That sounds about right to me.

While I prefer not paying until I know the artist is starting it, that's usually not the case and in general, 95% of my commissions are paid for up front in full. And I know the feeling of seeing artists do new work from start to finish, while still waiting for mine to be done. But I do want the artist to enjoy doing my commission, and certainly don't want to pressure them to work on it sooner or faster.

There have been a few that I've been waiting 2+ or even 3+ years on, but it's a rather small percentage of the commissions I get, and am fully confident that they will be done. Every 6 months or so, I send out Notes or emails to the artists I've been waiting on for more than 6 months, simply asking for a status report. Just to keep in touch and make sure the artist is still interested in doing the picture, or if perhaps a different idea should be gone with instead (on a couple cases, artists have cancelled and refunded the money, but that's been extremely rare).

I know some people who say you should start bugging the artist after 3 months, if you've paid up front, but I can't do that. I know how busy RL can get, or how motivation can be lacking for periods of time, and 3 months can pass rather quickly. But you should at least keep in touch with the artists, just to remind them that you're still there and waiting; even if you're not in a rush for the art.

Thanks for the feedback! That seems like a reasonable amount of time, 6 months. Looking at some artist's pages, it's nice to see a list of people who have commissioned them (and progress next to it), but others who don't have a list sometimes worry me. But still, motivation and all that jazz, I can relate to.

I usually pay beforehand, it shows that you trust the artist to start and finish eventually in my opinion, and I usually do, I have yet to ever need to ask for a refund.

I do have a few outstanding commissions, but two artists are people I know, and the third... Well, I admit I'm kinda worried, they came on FA, were offering nice works and commissions were on, so I took one... The day after they left FA. It's been about a month since I last heard from them. Usually this wouldn't worry me, but considering the circumstances (leaving FA after a day? uhhh) and that they were promising to take a week to turn out results, eeep.

I dunno, do what feels right to you, if it doesn't bug the artist, then all is well :] I just like paying in totality

(tips afterward are nice though!!)

Ouch. Sorry to hear that the artist turned around and left FA. You can always check for their Username or Artwork on other art sites, like DA.
Also, if you paid them using paypal, try sending an email to the address that was associated with the paypal account, asking them for an update on the art.
Good luck with getting the artwork you paid for.

It depends on teir really, or so I feel.

Generally artists should make a terms of service. For most jobs I would like all up front, or half and half, but for very large jobs I require 1/3, 1/3. 1/3 (jobs over 500 dollars). I have known some companies to rip off artist friends when they require anything different, so generally 1/3 at the initial agreement, 1/3 after the approval sketch, 1/3 at the end.
But I suppose when dealing with single people it's quite different, almost a case to case basis. I require some amount of payment before I start, but I hate when people send me money after we talk about how eventually I'll take on their piece, just not at this time, then they send the money anyways, and say "whenever you get to it, is fine"... that completely destroys any creativity I will have until it is complete, and it really sucks when that happens before a semester starts, because I really should be on top of my game for school. So in the future I will be sending early payments back.

I know the "brand" artists tend to be all up front (even when it's hundreds). There are some artists that use the payment as up to the client - up front is fine, after the work is fine. They believe this removes some pressure, since a client who doesn't pay up front is allowing some relaxation on the schedule. And the artist, not having been paid yet, has incentive to get off their ass. No workee, no monee.

Look at the guys selling paintings and sketches on the street. They have to either sell completed works, where they bought all the materials, worked who knows how long on the canvas, just to take it to a flea market and get people thumbing through them and haggling them down off a price and criticizing their work. Or sitting with a sketchpad and easel and doing a quick caricature. It's like art is some kind of circus act.

So, a real professional has a studio/portfolio (that's the FA page for want of a better virtual reality). Prints and originals available (well this ain't Inkbunny so forget that, but I guess that's what your info section and main profile info boxes are for). Then commissions tend to be up front costs, and I've paid 50/50 myself, with a general time line of when to expect completion.

I've best appreciated a rough sketch showing me how the composition is going to be done, so corrections can be made before a lot of work is put into sketching, inking and coloring. I like seeing progress images to ask for a little more or less here and there, reminding someone that this is that color or that Unk doesn't have nips, that sort of thing. But when I don't get to go through that phase, I chalk it off to artistic vision and let it be.

Then unless there's some real misinterpretation on how things came out, I approve the final and give the last portion of payment.

The artists who ask for all up front often deliver a somewhat off-kilter vision "fait accomplis" with no layout, no approval phases whatever - and therefore, no tip. Unless I do admire the finished product well enough. And it gets +faved very well also. I buy art for vanity, but I post it on FA for audience appeal. If it's a flop, I paid a lot for my own vanity and I feel I wasted my money.

I won't name names that have been the kind to be too expensive/up-fronty/fait-accomplis and those I've never seen fit to tip, but I am quick to say  bgn and  todex are the top 2 recipients of tip money from me. I wish I could've been more, but I do have a tight budget. They've both been superlative in quality, interaction with me, popularity in +fav, and value. And both have this fastidious attention to their quality of work… They're guys you can do well emulating how they do business as well as how they artsy-fartsy.

I gotta say, on the subject of tips I find it interesting. While it makes complete sense, I've only been seeing it around recently (in terms of this community and I assume the rest of the online art community). I got tipped once not too long ago for a piece of art I did, and while it was nice, it kind of made me uncomfortable. Since I wasn't accustomed to it, it kind of made me feel like I should have put that much more work into the piece.

Anyway, more to reflect on. Thank you for the feedback!

I gotta say, on the subject of tips I find it interesting. While it makes complete sense, I've only been seeing it around recently (in terms of this community and I assume the rest of the online art community). I got tipped once not too long ago for a piece of art I did, and while it was nice, it kind of made me uncomfortable. Since I wasn't accustomed to it, it kind of made me feel like I should have put that much more work into the piece.

Anyway, more to reflect on. Thank you for the feedback!

Just remember that first (err next?) tattoo you get inked...