label, and the carrier collects it from your door on a day you choose.
Will you change the artwork in any way?
Never. Originals are not trimmed, glued, or altered. They are mounted by reversible methods with acid-free materials, so the piece can always be removed from its frame unharmed.
How is it mounted?
You choose between a mat, which frames the artwork with a border, and a float mount, which shows the whole sheet and its edges. A float mount suits children’s drawings especially well.
What if something happens to the original?
We photograph every original when it reaches us and make a safety scan. If an original is ever lost or damaged in our care or in transit, we refund your order in full and send a framed print from the scan at no cost. Our responsibility is limited to the amount you paid, as our Terms explain, so please photograph the artwork before it leaves you.
Frames and Sizes
What are the frames made of?
Wood, in matte black, matte white, natural maple, or natural walnut. Each has a white cotton mat and museum acrylic, which is shatter-safe for a child’s room and slows fading.
What is museum acrylic?
The clearest glazing a framer can use. It has almost no reflection, blocks 99% of UV light, resists scratches and dust, and will not shatter, which matters in a nursery.
What sizes do you offer?
For illustrated portraits and framed photographs:
- Small: an 8 × 10 inch print in an 11 × 13 inch frame.
- Medium: an 11 × 14 inch print in a 14 × 17 inch frame.
- Large: a 16 × 20 inch print in a 19 × 23 inch frame.
First artwork goes in the same three sizes. Enter the size of the piece when you order, and we frame it in the size that fits it best.
Is it ready to hang?
Yes. Hanging hardware and wall hooks are included. For safety, please do not hang any frame above a crib or bed.
Shipping and Timing
How long will it take?
Orders usually ship within one to two weeks: from payment for framed photographs, from your approval of the proof for illustrated portraits, and from the day your original reaches us for first artwork.
Will it arrive in time for a holiday?
We publish order deadlines on this site ahead of each holiday. Illustrated portraits and first artwork need the most time, so please order those early.
How is it shipped, and what does shipping cost?
By USPS or UPS, tracked and insured. The cost depends on the size and your ZIP code, and is shown at checkout before you pay. First artwork is delivered against a signature. Full details are on our Shipping page.
Can I change my address after ordering?
Write to us as soon as you can. We can change it at no cost until the shipping label has been created.
Changes and Problems
Can I cancel or return my order?
Every piece is made to order for one family, so all sales are final.
What if my piece arrives damaged?
Write to info@neape.com within seven days of delivery with your order number and photographs of the piece, the packaging, and the shipping label. We remake illustrated portraits and framed photographs at no cost. For first artwork, if the frame is damaged and the artwork is unharmed, we reframe it at no cost.
Your Photographs and Privacy
What happens to my photographs?
They are used only to make your order and are seen only by the illustrator, printer, and framer working on it. We delete them seven days after delivery. For 120 days we keep only the proof you approved and our photographs of the finished piece, in case of a delivery or payment question. Our Privacy page has the details.
Will you post my child’s portrait or artwork?
Never. The pieces we show are our own commissions.
Am I writing to a person?
Order updates and replies are prepared with the help of AI tools and overseen by a person. To reach a person directly at any point, write to info@neape.com. We reply within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern.
