I would say maybe its how you contact them after the commission is done? Do you note them specifically saying "Hey your commission is done, heres a link to Download it"? or is it something more akin to just posting the image in your gallery and hoping they respond? If its the former, then maybe you are cursed.

I've sent them all a page shout with the link.

Ahh, yeah. Some artist I have seen tend to just send a note saying that the image is done, and then linking through that. Though most of the time its to a way to download the image rather than a FA link to the upload. I imagine the note route allows for a reply of "Wow this looks amazing" type of easy responce, rather than shouts which are either. post a counter shout or sending a new note.

Wow, that's really shitty behavior from the commissioners, honestly. I know that artists love feedback. It's the least I could do to give them my thoughts on the hours of work they put in to make what I asked them to make.

Well now to be fair the people you tend to commission are far more talented than I am, so there's a greater onus to tell them so, I reckon.

I'll actually give the most recent guy a break for now, I only posted that one yesterday, he could be busy or something (Though he also hasn't opened a note I sent him like 3 days ago, so I'd go for the 'is actually dead' theory if not for his faves getting updated in that time) but...yeah I dunno. Actually I've got this long running issue where the overwhelming majority of my commissioners don't post the work I do for them. They do tend to respond but they seem to never post it. I guess given the nature of a lot of it maybe they're ashamed to do so but...*shrugs*. I mean if it sucks just tell me, because that's gonna be my default takeaway regardless.

The back end of commissions for me is rarely fulfilling I guess is the upshot of this presentation.

Level of talent really doesn't have anything to do with what's considered polite on your part as a commissioner. Artists do things we generally can't. They take the pictures in their mind and bring them into reality, and I respect and in awe of that ability. In this day and age, where art is actually in reach of us peasants and it's actually affordable (for good or for ill) for people to buy a luxury good like art, I feel a sense of gratitude towards every artist I commission for their time and skill.

I guess what I'm rambling at is that you put a lot of effort into your art. Most artists do. That effort needs to be appreciated more than just monetarily because the art would not exist without the artist. Therefore if you want more art, appreciate the artist so they make more art.

I suppose you're right.

At least until me and my guild are all replaced with AI generators, like yesterday's parade of Dall-E asses on the main page.

The reason I didn't say anything is because you didn't seem to want to hear anything from me due to being pretty much a lurker account. I apologize if my takeaway was wrong though, I do like the work and should have at least said so.

But that's the thing, that kind of just exacerbates the whole 'lurker' problem, like "Wow they're so useless they can't even engage with their own, purchased artwork, I was right to systemically shun them."

But on the other hand, I can't say your instinct was inherently wrong, since if it had just been you out of the three, indeed, I would have likely just dismissed as "Whatever. Lurker."