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Aurora's 10 Commissioner Guide Points
2 years ago
General
I decided to make this journal as one of the last things I'll be giving to FA (although other sites will also hopefully get this) to explain the dos and don'ts of getting a commission from an artist from my own personal experiences.
1) DO make sure you have a decently solid idea in mind before you make a commission. What counts as reasonably solid depends on if the commission is intended to be a Wing It/Artistic Freedom piece or not.
2) DON'T bother artists too much. I learned this the hard way when I was getting a commission from someone who charged by the hour - as such, a piece was never finished.
3) DO respect the limits of the artist - both in what they can do, and in what they are willing to do.
4) DON'T forget to include references. If you have a ref sheet you can use, use that. If not, and it's a new character, try to explain as best as you can what they look like.
4.1) Speaking of, make sure you don't go on and on when describing things. Try to be short and to the point while giving more than enough detail for what you want to get.
5) DON'T assume that an artist knows everything about a specific fandom. Someone might had drawn Pokémon stuff before, but they may not know about Yveltal, for example.
6) DO be patient with artists - they have lives outside of doing art, and sometimes real life can get in the way.
7) DON'T overspend if you can help it - I recommend having a buffer that you could dip into if needed, but remember to return the money to the buffer once you can do so.
8) DO be prepared for mistakes, but make sure to be calm about them and help point them out nicely to the artist.
9) DO plan ahead - if you want something done for a specific date or timeframe, the earlier you order it, the more likely it'll be ready in time.
10) Finally, DON'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO SCAM AN ARTIST. Not that I've ever done it, but I've seen people who have, and with sites like Artist Beware, those who do scam may find themselves being rejected by artists even if they claim to turn over a new leaf.
1) DO make sure you have a decently solid idea in mind before you make a commission. What counts as reasonably solid depends on if the commission is intended to be a Wing It/Artistic Freedom piece or not.
2) DON'T bother artists too much. I learned this the hard way when I was getting a commission from someone who charged by the hour - as such, a piece was never finished.
3) DO respect the limits of the artist - both in what they can do, and in what they are willing to do.
4) DON'T forget to include references. If you have a ref sheet you can use, use that. If not, and it's a new character, try to explain as best as you can what they look like.
4.1) Speaking of, make sure you don't go on and on when describing things. Try to be short and to the point while giving more than enough detail for what you want to get.
5) DON'T assume that an artist knows everything about a specific fandom. Someone might had drawn Pokémon stuff before, but they may not know about Yveltal, for example.
6) DO be patient with artists - they have lives outside of doing art, and sometimes real life can get in the way.
7) DON'T overspend if you can help it - I recommend having a buffer that you could dip into if needed, but remember to return the money to the buffer once you can do so.
8) DO be prepared for mistakes, but make sure to be calm about them and help point them out nicely to the artist.
9) DO plan ahead - if you want something done for a specific date or timeframe, the earlier you order it, the more likely it'll be ready in time.
10) Finally, DON'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO SCAM AN ARTIST. Not that I've ever done it, but I've seen people who have, and with sites like Artist Beware, those who do scam may find themselves being rejected by artists even if they claim to turn over a new leaf.
