~2824bob

Hey there everyone!

This is a journal I've been meaning to write for a while (for no reason in particular) but I recently recieved a note from someone that ended up reminding me to do this.

So this is basically a journal for people that may be new to commissioning artists, and the sorts of stuff they should potentially avoid or not avoid during the commissioning process. I should say that this is soley based off my own experiences and personal preferences on how to go about these things, I just thought it might help one or two people out. *I would also like to point out that each bit of info is more on a 'case by case' basis as different situations can't always be approached the same way. This is more of my own personal guideline*.

- So first off whenever you're thinking of commissioning someone always look up their username and check artist beware (its a site where people create posts warning about artists or commissioners they've had negative experiences with). This can really help you get some idea of if they're someone you should/want commission (or more specifically SHOULDN'T commission). I do want to point out that if an artist is on artist beware it doesn't definitely mean you shouldn't commission them, as there are many reasons an artist may be on there. Its just worth checking out is all I'm saying.

- Always make sure to read an artist's ToS (Terms of Service) as well as their price list and Do's & Dont's list if they have either of those (this is always worth doing but can apply more so to people getting NSFW commissions). As this is something you should always do anyway, it can help you get some idea of the price of the piece you want, what you can get done, and will help avoid annoying the artist if you ask for something that is clearly listed in their Do's and Dont's list.

- Before contacting an artist about a commission look around to see if they're actually open for them. Many artists create Journals when they open for commissions, post on their twitter and Patreon pages, or they will have somewhere on their page saying whether they're open or not. Sometimes you won't be able to findout if they're open in the places I've listed so when all else fails just send them a note or a DM, most artists I've encountered (whether they're open for commissions or not) appreciate the interest in their work. But it can be very annoying for them recieveing messages about commissions when it's clearly stated on their page that they're not open for them. So just do your due diligence in checking.

- It's best to have a clear idea ready when commissioning an artist (unless you want the artist to have artistic freedom of course). There are plenty of artists (if not most of them) that enjoy artistic freedom, having fun with the pieces they're working on and adding their own extra touches to a piece. But less isn't always more; asking for a commission and then just saying "My character flying." or something like that isn't a lot to go on, especially if in reality you want something more specific, such as: "My character flying above a city in a superman flying pose." And lack of information can cause a lot of problems for the artist such as having to change the piece during the sketch phase too many times. Many artists I've commissioned have appreciated me sending them refferences for poses, backgrounds, objects and angles of the poses (its especially helpful if you want something specific). It makes it more likely the artist will capture what you want much faster and hopefully with less changes needed. That said writing paragraph after paragraph can also be bad. You don't want to bombard the artist with information that isn't pertant to the piece. It can be somewhat awkward finding a good balance of how much information to give as every artist is different, in my experience however keeping it within a paragraph seems to be the sweet spot (there are exceptions however such as comic and story pieces and doesn't really apply to wing it and artistic freedom pieces).

- This is a very important one and something that too many people seem to forget: artists are people too. They aren't machines that just churn out piece after piece, they're people just like everyone else with lives and all the stuff that comes with them. There will be times where the artist is going through something and are unable to currently work on your commission for one reason or another. These things happen.

- Treat the artist (I mean this goes for everyone really) with respect and kindness. It doesn't cost anything to be polite to the artist you're working with and it makes them that much more likely to want to work with you again in the future. If an artist isn't comfortable with something you've asked don't take it personally (especially if they've said this to you in a polite manner) somethings one artist is comfortable with another won't be and that's completely okay. You shouldn't get angry with them just because they can't or won't produce the piece you want.

- On the other hand commissioning an artist means they are also a worker, who you have paid for a service and in turn you are owed the finally product from said service. Artists are people too but are also there to do a job. Some artists (if you are unlucky enough to encounter them) will try to run off with your money without finishing your piece, and that obviously isn't okay. Its completely fine to message the artist asking about your commission if you havent heard anything for a while. Its best not to do that too often (and this applies more on a 'case by case' basis due to all the contributing factors) but it can be good for piece of mind. If you were sent a sketch or WIP on Monday don't message them asking to see progress on Tuesday, Wednesday or so on, good art takes time and pestering them won't do any good.


- Requesting refunds. This one is super tricky because there are so many variables to the process. Since the time it takes to create a piece of art varies for so many different reasons it can be extremely hard to tell when it nay be the right time to request a refund. Some artists may string you along telling you they'll finish your piece soon, and that can honestly go on years (I'm speaking from experience). Its made more awkward by the fact that you only have 3 months to flag a dispute with paypal (if you paid for the commission using it) to get a refund, after that it's soley in the hands of the artist whether you'll ge your money back (whether you deserve the refund or not). I've known a lot of commissioners who have been screwed out of their money this way, much like there have been many artist screwed over by commissioners doing the same thing when the work has been finished.

- Relating to the above points: don't try and get refunds on finished pieces after you've recieved the finish piece. If you have a problem with the piece talk to the artist before hand as its something they maybe able to fix. You should never try and get a refund when it isn't deserved. There may also be times however where the artist may message you directly or post a journal offering refunds as they don't think they'll be able to start work on or finish their current que for the forseeable future. And its often up to you whether you want to take the refund or are happy to keep waiting.

- Don't ask for or order a commission if you know for a fact you can't afford it, just don't. Most artists ask for payment in advance so as to avoid this problem. And you really shouldn't pay for a commission then suddenly ask to be refunded because you've had a large bill or unexpected expenditure come up, don't buy a commission if you can't afford it - simple. Obviously they may come a time when you need to ask, but just do your best to make sure it doesn't.

- If you're going to post the finished art always credit the artist for the work (Unless of course the artist has asked to remain anonymous). It takes no time at all and the artist deserves credit for their work. It also makes it easier for other people who may want to commission them to find them. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a piece of work in someone's gallery (that definitely isn't their own work) really liked it and want to check out the artist to potentially commission them or just follow their work to find the uploader of the piece hasn't credited them.

- Always keep an eye out for scammers. This one links back to the top point, but if you're suddenly messaged by an artist saying they like your character(s) or some of the pieces in your gallery and offer their services to you CHECK INTO THEM. 98% of all the artists who have messaged me directly have turned out to be scammers, and I'm thankful I only fell for something like that once and managed to get a refund (the stupidist thing is it was a rookie mistake I made years into being a commissioner). It can be easy to spot a lot of scammers as their pages won't have much art on them, and or be quite new (usually because they've had to deactivate their previous account due to how many people they scammed on it). Checking on artist beware could be a big help in this situation, if I had done that to begin with I would have never been scammed. It won't always be easier to spot a scammer so be vigilant!

- This one is really personal preference but I never accept paying for a commission via paypal if the artist wants me to use the 'Friends & Family' option, as I'm pretty sure (though I could be wrong) that it means you can't request a refund at all, so some bad artist/scammers will just run off with your money and you literally can't do a thing about it.

- Time frames. All your commissioned pieces (other than maybe in stream commissions and stuff like that) will take different amounts of time to complete. Some may be finished in a day, others a week, month or a year. This all depends on the artist/they type of piece you've asked for and will sometimes be discussed a head of time. Most artists however won't give you a specific time frame, because they can't. Unless you've paid extra for the piece to be finished by a certain date you probably won't know for certain when a piece will be finished. And once again this is because all artists are different. Some will have a list or trello page of their current work que so you can keep an eye on it and see when yours is coming up. Others may start working on your piece straight away and send wips when they make some substantial progress. Some open up say 5 slots a month and always finish those pieces within that month. And some won't have any of that and you'll get your commission when you get it. It is what it is really.

- Don't request free art or preferential treatment. Just because you can't afford a commission dosen't mean you deserve free art, simple as. Art is a luxury item and if you can't afford it then that is unfortunately too bad, its not the artist's problem so don't try and make it their problem. On the other end of that just because you're a consistent customer doesn't mean an artist owes you anything. You don't deserve a free piece of work because you're a returning customer. If the artist wants to do something like that for you because THEY want to then great! But don't go asking for or expecting stuff like that.

- And lastly you as a commissioner matter. Don't be afraid to tell the artist that there's something about the commission you don't like or point out a mistake they've made just because you don't want to upset them. Most if not all artists want you to be happy with the finally product. And don't let some of the pushier artists convince you to spend more than you can afford (this is quite rare but its happened to me once or twice) if you've already agreed on a price or explicitly stated you can only afford X amount (if its a piece that doesn't have a set price).

*EDIT* Another thing I forgot to mention which can come up (and relates to multiple points I made above) is that you may encounter a language barrier with some artists. As there are artists all around the world chances are you'll come across artists you want to commission whom don't speak your native language (mine being English this dosen't come up as often but still happens). This can make discussing the details of your commission difficult as the artist, you yourself or both of you are relying on google translate (or something similar) and details can be lost in translation. At this point the shouldn't get angry or frustrated as this is bound to happen from time to time. And I've often found that having extra refs for poses ect really come in handy in these situations. You may even have to go a step further by drawing a simple sketch for the artist of what the overall pose or piece should look like (as I've had one or two artists where the wip they've sent me looks nothing like what I've asked for due to poor translation). It's just something to keep in mind.

- P.S If you're thinking of getting a lot of commissions or think you'll be getting them for a long time I'd suggest creating a document of some sort to keep track of them all. I found doing that with writing in details such as the artist's name, link to their page, the description of the piece I've paid for, the price, date I paid, start date of the piece and when its finished really helps. But that's just a suggestion.


Over the past 7 years and 200 commissions later I've only ever really had any problems in the commissioning process maybe 6-7 times and 4 of those were easily sorted out. And I like tho think that's due to both the types of artists (great ones) I commission and the above guidlines I follow. Or heck maybe I've just gotten pretty lucky, who knows!

Right I think that's about it really, like I said above this is just my personal take on this stuff and that's it. A lot of people out there will have there own way of doing this stuff and that's cool.

If there are any people who have read this and have any questions of queries on my past experiences please don't hesitate to contact me, I'm always happy to help in anyway I can. And to both commissioners and artists alike: I hope the commissioning process is smooth and easy for you, have a good one and thanks for reading!