Honestly? I find your terms of service and dozen or so offerings both overwhelming and....a bit confrontational. I'd love to commission you to design a tattoo for me, but you have so many different options, and so many rules and conditions and "do this and I won't work with you" that it puts me off even asking you.

I get that there's plenty of timewasters and assholes out there (is is the general public after all), but for someone like me who isn't sure where "design a tattoo for me" fits in all your offerings, I just figure it's best not to ask for fear of pissing you off.

I'm so sorry to hear, but thank you SO much for sharing!

To answer your mention a bit: I only design tattoos for those ill be tattooing myself.

As for the rest...I'll try to minimize thing, I know I have a long habit of giving too many options, as I myself like options. I'm not sure what to trim away tho XD.

Its definitely disheartening to hear folks are still so scared to approach me when it feels I've been nothing but professional: I LOVE when folk take the time to ask me things, please never hesitate. I much prefer folk ask than not.

Is there some kind of bad review of me out there that says I get passed and cuss out folk? I definitely never done that, but feel it best to ask since it seems too many assume it.

Again. Thank you for sharing!!

P.s. to my last message:

To show my appreciation for your honesty and perspective, I'd love to offer loyalty credit (a thing for my site members to save on store/commissions) or even a benefit membership if you come to me for a tattoo! Just let me know!

i definitely have to agree with the above comment

ive been eyeing your tattoos for a long time but everything is presented in a way that just feels a little hostile and has me second guessing if i read something wrong or i make a mistake then you wont wanna work with me

Thank you so very much for sharing!

I'm so very sorry to hear. Its been a heartbreaking last 8 - 15 months: I revised a LOT since January, multiple times thanks to folks feedback, mutual and watcher alike, but to hear I'm STILL overwhelming....

I genuinely don't understand the hostil part. If you can share a lil bit more about why that is, I'd greatly appreciate it, but if not comfortable, no problem at all! I'm just thankful for your share.

Someone asking me questions when they are not sure on things, actually makes me want to work with a person even more: as I know asking is hard for some + it shows they took the time to read too.

Main reason I wouldn't want to work with someone, is if they treat me as they would never want to be treated (disrespect, like I'm not a fellow living being, etc.) ;)

Again...thank you for sharing, I greatly appreciate your honesty!

Oh! And if you do decide to book or commission, please let me know, as I'd love to show my appreciation with either loyalty credit of a benefit membership maybe!

it honestly could just be a *me* problem! im a very anxious creature by nature and just reading various restrictions and things (which are TOTALLY fair) that could lead to you not wanting to work with someone just make me afraid to approach

and just to peek at the above response and chime in- i havent ever seen any negative reviews or things said about you, i've actually heard positive things about folks interacting with you!


i'm definitely looking to book you sometime, i'm fairly la native and ive had my eye on some of your premade designs <3 so hopefully we'll be in contact soon c:

Thank you again for sharing!

Yeah, many a folk be anxious; I try to help with that on my end, but I know it'll be impossible to ensure it 100%. It's very cool when folk share tho!

And yay! I'd be honored to tattoo you someday! Remember, feel free to let me know when you make a profile, and i'll give either loyalty credit or a benefit membership :)

I've looked through your tattoo TOS and I don't see anything adversarial in there. Just common sense stuff.

Maybe people would bristle at the no-show policy, but that's your time getting wasted. I feel that's a pretty standard clause.

Thank you for taking the time to read through!

Yeah, Im constantly flabergasted by such responses. Heartbreaking to be honest.

To show my appreciation for your time, please let me know if you make a profile on fydbac.com, I'll give loyalty credit (deals on sketch commisisons) or a benefit membership (deals on tattoos/comms), whichever you want, if any, let me know :)

The main barrier for me is the clause regarding references, which I find a little restrictive when I'm without a proper reference sheet for a new character. Not being able to put in multiple links plus a text description in these cases just means I'm sitting around until another artist finishes a different piece. That said, I get it, and I am pivoting as needed; my ref did finally roll in so I'll be going for just about the next slot I can for the work I want in a few weeks when the funds are available, assuming you're open for the piece.
I like the website. I like the Discord community and the ease of getting ahold of you. The main barrier to me getting a tattoo commission from you is that I'm hours and hours away from LA. I'm not sure what an agent would provide for the cost that would alter the experience.

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective!

Concerning the references: It should indicateI HIGHLY welcome putting all images in a single gallery/folder and linking that. Much more convenient to have all ref in a single place than for me to collect from multiple links :) Pleas let me know if that wasn't clear or if that "gallery" is still a barrier.

I'm honored for your considerations in general! For tattoo, know I do offer travel specials, and funny enough, a vast majority of the few clients I've gotten while back in LA, has been from folk who don't reside in LA.

To show my appreciation for your time, feel free to let me know if/when you make a profile on fydbac.com, and I'll give either loyalty points or a benefit program membership, let me know whichever you may be interested (and it's okay if neither too) :)

Oh I totally missed the gallery part. On mobile, that text cuts off at:
ONE link only. If multi ref, then li...
I can't get the interface to show the rest of that text on android. Otherwise my option is written description, so I honestly didn't know that was available.
Also, I have an account on fydbac.com already under Vera Shark (Kado) and would love loyalty points.

I just assumed all folk would know a gallery link was okay, since i never specified, "one picture" :)

Thank you for letting me know the cut off! I never knew! I just made some changes to the "additional info sections", so hope that helps others!

And more loyalty credit has been added! Thank you for your time!

The main thing stopping me from commissioning you more is that I'm already in the queue for art (I'm the emoji OC), and that I don't have many occasions to be on the opposite coast. I know that's not particularly helpful, but I do want to say that adding the note about gallery links from Kado's post will definitely help in the future. (I will inevitably forget)

Beyond that, it's possible that people may be hesitant with the tattoo requests since you don't allow for image links. Obviously, you do your own work and I'm guessing you don't want to encourage people to be like 'i want THIS exact Thing that isn't yours in anyway', but a way to share something visual for the vibe check might help people feel like they're conveying their idea more clearly. For example, I think it'd be really cool to get a tat that's a combination of your Flo30-B design and ancient Pazyryk tattoos. The second part, I would be concerned you'd never heard of, and it'd be easier to show you than describe in 200 characters or less.

First, thank you with the patience on the emoji OC (really hope you've been getting the monthly updates! And how I normally don't take SO LONG for commissions, among other mentions in the updates. Please let me know if not, cause tho very delayed, the monthly updates are vital in keeping communication with clients such as yourself )

[side note: i believe yours may be the one im currently working on (one of three left)]

As for the image mention: the reason I don't allow images, is because it screws with my head, even if the client insists they don't want the exact thing. A thing I've tried to shake, but just can't. Thankfully, I've never failed to deliver (except for ONE time, on a multi returning client, but that had "pandemic slowing" factors ).

I know it requires the person have a lot of trust and belief in me, and it's really for the best. As it allows to to do my own research: for example with yours; I just looked up Pazyryk, and the ideas already began flowing! I wish there was a way to convince EVERYONE that i'm capable and really can just go by words/ description, but alas... XD I think in-person consults may have helped some folks who may have felt the same, as I do my own research, and sketch concept in real time with the client, so one can point out things and help direct the concepts without me feeling the above unshakable dilemma.

To show my gratitude for sharing, I'd love to offer either loyalty points or a benefit membership if interested! That'll be on top of the bonuses I mentioned in the emails: to make up for the long delay, (basically enough loyalty credit for free commissions). Let me know if interested by simply letting me know your initials (cause your info on my emoji oc master list, doesn't have your screen name).

RE: Emoji OC - Yeah, I'm on the updates, no worries there. I know you've been having a TIME to say the least. I actually really appreciate the regular newsletter updates since it lets people know the wheels are still turning. So in that regard, thumbs up, no notes. In my case specifically, I know when the emojis come up in the big updates that mine didn't get lost. It's great indirect-direct feedback (and I imagine waaay easier on you then updating a list of people individually every time).

RE: Images - Makes sense to me, but yea - not much to be done in that case. You do great and interesting work. I don't consider there to be any glaring flaws with your efforts; it's more likely you're hitting against the edge of one persons reach. Which an agent or someone to help expand that reach could help with. God only knows with the current decline of various social sites into ad waste lands, it's harder to self promote. It can't hurt to arrange something short term to see if it suits you and your flow.

RE: Loyalty - Benefiter status for a little bit would be cool - mostly for the Tutorials & Library. I'm not fussed about starting a fund so feel free to make it baby tier. I'm K.A.

Thank you so much for confirming!
Oh, I think first 3 or last 3 letters of your email would be better for me to id :), but I think i got it: initials K.Ap.? and ya put your twitter handle?

- - - - - ent5@

Thank you ! You're all good to go! should see it in your profile now.

ALSO, now that you're a Benefiter, feel free to sign up on http://fydtales.me
I'll approve you right away, then you can check out all my comics and artbooks (horror cock/portrait) The same ones in the fydbac.com/store :)

Getting an agent is a way to up your game and task management, after doing a quick peek myself I would see if you can get an agent that is from any sort of union for what services you expect to provide. This would offer due processes that protect you and keep you and them clean rather than gunning on someone with people skills alone to help you secure sales faster so you can focus on the big picture of doing art.

I was thinking about what could be off-putting about your level of professionalism, and I have browsed your website on and off since maybe 2018 or earlier and enjoyed hopping in and out. The only reason I have not become a subscriber formally is due to my own personal and financial obligations that leave me with extremely strict behavior surrounding bills first. You know the drill.

But to the point, I think you are concise in your text and you set work boundaries straight up. I feel like that anyone well intentioned that you lose with your level of information and detail about how to aquire your work, is well worth the sacrifice to make yourself clear about how to be respectful and not waste your time as a professional.

I know many people have anxiety about approaching artists they love for work, and reading through info can be harder for some individuals...but I truly think that anyone who is serious about dropping money on your services will carefully (if not slowly for others) read through everything so they can understand what you have put forth for them. If there's one thing I'm convinced of for your language on your website and it's formatting is this: you are determined to weed out timewasters and stop them before they even think about contacting you, either to lowball/bargain quite steep or just be indecisive in a way that is not productive to you or the theoretical client. It's okay to have boundaries surrounding your work and ALSO how you choose to correspond with people. An agent may "soften" your professional wording so it's more appealing to the anxious but well meaning client who is nervous about missing ANY sort of detail you have laid out. They're *too* respectful so they have a freeze response as they would rather be silent than make a mistake by accident and be off-putting. Those may be the types you're "missing" for clientele, if I had to speculate.

All that said? I'm getting closer and closer to being in an income level that allows more freedom for personal enrichment (was paying $1800+ for two apartments combined per month) but a recent move has allowed us to secure future finances for extra spending. Hoping to formalize support either this year or the next, wishing you much luck.

I really can't thank you for such insight! I was thinking about the same concerning agents, and it feels good to see a confirmation of sorts! I know of illustrators who have agents, which I have to look more into and try to find; but do wish there was such a thing as tattoo agents, which I think would be good for those high money rollers and celebrities (if i had such connections, I'd 100% do that myself!). In my research so far, which is a bit light, I found that most agencies only take internal referrals, and anything else is considered unsolicited. But I'll be continuing the research!

I really appreciate your insight, and wording of! That's pretty much my thoughts: weeding out the trouble makers so to speak (i hear so much of my peers getting such folk, but I honestly don't really have such stories, even after 5 years). And you put it so perfectly: "An agent may "soften" your professional wording so it's more appealing ...".

Thank you so much again for your time and sharing your perspective! Big congrats on the income and the recent move! That fills me with positivity to hear!

OH, and to show my gratitude, I'd love to offer either loyalty points (for fydbac.com stores and sketch store) or a benefit membership! Feel free to let me know if interested and if you made a fydbac.com profile (be sure to mention your username in your profile, so I can find you)!

Continue taking care of yourself and enjoying your new space!

I've had my eye on your stuff for a while, but as some others here have mentioned (and I've mentioned on a previous journal), I've personally/traditionally had trouble precisely conveying my vision. I entirely get and respect the degree of artistic freedom you want/need/etc, but as a commissioner with VERY nonstandard forms as my typicals, I often feel a -need- to be involved within the process to a greater degree. My main character is a custom species of one. I view their form as being fairly "simple" once you -get- it, it just has a LOT of repetition of anatomy along its length, and it's not a species most have even seen before. I've worked with many that have seen it and then drawn their mind's interpretation of it, but the anatomy is all wrong. It's recognizable as -me-, but it would be like if an alien saw a human and then sketched it from memory with the limbs swapped and such. Some other forms/characters of mine share an attribute, a ribbed cocktail; so far, no artist has drawn it accurately on the first try, so I usually guide them through it, not because they're not skilled, and not because I doubt their skill, but because I want to help convey the nature of a form they're not familiar with, a shape that has lived in my head for about 15 years now.

Often, I see commissioners as people with a grand view that they wish to share, but they don't have the artistic skillset to share it as they envision it. Greater degrees of input at the start and at main touch points along the way (potentially at a greater price) may be a way to open yourself to those who have been reluctant to make the jump, those who love your style, but have reservations as to whether -they- can convey their visions accurately enough for your style and skill to bring it to light. I know I've been of that mindset many times over the past years, and have always deferred my approach (until yesterday).

Concerning your first paragraph: that's partly why I love my tattoo consultation process: I still have freedom and not constrained, but for those who do feel they cannot convey well, they can see in real time where my design and styling is touching on, and can help guide the design within my styles and visions.

Folks just doing their own interpretation? Like...not following the ref given?

I really hope you have a ref sheet in the works, it sounds like one proper sheet is EXACTLY what you need. And OH! Have you tried like, drawing it out yourself (drawing ability irrelevant), making small notes here and there, and then having an artist use THAT to create a proper ref?
Basically translating a clients sketch idea into their own style.

Actually...that sounds fun. Do you think that would be something you would be interested in?

To address your last paragraph; my entire career has basically aimed to NOT be a hired "artist glove" the client hires to "put on" to make their own vision come to life: Your wording sounds like that whelm of "client direction" i never venture into, even now in my very dire situation of needing $2300 .
[Even tho I have technically done that a couple of times well over a decade ago, the clients loved them, but I HATED the work myself]

I've tried a ref sheet, and nearly everything below the neck could be explained in terms of existing anatomy, but the head was a blocker. I tried pencil on paper, digitizer on tablet, sculpey clay, ZBrush, ZBrush models 3d printed as a 'skeleton' to push sculpey clay onto, SolidWorks models for the same process, carved foam insulation, and probably more to try to get a good ref in place. Over the span of 7-8 years, I spent hundreds upon hundreds across sixteen different artists purely on head commissions. Some pieces missed the mark of what was stubbornly stuck in my head that nothing was 'usable'. Some pieces managed to capture a thing or two, some could be redlined and combined with others to slowly build a better composite of a 'ref'. Finally, I was able to chat with a 3d artist that was willing to brainstorm together, to tweak and rework stuff, to send the model over to me, have me tweak and adjust things. Eventually, we came up with something that wasn't -exact-, but it captured the overall mood enough that I could provide that head model to a 2d artist as a reference, and then they were the one that finally managed to pluck the stubbornly-stuck image out of my head and bring it to life.

I found another 3d artist who was willing to make a vtuber/vr model for me, and after waiting in their queue for 5-6 months, they got to mine. I had the same artist that really nailed my 2d pic do a condensed front/back/side ref, and it was enough to base the model off of, but it no longer 'captured' -me-. Still, that was enough to get the model going. There were a few bits that were initially sorta.. ..cursed, but we resolved those with a few revisions. At this point, I'd been watching a few great 3d artists work on stuff live, and I'd gotten to know the concepts of some techniques that make a model great(a dedicated retopolgy step, proper facial loops as examples), and this artist was skipping those entirely. I asked about those and was told they weren't going to happen (and they really needed to for the price I was gonna pay), so we came to an agreement, I offered to pay a bit extra on top of the section I'd already paid for, and we went out separate ways.

A friend of mine worked with an artist to get a model while I was in the queue for mine, so I'm now on that artist's queue, and they're excited to work on my model (and I've watched them stream modeling, so I can see their process, and they have a much greater attention to detail and their quality is higher. So, now I wait on that queue; it's a bummer, but I've been waiting on this form for nearly a decade, so what's a few more months, heh.

I entirely understand and respect you not wanting to be an "artist glove". As for the commissioner-sketch to artist's-work, it could be interesting. That's what I've done over the past 15ish years with the cocktail I mentioned, though sometimes the hours I put in to try to get a good ref in place for a single tail gets tossed, artists get grumpy after drawing something substantially different than the ref, and I reenter a spiral of self-doubt where I don't approach artists for another year or two.

I dunno, it could be interesting to try to the sketch-first idea; I just don't wanna burn any bridges by saying the wrong thing during the process. (hoping I haven't said too much here already)

Wow, you've had a whole quest journey! Thank you for sharing! I'm glad you were able to find a right artist here and there!

Thank you for sharing! Interesting to hear folks stories!

Oh yeah, the sketch first thing would still be " trust in me" , as I'd definitely translate the clients sketch into my interpretation of said client pre sketch. And possibly one small revision. As always, it'd just depend on if the client is okay with such an experiment with no multi revisions. So it wouldnt be possible to burn any bridge :) MAYBE UNLESS client acting like they DIDNT agree to the clear info or wanted to go against it anyway..

I may post it as a journal soon. Just to see.

Makes sense :::) Yeah, would be interesting to see how something like that might go.